Multimodal Assignment: American Values in "300"

The image to the right can be downloaded for free from the movie and dvd's official website at http://www.300ondvd.com/300.html.

First things first, there is no doubt that the spectacle of "300" is sexual and violent. As Travers points out, "the soldiers from the Greek city-state of Sparta look gym-ready for battle in crotch-squeezing ensembles that expose as much flesh as an R rating will allow." There is an erotic dance number performed by the drugged-up, half-topless girl whose ramblings are interpreted by the Oracles. And the battle scenes are nothing if not gory and, at times, disturbingly violent (view screen shots). I will not deny the film's overt appeals to testerone-driven males and their reluctant, but eye-candy rewarded, girlfriends.

Nonetheless, a New Historicist analysis of "300" reveals numerous explicit and implicit American values in addition to its sex, violence, and artistic cinematography. Some of the explicit values include freedom, duty, sacrifice, honor, defiance, and integrity. The implicit values include meritocracy, justice, and family values such as loyalty, devotion, and love. Thus, it makes perfect sense that "300" was a smash hit with its American audience.

Integrity is an important American value explictly present in the movie. The Oracles do not grant permission for Leonidas' war-plan, which prevents him from taking the entire Spartan army to Thermoplyae. The viewers see a Persian messenger bribing these Oracles, who are like half-man, half-animal mutants. A key legislator speaks against sending the Spartan army to Leonidas' aid, and it turns out that he was also bribed with Persian gold. He is later stabbed in the gut. Due to his physical deformities, the traitor who betrays the 300 Spartans is hardly recognizable as a human. Anyone in the movie who lacks integrity is portrayed as detestable.

Meritocracy is an implicit American value used to partially justify many of our beliefs, including capitalism, plagiarism punishments, and numerous others. "300" implicitly expresses the value of meritocracy through the Spartans. Each Spartan is the equivalent of the absolute best Special Forces soldier today.

See the Spartans' discipline here:

This video was posted on YouTube by diab0lik5 on May 31, 2007. It can be found with the search, "spartans what is your profession."

The Spartans have trained harder than the Persians or any other Greek. Simply put, they are so good at fighting that it is hard (as an American who believes in meritocracy so thoroughly that this belief is mostly unconscious) not to admire the Spartans.

Early in the battle of Thermoplyae, Xerxes offers Leonidas a tempting deal. If the Spartans swear allegiance to him, he will give them wealth and an honored place at the head of the Persian army, from which they will conquer their Athenian rivals en route to the heart of Europe. However, Leonidas refuses the bargain that would have cost Sparta its independence. The glory of being Xerxes’ elite warriors, marching from conquest to conquest, was outweighed by the loss of freedom that would have accompanied it. This is very similar to Americans' sense of independence as liberty from the tyrrany of others. Leonidas' reason for turning down Xerxes' deal is the same as the Founding Fathers' motivation for revolting against King George.

This scene also features a distinctly American style of defiance and flippancy. Xerxes is trying to have a serious diplomatic conversation with Leonidas, whose every reply drips with sarcasm, disdain, and defiance. To listen to an audio clip in which Leonidas sarcastically reminds Xerxes of the Spartan slaugher of his infantry, click here and scroll down to "Culture.wav."

Furthermore, the Spartans consider it their duty to prevent the Persian Empire from swallowing their homeland, even if it costs their lives. In fact, they are very glad to sacrifice their lives because this is considered the only moral, honorable thing to do in the face of an invading force. They are willing to fight and die for freedom and for the loyalty, devotion, and love they feel for their families, who will be killed or enslaved if the Persian invasion succeeds. In the Spartan worldview, this is implicitly and intrinsically just, good, and noble. When Leonidas screams, "Spartans! Prepare for Glory!" he does not mean that the Spartans will gain glory through a defiant death; rather, they will gain it through a worthy, noble sacrifice. Americans are, and always have been, great admirers of worthy sacrifice. Americans have valorized soldiers since the American Revolution, especially those who knowingly and willingly sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Of course, Leonidas is not entirely certain of Xerxes' chances of conquering Sparta, as shown here (scroll down to "women.wav").