The representation of Samba as a Christ-like figure in the film relates to Lloyd Bough's Imagining The Divine. In this text, Bough analyzes the different incarnations of Christ and how various cinematic elements shape the character of Jesus (Bough 1997,205). This includes the idea of Samba as a scapegoat, having followers and suffering, praying to face conflict with authority, and being an adventure hero. The Lion King is a heroic tale that embodies Christian allegorical elements, connecting to Bough's understanding of Christ as a hero. Samba becomes Scar's scapegoat when Scar entraps him with a dangerous stampede of animals. Muff's informs Samba of his danger and guides him to safety, but unfortunately becomes caught in the herd himself.Muff's attempts to climb a wall of rocks to safety but is conf
...ronted by his jealous brother Scar who wants to become king. Scar chooses to throw Muff's off the cliff, causing his death, while uttering the words "Long live the king." Samba witnesses this tragedy and is wrongly blamed for Muff's death by Scar who commands him to flee and never return. Like Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as a scapegoat for the sins of humankind, Samba also becomes a scapegoat carrying the sins of Scar as his own. Samba suffers greatly as he is forced to face false accusations, leaving behind his home and family in grief.The loss of Samba's father has resulted in him losing all connection to his family and his anticipated future as king. Similar to the changes experienced by Jesus, Samba's life undergoes a transformation as he is exiled from his home. However, Samba discovers a land of paradise
where he gains the loyalty of two followers named Timing and Puma. Despite the fact that Timing and Puma are herbivores and Samba is a carnivore, the three become close friends after Timing and Puma find Samba sleeping on the ground while they chase birds. In films with Christ-like characters, Bough notes that the protagonists attract a group of followers whom they teach and form and save, which reflects the relationship between Samba and his loyal followers, Timing and Puma. As Samba battles Scar for the good of his people, Timing and Puma see him as their protector and savior. Although Timing and Puma view Samba in this way, it is they who raise and teach Samba, illustrating Bough's concept of followers who teach and form their leaders.
Timing and Puma meet Samba when he is a young cub and remain by his side until he grows into a mature lion. They teach Samba how to adapt to a new environment by becoming a herbivore and live a carefree lifestyle by teaching him "Hausa Mahatma." This phrase becomes like their own religion and in a way, Timing and Puma become Samba's saviors. They help him put the death of his father behind him and move on with his life in a land of radius. Muff's symbolizes God in terms of the prayer element of Christ images. Muff's tells Samba that all the previous kings who have passed away now live in the sky and are always looking down on them. After Muff's death, Samba looks into the sky and shouts for him to be there but Raffia is able to bring him to see
his deceased father. Mafia's spirit appears in the sky and Samba is able to communicate with him.
Muff's advises Samba to search within himself and take his rightful place in the circle of life, reminding him that he is his son and the true king. According to Bough, the gospels indicate that Jesus often retreated to a deserted place to pray, and this portrayal of prayer in the film brings the Christ figure closer to Jesus. Samba also finds solace in a deserted area, looking to the stars as a way to connect with his father. When Muff's appears in the sky, Samba experiences an intimate moment with him and is reminded of his true identity. Raffia reinforces this message by telling Samba "He lives in you," highlighting the spiritual nature of God in Christianity and how believers cannot physically communicate with God whenever they desire.
The Christian belief states that God resides inside individuals and has the ability to recognize their acts of kindness or sins. Similar to this, Muff claims to live within Samba, uniting them as one, creating an infinite bond between the two. By residing inside Samba, Muff possesses a similar power to God, knowing that Samba feels guilty about his death and is afraid of facing his past. This is evident when Muff tells Samba that he has forgotten who he is and the essence of MGM, just like how God speaks to individuals. Furthermore, Muff plays the role of a father figure to Samba, instructing him to take his position in the circle of life as king in order to save his people, just as God commanded Jesus
to die for his people. In contrast, Scar places himself in an authoritative position, earning respect from the hyenas who follow and support him. This makes Scar jealous of his brother, the king, and resentful towards Samba for being next in line for the throne. Although Samba faces conflicts with Scar's authority, Muff's support for him strengthens his leadership.Despite Scar's multiple attempts, he remains dissatisfied until he successfully eliminates Muff's and Samba. Scar's first plan involves convincing Samba to enter the perilous elephant graveyard. However, Muff's comes to his ward's rescue, thwarting Scar's plot. Undeterred, Scar makes a second attempt to harm Samba by luring him into a stampede of wild animals. However, once again, Muff's succeeds in saving Samba. This disappointing outcome prompts Scar to devise a new strategy. He orchestrates a situation in which he sends the hyenas after Samba when Samba is forced to run away from Pride Rock, knowing that Muff's will not be able to rescue him again. Bough (1997) identifies Jesus' struggle with the Pharisees as the most dramatic tension in the gospel, adding that this conflict persisted throughout Jesus' life. Similarly, Scar is unrelenting in his pursuit of killing Samba, which began when Samba was still a cub. Despite being Muff's son and an heir to the throne, Scar seems to hold authority over Samba because of his age and power over the young and naive cub who trusts him implicitly and does not consider him a threat.Scar commands a powerful army of hyenas, making him an even greater threat. However, when Samba learns of Scar's destructive actions, he returns home to challenge him in a fierce conflict.
