On November 18, 1978, a notorious religious organization lead by Jim Jones became international news. As a result of manipulation and isolation, Jim Jones influenced his followers to commit suicide. Not only, but his followers were utterly convinced that what they were doing was for a good cause, specifically, a political movement. With kool-aid and a dash of cyanide, 918 people, adults and children, ended their lives that day. The aftermath of this horrific event resulted in numerous documentaries, on of which being, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Created in 2006, this documentary gives a thorough and accurate account of the events that lead up to as well as occured that day. Furthermore, the film is highly inclusive, giving the viewer thorough detail not only about the religious organization, but also Jones himself. To start off, the film gives detail of Jones’ upbringing, how he behaved as a child, and certain psychological traits that could potentially explain why the incident happened. For instance, it was stated within the film that Jones grew up in a very poor family. His father, James Jones was an alcoholic, leaving his mother to provide for the family alone. As a result of his dysfunctional home-life, Jones grew to be …show more content…
Additionally, the film shows the true power of manipulation, and how easily someone of power can deceive and mistreat others without them even knowing. Personally, I found the film to be very interesting, and I felt as though it accurately represented the events and those who were personally affected. However, the film stated that Jones developed a dependency on substances closer to the date of the mass suicide. This part of the film was not very thorough, and the filmmakers seemed to disregard much of it. Although, all in all, the film was interesting as well as
While dealing with Jonestown it could be perceived as both a cult and a conspiracy theory. The way it fits into being a conspiracy is that many do not believe what was reported and feel that the government, especially the CIA had involvement and made efforts to alter peoples minds for uses of a social experiment. Jonestown also could be considered a cult because in 1955 roughly 1000 citizens formed “The Peoples Temple” in Indiana. It was later progressed to California then finally in 1974 they made there final stop in Guyana. These members usually large in diversity would have mass gatherings and preach
As a boy, James questions his unique family and color through his confusion of race issues. Later in his life, as an adolescent, his racial perplexity results in James hiding from his emotions, relying only on the anger he felt against the world. It is only when James uncovers the past of his mother does he begin to understand the complexity of himself and form his own identity. As James matures, issues of race in his life become too apparent to ignore. His multiracial family provides no clear explanations on prejudices and racism, and when "[James] asked [Ruth] if she was white, she'd say, No. I'm light skinned and change the subject.
Annie Moore one of the people who died in Jonestown said these last haunting words: “We died because you would not let us live”. That chilling sentence says so much about the grip Jim Jones had on his followers. Once he had them under his control they weren’t even allowed to think for themselves let alone do anything else freely. Jim Jones started to lose it when the congressman, the relatives, and the media began to question what was going on in Jonestown.
...s already small portions of food and horrible tasks given to those who didn’t obey Jim Jones. Also, Reverend jones clearly didn’t mind the fact that he was forcing more than nine hundred people to commit suicide, a third if them children. Being me, I feel like the way Jim Jones treated these people, and the way he led this cult compound was completely wrong. I feel like Peoples Temple was a humungous mistake. I also feel truly sorry for those who lose friends and family in this horrible event and for those who went through this. Although this is all over the Jim jones Massacre will forever be remembered and never be forgotten.
“I’m not a humanitarian, I’m a hell-raiser.” Mother Jones followed her own advice concerning a small town in Las Animas County. The Ludlow Massacre occurred on April 20th, 1994, in the tent town of Ludlow, Colorado, the intricate web of events that lead to the events that happened in Ludlow are a look in to the conditions that some of the minorities and immigrants had to live in, during the early twentieth century.
The People’s Temple was religious cult founded and lead by Jim Jones, based in Jonestown, Guyana. The converts belonging to Peoples Temple may have joined for various reasons differing from one another, yet the one common bond they all shared was Jim Jones. They loved Jim, they feared Jim, and eventually they died for Jim .
perec.gmu.edu/jonespublications.html Retrieved October 13, 2011. www.christiananswers.net/ Retrieved October 15, 2011.
