Jerry Poo

ENG 2150, Dr. Blankenship

3/8/16

Paper 1: Rhetorical Analysis of a Cultural Artifact

 

Dear Dr. Blankenship and Writing Group:

I will be analyzing the Netflix Original Series Daredevil and touching on how there is essentially a “hero” inside all of us if we so choose to go down that path.  I chose this topic simply because I was going to rewatch the series with the new season coming out soon and thought writing a paper on it wouldn’t sound like a bad idea.  Looking at the show, it utilizes parallels to connect with the audience.  How I look to support this will simply be breaking down the actions of the characters within the show and how they correspond to our society.  While writing this, I feel like the hardest challenge has been selecting what I really want to talk about since the amount of content the show provided is a lot to take in.  I feel as though I did nothing well and have a lot to work on.  If I had to point something out in particular that I need to work on, it would have to be organizing my thoughts in a way that makes sense. With that, while reading, ask yourself: Are the thoughts explained in a manner that makes sense?  Is there too much overlap between the ideas?  Would it be better to go more in depth on what goes on in the show?

 

There is a Hero In All of Us

 

Shows are created with the purpose of making money.  Say what you want about them, but the ones that stand out tend to be the ones that best cater towards what their audience is looking for.  More often than not, if you’re talking to your friends about a show after it aired the previous night, the show probably did a good job at getting your attention in a positive way.  In cases like the Netflix Original series Daredevil, the show was created as an interpretation of a preexisting superhero comic.  With that in mind, not only does it already have an audience that will watch it no matter what, but in a rare case like this, the show takes on problems that the many can relate to.  Combined with it’s mass appeal, execution, and timely release, Daredevil had everything it needed to be a successful show.

Matthew Murdock, the main protagonist, was an individual who was blinded from an accident as a kid.  Having lost up his eyesight in order to save the life of another individual, his drive to save lives is already clear at a young age.  Being blind allows him to have heightened senses, which is the main reason he can go carry on with his everyday activities.  Lawyer by day with his best friend Foggy Nelson, and Daredevil by night seeking answers for cases he otherwise might not be able to find in our very own Hell’s Kitchen, Murdock is able to accomplish tasks other people can only dream of accomplishing.  Such tasks, being akin to what we would expect to find current day society, bring about a level of connection that is unique in the sense that they are problems that one may recognize as requiring a solution, but the risk and and effort required that comes along with finding said solution leaves these issues unresolved.   

One of the main attributes that makes Daredevil what it is is it’s ability to convey emotion to the audience.  In many scenes, you actually worry for the main character which is something that can not be often said about something superhero based.  Blindness aside, many of his everyday activities are something people can relate to since he is basically an “exceptional” human being.  This allows the audience to feel empathetic when he fails, but when he succeeds, that same empathy can be felt since he does carries it out in a manner that is plausible in the sense that anyone can do what he does if they are willing to risk everything they have.  Apart from the main antagonist, the side characters offer the audience a chance to feel sympathetic since these are the individuals who are forced to face unfavorable situations or meet unfortunate demises.  Pathos, one’s ability to appeal to values and emotions of it’s audience, is the one of the pillars which Daredevil leans on to create that connection that makes any good show great.  They even look to bridge the gap between the character and audience more with sounds and effects that would make you feel as though you were blind and actually had those heightened senses he had.  A blind individual who is capable of bringing about change in one of the most corrupt environment gives off the idea of anything being possible.  

Granted the extremes Murdock goes through to bring about change are a little too farfetched for the average person, the main antagonist Wilson Fisk shows us a way to bring about change from behind the scenes.  Being a rich individual, he is able to influence many and essentially rule with an iron grip without anyone noticing.  Something like this occurs in our very society where a select few basically influence our everyday lives whether we like it or not.  In a society where capitalism reigns supreme, the “ideal” society for those with the power to bring about change is far different from those who are simply looking to get by.  Fisk’s love for his city is what drives him to go to such extremes just as money is what drives those who are wealthy to continue their quest for more wealth.  Murdock can best be compared to our government officials who look to bring about change and Fisk can be compared a successful capitalist who although not at the forefront of our everyday media, definitely has a lot going on behind the scenes.  If there were a specific individual one would compare Fisk to, it would have to be Donald Trump.  Just like how Fisk “wanted to make this city something better,” Trump looks to make “America great again.”  A wealthy individual who looks to make a name for himself in politics would be something that would describe both characters, with being emotionally unstable unable to do justice to just how insane these individuals really are.  The timing of when the show was released highlights the similarities between the two since it was right around the time when campaigning was about to take place.

