The Truman Show Essay, Research Paper
The Truman Show is a movie
about a man who is held captive
inside a world that revolves
around him. Truman Burbank,
the main character has been
raised on a huge TV
Soundstage filled with hidden
cameras and actors who
pretend to be his friends and
family. This world is one
where he is literally trapped in
his own life by the surreal
existence in which he has
been forced to spend every
day of his thirty years. Since
the day he was born Truman
Burbank’s life was controlled
from a huge control panel in the
sky; controlled by a manipulation
of how life should be, in a perfect
world. At the hands of such
manipulators we see how the
role of media in our world
persuades us into living in a way
that we would otherwise not
intend to.
It is quite often oblivious to all of
us, the effect that media has on
us. However, where ever we look
the effects of media have altered
the coarse of living. The clothes
we wear, the sports we play, the
music we listen to and our
political opinions, are all aspects
that are influenced by the media.
Advertising is the chief culprit in
many cases.
We often see others responding
to the effects of media whether it
is consciously or subconsciously.
As victims of commercialism, we
then respond to those who have
been effected by media. An
example of this is the clothes
that we wear. We see people on
television and else where,
looking trendy and we respond
to it by going out and aiming to
look the same way, therefore
buying the clothes. There are
many devices that aid in media’s
effect on people. Television,
radio, newspapers, billboards;
magazines and the Internet are
all forms of media and they all
are forever surrounding us. One
or the other is sure to appease to
most people’s tastes.
Pessimism we can see is often a
device of the media; it seems to
attract much attention.
Newspapers constantly thrive on
human tragedy and pessimistic
issues to create a public interest.
Media is found wanting on many
occasions. These pessimistic
articles are only published to
sell. However, what they do not
realise is that behind these
articles there are actually people
who suffer, these people are
tools of a money making
scheme. This is also a good
example of Truman’s treatment
in The Truman Show. He too,
was being used as a lab rat to
make a profit.
The Truman show distinctly
reveals how we are forever
surrounded by the manipulative
effects of media and that each of
us like Truman are held captive
in a world that has been altered
without our permission. We in
our own lives are held captive to
the effects of media. In every
direction we move we will always
come to a wall, some form of
media or advertising will stop us
and attract our attention. It is a
reality that we are unaware of
and we can not escape.
Truman was cornered in a world
that altered his decisions.
However, in Truman’s case the
media’s effect altered his
decisions into conforming into a
very narrow lifestyle. The media
manipulated Truman into
remaining in the one place for
thirty years, creating phobias so
that Truman would never try to
escape the island. Many
exaggerations were made in The
Truman Show, however these
exaggerations showed effectively
how the media can create such
an impact into altering the
course of life.
We in the real world, are much
like Trueman, held in captivity to
this media influenced society.
The silent, but deadly effects are
evident and do pose
considerable risk to our race.
This is effectively portrayed in
the movie The Truman Show, yet
we still remain to ignore it, in an
ignorance to what is right and
what is wrong in our society.
Media has proved to have a
negative effect, as it sometimes
leads ordinary people into doing
things that they other wise would
not have done without the
influence of media. Media has
the ability to train peoples
opinions; this takes away the
freedom we are born with, the
ability to think for ourselves and
to make objective decisions.