Critical Rhetoric
Critical Rhetoric aims to give power and
integrate those who are seen as powerless, in order to create a better
understanding of their struggles. In Marvel’s Agent Carter, Agent Sousa is the
head of the Los Angeles SSR office. Although Agent Sousa is successful in his
field, Agent Sousa is a disabled war veteran who sometimes is seen as not being
able to carry out the responsibilities that come with his profession.
In the beginning episode of season 2, Agent
Sousa is caught fighting an opponent together with his colleagues. During the
duration of their fight, Agent Sousa’s colleagues were full with anxiety when
he was fighting his opponents because of his disability that does not allow him
to fully be able to fight like others who work with him. He views himself as
someone who is capable of achieving what other’s can, but the doubt of other’s
is what hinders his goal of being able to reach his goals. Because of his
disability, Agent Sousa was given mediocre work, until he proved to everyone that
he was capable of completing more challenging tasks that his superiors
previously thought he could not complete.
During the first and second season, there
was a shift in Agent Sousa’s behavior; he became more adventurous and confident
in his work. In the season finale, you can see this more adventurous side to
him when it comes to making an important decision. For Agent Sousa, it is not
about showing people that he is powerful, rather, it is to show people that he
is capable of doing what they can do. By doing so, he is creating a new norm
for disabled people, that they can do what other’s do, although they are seen
as not being capable of doing what people who are not disabled can do. Agent Sousa’s
portrayal of a disabled war veteran gives the audience who can relate to his
situation hope that they one day will be able to overcome their disability.
Agent Sousa is a great example of someone who became disabled, but was able to
overcome his disability in order to further advance in life.
Read it
ReplyDeleteDoes he overcome his disability, though, or just show us how he lives with it and changes us (and his coworkers) from seeing it as debilitating? Is the disability gone or just no longer emphasized, in other words?
ReplyDeleteGreat job with the structure here. Your image is just a URL, so when you pull that across to the final post, make sure to re-insert the image.
You might want to add more set-up of the method through readings (McKerrow for this method). Keep at it with the detail from the show, though :)
The move through the varying patriotic colors in your posts is really fun, by the way :)