This film tracing the life cycle of polar bears and walruses is amazing. It let me see so many things in their lives up close. Compared to their life-and-death struggles for survival, our problems seem so petty, and we're not doing much good contributing to global warming either.
There were so many signs of emotions throughout the documentary, and at some points I could clearly imagine a human being experiencing the same emotions as the bears and walruses. In fact, they seem to be able to express themselves better than us.
When Nanu's brother was too weak to walk any further and quietly died, his mother and sister snuggled by him for hours long after he had passed away. I guess they were mourning in their own way. The other scene that struck me as a very painful one for both mother and daughter was the parting, when the mother polar bear suddenly became distant from her cub, realizing that they would have to go separate ways if they were to survive in the harsh conditions.
The walruses are one big family and always stick together through the good and the bad. Sure, they move in groups on their instincts to survive, but they also love and take care of each other. When a predator comes, a walrus doesn't swim away alone but goes and warns the others before escaping together. Their love and devotion is best shown when the auntie sacrificed herself to save Seela, who also responded with a sad and anticipating gaze as she waited for her auntie.
I'm not sure how I'd describe this feeling, but there must have been something when Nanu approached the male polar bear's food. He threatened her at first, but he let her take what she needed in the end. He could have killed her easily if he had wanted to, but he didn't. Even if the conditions weren't so bad it would have been hard to catch a prey, so why would he have given up his? Pity? Empathy? Resignation?
I used to think that animals don't mate for love, but just to have offspring. It was interesting to see the picky Seela courted by the many young walruses. She chose her mate by his voice? I wonder if they'll grow to love one another so much that they'll sacrifice themselves for the other like auntie did.
Vending Machines... [Just random musing.]I'm starting to suspect that they're deliberately made so they'll eat some of your money every few coins. You leave it there for a few hours, and it's fine again. How does that work?
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Great post Roxanne. I could almost feel the emotions from the movie. There are a couple of scenes from the movie that stand out for me as well. One of mine is death of the young bear and the mourning by the family. The other is the parting of mother and child. Something each of you will experience next year.
March 10, 2008 at 8:42 PM
Hey Roxanne. Whats up? I agree with everything you have said. You actually covered all the main points I was hoping to cover. I concur with you about this documentary showing many signs of emotions. Like you mentioned, the part when Nanu’s brother became weak was, I feel, the epitome of emotion in this video. When I saw both Nanu and her mother cuddling with their dieing son/brother, I instantly started making connections with what we are reading together (Chapter 1 of When Elephants Weep). Also, during that same scene, you can see Nanu licking her mother’s forehead, as if she were comforting her mother. I thought that was really interesting and definitely pertains to what we are doing in Global Ethics right now. On the topic of emotions, the scene near the end when Nanu is playing with another male polar bear, I feel, is very essential to our discussions in class. Are Nanu and this other polar bear in love? If I had to guess, I would have to say yes. You can see how much fun they were having and I remember one time they were just laying there in the snow, doing absolutely nothing. This sight actually reminded me of humans, believe it or not. Now, as for the message of the video, I think Global Warming was for sure the main focus. I could go on and on about what you mentioned here in this post, but I think I should save some important information for MY blog entry. I think your entry is well done and I hope to read more of your blog entries in the future. Keep up the good work!
March 10, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Haha! Your 50NT is gone because of that vending machine.
You have a really well written post! The polar bears and seela seem to have emotions like love and anger.
March 12, 2008 at 9:48 AM
Nice comment Tyler
Feels like Mr. Loken's blog....
March 13, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Great post!! What was the male bear thinking? Was he being helpful? Was he just full of food and didn't want a fight? Or does it really matter what he was thinking? Your vending machines make me think of many of the absurdities of our society. Come on....food in a package? Sugar water in a can?
March 16, 2008 at 1:30 PM