The Mission Essay, Research Paper

The Mission

The film The Mission is set in 1750 and it depicts hostility between the Jesuits, the Catholic Church, the Guarani Indians, and groups of Portuguese and Spanish slave traders. Yet, as I will demonstrate in this essay, there was good reason for the majority of the conflicts that went on. Although every one of the groups believed that they were right, really only one was following on the right path. The path was one that was built on helping people who were in need-and to me, that is noble.

To me, the Jesuits were very noble. They were noble in a way that was brave and sacrificial. The Jesuits lived to genuinely help those who needed their help. And it was the Guarani Indians who needed them and appreciated them the most. As the Indians were being run down by slave traders, the Jesuits came in to help build them homes. They also helped to build a foundation of knowing the Lord. Before watching this film, I had never learned anything about the Jesuit order. All of those Indians were living a life of hiding and constantly watching behind themselves. They were scared, and they were poor-not to mention starved. But, when the Jesuits came they gave the Indians many of the things they needed. They really began to live. The Indians lived for each other, for the enjoyment of life itself, and most of all they lived for God. It was the Jesuits who taught them about God. These teachings guided them in ways of singing and praising his name. And that, is enough to make any group noble.

On the other hand, the Spanish and Portuguese slave runners believed that they were the ones doing the right thing. They were putting good bodies to work, and at a fraction of the cost. Those people were animals, they said. They had no real right to life! I guess that the slave runners just took it upon themselves to decide the lives of other human beings. And of course, because the Jesuits basically went against what the slavers believed in, both groups totally disagreed. The war began..

As the slave runners began to come after the Jesuits and their Indian friends, things began to go downhill. People were killed. Babies, mothers, and children were shot in cold blood. They were shot all because the slavers saw them as nothing more than animals. To me, that is terrible. The slavers did nothing but destroy the missions that had been made and the security that the Indians had began to feel within those missions. There is no way to justify that. It’s just plain cruel.

In conclusion, I believe that the film very much so proves that the Jesuits were generous and kind people. They viewed the world with colorblind eyes. And it paid off, maybe that’s something we as Americans need to do today. Even though the majority of the people (Spanish and Portuguese) totally believed what they were doing was right, it in no way was. The Jesuits took a stand. They lost a lot for doing it, but they had the justice of knowing they did the right thing. The pride that comes with that is priceless, and that they can keep with them forever.