Film Screening Assignment 2. The rights of citizens Aristotle’s ideas of who is a citizen and citizenship rights were seen being reflected in the struggle for independence by Algerians in the movie, The Battle of Algiers. The definition of a citizen is a man who takes part in office either deliberative or judicial. (Aristotle 171) Moreover, there exists various definitions of a citizen based on different kinds of constitutions. (Aristotle 168) In the movie, both sides, Algerians and French had a different perception of their rights and different perceptions can be seen to mean different kinds of constitutions. Aristotle, by different constitutions essentially means different angles of looking at the idea of a citizen. Algerians were of the belief that Algeria was their native land and they had the right to live in it independently as citizens without French government …show more content…
Contrary to what Aristotle thought women’s role to be in society which was not a primary role as a citizen but a supportive one (58), women and children played a massive role in Algerians’ fight for independence. Without them, it could be argued, that they could not have been able to achieve independence. Hence, different perception of the citizenship leads to different assumptions of citizen rights. Not only this, but depending on how strong the beliefs of one being a citizen possessing certain rights are, the others can be overshadowed and overcome by them. In this example, Algerians’ strong belief of their citizenship did not help them capitulate and they kept fighting for independence until they finally gained independence from others – the French. Similarly, Algerian men and women believed in women’s citizenship and the pivotal role they could play. Indeed, they proved to be a deciding factor in Algerian’s