Since I’ve been watching Dollhouse, of course I decided to write my paper about a theme shown in this show. I think I am going to write about how memory defines our character and the personality we have. I choose this topic because in the seventh episode, it surprised me how much Echo’s character changed once she started getting some of her old memories back. Her personality changed completely. This idea is also played out in all the episodes after the dolls memories are wiped. Once their memories are gone, they walk around the dollhouse aimlessly and none of the dolls have any personality at all. I can relate this to the real world because all the memories that we have is what made us into the people we are today. An example is someone who has had their house robbed might become a little more paranoid about security and take a few extra minutes before leaving to make sure everything is locked. They remembered what happened last time and use this memory to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This becomes part of their personality. I also read about some new advances in medicine and technology that was tested on animals which caused them to forget certain memories. This might not be as extreme as what’s going on in the dollhouse, but it still relates. I still think it’s going to be hard to write such a long paper on this topic though.
You seem to be saying that through episode 7, the writers of Dollhouse are arguing that memories and experiences shape who a person is. The main evidence for this argument seems to be the Echo’s personality changes when she starts to have flashbacks and memories and it is evident in episode 7. Your case for a real world argument is very strong. There is a constant controversy over nature versus nurture that many psychologists and scientists are still trying to prove. Looking at what shapes a person based on nature implies that is a person’s genetic make-up is responsible for their thoughts, actions, and personality. However, looking at an individual’s personality based on nurture implies looking at their experiences and memories. The example you gave of how a person becomes more paranoid after being robbed is very applicable to your argument. This also supports that experiences and memories play a very important role in molding a person to be the way they are. This argument could also have a real world application through how people are raised. For example, children who are raised in an abusive household may grow up to be very passive individuals. They are used to people making them feel inferior therefore they do not want to say or do certain things out of fear of consequences. I do see completely the connection you are trying to make to the real world and the show. Analyzing this episode in this way is probably one of the best topics to choose for writing a seven page paper. There is a plethora of information on the topic of how memories and experiences influence a person’s character. There are various real world connections and examples you could draw from, too, and there is also evidence within the Dollhouse series that supports your claim.
ReplyDeleteI think this argument is very timely because it is so true everything we do and say, we do because of memory of our experiences. This will make a great point since everybody in the real world experiences it and it in Dollhouse it is a crucial part of the show that they dont have memories but when they start to develop them everything changes.
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