123 School Work

Birth of a Nation

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  Lauren Thomas
  "Birth of a Nation"
  African American Experience in Film
       
  Honsetly, there is really no way introduce the movie "Birth of a Nation." It's raw depiction of slavery and discrimination of the African American people in the early 1900's is one you must see for yourself. While I do not pretend to understand, I would like to empathize with some of the ideas of the film, and will not ignore the message of equality represented.
       First, I can not begin to imagine being an African American in the United States during the early 1900's, during the era of "Birth of a Nation." As far as the film goes, the
  opening sequence alone let's the audience know they are in for an experience with
  racism. "The bringing of the African to America planted the first seed of disunion," it
  says, while explaining the happenings of 17th century slavery and the continuance of
  slavery into the 20th century. If I were of African American descent, and I was seeing this
  movie for the first time, that opening sequence may be a bit of a 'warning sign' to me for
  what lay ahead. Similarly, the warnings prior to the beginning of the second part of the
  film warn viewers of the scenes coming up. This preface states "This is an historical
  presentation of the Civil War and Reconstruction Period, and is not meant to reflect on
  any race or people of today." Also,I think the use of the word 'disunion' shows just how
  far apart we were as a country...