Allow the Movie The mistakes done in the past cannot define a person’s life, but can be a life lesson to do remarkable things in the future. The movie “Birth of a Nation” is settling a lot of controversy before coming out in theaters, because of the film director, writer, and star of the movie his name is Nate Parker because of his past, when he was a student at Penn State University where he rape a fellow female student and was accused of rape in 1999 and two years later he was free of charge. Nate Parker is not the only one on the controversy along with his longtime friend and roommate at the time of the incident is Jean McGianni Celestin and was also involved in the rape. Mr. Celestin was charged with sexual assault, but his case was appealed. …show more content…
As states in the article “Nate Parker and the limits of empathy” by Roxane Gay published in The New York Times. “Mr. Parker wrote, directed, produced and stars in the movie. “Birth of a Nation”, which chronicles the life of Nat Turner and the slave rebellion he led in Virginia in 1831. The story the movie tells is important and to see a movie like this getting mainstream attention is equally significant.”(Gay). This quote provides evidence because the movie grabs the viewer attention and is learning about history, so it should be watched by everyone in the campus. The movie is about Nat Turner making history by forming a group and rebel to the white people so they can be free of being slaves. It teaches how the African American were being used as property and not treated equally and are being discriminated instead of treated as human …show more content…
According to the article “1999 Rape Case Swirls around Nate Parker and His Film ‘The Birth of a Nation’. By Cara Buckley and Serge F. Kovaleski. “…even turning down other work. He wanted Americas to face the legacy of slavery head on, and said the country’s aversion to doing so led to countless modern-day problems, including tensions between the police and black Americans.”(Buckley, Kovaleski). This quote provides evidence because the movie display’s the violence against African Americans when there were slaves and he compares the movie to the violence of African Americans receiving nowadays by police and not being treated equally in today’s society. Police brutality is going on nowadays, juts a recent case came on September 16, 2016, in Tulsa, Oklahoma where a police officer called Betty Jo Shelby killed Terence Crutcher an unarmed black man that put his hands up. The officer shot without any mercy to the person which shows that discrimination against African Americans has not changed since the Nate Turner
Flannery O’Connor’s story “Parker’s Back” introduces us to a man who feels incomplete and is seeking to fill the empty space in his soul. He attempts to do so the only way he knows how, by getting tattoos. He continues this until “the front of [his body is] almost completely covered…” (514). In fact, Parker even considers getting a religious tattoo to appease his over-zealously religious wife Sarah Ruth. A brush with death that is literally a “burning bush” experience drives him to mark the change in his life by getting that tattoo. He races to the tattoo parlor and demands to see the religious tattoos. He chooses a Byzantine Christ. In this story, Flannery O’Connor tries to show that although Parker’s attempts to quiet his unease provide temporary satisfaction (his tattoos and marrying Sarah Ruth), what Parker is really longing for is a relationship with God, a desire echoed in his choice of tattoo.
Some could argue that his claims seem to be over the top of maybe even misinterpretations, thus he addresses this counter argument by explaining that he isn't the only black male who has been misjudged. “Such episodes are not uncommon. Black men trade tales like this all the time”(Staples 143). The fact that he adds the stories of other black men, such as the story of the young reporter being dragged violently out of his car at gunpoint; mistaken as a criminal(Staples 143), demonstrates that his arguments are not solely based on himself. The fear and uneasiness that an African American can experience who has not done anything around a police officer, a person who is suppose to help them in emergencies and who should provide a sense of tranquility, is alarming. There have been too many unarmed black men and women who have been misinterpreted, striped from thier rights and even their lives. The fact that people cannot trust law enforcement shows the negative effects that racial profiling has on society and it shows how nothing has changed since 1986, for a country like America, who is suppose to be the dream land this is disappointing. Staples is identifying the problem with societal views, he has not written a sob story with exaggerated experiences, he is shedding light onto a problem that is usually swept under the
This demonstrates to us that no matter how much your legal or moral laws are violated, what matters is how you as an individual react to the situation, justly or unjustly. This movie is centered around the notion that if you are a person of ethnic background, that alone is reason for others to forsake your rights, although in the long run justice will prevail
At its release, D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation was regarded as a revolutionary and masterful piece of cinema. It was heralded as one of the greatest films ever made for the next fifty years, and is still revered by some for its amazing visuals and ground-breaking cinematic techniques. But these praises, some of which may be well deserved, obscure the film’s blatantly racist and offensive content in the minds of many viewers. Some of the most egregious aspects of The Birth of a Nation’s deeply rooted racism are expressed through the contrasting characters of Silas Lynch and Ben Cameron.
This incident would have produced nothing more than another report for resisting arrest had a bystander, George Holliday, not videotaped the altercation. Holliday then released the footage to the media. LAPD Officers Lawrence Powell, Stacey Koon, Timothy Wind and Theodore Brisino were indicted and charged with assaulting King. Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg ordered a change of venue to suburban Simi Valley, which is a predominantly white suburb of Los Angeles. All officers were subsequently acquitted by a jury comprised of 10 whites, one Hispanic and one Asian, and the African American community responded in a manner far worse than the Watts Riots of 1965. ?While the King beating was tragic, it was just the trigger that released the rage of a community in economic strife and a police department in serious dec...
