The Philosophy of Uncle Iroh: What does it mean to be a man? | The Last Airbender

one of the most moving moments in The Last Airbender is iroh's chapter in tales of Ba Sing se it's really a short film at just four minutes 17 seconds long but it's so well crafted that even showing it to an audience unfamiliar with avatar it would still hit all of its emotional beats IRA was walking through the great city of a supposed enemy and backed by happy carefree music he joyfully helps those strangers he encounters but this joyful tone of the story is suddenly overturned when IRA arrives at a hilltop to remember the birthday of his son Luton who died on the front lines in the war years before he actually sings the infamous song leaves from the vine early and the short for a child but the music and song suddenly become somber when he sings it again for a son memorial but the way that Andrew Hubler the writer for the short develops this emotion across just four minutes 17 seconds of screen time is really skillful the other stories and tales of arsing say seemed to have more narrative direction tofs is about getting a makeover and her insecurities sulcus is about trying to win a haiku competition Ang's is about trying to free animals Zuko is about him getting and struggling with a date but IRA story lacks that same direction at first it feels meandering with him just helping random strangers that he comes across but who he helps and how he helps them tells a different story and that's because I rose chapter in tales of Ba Sing SE and his story across the series more broadly is truly about fatherhood and what's interesting is that this provides a new and perhaps more nuanced lens through which we can understand Zucco's character arc and to the vein of the difficult discussion that we're about to get into on December 6th just a week from now I will be doing a charity livestream for 24 hours straight no sleep here on YouTube for crisis ticks line I hope that you can tune in and help me donate part 1 you crying boy whom he sings to n comes the second a boy slightly older to whom he explains that being honourable means facing up to your mistakes and the third is the most interesting a young man who tries to rob him instead of fighting him off I row calmly explains how to hold a bitter stance with a knife and then drinks tea with him encouraging him to be who he wants to be the young man even confesses that nobody has ever believed in him like that before and the beautiful subtlety of IRAs character in this chapter mean that human are only needed one line when IRA sits up the memorial falutin for this emotional beat to really hit home happy birthday my son if only I could have helped you the beauty in this final piece is in how it recontextualizes all these moments in his story before I don't think it's a coincidence that the people IRA helps are the different stages of what had been his son's life a child young boy and a man nor a coincidence that he teaches a young boy about how honor comes from humility and impresses on him to follow his own path rather than one of violence something he has tried to teach Newco whom he sees as a son fundamentally each of these were crafted by Huebner to be fatherly moments because iroh's greatest loss is the son that he feels he failed as a father Iroh wasn't just the Fire Nation general who lived the army against the walls of Ba Sing se in truth he was a war monger someone at the head of an expansionist nationalistic power and the episode Zuko alone reveals how removed he was from the violence that he had caused that he didn't see the scars people are left with physically or mentally bar Singh say must be something to behold he says I hope you may all see it someday if we don't burn it to the ground first for Zuko a pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship the same doesn't just show how Iroh was blind to the waste and suffering of war but he believed in the glory of war of the fight the honor in spilling blood in a very real sense IRA embodied an idea of strength being about violence and conquest of respect coming from power over and he's ignorant to the trauma and toll that this takes and others because there is little room in this idea of strength for humility or compassion while not exclusive to men these ideas of strength had many of these same projections that we see in unhealthy forms of masculinity violence and anger are sociologically more male problems and reading these characters through that lens gives us some insight into what it means to be a man in our world because all of us change to win loot in the Sun he sent into battle in the war he led that he believed in was killed on the front lines Iroh was no longer removed he suddenly felt the full weight of his idea of strength that there is no glory in blood no respect in your enemy's submission no honor and violence no power and anger when it cannot heal what is lost only a fragile hope that these little boys went come marching home