SUP long answers only please #9
18 days later...
@all-thewaydown, @markedmage I’m not late, not at all *cue nervous laughter*
9. Talk about a major theme in the narrative and how that theme is developed throughout. Why is this theme important? How does it influence the narrative?
As one of the most well-developed characters in all of television, Zuko embodies many important themes that resonate both with his arc and the entire show, one of which is the concept of power. After all, all of the FN’s motivations can be traced back to the pursuit of power, power which is drawn from fear. Ruthless, cunning, and cruel - those are qualities that are valued in Fire Nation royalty, and so Zuko attempts to suppress his compassion and model himself after Ozai’s image. He wants to earn his father’s love, and so he believes that the heart of love is fear - but it’s not. The heart of love is love. It’s the gaang laughing with him, it’s his uncle brewing him a cup of tea, it’s his mother sitting with him at the turtleduck pond. Love is more powerful than fear, and thus Zuko can sever his legacy of war and destruction to bring forth an era of peace and compassion.
On a separate note, if anyone wants to see @antarcticasx and I cry over the theme of prodigies and natural talent as perceived by Zuko then this post contains about 10x more thought than this theme “analysis” I found myself uncapable of writing for some reason.