What I found the most interesting about this episode was the difference between Ampata and Buffy in relation to their role as the ‘chosen one’. In both cases each girl must sacrifice her life for the common good, giving up her opportunity for a ‘normal’ life. In the case of Ampata, she was used as an actual sacrifice to please the Incan gods, which robbed her of the normal life that she craved. For Buffy, she must be the vampire slayer and forgo the usual activities and pursuits her of peers. The difference between them, however, is that Buffy takes her destiny in stride and deals with it in the best way that she can, while Ampata is determined to regain some semblance of normalcy. Ampata’s desire for life is even greater than her love or her morality, so she is willing to take the lives of others, including Xander’s, in order to achieve her goal. Buffy, however, is constantly sacrificing herself and her needs in order to protect people and live up to her title as Slayer.
This is part of what makes Buffy such a strong character and is one of her defining features. Although Michele Byers doesn’t specifically reference this element of sacrifice in her article, I think that is one of the better qualities that Buffy exhibits. It is a highly admirable characteristic that can certainly benefit the minds of the young girls watching it. It is part of what demonstrates Buffy’s strength because it requires a great deal of fortitude and willpower to constantly force one’s self into an unwanted position. The Byers’ article references Buffy’s strength, but more in terms of her physical strength, than her mental power, despite the admirable quality and merit that it deserves.
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