Released in 1915, Birth of a Nation became America’s first full length film. The three hour silent movie reflected on two families, one from the south and one in the north, ...
The article, Racial Conflict, written by Peter Katel in January 8, 2016, is about racism in the United State and to discuss if U.S. policies are discriminatory. Propelled largely by videos of violent police confrontations with African- Americans, protesters have taken to the streets in Chicago, New York and other cities demanding changes in police tactics. These brutal policing tactics had lead persons to say that U.S. policies are discriminatory. For example, Chicago police officer shot 17-year-old Laquan Mc Donald 16 times in the street. Official kept the video away from the public until a reporter forced its release through freedom of information request. Keeping the video under wrap prove that Mc Donald was killed innocently which also
On March 3, 1915 the movie The Birth of a Nation was released at the Liberty Theatre in New York City. This film was financed, filmed, and released by the Epoch Producing Corporation of D.W. Griffith and Harry T. Aitken. It was one of the first films to ever use deep-focus shots, night photography, and to be explicitly controversial with the derogatory view of blacks.
But the film actually made me recall a question that I always had: to what extent can we, as somewhere who are not involved in the events, criticize people, especially the wrongdoers, who did partake in the history? As people from the 21st century, we know that slavery is unjust and horrible because we were raised in a society where love and peace were honored. When I questioned myself what would I do if I were Edwin Epps, Marry Epps, or William Ford, I began to question myself how much can I criticize them people when the cruelty was norm, and all those people did really was to follow the norm. Although it would be righteous and courageous to stand up for the blacks, not everyone is all courageous and willing to challenge the society. The film reminded me to have my own judgment and not to blindly follow what everyone else consider to be the norm. This film also made me wonder: when it is many years from now, how much of the social norm today would be considered to be cruel and
Peter D. Hutchinson, Kelly Nyks, and Jared P. Scott produced a film called Requiem for the American Dream. The narrator throughout the film, speaking behalf of the filmmakers, is Noam Chomsky, a former MIT professor of linguistics. Chomsky is considered one of the most influential intellectuals of the 21st century. During the film, Noam Chomsky delineates the wage inequalities between the poor and the wealthy, then relates all of it to the middle class. The majority of U.S citizens live in the middle class, so the policy would be determined by the middle class. So for Chomsky’s purpose of convincing others that higher tax rates are beneficial on the economy, Chomsky directs the message to the middle class, to convince them of his and the filmmaker's message, and to fulfill their purpose. The film, Requiem for the American
What’s so amazing about people is the little things push people to do dramatic and outrageous things, without actually thinking about the effect of their actions, most people seem to continue to make radical decisions. The most reoccurring thing that ticks people off is the controversial decision to separate or judge someone based on what racial background they come from, this has been a huge issue for what seem like forever and honestly what seems like an never ending issue for people around the world no matter their race, sex, age, or financial background. In the film Children of Men, the entire plot is based on a pregnant immigrate whose baby is the key for a revolutionary revolt against the government. The government is the film based majority of their focus on immigration and sending people back to where they were from and taking out any terrorist that may eventually harm the well-being of people in the UK, the reason this is so relevant is because while everyone focus was immigration there was so much going on that could’ve prevented all of that from happening but because of the ignorance it just left the world even more separated than before. This film
It has been said that the Declaration of Independence was more democratic and for equality and the Constitution was more for a republic that benefited only some people. The Declaration was idealistic the Constitution realistic. That 1776 gave us liberty and 1787 gave us order. Although as unfair as it may sound this seems to be true. After gaining liberty this country had to establish a system that would have order.
Being one of the few black students to attend Tisch School of the Arts, the aspiring filmmaker’s first year at New York University was a particularly difficult one. Lee’s experiences, race, and upbringing have all led him to create controversial films to provide audiences with an insight into racial issues. Spike Lee’s first student production, The Answer, was a short ten minute film which told of a young black screenwriter who rewrote D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation. The film was not well accepted among the faculty at New York University, stating Lee had not yet mastered “film grammar.” Lee went on to believe the faculty took offense to his criticisms towards the respected director’s stereotypical portrayals of black characters (1).
Police brutality and racism are an ongoing problem in our country. It goes back hundreds of years with no sign of it stopping. Police officers have been abusing their power since they have been around. Abuse against African American males by white police officers is getting out of hand. Most officers face no punishment at, and all there is a special code that they follow. Officers follow The “Blue Code of Silence”, which is a code that means they look out for one another. Even with video recording devices, the news, and social media, these events still go on. African Americans take most of the abuse and it looks like there is no end to this. This is a reflection on our society, and it makes us look ignorant to what is going on around us.
D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation was one of the most controversial films of the 20th century. Praised by some and resented by others, it was one of the most popular films around the world for its time because of its chaotic effect on the general public. Set in the Civil War era, Birth of a Nation glorifies the Ku Klux Klan while portraying African Americans as reprobates whom sexually coerce white women. Many historians argue that the racist epic is responsible for the second Ku Klux Klan revival as well as a considerable amount of anti-black sentiment. While D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation glorified the Ku Klux Klan and demonized African Americans, it actually helped African Americans gain support for equality.