and leaves from the vine beautifully catches that sense of waste narrative Lee IRA seems to have gone through his character arc before the story of the series began he came to understand that only ruin and pain could come from that ideology and what's interesting here is that I rose emotional journey is reflected and Zuko's character Locke he goes through a similar change and though we can visualize his struggle as an internal one between good and evil I think it's both more interesting and nuanced to see you through the lens of a struggle between what we could read as two very different ideas of what it means to be a man part to father to me if we look at Zuko's arc through this lens on either side of him our Ozai and Iroh they're two male role models in his life and osai embodies what we would see as a horrific kind of masculinity he controls and abuses his children and wife both emotionally and physically he sees submission as the same as respect power as the same as honor he doesn't just believe in the glory of war but he takes pleasure in the violence of it to him pride means you never back down from when Aang shows him mercy he accuses him of weakness even with all the power in the world you are still weak Ozai embodies those men who see empathy and humility as weakness and their independence as a strength when it really just means being alone and at the beginning of his story Zuko believes in this he's convinced that the only person who can restore his honor is this abusive monster and that the only way to do it was to capture or kill the avatar through an expression of power and violence he's hot-headed he refuses help from others and he believes in the glory of war after all it's the fire nation's way of spreading their greatness to the world Zuko fully buys into Ozai as his male role model and then a sharp contrast stands uncle Iroh who has moved past this deluded way of thinking but the beautiful thing is that Iroh doesn't just dismantle ozai's horrible ideas around violence and powerful Zuko but he gives them a new kind of strength Iroh embodies what we would see as a new healthy masculinity where OSI sees weakness and relying on others I wrote teacher Zhu go to draw on the wisdom of those around him with the Lightning redirection and that accepting help makes you stronger where Isaiah is prideful I wrote ages ago that pride is the source of the strain that instead there is honor and humility before others rather than weakness and Intel Zabar Singh say Iroh isn't afraid to cry to feel to weep for what he has lost something that was previously presented to Zuko as a sign of dishonor and being weak when Zuko's crying on the ground before the deal with his father begging for forgiveness for refusing to fight Ozai calls it shameful weakness but the more nuanced contrast between Iroh and Ozai is really in their approach to violence a lot of stories would present a reductionist binary choice between violence and non-violence but avatar resists that simplistic portrayal IRAs philosophy doesn't mean being pacifist but rather changing why you fight just what he did like mean email abuses today Ozai uses violence anger and fear as a means to control others to get what he wants but Iroh isn't just unafraid to fight he actively seeks retribution where he deems fit and just like with Admiral Zhao and that's the difference when looking at Zuko's counteract understanding this different approach to violence is a massive part of his change learning that having the wisdom to choose the just battles you should fight is different to cowardice they're learning wind to walk away is just as important as knowing when to stand your ground it's that difference between anger and righteous anger and I think that this as much of Wasikowska rhetoric is really about much of what Iroh is meant to represent for him in the story part three do you want it's because of this journey that Iroh doesn't just see himself in Zuko but he sees his son Lewton as well in the siege of the north Iroh tearfully confesses to Zuko that he has come to love him as his own son after Lewton died because I Rafi is that this ideology will lead so go down the same path the destruction that IRA paved encouraged and lost loot into this is why Zuko story is so laden with language and imagery that draws on fatherhood for him one of the most powerful moments in the series is built on exactly this when Zuko finally faces down against his father during the day of Black Sun I'm gonna free uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm gonna beg for his forgiveness he's the one who's been a real father to me for so long all I wanted was for you to love me to accept me I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really I was just trying to please you you my father who banished me just for talking out of turn my father who challenged me a 13 year old boy to an Agni Kai how could you possibly justify a deal with a child - which Ozai replies it was to teach you respect