During a conversation between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, the movie Star Wars was discussed. Bill Moyers speaks of the "the clash of good and evil," and he describes the film as "a romance based upon selflessness rather than selfishness." Moyers is referring to the conflict between the dark and light sides of the Force. Many people, like Moyers, believe that the dark side of the Force is a representation of evil that opposes the powers of good, or the light side of the Force. I disagree. There are many logical arguments pointing out redeeming qualities of the dark side. I strongly feel that the dark side of the Force has received unnecessary, egative attention, and I encourage more people to turn away from the light side to the dark.
The dark side of the Force encourages natural expression of emotions, whereas the light side represses these instincts. Yoda says that "anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they." At one time or another everyone experiences these emotions. They are perfectly natural feelings. The Emperor says to Luke, "Good, I can feel your anger…Strike me down with all your hatred and your journey to the dark side will be complete." The Emperor is providing Luke with an outlet to release his anger and aggression. The other side of the Force is not as supportive. Obi-Wan tells Luke to bottle his emotions and repress them. He says, "Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit, but they may be used to serve the empire." This is not a healthy attitude. These built-up feelings can be very harmful. The dark side's belief in an occasional catharsis is much more productive.
Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion says that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." It is important to remember that the Force is also a force, and therefore subject to Newton's laws. The dark side is a reaction to the light side. The struggle between good and evil is eternal. One can not exist without the other. Unfortunately, this means that someone has to be the bad guy. The dark side of the force is a necessary evil; a dirty job, but one that must be done.
Although the dark side of the Force is portrayed as the epitome of evil, it has redeeming, ethical values For instance, the dark side has a strong commitment to family values. The Emperor goes to great lengths to reunite Anikan Skywalker (Darth Vader) with his son, Luke. On the other hand, Obi-Wan, acing on behalf of the light side, hid a father from a son and a brother from a sister. It is possible that separation from a dysfunctional parent might have been necessary, but how can he justify splitting apart twins at birth? This blatant disregard for a family is not acceptable, even in a galaxy far, far away.
For many years the dark side has received harsh judgement. People automatically relate this group of people to pure evil. They must open their eyes to the shades of gray. They must see the need for this component of the Force. I encourage more people to join Anikan Skywalker in his conversion. So take a walk on the wild side and take a walk on the dark side.
This was written by a friend of mine for a persuasive essay assignment in senior English. I was especially excited because I made the bibliography - as an interviewee. He only got a B, which we all thought was highly unfair, considering the grades others got, but we later realized that the English teacher had never, not once, seen Star Wars, and decided that must have been the reason. Go figure.
