Amistad

821 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Reflection on amistad movie

Amistad

I have watched the “Amistad” directed by Steven Spielberg, written by David Franzoni, presented by Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Mathew McConaughey, David Paymer, Pete Postlethwaite, and Stellan Skarsgard. It was rented from Hollywood Video to complete the assignment.
“Who we are, is who we were”, states attorney Baldwin, the persuading point reaching into the hearts of the jurors. Telling a story about the intriguing life and life lost of the Mende people. Their ending up in America and the tragedy and violent cruel torture they endured not only on ‘La Amistad”, but also the treatment they received here in America. Who were these people? Why was it such an issue on whose “property” they were? The time was around 1854, and the progression toward the Civil War had begun.
Stephen Spielberg’s film “Amistad” is an illustrative tale of history inevitable course. On the surface, Spielberg relates the journey of Cinque’s and his people to the America. In a larger sense, however, he contrasts a story of passage to America with its simple values and way of life to the arrival of an even more savage life and ideas of the civilization from Africa, a story of greater historical significance. The characters are not extensively developed; instead, they are simply presented, even understated at a point. Spielberg’s intent is to draw vivid characterizations and to create objects and characters as symbols with larger meanings.
Power and autho...

Show More
Related

  • Simple Justice

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this story it clearly shows us what the courts really mean by freedom, equality, liberty, property and equal protection of the laws. The story traces the legal challenges that affected African Americans freedom. To justify slavery as the “the way things were” still begs to define what lied beneath slave owner’s abilities to look past the wounded eyes and beating hearts of the African Americans that were so brutally possessed.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jesmyn Ward's Men We Reaped

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    If a person was to take a closer look at Jesmyn Ward’s Men We Reaped, they could clearly relate to the tragedies that occurred in Delise, Mississippi. Thus, Jesmyn Ward’s novel is completely genuine and the title of the novel gives reverence to the black lives that were lost during the struggle for equality, acceptance and justice. Although the deaths in Men We Reaped occurred during a modern era, the tragedies are similar to the ones that Harriet Tubman witnessed throughout her lifetime. The events that occurred in Jesmyn Ward’s memoir have an undeniable connection to the incidents of the past.

    Read More

  • What did freedom mean to harriet jacobs

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...

    Read More

  • Immigrants in Upton Sinclair 's The Jungle

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ool to receive an education. However, being new in America, they were apt to make many mistakes, which in some cases proved deadly. In all, their experiences helped them to develop knowledge of their new homeland. They also helped them to make better decisions and better the future for their family.

    Read More

  • Abina Mansha, A Slave

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout history, it is not uncommon for stories to become silenced; especially, when such a story is being told by the voice of a slave's. Slaves were not granted the same equal rights as the free men. They also were not seen as whole individuals -- worth less than the average citizen, to be sold and traded as property. Abina Mansha was a female slave whom once lived in Asante but came to live in the British Gold Coast Colony during 1876, after being sold to Guamin Eddoo by her husband, Yawawhah. As Abina claims in her testimony, her purchase was no accident. "Slavery had been abolished throughout the British Empire, a law extended into the Gold Coast in 1874. Yet ironically, the demand for laborers on the growing palm oil plantations and in the houses of those who own them means that the trade in slaves into the Gold Coast does not dry up following the war" (Getz and Clark, 2011, p. 6). Abina And The Important Men: A Graphic History written by Trevor R. Getz and Liz Clarke, but spoken in different perspectives, helps shed light on Abina's personal lifestyle; while the date and location provides us with further insight on how the world reacted to 19th century Western culture.

    Read More

  • The Role Of The Early Childhood Educator

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    As classrooms become more diverse, and with the push-in model being implemented for special education, this can be a difficult task. There are many things to consider when deciding upon a teaching format for each lesson. The most important is the student’s instructional level or Zone of Proximal Development. There is a fine line between independent, instructional, and frustration level. Lessons should be differentiated so that all students are challenged. To meet the needs of all students it may be necessary to collaborate with the special education teachers and the ESOL teachers. Teachers should be facilitators to student learning. It is helpful to connect the learning to a student’s prior experience. Teachers also need to consider the role of technology in their

    Read More

  • Boston Tea Party Research Paper

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the article, some Boston citizens disagreed and decided to protest the British tax on the tea that was being imported to the colonies. Most acts to tax the colonies fell through, but this one was successful to demonstrate the power of parliament to tax the colonies. Even though the price of British tea was cheaper, the colonists did not want to pay the taxes on it. This information supports the reason why the colonists wanted to act upon the British.