That being said, the timing of the show’s release could not have possibly been better.  Unlike some of his superhero counterparts, Daredevil took on many issues that were becoming more and more present in our media.  It can also be said that with the surge of comic book superheros becoming more and more mainstream, the would-be show already had that going for it.  This timing is something that ties into the motive behind the creation of the show.  In this particular scenario, Netflix took full advantage of kairos in a way that would allow the show to make a lasting impression on current and future subscribers.  At the end of the day, the show was created to make money.  Ignoring all the product placements, the main way for a non-television show like this to make money for Netflix would have been to create something good enough to entice more people to subscribe to their platform.  A result of this would be them not having to completely follow the comic to a T since they not only need to appeal to those avid comic book fans, but the general public as well.

This desire to appeal to many audiences is something that makes the show strive to highlight many of these controversial issues people are currently dealing with.  One of the main issues that gets touched on throughout the show is how people get taken advantage of just because they are in vulnerable situations.  The prime example of this is when an elderly woman by the name of Cardenas seeks the help of Murdock and his associates since she is being pushed out of her housing since the value on real estate in the area is moving upwards.  This is something very common in New York City since the value of real estate is increasing at a rate that incentivises landlords to increase rents that force out those who can not afford it.  This brings about another problem in how our society is flawed in the sense that very rarely do you find a wealthy individual looking to make a difference and help those less fortunate.  Those with money only look to better their current situation as opposed to help out those in need despite them “helping” more or less doing no harm to where they stand financially.  The show draws the fine line between those who think they are making a difference and those who actually.  On more than one occasion in history, the ones who end up bringing about change in how society operates come from a position that one can describe as being powerless.  It is only through dedication and willingness to put everything they have on the line that they are able to take down all the obstacles in their way set up by those who like the ways things are.  Many of these figureheads in our government are in it for personal gain since them being in a position of influence affords them many opportunities.  They promise this, and guarantee that, but they rarely ever deliver on what they say they are going to do.  It is one thing to say that you are going to do something, but to actually act on what you believe in is something completely different.  Fisk running for a position in government can be a symbol as to how many of our politicians are corrupt, and are in it for all the perks that come along with the position.  Murdock can be thought of as that one person who always asks these people the hard questions that they don’t have the answer to;  someone who won’t stop digging until what they want to expose is known by all.  It really only takes one person to talk and take down someone in power, but again, it’s simply a matter of whether or not that one person will step forward.

Let’s be real, Daredevil, is a character that is in essence a human being.  Where he might excel in one area, he might end up lacking in another, and that is something that you see throughout the show.  He is both literally blind and metaphorically blind in the sense that his blindness to the consequences of his actions would not even be seen had he not been blinded from the accident.  A man who many would classify as “exceptional” is just as vulnerable as any of us.  You can see his vulnerability as a human while he retains his superhero status.  Act first. Think later.  Those words pretty much sums up how he handles things.  Very rarely does he think about the possible consequences of his actions.  With the ability to be a stone cold killer, he refuses to cross that line and simply dish out pain to those who deserve it, just like how the devil tortures those within his domain,  That line between just doing enough to solve a problem and not killing anyone to flat out stop the problem from ever arising again is what keeps him in line with the rest of humanity.  Confiding on a regular basis with his priest is something he does to ensure that what anything he does never really crosses that line of no return.  It is his very refusal to kill that makes him vulnerable.  Had he dealt with his problems in a more permanent manner, all of his other problems would never have presented themselves.  It is as though his values as Matthew don’t allow the devil side of him to do his job properly.  His very reason for him being the Daredevil is what makes his refusal to kill all the more interesting and allows for the story to progress the way it does.

While there is no doubt that Netflix making Daredevil was a financial move, there is no denying that what they have created is something worthy of attention in our society.  Not only did it take on many of the underlying issues in our society, but it was able to connect to it’s audience in a way that many of his superhero counterparts are simply incapable of.  Everything that could be leveraged was.  Emotions, timing, and reasoning all came together to create a show that deserves all the praise it has received.  Daredevil is everything we would want in a show, and while it may be based on a superhero, everything he does is something anyone can do if they so desire.