Leaders are those who direct their people, but effective leaders are those who hold the capacity to outgrow and transcend personal capabilities to transform the face of society. Invictus concerns itself with the aftermath of an inhumane Apartheid and the role of an influential leader Mandela who demurs against surrendering to fate while uniting a furcated nation. In comparison, Malouf’s Homeric adaption of the Iliad as imagination through his novel Ransom explores the personal struggles of the leaders, Priam and Achilles in achieving self-satisfaction and self. The novel and film are both set in a significantly different period wherein Troy faces obliteration by the Greeks, while South Africa faces a major division of the nation through the racial discrimination that has risen from the horrendous injustices of the apartheid era. Even though the novel and film are centuries apart historically, both prompt the audience to re-evaluate the role of transforming societal norms and customary beliefs.
Predicated upon the crisis of the past, Eastwood’s Invictus explores that for a leader to “lead” effectively they must primal the adoption of interpersonal and effective communication skills. In the early 90s, South Africa was on the brink of a civil war due to the immoral apartheid between the Afrikaners and the Africans. Its dreadful economic conditions, as well as the segregation of its people, burdened the herculean role of Nelson Mandela as a President. However, for Mandela, an anti-apartheid revolutionary, the primary concern was to unite its people by adopting sports as a symbol of reconciliation. Mandela’s exceptional communication and interpersonal skills allowed him to build his “rainbow nation” which symbolically represented the breaking down of racial barriers in South Africa. To be specific, Mandela’s effective communication and interpersonal skills are demonstrated when Eastwood employs a panning shot displaying Mandela walking into the presidential building for the first time. Mandela encounters a bilateral environment in which whites are packing away their valuables as they “fear” black supremacy while the blacks blossom with prideful and ecstasy emotions. Brenda enters the scene and Mandela greets her with a warm smile and comments “Ah Brenda, you had your hair done, I like it”. Utilizing Brenda’s positive facial expressions due to the kind words, Eastwood illustrates to his audience that positive communication creates a supportive environment which helps build a meaningful, long-lasting relationship. Additionally, communication can be used to eliminate potential misconceptions- “he wants the satisfaction of firing us himself”. This is demonstrated when Mandela addresses his comrades for the very first time, “Thank you for coming on such short notice”. Witnessing the bizarre and demoralized emotions of his staff, Mandela elucidates “If you are leaving because of your...skin color…I am here to tell you have no such fear”. Exercising on the expressional change, Eastwood demonstrates that effective communication removes pre-delusions and ultimately becomes the single most effective weapon of a true leader. Interpersonal and communication skills help a leader to present their vision to ensure the achievement of their goals. Malouf also echoes such a message through the kind of Troy, Priam who has a mission to Ransom the body of his son Hector.
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Similarly, in Ransom, Malouf showcases that effective leaders must communicate to foster empathy that helps leaders achieve their desired vision. More specifically, the narrative offers Ransom’s characters what Priam calls a “crack in the door” through which they can access other people’s worlds. For Instance, Priam tearfully pleads with Achilles to take pity on a father bereft of his son and return Hector’s body. Through adopting words Priam Invokes the memory of Achilles’ father, Peleus. He begs Achilles to pity him, by saying 'I have endured what no one on earth has ever done before – I put my lips to the hands of the man who killed my son.' When Priam presents his “story” to Achilles, he imagines himself as an old man and thus experiences a version of himself that will never exist in reality. Therefore Achilles can only know himself as an old man through the empathy and imaginative connection created through communication. In this way, accomplished Leaders employ words in such a manner that forces an individual to witness a “new” and “unexpected” outlook of the world. Capable leaders are the ones who can evoke emotions through words and thereby manipulate an individual into believing their view. Malouf elucidates the role of communication as influential in Priam’s personal development as a leader.
Every Individual is destined to face betrayal and calamity however it is in the best interest of a leader to forget and forgive to lead effectively. South African leader, Nelson Mandela an anti-apartheid activist forgave his oppressors who victimized him and his people for over “27 years”. Eastwood explores Mandela’s goal of a “rainbow nation” which is achieved through forgiveness. Forgiveness is a pivotal tool as Mandela believes it “liberates the soul (And) removes fear” by making opposing parties realize their shared humanity. Eastwood demonstrates the idea of forgiveness at the onset of the film. Ministering to a wide shot Eastwood illustrates Mandela’s protocolic entry where the viewers witness Mandela’s cars traveling right in the middle of the road. This symbolizes the Anti-Apartheid movement proposed by Mandela as he decides to be a leader of both sides, the whites on the left and the blacks on the right. To be exact, such actions Mandela symbolizes his ability to balance out “black aspirations” with “white fears”. Demonstration of the scene advocates the fact that Mandela has forgiven his oppressors and is ready to unite the “nation”. Through the protagonist Mandela, Eastwood accentuates to his audience the true characteristics a leader should possess. Eastwood highlights the importance of forgiveness as it preaches leaders to move on and accept change. Forgiveness is an exceptional leadership tool since it holds the capability to unite people and it constructs the opportunity for a matured relationship.
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