In the movie Avatar, I believe that the main conflict is that Parker and Colonel Quaritch wants unobtanium, a rare rock that can only be found in the sacred Na'vi tree, and do not realize what this tree means to the Na'vi. They also do not see that the Na'vi are about nature and do not want to change what they stand for. Meanwhile, Jake and the army will stop at nothing to obtain this mineral because of how much it is worth, and end up threatening the Na'vi to leave, and when they do not they end up destroying the land to get what they want. Jake ends up in the beginning of the movie on the same mission as the Colonel and Parker. Jake ends up getting to know the Na'vi and understanding what they are about and that his people are harming not only something beautiful, and meaningful; but destroying Mother Nature all at the same time. He really starts to understand the meaning of their land and how sacred it is. The master narrative of this conflict is that the Colonel Quaritch needs to reason with the Na'vi to leave, so they can obtain this rock and no one gets hurt. The Colonel and Jake meanwhile are anthropocentric, because they view themselves as the higher being; and that their need for this mineral is more important than nature, which is, the Na'vis' way of life. Also, the movie demonstrates a paradigm when Jake permanently uses the avatar body for the rest of his life. The movie Avatar, demonstrates narrative self when Grace compares the Na'vi way of life to their way of life. Jake demonstrates biocultural conservation when he goes into his avatar body and tries to learn their way of life.
The Biocultural Diversity Intro and Avatar have a lot in common, in the fact that, the movie and the story are both ethnocentric; because in the beginning of the movie, Avatar, the scientist are telling Jake what the Na'vi are like, he has to learn the language, and they almost evaluate the Na'vi way of life. Also, they compare it many times to what they do in their way of life. An example of this is when Jake goes into observe them for his mission and then tape records himself on what he observed, as well as, what he thought of it and reflects on it. In the Biocultural Diversity Intro, Maffi evaluates that the Tzal and the cultural change. As well as, observing the medical issues that they were having then, now reflecting on it in the story and in what Maffi saw. The film also, in many ways displays dualism, in the way that in the movie there is good and evil dualism. This is seen, because the Colonel and Jake were considered the bad guys, because they want unobtanium for profit. Then, the Na'vi are considered good, because they are the ones being invaded; they are just living their life and their land is being invaded, just because the Colonel and Parker want unobtanium. So, they think they are more important than the Na'vi are, so Parker and the Colonel will do anything to get this rock. In the Biocultural Diversity Intro, it uses an example of extinction of experience, when the reading says that in a market economy the human environment relationship becomes non relevant in our lives, because we do not use our resources effectively, we just take advantage of them. Which is what happens in the film, Avatar, when the Colonel and his army invade the Na'vi people just for one rock; and could care less about the land and its' resources, and then rely on all technology.
That in their case, nature itself becomes irrelevant to them just because they live in a market based economy. Jake brings about a huge indirect driver, when he realizes what he is doing later on in the film. He then instills this on Grace and the rest of the scientists, that what they are doing is wrong; as a result of this, Grace and Jake turn on the Colonel and Parker. Then, they go behind their back and bring their equipment to a mountain, where it is hard to be found. The Biocultural Diversity Intro relates to this concept, by trying to give the readers a message to not completely destroy nature and to take care of the resources that God intended us to use wisely. To support this Maffi says, "As local peoples are removed from their lands, or subsist in severely degraded ecosystems, and are absorbed into a market economy in which normally there is little room for traditional subsistence practices and resources use, local ecological knowledge and beliefs and the accumulated wisdom about human environment relationships begin to lose their relevance to their lives" (Maffi, pg. 6).
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