Final Draft Genre Analysis

Fatoumata Diagouraga

Dr. Bailie

Final Draft Genre Analysis

April 17, 2020

In my essay, I will be writing about “The Birth of a Nation”. The film took place in 1915 in the South. This film has proved many things about what’s happening with race at the times. “Birth of a Nation” was rife with symbolic interactionism. DW Griffith’s use of film and the various film techniques he deploys reinforce what counted as knowledge about race in early 20th century America. Evil sources that are the main cause of conflicts are the Black Americans. Black Americans who are of mixed privilege. At one point in the film, I saw that the Ku Klux Klan were being portrayed as those that were saving families not for a good cause but to take over their basic living rights. Griffith’s use of pathos and ethos were both prevalent Throughout the film. 

Within the last weeks in how race has been socially constructed in America, various perspectives have changed. Now, racism is a normal thing in society. In the 21st century, racism did sort of progress in terms of harmony but, in my opinion, there will always be somewhat hatred towards the opposite race.  Dr. Martin Luther King’s accomplishments are relevant in society today in terms of racial and ethnic segregation. Racism is a topic that can continue for centuries and more. 

 Looking closely at the film “A Birth of a Nation”, many historical events continue to arise. The film being set in the Southern area would make it seem more understandable. The ” Birth of a Nation” literally speaks for itself. The blacks present in this film are categorized as those who don’t have the slightest bit of intelligence and are known as those who are not capable of thinking for themselves. 

According to PVF, the 13th Amendment states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” 

In Mismeasure of Man, Gould states “ For my first specific rebuttal, however , I do want to pull rank. True , I am not a psychologist and I know little about the technicalities of item selection in mental testing or the social use of results in contemporary America . Hence , I carefully said nothing about these subjects (and would not have written the book if I had judged mastery of such material as essential for my intentions). My book, by the way, has been commonly portrayed, even (to my chagrin) often praised, as a general attack upon mental testing. The Mismeasure of Man is no such thing, and I have an agnostic attitude (born largely of ignorance ) toward mental testing in general.”  Blacks’ drawings were surveyed by Morton and he says that the blacks were invariably depicted as menials. This meant that it was a sure sign that they maintained their appropriate biological roles at all times. 

Also in TMM, “Evolutionary theory swept away the creationist rug that had supported the intense debate between monogenists and polygenists.” The argument of biological determinism “is the basis for believing that measuring the intelligence of an individual allows a measure of worth or value to be attached,”according to Gould. Both The Mismeasure of Man & Plessy V Ferguson were all racist views that Blacks didn’t have the right to have some rights. 

According to the Yale Film Studies, “Focus refers to the degree to which light rays coming from any particular part of an object pass through the lens and reconverge at the same point on a frame of the film negative, creating sharp outlines and distinct textures that match the original object.”

Even though the film presented didn’t have speaking associated with it, what was being portrayed in every scene was pretty easy to figure out. The coloring of Black and White was what made it more interesting. In my opinion, if the film were to be colored instead of black and white, we would be able to emphasize a lot more things going on in the film. 

Works Cited

“D.W. Griffith: Father of Film.”

Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. W. Ross MacDonald School Research Services Library, 2016.

Film Studies Research Guide: Home.” Yale University Library Research Guides, guides.library.yale.edu/film.b56DFGSCZ