Essay on At First Glance And For Everyday Use

Submitted By Ben-Cokus
Words: 750
Pages: 3
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At first glance and for everyday use, “eccentric” is a rather straightforward word, with a relatively negative connotation. For the purpose of this paper however, the meanings and application of the word become much more neutral. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, “eccentric” is defined as “Departing from recognized, conventional, or established norms or patterns.” (“eccentric” 1) conveying that the word can either be good: “Departing” from oppression, or bad: “departing” from the law. These should be separate, but in the case of Firefly, they are together. The characters are “Departing from… norms” (“eccentric” 1) by breaking the law in order to break from oppression. This blurs the line between a negative and positive connotation. This is a show that is “Deviating from a… path” (“eccentric” 2) making it unique. The definition is representative of Firefly’s tendency to do the unexpected, whether it be for comedic or dramatic value. This is usually carried out through the show’s many eccentrics, or “Person[s] of odd or unconventional behavior” (“eccentric” 4) The characters in Firefly exhibit eccentric habits, this conclusion being drawn from the fact that they do the unexpected by breaking the law in order to fix it. Firefly deviates from most conventional methods of writing in basis, character personality, and viewpoint. This adds an essence of unpredictability to the show. For instance, the premise of the show is following a group of criminals, who steal, murder, and lie as they carry out their business. Not only this but insanity is not limited to villains. One of the main characters, River, is a complete psychopath. Another character, Jayne, is more bloodthirsty than some of their enemies. The ship’s captain, Mal, has a code of honor which he keeps. It helps make him feel honorable, but he is a thief, one of the least honorable people there is. Finally, the ship’s name is Serenity, a complete contrast to its crew and line of work. This is all not what is usual for a TV show, showing that the writer did not want a usual TV show. All of the evidence points to a show that is not good but in reality, Firefly is phenomenal. The writer was trying to make an unique show, one that disregards the trends of mainstream media, and he succeeds in every way. Firefly gives the viewer a mirror. This mirror reflects not only the viewer, but humanity, within the space of an hour. It does not sugar-coat it, does not fog up, and does not hold anything back. In both the real world and in Firefly, grim things happen. The hero does not always arrive at the last second, saving everyone. River Tam exemplifies this more than anyone else. She was taken by the government and experimented on. In the episode “War Stories,” Mal and Wash are captured and tortured by a
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