Use of Symbols in The 11th Hour

It is clear that symbols can invoke multiple aspects of the imagination. As the saying goes," A picture is worth a thousand words." The documentary The 11th Hour, makes what I believe to be one of the best use of symbols i have seen in a while. The symbols and their respective meanings are not always obvious, sometimes you must look closer.

One form of symbolism in the movie is who was chosen to speak in the movie. We cna start with the narrator of the movie, Leonardo Dicaprio (Leo). The general public is bound to take more interest in, and even believe, what Leo has to say than if you or I were up there instead. The public has seen and some have fallen in love with the actor, or hold him on a high pedestal, and therefore will take what he says more to heart. The interviews and commentary given in the movie also presents prominent figures in todays society. The commentators reach all scopes of culture and academia. With speakers such as Stephen Hawking, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Wangari Maathai, we are given relation to the scientific, political, and cultural communities. And the credibility and achievements of these speakers only leaves us more interested and worried about the topic, which is precisely the aim of the documentary.

The images displayed throughout the movie also speak their own words. For example, the cover of the poster for the movie displays the Earth with a human footprint on it, invoking the impression we are leaving on the Earth and relating to the term "carbon footprint". Images of natural disasters (i.e. tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.) leave us with a daunting thought in our minds, the fact that any of these could happen to us and our loved ones gives us a sense of worry. Images of animals and humans in distress give us a feeling of sympathy. One image in particular of a polar bear walking out of its element in a garbage dump, burns an image into the viewers mind that something is wrong.

Through the use of symbols, the powers behind the movie achieve their aim of a sense of urgency and information. The symbols all correlate to the big picture and send a barrage of emotions to the viewer. When all of these aspects and emotions accumulate in throughout the movie, the overall tone (worry,urgency) and aim of the movie are well-achieved.

"The Writer's Voice" of Glick

In his article on the effects of global warming, Glick begins with a neutral tone. He uses what could be seen as an "extended metaphor", as Kolln would describe, by invoking first a story of a polar bear and its majesty. He then continues to prolong the discussion showing the "polar bear community's" current struggle due to the effects of global warming and human interference. The metaphor, without explicit reference, is to the challenge we as humans may eventually have to face.

Kolln also describes that writers are generally, in news and magazines, supposed to take a neutral point of view on the topic of discussion. Glick does not show his tone or bias until about the halfway through the second paragraph when he begins to describe that humans are responsible for upsetting the balance for the polar bears.

" From chemical pollution to oil drilling, hunting to tourism, polar bears are up against an agonizingly familiar series of threats that endanger thousands of species around the globe. But polar bears, which evolved during the late Pleistocene era to survive in one of the planet's most inhospitable environments, must also negotiate an overarching obstacle that uniquely challenges their survival: melting sea ice. Because of global warming, the ice that the bears depend on to supply food and shelter is literally melting under their paws." (Glick, pg. 1)

For the rest of the article Glick describes the importance for the need to reverse, or reduce, our effect on global warming or we to might end up in the same situation as the polar bears.

Glick also makes good use of "buzz" terms to catch our attenition. The diction Glick chooses to use sparks interest in the readers mind. At one point in the article (also in the second paragraph) Glick chooses to use the scientific genus and species name of the polar bear rather than just the former. This change, if only for a moment, catches the readers possibly wandering attention as the reader may not be used to seeing the actual scientific name of the animal. In a way it also adds credibility to Glick's respective knowledge, as he seems more educated on the topic. Another good example of Glick's "buzz" terms is the labeling of one section as "Apex Predator". This term gives much more interest than just saying something as simple as "big animal". And then Glick uses irony after the label by going on to describe the struggles of the polar bears brought about by being at the top of this food chain. Glick describes that high levels of toxins are being found in the bears from eating contaminated prey.( Paragraph 10)

In conclusion, Glick draws many elements of writing together to portray an interesting and valid picture of the effects of global warming. The use of the polar bears invokes a much more intimate relationship with the reader, who may possibly feel heart-felt for the animals, than would just stating global warming facts.