Shrek: Movie Analysis

The movie Shrek is a popular classic in the animation genre of film. A big reason for it becoming a classic is its theme. Shrek is an ogre who is constantly feared and looked down in society. His looks make people want to kill him, which makes Shrek isolate himself from in his swamp. So what exactly is the theme of the story? Well, Shrek was always judged by society because he’s simply an ogre. Him wanting to marry the human version Fiona would be looked down upon since he’s an ogre and she’s a human. Judgment is huge part of the society Shrek lives in. This judgement is similar to how the Puritans reacted when they encountered an outsider or someone who’s different. The Puritans were a group of Protestants who wanted to purify their church.

Another example of modern day Puritism is NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. Colin decided to sit down during the National Anthem at one of his games because of the oppression that occurs in the African American community in America. In an interview, he said , “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color… To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder (NFL, “Colin Kaepernick…”).” Kaepernick practices his First Amendment rights by speaking about the issue of systematic racism in America. Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination are part of systematic racism. The Puritans were notorious for treating outsiders like criminals because they were different. They also heavily judged and discriminated those who didn’t obey their views or had an opposing viewpoint. After this event, Colin received a lot of mixed reactions on social media. Some people praised him for speaking up about the problem, while others burned his Jersey for “disrespecting” the country. Like the Puritans, many people on social media heavily judged him because they didn’t agree with what he was