I am going to try and pin down exactly where I think dragons belong in relationship to humans in the HTTYD universe. Are they just animals or are they equals? Where do they rank alongside their Viking counterparts? Is the death of a dragon as much of a tragedy as the death of a human being? Click the "read more" to view my thoughts.
Fist off... I don't have this pinned down! Ha, I am sure that makes this post sound like it is worth reading! But, seriously, I am not completely sure where dragons belong in respect to people. If this was happening in reality, I don't think we'd see any animals coming so close to human characteristics as the dragons do, so this post would be a lot easier. I am in NO WAY against animals rights, but at the same time if you were to compare any animal with a human being, the human is of more value. The trick is that most animals seem to be better at not debasing themselves and making themselves disgusting in the way some humans do... but even the vilest human has worth because people can change, or more accurately people can be changed. Animals do quite a lot out of instinct, so a lot less blame can be laid at the feet of say, a carnivorous animal, than at the feet of a murderer. But, I'm rambling... because what I am dealing with here is animals in our real world. I do think they deserve respect, but we should also never lose respect and hope for our fellow humans. I don't want to see Orcas killed, but I also don't want to see humans treated as if an animal is worth more than them just because of their poor choices. I have spiritual reasons for believing this as well, and I do think we should always be careful not to abuse the creatures that are on this planet while at the same time being careful not to put their rights above those of people.
But, again, that is the real world, and let's face it: No animals in our world that we have discovered are quite like the dragons of HTTYD. I think... I think for the sake of understanding whether characters like Hiccup and Valka are right in what they are doing, we need to pin down where the dragons stand. If they are little more than animals, then is peace with them or protecting them even a big deal? Is Valka at all right in putting her family in danger when she stays and battles Drago so as to protect the dragons?
I think the dragons are an interesting mix. I would not go so far as to say they should be completely equal with humans... but that is ONLY if push came to shove. And what I love about HTTYD is that Hiccup doesn't let (or at least he hasn't let) push come to shove! Whenever possible, he has treated the dragons with every bit as much respect as he has humans (not if we include RoB and DoB, but I'm gonna sort of ignore them). He treats Toothless as an equal. And I think that is great. The question I am asking is not a question that enters Hiccup's mind. Are dragons worth as much as humans? It doesn't matter! They are worth a lot, worth more than Hiccup can give, so he treats them with that respect. I'd say he's right in doing so, and even though I want to see animals treated well, I think the HTTYD dragons deserve even more respect and love than others.
The reason for this is because the HTTYD dragons act like so much more than just animals, especially the more intelligent ones. But, really, pretty much all the dragons are still 'higher' lifeforms than the animals we see in our world. For one thing, they actually have a form of government. I don't think anything really compares with the Alpha system. Sure, you have ants and stuff that have a queen, but an ant is a really unintelligent animal. On its own it could never function. The dragons are not like that. They are powerful, beautiful, amazing creatures all on their own. They are perfectly capable of being independent, but they don't usually live that way. Most of them are drawn to an Alpha because it allows them to live as individuals working together for the benefit of each other. Of course if you get a bad Alpha, then this system becomes very dangerous to all the dragons, but it usually works to keep them happily working together. Besides that, the dragons of HTTYD seem to be able to feel emotions very powerfully, as powerfully as creatures like Chimpanzees and Dolphins do... probably even more. The dragons of the movie really do seem to have a firm grasp on the emotion of love and loyalty. They can bond with a human and love them until the very end. So, because of all that, I think the dragons are worth treating as equals. They really are. They may not, if it came down to the wire, be worth as much respect and rights as a human, but they still should be given it because they are beautiful. They are creatures of amazing emotional complexity and depth, almost a race as apposed to individual species. They have their own government, their own families, their own ways of life. They are not just animals, and Hiccup and Valka were right to stand up for them. Perhaps Valka took it too far, but Hiccup certainly had a point. They had harmed hundreds of Vikings, but they had lost thousands of their own in doing so, and it wasn't something that the dragons didn't care about. They have great worth, HUGE worth, and I really would hate to see Hiccup forced to choose between them... because in many ways I think he probably values Toothless's life above his own... and in my opinion that is beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment