• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.233-257
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to reveal the changing aspects of the Promethean motif in SF movies by examining the use of this motif on the three layers of Promethean myth, Frankenstein motif, and contemporary SF movies in the film Ex Machina (2015). First, the greatest change of Ex Machina on the layer of the Promethean myth (creation of a living being) is that the character square of Prometheus - Epimetheus - Pandora - Zeus has been turned into a triangle of Nathan - Caleb - Ava. This means that there is a lack of the being whose role is to solve the problems caused by the development of science and technology and to bring a happy ending through the human's usurpation of God and eventual replacement as Creator. Second, on the layer of the Frankenstein motif (taste of forbidden knowledge, hybris, and creature's hatred towards the Creator), this film maintains the narrative centered around Dr. Frankenstein and his monster (Nathan and Ava) by making Caleb an eyewitness to the story of the Creator and the creature. Caleb's role is similar to that of Captain Robert Walton of the novel Frankenstein, but the film differentiates itself from the novel through the emphasis of Ava's 'mechanicality.' Third, on the layer of contemporary SF movies, unlike other such films, the revolt of the machine in Ex Machina is not quelled. The machine wins, and its power surpasses that of human beings. This requires the establishment of a new relationship between man and machine, suggesting the 'emergence of a new species' that does not belong to humans. The handling of the Promethean motif by Ex Machina through these various layers serves to enrich the narrative by compounding numerous classics into one motif and going further to introduce fresh elements by diverging from the common storyline. The significance of this study is to demonstrate the use of such multilayered motifs and, through this, the expansion of narrative through it in specific cases.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.211-219
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• 2019

This study analyzed the conflict plots of the top 5 most watched TV series during the 2000-2005 period. It was observed that those popular series typically took love and success as main subject matters to actually aim for such a sensitive social issue as the widening gap between the rich and the poor as well as audience's desire for higher status. They even dared to describe our lives at home and the job as power relationships to heighten the intensity of the conflict. On the other hand, the resolution took a wide variety of both positive and negative endings - ranging from marriages and conciliations to death and arrests - as a way to have the antagonists punished. The deus-ex-machina was often used. A chronological view of the change in the conflict plots of successful dramas should deserve further academic interests.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.41-48
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• 2020

In light of the 4th industrial revolution, this research identifies critical thinking education as the key component of cultivating a new pool of integrative talents. It seeks to find ways to incorporate artificial intelligence, one of the biggest upcoming innovations, into critical thinking education. This paper aims to propose an education model that raises awareness on related issues of AI and set a healthy direction for its development through debates on topics raised by the film, Ex Machina, which depicts the dangerous implications of AI technology.