A Motif that Brings People Together

This essay focusses on one finding made through the quantitative research to show how symbols in fiction can transcend its medium and affect events in reality but before doing so, an acknowledgement is in order. Since the decision had been made to use trailers, which constitute only a small portion of a movie, the chances of actually finding motifs are drastically reduced. What can be identified however are symbols and if one has seen the movie in question, it is possible to discern whether or not that symbol could be considered a motif in the context. That is the basis this essay builds upon, in other words on personal viewing experience. Departing from the word cloud generated in the process of our experiment in Voyant Tools for the movie "One Piece Red", I want to highlight two words that can be found in this word cloud. "Straw" and "hat" which, when combined to "Straw hat", immediately should bring up the image of the protagonist "Luffy" of the renowned manga series "One Piece" by Eiichiro Oda for anyone familiar. The anime series starts off with a carefree, adolescent Luffy leaving his home island, setting sail with one goal in mind: becoming the king of the pirates. Since every piratecrew needs a jolly roger to fly, his becomes the skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat. But how is it that this same strawhatted jolly roger has rallied people in protests against corruption in the South East Asian region?

What the Straw Hat Symbolizes

To understand how this came to be it is necessary to look at what it is that the straw hat symbolizes. The straw hat was originally owned by Shanks, a pirate captain visiting Luffy's home island when he was still a young boy. Already having the dream of becoming a pirate, Luffy asked Shanks several times to become part of his crew pirate but was always denied the chance to set out to sea. Nonetheless he became good friends with the captain and the crew and when they departed from the island, Shanks handed his straw hat to Luffy, telling him to come looking for him once he had become older and made a name for himself as a pirate. So, for Luffy the straw hat symbolizes this promise and serves as a material reminder of his goals. This hat becomes one of his most cherished possessions and is so tied to his character design that it becomes a representation of the character itself. But what is it that Luffy embodies? How should one understand his wish of becoming the pirate king? He should not be seen as a selfish boy who wants to set out to gain power, plunder and oppress people as he sees fit. Rather than that, being a pirate to him means, living a life of adventure, exploring the world and interacting in all honesty with people he encounters on his journey. His idea of freedom allows him to live his life as he sees fit. This is something he sees as an essential right for anyone and thus is a stark opponent of oppression and exploitation. This is where he clashes with plundering pirates or those who seek to oppress and exploit people for their own gain. It also puts him at odds with the world government, not only for his ambition of becoming king of the pirates but also because the government itself keeps systems in place that inhibit the freedom of the people and are repressive. Although Luffy could be characterized as somewhat naive initially, his steadfast determination to achieve his goal and his unwavering belief in his way of life is what inspires or convinces several characters to join his pirate crew, fully trusting that they are themselves free to chase their own dreams under the strawhatted jolly roger. While every one of these characters pursues entirely different dreams, it is this value of freedom that unites them to fight not only for their own sake but for the sake of their crewmates and everyone else chasing their dream of freedom. I believe that it is this idea that the younger generations in the South East Asian region, where the One Piece series enjoys an enormous popularity, have picked up on and are using the symbol of the strawhatted jolly roger to rally behind, expressing their intolerance of corruption, fiscal siphoning and other political issues along with their will to stand up for their freedom.

The Beauty of Art

It should be noted that there is always a subjective aspect when it comes to art, both in its creation and interpretation. This serves to say that it is not a necessity to be well versed in any specific field of art to be able to appreciate artistic beauty. At times, an audience might connect with an artwork purely for its masterful execution, independent if there is any deeper meaning implied or not. In other instances, the ideas that shaped the work of an artist are expressed in such a manner that allows the audience to superpose its own experiences onto the artwork, creating a much deeper emotional connection. This latter idea is where art can serve as a bridge and bring people together.