This movie was beautifully produced. I don’t believe another director could have done as good of a job as Luis Puenzo did. I believe Puenzo was able to bring this story to life and allow us to be able to really relate to each character intricately because he lived through the uncertainty and witnessed the agony faced by many, and he made all of the emotions real through this work. I also believe that having actors and actresses that lived through the experience was an excellent move.
A cult may be defined as a group of people centred about one person’s religious, social or political ideology (Martin, 2003). It is a movement that venerates a specific person, and uses manipulative techniques to recruit members and raise funds. Cults demand complete obedience from the members and use them to work, provide money and provide sexual favours for the benefit of the leaders. Most cults engage in criminal activities such as child marriages, sexual abuse, kidnapping, assault, arson and even murder (Snow, 2003). Over the years, there has been a brisk rise in the number of people starting up cults and those joining them. Individuals are in a bid to discover their significance through passionate and spiritual experiences, which are provided by cults. Reasons why people turn to cults include loneliness, lack of personal identity and alienation (Martin, 2003). There have been many cults in the course of American history. One of the most infamous cults is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). This paper will give a brief history of the cult, its methods of action, the toxic effects of its beliefs and the methods of treatment used for survivors.
Jim Jones was a selfish and a mentally messed up person who used his public speaking skill to manipulate people by psychologically changing their view in America and it’s people. He was an evil person under a guise of being a reverend. People who joined his cult were shallow and insecure with their original ways of lives. And the way that Jim Jones got the people to join his cult was impressive - the way he attracted people
The other area to examine is the tone. It presents more as a drama, although there are some humorous moments, like the lobster. The concern about the tone is that it’s way too depressing. The shooting of a pregnant female and then the suicide, makes for a very dark story.
On the evening of May 5, 1993, three boys from West Memphis, Arkansas, were last seen riding their bikes together. In the early evening, Chris Byers' stepfather, John Mark Byers, reported that his stepson had not come home and he was becoming worried. The police were also notified of two other boys who had been with Chris and were considered missing, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch. The police and the parents of the missing children searched the neighborhood unsuccessfully until 3AM the next morning. The bodies of the three eight year old boys were discovered in a wooded area in Robin Hood Hills the next day at 1:30 PM. The boys had been hog-tied and severely beaten. Their naked bodies were located in a shallow creek in an isolated patch of woods behind the Blue Beacon truck wash. However, the question that remains until this day is whether justice was served in this case. Perhaps you are not familiar with the West Memphis Three, otherwise known as the Robin Hood Hill Murders. Most people would not of heard of this case unless they were citizens of the small town; however, HBO produced a documentary, "Paradise Lost," which graphically showed this case in a different light. This Peabody Award winning documentary brought the story of this crime and its aftermath into the national spotlight in 1996. The implication it left was that satanic panic, public hysteria and media sensationalism was responsible for the convictions in the case, not solid evidence. This is a shattering account of what a fundamentalist community in the south can accomplish toward the blatant destruction of American justice.
All in all, The Jones family must stick together in order to survive as a family. With trouble facing their way and things falling apart right before their eyes they must not only stick together but stay strong for those who are too weak to deal with the ups and downs that society has set forth for the Black family (Davis 23).If the family begins to fall apart so will everything else.
Jones took a seat on the bench nestled in the undergrowth and scratched his bristled and overgrown beard. The eyes on his beaten face were longing for the comfort of other people and the brightness from the warm sun. The deep wrinkles on his forehead, caused by the permanent frown on his face, each tell their own story. Because of the lack of human company Jones had forgotten what it is to feel loved or experience joy and happiness. He has barely any hair and the hair he has is wiry and unkempt. Just by looking into Jones’ face you can see he is lost, a prisoner to the concrete jungle.
The movie is has moments that will break your heart, inspires people to do more with themselves, but with some small plot discrepancies that could have been worked out with a few extra minutes of the movie instead of hanging us out to dry. However, Ebert raises a question “How much of the self we treasure so much is simply a matter of good luck, of being spared in a minefield of neurological chance?” (Ebert). The movie raises questions on what we do to those who need our love and support. The best part of the movie is how they come awake and get to experience a part of life before the medicine wears off and they go back into their catatonic state. The movie is worth the time and money, it is family friendly, and a sure classic to inspire you family for many years.