The film 300: Rise of an Empire

The300 movie: Rise of an Empire, released in 2014, portrays the marathon war events in ancient Greece. The Greek army is led by Themistocles against the Persians (Aperlo, 2013). The plot of the film can be used to deduce a variety of sociological problems and hypotheses. This paper focuses on five main terms and examines them in depth in light of two sociological theories. Socialization, family structure and values, trauma, conflicts, and gender are the five sociological concepts used in this study. A critical review of two main theories will round out the principles. The feminist theory and the family systems theory are two of them. Analysis of Major Terms
Socialization family structure and principles, trauma, conflicts and gender. The concepts will also be supplemented by a critical look into two major theories. These include the theory of family systems and the feminist theory.
Analysis of Major Terms
Socialization refers to the process in which a person acquires attitudes, behavior and knowledge required to participate as a member in an organization (Chandra & Sharma, 2014). It is an ongoing process that changes over time and produces various levels of outcome. In the movie, 300; Rise of an Empire, the Athenian soldier and leader, Themistocles, braves all odds and attempts to create a social bond between the Spartans and the Athenian soldiers with a view to defeating the Persian Army in the coming war. This he does by paying homage and helping mourn the Spartan Queen, Gorgo that is mourning the loss of her husband, king of the Spartans. The fact that the Athenian soldier seeks a hand in battle implies that there is an aspect of social interaction between the two factions. Whether or not this attempt will yield an outcome is not assured as the queen immediately declines the proposal. It is, however, imminent that the socialization between Sparta and Athens would yield some fruits in Themistocles dream for a “united Greece.”
The movie has a critical value for the concept of family and family principles. The death of a king, according to the Persians, implies that the son should be the rightful heir to the crown. Themistocles, leader of the marathon, attacks the weary Persian Army and kills King Darius. As the ailing king slowly dies, his son Xerxes is empowered and put to the throne by a long-time aide to the king, Artemisia. In spite of the fact that Artemisia had served in the king’s army for several years and led various conquests, she does not rise to the position of leadership on the basis that it is the rightful heir to the throne that is capable of leading the Persian army. At the command side of Themistocles is his partner and friend, Scyllias. Burdened by the need to protect his family, he makes several attempts to keep his son, Calisto, from participating in the battle because he is still remarkably young. In fact, he even proposes that he had not gained the right to sit with the men at the table. This indicates the value of family as portrayed in the movie.
Trauma associated with the death of a loved person is a sociological issue that also forms the movie. By definition, trauma refers to the both the events that create distress and the distress that is created as a result of an unfortunate event. Upon the death of King Darius, his son Xerxes spends the larger part of his time, mourning the death of his father. In spite of the fact that he is a brave soldier, the death of his father nearly disorients him. Similarly, Themistocles also suffers trauma from the death of his friend in battle, Scyllias. He weeps for his friend and even decides to avenge his death. The concept of conflict is another sociological concept that is vividly explored by the movie. Given that the Persians and Greeks have been at war for ages, different conflicts and wars break out. The conflicts are, however, planned before execution. The War of Marathon is among these conflicts that lead to loss of lives. The unity sought by Themistocles between Athens and Sparta looks forward to uniting the entire Greek Army against the Persian Navy. The conflicts remain an ongoing issue until the Persian army is eventually defeated.
There is an important consideration of gender and roles in the society. According to the movie, these roles are not allocated as in the case with contemporary society. Even though Xerxes, the god king, leads the Persian troops, it is Artemisia that issues the final command. In spite of being a woman, she is quick to make critical decisions regarding battle and offers technical advice to Xerxes. When the King of Sparta is killed in battle, his wife, Queen Gorgo, takes over the mantle of leadership and joins hands with Themistocles to form a united Greek Army to fight off against the Persians.
Theoretical Illustration
The theory of family systems postulates that a family acts as a whole. There is no separating one part from the other. In this theory, family members react to each other’s loss, achievements and beliefs. In addition, a decision is only deemed final upon approval by all the members. In a nutshell, a family relies on the concept of systems thinking to reach a conclusion (Regina, 2011). The loss of a single member disorients the structure. The family system in King Darius’ family is destabilized upon his death since his son remains traumatized for a long time. The feminist theory views the social world in a perspective that illuminates forces which create inequality and oppression. By so doing, it promotes the quest for justice and gender equality. The movie gives an equal perspective of both men and women and promotes gender equality by shying away from any aspects of discrimination. In spite of the fact that there are more men than women in the army, the Persian and Spartan troops are both led by women commanders.
Conclusion
The paper outlines an approach in which one can learn various social concepts from works of art such as movies. From this analysis, it is true that any form of gender discrimination should be shunned. In addition, socialization creates a strong bond among people and societies and this leads to success. In conclusion, it is important for families to value each other and grieve in unison at times of tragedy. This lets trauma be short-term and does not significantly affect the other functions of a family.
 
References
Aperlo, P. (2013). 300, rise of an empire: The art of the film.
Chandra, S. S., & Sharma, R. K. (2014). Sociology of education. New Delhi: Atlantic Pub.
Regina, W. F. (2011). Applying Family Systems Theory to Mediation: A Practitioner’s Guide. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Pub. Group.