but Zuko seas have pathetic betters how wrong it is now because Sukkos character arc doesn't just culminate in him rejecting his worst impulses and joining the right side the language in this scene emphasizes the role of fatherhood and Zuko's choice to embody that new kind of healthy masculinity in a row without cruelty or with love likewise I don't think it's any coincidence that Zuko defeats Ozai during the day of Black Sun with a power that his uncle taught him lightning redirection rather than a vindictive violence or anger and we can read this narrative Li as saying two things firstly as a definitive and final rejection of those who embody ozai's horrible masculinity and secondly as saying that Zuko is stronger for iroh's healthy masculine be lining redirection is a power that requires not letting your anger control you and understanding others and to support this the writers have employed a degree of literary symmetry between these two scenes in both O's I tell zoo go to stand up and fight him and we're at the beginning of a story Zucco's refusal to fight is seen as a sign of weakness by him by the end of it his decision to walk away is seen as a sign of strength Zuko isn't afraid to fight but he now has the wisdom to know which battles to fight and that is a strength but this moment is uniquely powerful in another way in this reading of Zuko and Iroh Zog this new way of thinking allows Sukho to entirely remove his abusers most powerful weapon refusing to let it harm him and instead leaving it's an astoundingly beautiful metaphor for leaving your abuser if there ever was one the writers truly crafted this scene with purpose but there's something else I think there's a deeper layer here for iroh's place in the story despite him not being there tales of Ba Sing se reveals I rose immense guilt subtly developed across the series and in this light Zucco's karat rock that culminates in the same can simultaneously be read as a redemption for Iroh I think much of I rose emotional journey is a Redemption arc where he's trying to save his surrogate son from the ideology that got his trueborn son killed when he succumbed to it this is a textbook structure for a Redemption I a character morally fails they are confronted with their failure when it leads to personal ruin and they then commit to X their narrative Lee reflects the immoral failures of before to represent a deep understanding of that moral failure I Roseline if only I could have helped you takes on a new meaning when we see him helping Zuko the way that he wish he did for loot in that final step in the redemption arc and by the end of it Iroh fulfills his role as a father where he failed before at last he can't bring back loot in but he can help Zuko from falling to the same fate what does all this mean we've benefit from having more role models that give a nuanced exploration of these kinds of issues Iroh is a good male role model and that means being strong but strength doesn't mean being cruel emotionless or alone it means empathy understanding and wisdom IRAs arc is underpinned by loss Zucco's is underpinned by abuse and both by trauma and I really enjoy looking at fiction through these sorts of lenses understanding characters in that light because I am personally invested in those sorts of struggles and that's why I'm doing a charity livestream on December 6th for 24 hours straight no sleep with crisis text line a mental health charity similar to one I work with here in New Zealand it'll be the final chapter and there get out the number campaign more details below I will be personally matching every donation up to $1,000 so it didn't mean the world for you to join me in donating to this cause I do need to create one thing though last video when I talked about this I said that my only sustenance will be energy drinks and your donations it was just a joke clearly very bad one because I got dozens hundreds of comments saying please Tim don't just drink energy drinks I'm very sorry I will be eating and drinking it was just a joke I'm just not really good at them clearly the concern was very heartwarming in kind but I promise I will be drinking anything and what's really awesome is that across the street I'm gonna be joined by a like a dozen other youtubers and streamers including an enemy movies OSP Eugenia Cooney and others if you don't know my mission will be to complete all three of the original Spyro games in under 24 hours it's hypothetically possible to 100% that's because Spyro for me is kind of a form of self-care it's something that I retreat to got difficult stuff going on I have done for a long time so yeah that's that's why I chose that if you can't donate that's totally okay understand that no one's gonna be in the same position but you can't help by sharing the poster that I've got linked down below anywhere Facebook Twitter Instagram it all helps but that is all from me in the meantime stay nerdy and I'll see you in the future hopefully next week [Music]

