Category Archives: Welcome

A film that I consider “wild” is “The Great Gatsby” made in 2013, directed by Baz Luhrmann, which tackles the famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the leading role of Jay Gatsby, the millionaire who throws extremely extravagant parties in the hopes of getting the attention of his one-true-love, Daisy Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan, who married into old money. In the movie, the cousin of Daisy, Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, arrives in New York and moves in next door to Gatsby. He experiences the lavish parties and opulence of wealth displayed by his new neighbor in a series of what many would consider to be “wild” events. This movie portrays the newly wild experiences of those participating in the roaring twenties during the prohibition, which is depicted to have backfired on the intended audience, who, instead of staying away from alcohol, engage in the extremely wild parties thrown by Gatsby. 

One scene in particular that I found particularly “wild” is the first scene depicting one of Jay Gatsby’s parties, in which Nick Carraway describes the party-goers as a “kaleidoscopic carnival” that are “spilling through Gatsby’s door” to experience the crazy party, which includes wild decorations, circ du soleil performers, a plethora of booze, hosting all of the different walks of life to be found in New York City. It is presented as a party scene that has never been seen before by an outsider, and it is clear that Nick Carraway considers it to be as wild as it can get. The craziest part is that Gatsby supposedly throws these parties almost every weekend, making the film all the more wild with all of the events that take place throughout it.

Anna Ranslem

From my research, dictionaries seem to commonly share the idea that being wild means someone or something is unregulated or uncontrolled. These descriptions tend to appear more negative in tone, linking words like “violent and barbaric” to describe the manner of “wild”, mainly referring to supposedly uncivilized tribes in unexplored lands. Being wild can also indicate an attunement to nature and being free with dictionaries using “land, country, and animal” as examples of the use of the word. On the other hand, dictionaries also describe “wild” more positively by using it to describe circumstances that are excitingly unusual. Overall, the word wild as described by dictionaries conjures the image of an unkempt & vicious savage who is more beast than man.

In my own life, my use of “wild” lines up with how dictionaries describe it positively. My experiences with using the word come mostly from attempting to speak like a “90’s skater kid”, mixing it with other words like “rad” and “sick”. Falling in line with this, I regularly use wild to describe any kind of exciting action or event I came across, often combining it with various curse words to enhance how spectacular I thought it was. Meanwhile, I generally shun using wild negatively, focusing primarily on how the dictionary links being wild to being uncultured. I believe that when the word is used to describe tribes, it leans on being insensitive as most tribes are just as civilized as the common city, just in a different way that many don’t seem to understand or respect. The use of the word feels like a holdover from the old eras of colonization which leads to associations of tribes to the wild wilderness that they live in, & paints the picture of “savage beasts of the land” that I feel discredits their way of life.

– Kenny Ly

It is assumed the term “wild” has a negative connotation when it describes something or someone. Within the Cambridge Dictionary, the word’s various definitions have a consensus of it meaning a deviation from societal norms and something conventional. The multiple definitions perpetuate the notion that the “wild” is undesirable because it deviates from the “norm.” The definition as an adjective implies the “wild” is uncontrollable and uncivilized. As a noun, the “wild” is untamed and does not reside within the realm of domesticity. As a verb, it implies the refusal of settling down. The standard way of thinking about the word “wild” has it that it’s assumed to be antithetical to a tame and behaved demeanor. Overall, the definitions of the term “wild” imply that the term means being unconventional and astray from control.
I agree that “wild” means uncontrollable and deviating from convention. However, I have a problem with the negative connotation that is usually behind the word. The use of the term to describe someone means there is something undesirable or unnatural. I would dispute that the term is not inherently negative but can be positive. While it is true that “wild” is untamed, it does not necessarily follow that it is unpleasant. Because it does not adhere to society’s convention of normalcy, the term could mean living uninhibited and free. Being “wild” means liberation because there is a lack of restraints that can hold something back. Ultimately, I believe that the term “wild” is capable of being seen as something positive because it can also mean freedom.

-Anna Allen

I’m not a big movie person, but I did end up watching some over the winter break. One that can be considered “wild” is ‘Don’t Look up’ that came out in 2021. It was directed by Adam McKay and features the most expensive cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Kid Cudi, and more. This film is about two meteorologists/astronomers who discover a deadly comet approaching and destined to destroy Earth. They make many efforts to warn everyone on Earth. The two colleagues go to the President, go on local tv shows, and  do everything in their power to get the word around. However, no one takes their efforts seriously. Everyone around them is more concerned about the money that could be made from the valuable minerals that would be dispersed from the comet, as well as the overall indifference and lack of care the rest of humanity expresses. Though this film is satire and a comedy, this film, in my opinion, is commentary on how “wild” our society has gotten. The government is seen as money hungry and incompetent in doing its main job of protecting its citizens. People are becoming more desensitized to irregularities in climate and are only consuming media that gains traction. The two astronomers who discover this comet work throughout this movie to find a solution to destroy the comet before it hits Earth on their own. This emphasizes how there are essentially only a few people in this entire society who care about the right things, which seems wild. 