Samba, the son of Muff, the rightful king, gains the respect of the kingdom and emerges as a Messianic adventure hero. Samba's journey begins with exile from the pride land and a new life with Timing and Puma. When Samba reunites with his childhood friend Anal, he learns that Scar has allowed the hyenas to take over and destroy everything. Anal pleads with Samba to return home and take action before it's too late. Initially hesitant to face his past, Samba is inspired by his father's message to remember who he is and accepts his responsibilities. Finally confronting Scar, who has stolen Samba's position as king, Samba proves himself as a true leader and hero.Samba and Scar engage in a violent battle and, with the assistance of Samba's friends Timing, Puma, Anal, and Raffia, Samba reveals Scar's secret of murdering Muff's to everyone. Samba successfully banishes Scar and restores the Pride Land to its former glory. Upon doing so, Samba is declared as the king in front of the entire kingdom, enabling him to restore the circle of life by reclaiming his rightful place as the king of Pride Rock. In Bough's text, he contends that popular adventure films often use mediums of Christ figures. These protagonists reflect aspects of Jesus Christ's story in their personalities and behavior. Bough argues that Jesus' heroic journey began at birth when God selected him as a vessel to live through, much like how Muff's lives through Samba. Similarly, Jesus devoted himself entirely to God and ultimately died to save others as his mission. Conversely, Samba was born into royalty and was chosen to lead the kingdom. Just like
Jesus was considered a savior, Samba also had a mission to return home and rescue his people.The film The Lion King by Walt Disney portrays a story of great heroism that shares various similarities with the life and journey of Jesus Christ. Samba, the main character, is depicted as a Christ figure, sacrificing his carefree lifestyle in paradise to save his kingdom, similar to how Jesus sacrificed himself for the well-being of his people. The Lion King showcases Samba experiencing conflict with authority, connecting to his father through prayer, and being a hero on an adventure. The film also employs various Christ images such as scapegoating, having followers, and enduring suffering. The depiction of Samba as a heroic Christ figure in The Lion King justifies the use of violence in overthrowing Scar and restoring Pride Rock. This movie includes religious connotations that may go unnoticed without careful attention and reflection on its hidden messages. References: Bough, Lloyd. "Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-figures in Film." Shed & Ward, 1997. Kansas City.The Essay Grading Rubric provides a framework for evaluating essays based on a set of criteria. There are five possible grades, ranging from an A for Excellent to an F for Inadequate. The Rubric examines three main areas, including Response to Task, Analysis, and Use of Support/Argument. An excellent essay contains all required elements with no errors in formatting or source documentation and demonstrates insightful, original analysis with excellent use and understanding of secondary sources. The essay is fully controlled by a precise, well-defined thesis and includes relevant evidence and well-developed, persuasive reasoning to fully support all arguments. On the other hand, an inadequate essay
does not address the question or task and contains fundamental errors in formatting and source documentation. There may be no discernible thesis, no analysis or use of secondary sources, and insufficient or incorrect use of support or argument.The essay's supporting evidence is strong and consistently presented, with clear reasoning. However, there are some arguments that lack adequate evidence or reasoning, and the essay veers towards subjective description at times. The structure of the essay is excellent, with focused and coherent body paragraphs.
While the paper is generally well-structured, there are some weaker areas where certain body paragraphs lack focus or coherence. The organization of the essay is weak in places, with many body paragraphs having no clear topic or purpose.
The writing in the essay is eloquent and clear, with no biased or colloquial language, excellent diction, sentence structure, mechanics, and punctuation. Although there are minor errors, overall the writing is still clear with good diction and sentence structure and only a few examples of biased or colloquial language.
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