Writing part 1:
At the outset of District 9, Wikus is a man who is deeply ensconced in his ‘bubble of me.’ Levinas would conclude that Mr. van de Merwe is a ‘totalizer,’ and he would be right. Your first written task is to explain how and why. By reference to specific scenes from the film, give an account of Wikus's patterns of ‘totalization.' Do not forget to make use of the language we used in class and the concepts we covered in lecture.
Writing part 2:
By the end of the film, Wikus risks his life on behalf of the alien other. Something has happened; Wikus has begun to live in a manner that, as Levinas would say, is ‘other than’ his usual modes of living. In class, we covered the most common way that patterns of totalization are interrupted and that ethics can fill our world. We also discussed the ‘Ethical;’ that is, the space into which we are thrown, often against our will, and where we find ourselves choosing between ethics and the other on the one hand or freedom and the ‘same’ on the other.
Your second written task follows from the first. By reference to the Levinasian theory you know, please discuss Wikus’s ‘transformation.’ To do this well, you will need to address and analyze specific scenes from the film.
Sample Solution