Respond Critically To Significant Aspects Of Visual Texts

Respond Critically To Significant Aspects Of Visual Texts | Darien Kissick english 3.9

James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic” tells the story of a fictional First Class passenger,

Rose Dewitt Bukater, a young wealthy American aboard the famous non-fictional ship, the Titanic. Rose feels incredibly trapped and suffocated by her privileged life, pressured by the expectations of her mother and Fiancé and the wider social expectations society experienced by young women of Rose’s social class in society in 1912. Almost every choice is taken from her and dictated by her mother and Fiancé, another rich American.

It is aboard the Titanic that she encounters a

This scene is placed directly after Rose tells Jack her decision to marry Cal and to stay with her first class life and directly before Rose tells Jack that she changed her mind. This makes it clear that this scene is the pivotal moment where Rose comes to her decision to leave.

The scene directly before this one, Jack tries to encourage Rose to make the decision to leave saying “they’ve got you trapped … that fire that I love about you, that fire is going to burn out.” This line about Rose having fire adds to the idea of her being phoenix with the relation of fire.

Rose says “it’s not up to you to save me Jack,” to which he replies “no, only you can do that.” This supports the theme of Rose’s choice. It can’t be Jack or anyone else deciding what she does with her life, she has to come to the decision on her own.

Directly after the scene with Rose’s realisation is the iconic scene where Rose meets Jack at the front of the ship during the sunset where she opens her arms saying “I’m flying!” The sunset could represent the sun setting on her old life, and the fiery colours of the sunset could represent Rose’s fire. Her spreading her arms and exclaiming “I'm flying!” also carries the idea that she’s a phoenix, a bird spreading her wings ready to