The Dark Knight and Defining Evil Essay - 1727 Words

Based on the excerpt from Evil: A Primer, William Hart goes through a painstaking process in trying to pin down the definition of evil. â€Å"Despite five thousand years of recorded human wrong doing, despite all that out prophets and scholars and poets and undead homicidal maniacs have told us, the origin and definition of evil remain impossible to pin down† (Hart 2). Hart tries to define evil and in the end he is able to boil the root of evil to a lengthy list of criteria and an empty definition. This inability to define evil manifests itself in out literature, politics and especially our entertainment. Films like The Dark Knight portray how evil can range from a true hero that is seen as a threat or villain to society to maniac that kills†¦show more content†¦Hart’s difficulty in defining evil portrays how evil can be seen in many different ways. This question of how evil should be defined creates a blurred line as to what is good and what is bad. This can be seen in how heroes are portrayed in literature and films. The question that it raises is why are those who are trying to create good, such as heroes, seen as evil? The reason that many heroes can be viewed by society as evil is because they live outside the law; they are, as Todd McGowan puts it, â€Å"exceptional.† The laws created by government, in most societies, represent the social norms and moral codes and by heroes deciding to live outside the law they have attacked the moral order that drives society, despite what they are doing is for the betterment of society. McGowan describes this complex view of masked heroes by distinguishing how they differ from other heroes such as police officers, they differ because â€Å"ordinary police officers can avow their identity publicly, and this is what separates them from criminals† (McGowan). This complex idea of how masked and unmasked heroes are portrayed in society is incredibly apparent in Christopher Nolan†™s The Dark Knight, the film illustrates how â€Å"the true form of appearance of heroism is evil† (McGowan). In the recent recreation of Batman by Christopher Nolan it is shown from the outset that Batman’s actions are seen as criminal or evil. This is seen in BatmanShow MoreRelated The Role of the Individual: A look inside the Galactic World of Star Wars (1977)1290 Words   |  6 Pagesa Ben Kenobi. The next day he seeks out Ben Kenobi and Ben introduces himself as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He reveals to Skywalker that he was a former Jedi Knight. A Jedi Knight is a peacekeeper in the Star Wars galaxy. This is the point in the movie where some action begins. Kenobi reveals to Luke that Lukes father, Anakin Skywalker, was also a Jedi Knight. Ben and Anakin fought together in the galactic wars. Luke is told his father was killed by Darth Vader. 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