Channel: Hello Future Me

Views: 2,122,874

Keywords: explained, theory, lore, analysis, how to

Id: SezGJNNZmtI

Length: 17min 45sec (1065 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 30 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Somasong]

Only 4:17? The best story in all the episodes. The whole series is great but Iroh has always been my fav and when he starts to sing I can't help but cry at his loss and regret.
Iroh is everyone's father or a father every child deserves...

[u/draw_it_now]

An exploration of how positive masculinity can be taught through children's media. It explores the duality between the character of Uncle Iroh; his character evolution and what it means to be a father figure, in comparison with the Fire Lord, whose lack of evolution and uncompromising adherence to the cruel ideals of his culture cause nothing but pain.

TBH I should probably actually watch The Last Airbender sometime.

[u/DynMads]

ATLA is one of those shows that you could use as an example for the phrase "The Perfect Storm".

This show just had the right of everything at the right time, with the right resources and so on. It's really a great story and it teaches a lot about relationships, tolerance, empathy and understanding.

[u/Ymir_from_Saturn]

Another user posted this at almost the exact same instant as you

Funny coincidence

[u/EarthEmpress]

Kinda of topic but can we appreciate all of the amazing lessons and messages that ATLA taught? It’s kinda funny how much I missed some of it as a kid tho lmao

[u/reallybadpotatofarm]

Oh fuck YAS! MensLib and Avatar crossing paths! This is the best cross-over episode ever!

In all seriousness though, this show does a fantastic job of showcasing positive, healthy masculinity. As well as showing how toxic masculinity can change into a healthier kind.

[u/GibsonJunkie]

Fiiiiiiiiiiine I'll start re-watching Avatar.

Jokes aside, I watched this show for the first time only a couple years ago, and it brought me to tears several times.

[u/N3bu89]

What I find interesting is there seems to be... shall we say.. different strands among male liberation ideology. There is the strand that is trying to seek new meaning in masculinity, and there is the strand (to which I adhere) which is post-gendered looking for a way to deconstruct the gender binary and instead let people be a spectrum of behavior. I guess I worry that any definition of masculinity will ultimately lead to policing and I'd rather people feels comfortable to define themselves as whatever works best for them instead of trying to live to ideals and compare against others in this domain.

[u/TheGreatZiegfeld]

It is a bit funny to me how Iroh is so universally beloved, despite his pretty ugly past. Definitely not to the same extent as Ozai, he was still an intense Fire Nation General at the time of the Hundred Year War, seeking the position of Fire Lord and besieging the Outer Wall, nearly the Inner Wall too. Presumably, such a siege resulted in a ton of deaths. The primary reason he stopped was because of his son's death.

Of course he would go on to regret such behavior and find forgiveness in his actions in the final few episodes of the series, but in a real world sense, would his actions result in his forgiveness? A reversal in position and a heavy interest in spirituality goes a long way in making a now peaceful figure, but would someone see it as such had they been affected by that siege at the time? Had Iroh's son not died in combat, would we get the Iroh we have now? (Which might make Iroh's son's death more tragic as a result, with Iroh perhaps knowing that his death was needed for Iroh to find some sense of peace, but nevertheless is regretful that such a conflict separated them to begin with.)

I do love Iroh, but I see his sort of peace as a complicated and bloodstained one. He is a changed man, rather than one inherently good like some circlejerks might make the likes of Keanu Reeves out to be, or Fred Rogers, or Tom Hanks, or Bob Ross, or Terry Crews... Iroh can be idolized, for sure, but that comes at the cost of brushing over his past actions in favor of his attempts at forgiveness. This might work in the context of a kids show, but in the real world, might we be as forgiving if his redemption came at the cost of potentially hundreds if not thousands of Earth Kingdom soldiers? And if he hadn't suffered the loss of his son, he may never had gone through that redemptive arc at all?

I don't know, I've been conflicted about everyone's adoration of him for a while now. I do see him as a changed person, a much better, wiser, more peaceful person, but I wouldn't go so far as to worship the dude, especially when there were characters on the show who seemed forever inclined toward "good", even if it came to results other than glory, or even when it wasn't really expected of them. They didn't need the murder of hundreds to reach that point.

That doesn't at all negate the video, but just something I don't think people really think about when it comes to Iroh. It isn't that he is forever moral or peaceful that makes him compelling, and I might even argue that some have been morally more consistent than he had been when it mattered, at the cost or preservation of human life. If we are keeping with the theme of manhood, Aang is a great example of an arc still keeping with moral consistency, despite some mistakes made out of immaturity or uncertainty. Sokka too, who does have his own setbacks to overcome or flaws to fix, but always seems pointed in the right direction regardless of glory (well, even if it were in part for glory, he keeps helping anyway.) And that's in addition to moments of insecurity, needing to admit so, and learn in order to feel more like a proper part to the team. Might those be positive examples of masculinity, with much less baggage while still remaining complex and imperfect?

tl;dr: if you are a ba sing se siege denier, none of this would matter anyway, so don't worry about it