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Thom BennettProfessor BailieENGL 208914 Apr 2020Genre AnalysisD. W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation might just be the most controversial film of all time. Despite the deep controversy of the film it was one of the most innovate pieces of cinematography of its time. The film is based upon the novel and play, The Clansman written by Thomas Dixon Junior. Griffith co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced the silent film. The film, contrary to Griffith’s claim of being historically accurate is really a revisionist history piece. The film is about two families during the time leading to the Civil war through the Reconstruction period in the south. Griffith uses groundbreaking techniques to make a film that paints a very clear picture. The film paints a clear understanding of his problem with the current position that the Union has worked to put men of color in. In it black men are shown carrying out every stereo type imaginable for the time period. The Birth of a Nation is completely opposite to W. E. B. Du Bois’ The Strivings of the Negro People. While Griffith’s film matches the rhetoric of the time period, Du Bois writes in complete contradiction to the multiliteracies of the day. In The Strivings of the Negro People, he shares the negative impact of the common discourse regarding individuals of color. Du Bois writes about his personal experiences, explaining the roadblocks that have been presented to people of color as a result of being judged through the lens of living according to a white man’s standard. His writing was published just one year after the legal decision on the Plessy versus Ferguson case. This case ultimately determined the legality of Jim Crow laws, laws that legalized segregation. In Plessy v. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents Thomas described Du Bois’ writing this way: “…although Du Bois did not explicitly mention the case, his essay can be read as a response to the Court’s logic”.Du Bois goes against the discourse of the discourse communities of the time period using personal experience to draw empathy from readers instead of using science or law to support his point of view. Given the rhetorical context of the time period in which both authors are publishing their media, D.W. Griffith has a much more persuasive document. Griffith’s film agrees with the warrants held by most viewers, confirming what they already “knew” to be true. It is because of the shared warrants and agreement with the common discourse patterns that Griffith is more successful in the persuasion of his audience.While Du Bois may not have agreed with the discourse of the discourse communities of the time, he did largely follow the standard practices of the English discourse community. He used his writing as one more step to disprove the negative stigma surrounding African Americans being able to follow the guidelines of society. He sticks closely to the general guidelines of a typical essay. As you read Du Bois’ essay you will find every aspect that you would expect in any other essay. He frequently references well known writings through inference or direct quotation. For example, in discussing the value colored men saw in the opportunity to learn from the white man’s writings he said, “Here at last seemed to have been discovered the mountain path to Caanan”, Caanan being a reference to The Bible. Du Bois also references other poems, short stories, and popular culture such as songs. Du Bois’ adherence to the essay genre that he is writing in would allow for further acceptance by the discourse communities of the time.Griffith’s film on the other hand was pioneering a new standard in the cinematography discourse community. Griffith incorporated several techniques that were extremely new to the discourse of his community. The film used close-up shots, fade-outs, was the longest film of the time and had music for an orchestra written specifically to accompany the film. The Birth of a Nation was also the first American film to be shown in the White House. Between the advertisement done by Griffith and the debates Being waged to stop the film by the NAACP, everyone knew about the film. All the excitement surrounding the film is what drew so many viewers.During the time period the discourse community of biological science was heavily influential in the debate regarding biological determinism. Science during this time was counted as being the most reliable source of objective information possible. Unfortunately for African Americans, this science was all about quantifiable data. In The Mismeasure of Man Stephen Jay Gould reviews the fallacies of this science. Gould states the focus of his study in this statement: “I restricted my treatment of biological determinism to the most historically prominent (and revealingly fallacious) form of quantified argument about mentality: the theory of a measurable , genetically fixed, and unitary intelligence”. A brief look at the research that Gould breaks down reveals what Du Bois would have been arguing against. In order to contradict this “objective” data that seemed to always show the black man as inferior Du Bois had to rely on subjective influences. He relied heavily on pathos to make his point, counting on the warrant that everyone shared some degree of compassion. Du Bois explains the history of the African American race through the history of the United States. Before obtaining it, the slave only wished for freedom. Once they received it, they realized it still did not allow them to be treated fairly. Then, when the opportunity to vote came they were relieved, only to realize that their right to vote did not guarantee their opportunity to do so. Finally, the black man was given the promise of learning. Their learning only lead to truly understanding how far behind his white counterparts he was in the world. Du Bois pleads for the black man, “He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both Negro and an American without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without losing the opportunity of self-development.”. He states, “The freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land.”. Du Bois wanted the white man to understand things from a black man’s perspective and hopefully encourage compassion to change the discourse affecting the multiliteracies his time.In contrast to Du Bois, Griffith uses his film to further the negative opinions regarding people of color in the United States. Griffith uses every cinematography technique possible to paint the black man in accordance with the negative views of the major discourse communities of the day. As an example, one of the most controversial scenes in the film is one that involves the suicide of a young white girl. In this scene bright cheery music, focused lighting and the actions of the girl are used to paint her as innocent. In the same scene one of the main colored characters is painted as dark and menacing through his sneaky movement, the dark and red lighting techniques as well as ominous music surrounding his character. As the scene unfolds a crosscut editing technique between the two characters builds suspense. The scene shows the girl running from the man and climbing to the top of a stony mountain. As the girl reaches the top, she realizes there is nowhere left to go; she turns back to warn the colored man that if he approaches, she will jump. The man comes closer and she jumps off the cliff.The anticipated acceptance of the suicide scene by viewers as accurate relies upon the warrant that members of the colored race are sexually aggressive. Griffith used this scene to play into the fears that white people had been taught to have about African Americans. He wanted to encourage fear of the black man in a world where they had been freed and display why they should not have the same standing in society as the white man. Griffith’s film played on every fear of white men. In other scenes black men are shown as uncivilized and as an overall threat to the white man’s society.Both authors were looking to elicit a response from the discourse community of American people. One man wanted a fair opportunity for the black man to prove himself valuable to society, the other wanted to scare people into never giving that chance. Unfortunately, both the scientific and legal discourse communities of the time supported Griffith’s agenda. As a result of the multiliteracies in the United States, Griffith would have been the much more widely accepted publication, having more shared ideas with the public.Works CitedDu Bois, W.E.B. “Strivings of the Negro People,” Atlantic Monthly, August 1897, 194– 98.Gould, Stephen Jay. “The Mismeasure of Man”, W.W Norton & Company, New York, 1996.Griffith, D W, and Thomas Dixon. Birth of a Nation. Los Angeles, CA: Triangle Film Corp.1915.Thomas, Brook. Plessy V. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford Books,1997. ................
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