Media Constructs Reality
What are the differences between Toph’s characteristics at home and her characteristics in the Earth Rumble?
Toph displays more obedience and discipline when she’s at home, while she’s a lot more expressive and free when she’s fighting at the Earth Rumble.
Consider that “The Blind Bandit” is part of a children's animated show. Who do you believe children watching the show side with during the episode, Toph or her parents?
Since most children wouldn’t support restrictive parenting, which is a decision that’s influenced by their own personal experiences, they would side with Toph.
How does Toph show independence and self-discovery throughout the episode?
Toph concedes to the fact that she isn’t able to fully exhibit her talents towards the beginning of the episode. Once she meets Aang, she decides to become more independent and leave her family to pursue her dreams.
Why do you think Toph finally decides to leave home and join Team Avatar?
Toph becomes fed up with her parents’ restrictive parenting style, which prevents her from being who she truly is and doing what she is interested in, which is EarthBending. She sees an opportunity to not only travel the world, but also put use to her earth bending abilities with Team Avatar.
What do the nicknames of the Earth Rumble fighters say about their intended personality? (e.g. The Boulder, The Big Bad Hippo, etc.)
The nicknames portray the fighters as strong and ruthless.
How would the views of someone who’s aware of Toph’s otherworldly capabilities differ from the views of someone who hasn’t watched the episode yet?
Someone who hasn’t watched the episode might wrongfully assume that Toph is not capable of being a master at earth bending due to her young age and disability.
Why is it important to look beyond someone’s appearance or limitations to understand their true abilities?
Aang could’ve just observed one of the other fighters’ personality or strength to determine who his mentor would be, but carefully considering Toph’s strengths by looking past her disability led to him finding an effective teacher.
How does Aang try to convince Toph to join him, and what does that say about his leadership style?
Aang tries to convince Toph to join him by showing respect for her skills and encouraging her to use her talents to help others, which shows that his leadership style is kind, supportive, and focused on teamwork.
How does the Earth Rumble tournament present a version of reality where earthbending is mainly about show and power? How is that different from what Aang is looking for in a teacher?
Aang looks for a teacher who is able to use Earth bending with balance and patience, while the earthbending at the tournament is mostly used to show off the participant’s strength.
Regular viewers of Avatar: The Last Airbender are familiar with Aang’s ultimate goal of mastering all 4 elements. For someone who isn’t aware of this goal, how might they perceive Aang’s determination to find a true Earth bending mentor?
They might consider Aang’s determination as excessive and unnecessary, as they wouldn’t understand the requirements that he was looking for in his mentor.
In what ways does Aang’s determination to find an earthbending teacher show his commitment to his role as the Avatar?
Someone who’s just willing to learn Earth Bending would have settled with any earth bending teacher, but Aang went out of his way to find someone who would help him master the technique and help him defeat the Fire Nation.
Why do you think Toph hides her earthbending skills from her parents?
Toph hides her earthbending skills from her parents because they see her as weak and helpless due to her blindness, and she doesn’t want to upset them. She keeps her true strength a secret so she can feel free and strong without their control.
Toph’s parents can be described as calm and polite, especially when speaking with the guests. How does this compare with common stereotypes about wealthy people in our society?
In many other forms of media, wealthy people are shown as very nice and well-mannered, hiding their strict or controlling side behind a nice and fancy look.
How might a viewer with a personal connection to disability interpret Toph’s story differently than someone who is not familiar with such experiences?
Viewers who know someone with a similar disability, or have a disability themselves, would be able to more easily relate to the adversity Toph has to experience from her parents’ protective parenting style.
How does Toph change after meeting Aang and deciding to join Team Avatar?
Toph goes from accepting her fate and abiding by her parents’ rules, to showcasing her talents and becoming a lot more expressive once she meets Aang and Team Avatar.
Why do you think Aang feels such a strong connection to Toph when he sees her fight?
Toph doesn’t display any form of showboating or flashy tricks when she fights, as her technique is more efficient, balanced, and patient. Since these are the qualities Aang is looking for in his mentor, he feels connected with her.