The document provides character analyses for several characters in the film "Blood Diamond". It describes Danny Archer as a mercenary who takes risks and double crosses people. Solomon Vandy is a poor fisherman who wants a better future for his family. Maddy Bowen is a journalist who wants to uncover the illegal diamond trade. The document also analyzes how the civil war and diamond trade in Sierra Leone impacted and motivated the characters.

1. Blood Diamond – A
character Analysis
Section C Group 5

2.  Focuses on the Illegal Diamond Trade in
Sierra Leone
 Used to sponsor the civil war
 Quest for pink diamond
 Analysis of key characters and how their
individual choices and decisions are
influenced by external factors
Introduction

3. External Factors
• War in Sierra Leone
• UN Presence
• Diamond Trade
Influencing Factors
• Struggle for Results
Independence • Fractured Society
Factors affecting the characters
• International policies • UN Sanctions
• Prolonged Conflict,
• Consumer Demand,
and the system
Arms Supply Natural Resource
exploitation

4. Danny Archer
 Mercenary, very smart, improvises when needed
 Good negotiator, tries to get the best deal, risk taking
 Seems OK with double –crossing people
 Has High MACH
 Lost both his parents in tragic circumstances, no
family now
 Despite being a soldier, has no faith in the ongoing
war, killing etc. Experiences some kind of emotional
dissonance.
 Unhealthy motivation
 Undergoes Ethical transformation
Character Analysis

5.  Poor Mende fisherman; finds the diamond
 Very protective of his family, wants the future to
be better. Wants Dia, his son to become a doctor
 Compassionate, courageous, has integrity
 Can be naïve and childlike in simplicity yet astute
enough to suspect Archer
 Great amount of self respect
 Major Driving Factor:
o Love for family: goes to great extremes to find them
o Very strong emotions and sense of duty
Solomon Vandy

6.  Profession: Journalist
 Upbringing: Daughter of a war veteran
 Personality traits:
a) wants to make a difference
b) street smart
c) wants to unearth the illegal diamond trade
d) knows how to get the truth out of people
e) „Action Junkie‟
f) Emotional
Maddy Bowen

7. Personal
Effort Performance Reward
Goal
If she goes If her Her
to Sierra report is personal
Leone, she published, goal to
will be able she will be bring a
to get able to change in
substantial unearth the world
evidence the illegal would be
on blood trade satisfied
diamond
Maddy’s Motivation (Vroom’s
Expectancy Theory)

8.  Son of Solomon Vandy
 Bright student, attached to family
 parents wanted him to become a Doctor
 In the identity vs Role confusion stage;
 Taken away from family by the RUF ;
 loses his identity/innocence and became ruthless ; confused
 RUF through coercive persuaion makes him a killer
 Becomes “Captain Dia”, “see me no more”
 Gets into drugs/alcohol
 Refuses to reconcile with Solomon, calls him a traitor
 Seems confused as to what he is, a terrorist or an innocent
boy, pulls a gun on his own father
 Rediscovers himself after his father‟s emotional persuasion
Dia Vandy

9.  A resident of Sierra Leone
 Humanitarian and believes that “people are
inherently good”
 He sees RUF child soldiers as innocent children,
psychologically conditioned to kill people
 Runs rehabilitation camp to bring them back to
mainstream life
 Risks his life by being so trustful, gets shot in the
end but remains empathetic to child soldiers
 Greatly influences Danny in his reformation
Benjamin

10. Archer Maddy Solomon Benjamin
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousnes
s
Emotional
Stability
Openness to
Experience NA NA
BIG FIVE analysis

11.  Social Climate
◦ Big Impact of RUF on people.
 Motto (so called)
◦ Work against the government and for people.
 Methodology
◦ Gain power, control the diamond trade.
◦ Psychologically condition children.
 Probable reasons for directionless efforts
◦ Lack of leadership with a wider vision, absence of a role
model.
◦ Deficiency of ethical or moral values.
◦ Shortsightedness.
RUF (“Shed their blood!!”)

12. Kidnap
children to
create Army
Spend your
money and Use this army
army in wars to control
diamond
Need more of trade
„em
Going
Nowhere
Use the Buy weapons
weapons to from money
fight against from diamond
government trade
RUF Operations: “Very Smart!!”

13.  Talks about ethical issues, motivation(healthy and
unhealthy), selfish actions leading to chaos, atmosphere
created by lack of morals and values, the courage of ethical
people etc
Labor(forced)
Smugglers
Officials(Corrupted)
Illegal Diamond trading Companies
 Almost every one in the movie wanted the Diamond for some
reason
 Human price paid for diamonds
 Valuable diamonds or lives of families ?
Conclusion