    Read More

  • The American Revolutionary War: The Boston Tea Party

    364 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Boston Tea Party occurred on Boston Harbor, Massachusetts and is one of the most popular events that pushed the conflict between the colonies and the British parliament into a full blown out war called the American Revolutionary War. After the French and Indian war, the British and King George III were left in great debt due to the plentiful amounts of money and resources that were used in order to win the war. To alleviate the debt, King George imposed a deranged amount of taxes on the colonists and the things they used on a daily basis. This infuriated the colonists and began the boiling of the problem between the colonists and Great Britain. The king continued to impose more and more taxes, and the colonists demanded “No taxation without

    Read More

  • Immigrants and The American Dream

    2129 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wills, Chuck, Destination America: The People and Cultures That Created a Nation. New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print.

    Read More

  • Teach for America: Ensuring A Good Education for Students in Need

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    The videos embedded within the article gives a clear depiction of what a “good” teacher appears and acts like in front the classroom. These examples derive from actual teachers working with Teach for America illustrating a successful teacher and classroom. Although the Motivator, Tour Guide, Manager, and Connector are all great examples for teachers, current teachers should not epitomize and mimic one example but parallel all. I believe that a great teacher includes qualities from all four examples. Great teachers should not only be able to stimulate and induce an interest in learning but also engage with the projects and lessons, transcends discipline, and be able to incorporate modern ideas and experiences within the classroom. Becoming just the Motivator or just the Tour Guide will not have an effective education onto his or her classroom. But keep in mind, like the title states: what makes a great teacher? What makes him or her different from other teachers? And lastly, what are they doing different?

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Half Of A Yellow Sun

    1943 Words  | 4 Pages

    When watching movies relating to the same topic that were produced in an overall large time span, it is clear that the social connotations associated with this topic are subject to change, whether it is positively or negatively. The depiction of Africa and its inhabitants are no different. Without a doubt, one can say that movies based on Africa and Africans have changed, but only to a certain amount. Many of these films still portray three different kinds of Africa (Thiong’o 1993), all of them being a “dream and nightmare” (Dunn 1996) and Africans as being seen as inferior barbarians (Walker and Rasamimanana 1993). Specifically dealing with the their inferiority, the amount and worth of the speech or dialogue Africans are assigned within

    Read More

  • Sicario

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sicario is the new film by the Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve, recognized for his solid work on Prisoners and Enemy among others, who returns to show us another story dark and pessimistic - as it is usual - for two fast-paced hours in which all background will immerse yourself in the world of the cartels. The film stars Emily Blunt (at the edge of tomorrow, Looper) accompanied by two of the best actors of the cast of the time such as Josh Brolin (is not a country for old men, w., pure Vice) and Benicio del Toro (Traffic, usual suspects). In addition to those already mentioned, also contributes the brilliant director of photography Roger Deakins - give it your Oscar! - who has filmed so many masterpieces and has collaborated with many reputed

    Read More

  • Men We Reaped Analysis

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    If a person was to take a closer look at Jesmyn Ward’s Men We Reaped, they could clearly relate to the tragedies that occurred in Delise, Mississippi. Thus, Jesmyn Ward’s novel is completely genuine and the title of the novel gives reverence to the black lives that were lost during the struggle for equality, acceptance and justice. Although the deaths in Men We Reaped occurred during a modern era, the tragedies are similar to the ones that Harriet Tubman witnessed throughout her lifetime. The events that occurred in Jesmyn Ward’s memoir have an undeniable connection to the incidents of the past.

    Read More

  • Heart Of Darkness And Apocalypse Now Analysis

    3232 Words  | 7 Pages

    The importance of cultural context within any type of text is essential in order to elucidate a distinct argument. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a novella starring the experiences of an ivory trader in Central Africa named Charles Marlow, various themes of racism and human cruelty are discussed in relation to its contextual features. The film “Apocalypse Now” by Francis Ford Coppola adapts this idea of implementing a correlation between its central ideas to a specific cultural context as well. The central research question this extended essay focuses on is how do different features used in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and the film version of "Apocalypse Now" by Francis Ford Coppola help criticize imperialism? In Heart of Darkness and “Apocalypse Now,” the struggle between the barbaric nature of the natives and the oppressive nature of Imperialism is questioned through the use of characterization of various factors.

    Read More

  • Hemingway's Use of Economy In The End of Something

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    on America as a whole, and uses the people and setting of the story as

    Read More

More about Amistad

Open Document