Part 1
In
Green Lantern, Kyle was pushed to the
limits of superhero moral code and pursued criminals for personal satisfaction
and caused them physical harm on purpose. Superheroes are meant to be defenders
of justice so for Kyle to go after criminals as his superhero self for
vengeance is a complete disregard for everything he stands for. It is common
for people to forget everything they are taught and believe in when they are
challenged. For me it happened my freshman year.
I
am the type of person that tries to see the good in everything. So at lunch and
my friends and I were talking about adoption, I do not know how that
conversation got brought up, and I made the statement of someone has to really
care to put their kid up for adoption. When someone tried to make me feel like
a naïve fool because of my statement I got angry. I do not always react to
things in anger. It does not solve the issue that made you angry, but this time
I was fed up with people questioning what I believe. I do not force others to
believe what I do but respect me enough not to insult me when I do state my
opinion.
My
reaction to this situation was of pure emotion, and I did not think about what
could happen. I just wanted my feelings known. In the aftermath, the person
that insulted me and I were no longer friends splitting the rest of my friends
down the middle. For the rest of the semester it was a delicate balance, and
even though we all knew it no one would talk about it. But that is what happens
sometimes when you go against the boundaries. It affects everyone around you.
So from now on I will try not to react with anger, but to remember my moral
standards.
Part 2
For
part 2 I imagined I was Storm and Mystique. Every time I encounter X-Men I
always see them as the opposite sides of a pole. Both are the closest to the
person they follow, are comfortable with their powers, and believe that mutants
should not have to hide who they are. The difference that distinguishes Storm
and Mystique, other than the physical obvious, are how they go about getting
mutant equality. While Storm uses her words to fight for mutant fairness
Mystique is aggressive and willing to kill anyone that makes her feel inferior.
Both
of them would be willing to walk down the street as they are but because of
Mystique’s mutation and societies view on how people should look it is
impossible for that to happen. They both feel the same way about the “cure” in X-Men The Last Stand, but Storm was
willing to defend the humans that created it. If it wasn’t for Magneto leaving
and losing her powers Mystique would have been on the offensive side instead of
working with humans. It was when she became like everyone that was against her
that Mystique became cooperative.
Any
group or person in the real world that feels ostracized because of their
circumstances can relate to the X-Men. Whether that person has a disability or
just different than the societal norm they can relate to the X-Men. However,
the X-Men can teach these groups to remain strong in who they are. They can
know that though society does not accept them that if they work together they
can have the same rights as everybody else.
The
mutant I most identify with is Beast. It is not because of his mutation but
because of who he is. He is the ambassador for mutant affairs. He lives in both worlds. He understands why
the humans created the “cure,” why some mutants would want to take it, and why
others don’t. All the while he is not confused about what he personally
believes. He knows who he is and doesn’t let either side change that. With the
changes happening to the world and what is deemed appropriate and not I see
both sides of an argument, but I know what I believe and I won’t change that
for anyone.