Along with the more abstract meaning of wildness interpreted from this film, there is also a specific scene that embodies a more literal sense of wild. In the last few scenes, the President and some other people with assumed status in this society are seen escaping to another planet. This planet had Earth-like conditions, but of course, had “wild” elements that took over. In this scene, a Bronteroc, which is a crazy looking blend of 5 different animals, ends up eating the President whole. This animal is wild in the sense that it looks absurd and completely disturbing, but also wild in that is untamed and attacks the humans. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbIxYm3mKzI

Google’s rendition of the word “wild” refers to an animal, plant, person, or place that is not domesticated, cultivated, and primitive. It is an adjective used to describe other things. As a noun, it is a place that is in its original condition. Oxford Dictionary also mentions it can be used to relate something that is out of control, or something that is not carefully planned out. The Cambridge Dictionary adds that “wild” can describe wild as something unusual to the point where it is attractive or exciting. There are multiple contexts this term can be used in and slight variations in what the word can mean, but there seems to be two very different meanings based on the formality of the discussion. 

In everyday language, the word “wild” is used to describe an exciting weekend, extreme anger, or outrageous ideas. In causal contexts, a word I think of being a close synonym or substitute to “wild” is the word “crazy.” People commonly describe parties, angry people, and dumb ideas to be crazy and carries similar meaning. This word usually carries a negative connotation, but in some slang it can have a positive one. If someone’s sneakers are wild, they could mean they are ridiculously cool or appealing. Depending on the way and interpretation, wild can be a compliment too. In formal settings, this word is used as a descriptor for the untamed. Often times the word wild is used to describe indigenous populations, or people who do not conform to society. This is almost commentary and a paradox on the nature of our world that if things are left in their natural state, they are seen as absurd and out of this world. 

A film that I consider “wild” is Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, starring Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Michael Caine, and Luis Guzmán. Released in 2012, the fantasy/adventure film captures director Brad Peyton’s vision of the word “wild” while also incorporating the themes of trust in others and courage. In the film, Sean Anderson, accompanied by his stepfather Hank, a helicopter pilot, and the pilot’s daughter, ventures onto The Mysterious Island in hopes of finding his lost grandfather. On the island, they find themselves battling strange animals, racing against time as the island sinks, and revealing more secrets the island holds. Reflecting on its elements, I find this film to reflect multiple definitions of the word “wild”. Most evidently, the characters are placed in a natural, uninhabited jungle where the animals and plants grow independently of people. Additionally, the obstacles on the island faced are “wild” in a sense that elements are unexpected and unusual. For instance, the massive volcano present on the island spews out gold rather than lava. Because of the film’s natural setting and inclusion of unusual, abnormal objects, I can describe this film as “wild”.

The movie scene that most reflects the wildness of the 2012 film occurs when the adventurers find themselves running from an abnormally large lizard after stepping on, and breaking, its egg. The scene first pans away from a natural scenery that includes a waterfall, tree-covered mountains, forest floor greenery, and birds soaring. Along with the background music, the sounds of water, trees rustling, and birds can be heard. With these natural elements, the scene depicts the plants and animals as “wild”. Furthermore, the main characters are seen to be walking and jumping on large “rocks” which are soon discovered to be abnormally-large lizard eggs that lead to an enormous mother lizard. Since this animal would be expected to be much smaller than a human, but is horrifyingly not, I would describe this scene as wild as it diverts from the norm and what is expected to entertain the audience. 

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Trailer 

Lizard Scene Link 

Vivian Nguyen

A film I would consider to be wild is the Korean TV series Squid Game. This is a 9 episode long South Korean survival drama released in 2021, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. This series is about a contest where 456 people deep in financial debt risk their lives to play a series of Korean childhood games for the chance to win a cash prize of 45.6 billion won. The nature of the games is that if the players pass the game they can move onto the next round. However if they fail to complete the game they are murdered. I thought this film was “wild” because it was very violent, unusual, and deviated from what would be considered “normal” in today’s society. 

