ENG111.003 -- Introduction to Literature: Beholding Violence in Drama and Film

Prof. Eileen Joy

Summer 2008

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS #3 (Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill, vols. 1 & 2)

Figure 1. Lucy Liu and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, Vol. 1

1. How might you compare and/or contrast two or more of the following characters: Clytemestra, Cassandra (in Agamemnon), Medea, and the Bride from the Kill Bill movies? Further, what kinds of connections can you draw between their respective stories, motives, and actions?

2. If, as W.J.T. Mitchell argues, pictures and images can actually want something (can almost desire to be alive in some way), what do you think some of the visual imagery in Tarantino's two films wants from us? Put another way, how do one or more of the stunning visual scenes in Tarantino's film (be specific with details from filmms--think of one or two specific scenes that really stood out to you visually) affect us emotionally and even change the meaning of the film for us, and in what specific way(s)?

3. Thinking of the Kill Bill movies, and of one or two specific scenes in particular, is it possible for violence to be beautiful and also have moral value (and what kind of moral value)? Why or why not?

4. Do you think Tarantino's Kill Bill films have a point, and if so, what might that be, and if not, why is that okay? Further, do these films attain the level of high tragedy described by Joe Sachs in his notes on Aristotle's Poetics, and why or why not?

5. Is the Bride a character we can sympathize with, and why or why not? Further, does she go too far in her revenge, in your opinion, and why or why not?

6. Charles Taylor, in his review of Kill Bill, Vol. 2, writes that the two movies are "all kick" and lack "moral ambiguities," and that ultimately they are "awesomely trivial." How might you respond to these assessment (with direct reference, please, to specific details and scenes from the two films)? Is there, in your opinion, a meaning to these two films--above and beyond their surface appeal--and what might that be?

7. Can the kind of violence that is on display in Tarantino's movies harm us, and why or not? Further, can images have power over us, and why or why not? [You might think about certain arguments made in Mitchell's essay here.]

Please respond to the questions with full, complete sentences. You should write approximately two typed, double-spaced pages (total) in response to the prompts you choose (but let's not get distracted by these fine points of detail--what matters to me is that you respond to these prompts with thoughtfulness and care and show me that you have something of substance to say in relation to the reading and discussions we have had, and what that ultimately means is: MORE is always better than less, but one page is the minimum). The questions are always interpretive in nature, and therefore there are NO right or wrong answers, only your opinion (an opinion, nevertheless, that's hopefully grounded in a close reading of the text as well as a close attention to background material presented through online links). You will want to refer to and/or quote specific passages from the text in order to support your observations and ideas.

Responses should be saved as .doc [Microsoft Word] or .rtf [Rich Text Format] files and sent to ejoy@siue.edu as email attachments.