A specific scene that highlights the wildness of the film is during the first game of “Red Light, Green Light.” At this point, players do not know that they will be killed on the spot if they move during a red light or if they fail to win the game. As a result, when shots are fired there is a huge crowd of people running to escape the game, resulting in them being shot, and there is essentially a blood bath of over half of the players killed during the game. This scene was particularly wild because before this scene, the TV series is relatively light-hearted. However, this scene quickly turns violent and chaotic as the audience realizes, along the with players of the game in the show, the morbidity and inhumanity of this game. The scene depicts an unregulated, “wild” game which would never occur in normal society, as it violates countless laws and basic rights of human beings. 

With there being discussion on the true definition of the word “wild,” a number of official dictionaries present not just one singular definition of the term, but multiple. According to both the Cambridge and Merriam-Webster dictionaries, describing a subject as “wild” may signify its uncontrolled, extreme nature. Stemming from this interpretation, one may describe extreme weather conditions, a lively party, or possibly outlying financial statistics as wild. On the other hand, both dictionaries provide an alternate definition that describes a wild subject as beings, most commonly plants or animals, living in a state of nature without domestication. Therefore, one may also describe a rainforest’s inhabitants and grasses as wild. Moreover, “wild” is also used to describe an unconventional act that deviates from the idea of something commonly accepted, or the “norm”. In sum, then, the word “wild” may be used in various contexts to describe a subject.

My own perception of the word “wild” is similar to this polysemy. I believe the adjective may be used in various settings while meaning different things. On the other hand, I most frequently refer to something as wild when it diverts from a common expectation or norm. For instance, I would expect an “everyday” car in a parking lot to stay still in a parking lot. In contrast to this expectation, a car doing doughnuts in a parking lot would seem “wild” to me. In similar contexts, my use of the word “wild” is synonymous with the words “free” and “unrestricted”. My common use of the word “wild” in this type of context can make me forget its alternate meanings. In reflection, I also realize that various languages other than English define “wild” in different ways. I find it interesting that, opposed to this polysemous view, the word “wild” translated to Vietnamese, or hoang dai, solely reflects the definition of which wild things are related to nature and a lack of human interference. This contrast between languages proves that the meaning of “wild” is open to interpretation rather than being one simple definition.

Vivian Nguyen

According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, “wild” means uncivilized or barbaric. Other dictionaries, such as the Cambridge dictionary, describes wild as being “uncontrolled, violent, or extreme.” Many dictionary definitions of the word “wild” use the word to describe things that are out of the social norm or “civilized” way of life. Additionally, the term wild can even be used to describe things that are “attractive” or “exciting.” The definition of wild found from Merriam Webster’s dictionary is very interesting because it describes the term as relative to what is “civilized” or normal. However, because civilization and social norms are not absolute and are constantly changing, this definition would therefore imply that the meaning of wild would also not be absolute, but would instead be constantly changing as well. On the other hand, the definition of wild described in the Cambridge dictionary indicates that wild things are often uncontrolled or extreme. This definition indicates that wildness is opposite of something that is “controlled” or not extreme. However, things that are considered controlled or not extreme have also changed throughout time in different societies and cultures, and therefore wildness is also constantly changing. 

I agree with the dictionary definitions in that I believe that “wildness” does not have an absolute meaning throughout time, but rather changes meaning depending on the social norms of different times, contexts, and cultures. Wild is a term used to describe things that are unusual in the context of each unique situation. For example, it would be wild for someone for someone to walk around naked on UT campus in 2022. However, in pre-historic times before 10,000 BC, it may not have been so “wild” for humans to be going around undressed, as it was normal in that society to dress in that way.  

Wild is defined to be as either the rawest form of nature as something hasn’t been tamed such as a wild animal or wild grasses or as the personal state of being reckless and led by passion rather than conforming with the ordinary. For something to be considered wild, it has to be seen as unrestrained and idiomatic in its own individual way, the simple aspect of not being influenced by how things should be but by things being unaffectedly how they genuinely want to be.

In my opinion, wild refers to something that isn’t domesticated and ceases to exist without any alterations. Ranging from animals to people to even events, I see wild to be things happening without anything or anyone affecting the outcome. An animal is seen as wild because it isn’t changed to act or belong where it doesn’t, a person is wild because they live as they please without the need to fit in or abide by anyone’s rules, and an event or occasion can be considered wild due to it occurring as if there were no regulations and not allowing anything to control it but the pure fact of existence. Wild experiences tend to occur when rules are broken and rules were made to keep everyone from doing whatever they wanted, in a way altering their original course of action. I see wild as things happening in their most pure, natural sense without having to be a certain way to fit in with today’s society.