US History film essay

Valeria Cowell
9/17/2015
HBlock
Learning about history is a key subject in my education. As people we are able to learn about this subject through different forms. One form that is brought to attention is movie based learning. For example learning about slavery is a major theme in our history because its events has shaped how America is now. The movies 12 Years a Slave and Glory are historically based around the time of slavery and Civil War. By watching these movies I was able to see the attitudes people had because of their circumstances. I was able to analyze it more clearly because I saw what was happening rather than see what was happening.
The movie Glory is about the 54th regiment of Massachusetts which was the first black regiment. This story is based on the colonel Robert Shaw’s written letters during the Civil War. All soldiers were either runaway slaves or free slaves that have volunteered to fight against all the wrong doings that put upon them because of their race. In a critical review by James Berardinelli on the movie Glory he says that “Kevin Jarre’s scripted illuminates the frequent oversight of history books.” History books only want us to read what they think is what is appropriate for us to read. I’m not saying this is completely wrong, but it’s wrong in the sense we are not learning the complete truth. For example in the movie the Union soldiers depicted what their actual feeling and attitudes toward slaves were, that they were just slaves as simple as that. That they were not equal to them even though they are fight for their freedom. I personally was amazed the attitudes of the Union soldiers and I was because it was an “oversight in history books”. The movie itself is for the most part correct in the historical accuracy. This is because the lesser characters were made up, this helped show the type of men that really enlisted in the 54th.  By making up some lesser characters it was able to show how 54th was a “close knit group” of soldiers. When scenes or characters are made up it helps bring a sense of emotion and understanding of what’s going on in their lives. Another review by rotten tomatoes on the movie Glory said “Glory is, without question, one of the best movies ever made about the American Civil War”. This critic say it was the best because it made on what “really” happened in the Civil War. I believe it is a great movie because it shows me a different perspective on each role throughout the movie. For Robert Shaw to lead the regiment he show how that no matter the race every live matters.
The movie 12 Years a Slave is about the story that is based on the real life of Solomon Northup and how he was a free black man and that he was taken and sold into slavery. This movie was also for the most part historically correct. In a key scene we see a slave Patsy that befriended Solomon about to be whipped. When Patsy askes for Solomon to just kill her to end her misery, it was all false. Yes, Solomon did whip her, but that she never asked. What she really wanted was to escape to be free and to have hope all the way until the end. The director Steve McQueen did the scene the way he did to convey emotion, empathy, and sympathy from the audience. It was a slight change that had a big effect on the movie and on the Audience. In a review on the movie 12 Years a Slave it was said that “There is a spiritual and violent content.” This is somewhat obvious because the movie was based on a time of slavery. A announcement by AFI Awards it said that “12 Years a Slave is a story amazing in no good way [..] it is depicted with such raw intensity.” This is the truth this movie “depicts” what life was like and that in a bad situation there is hope. i believe that this is a movie that should be shown because it was real and real is life during then brought hope and dignity to those who have nothing.

1 Denzel Washington Takes Defiant Break from Clean-Cut Role

2 Glory (United States, 1989)

3 Glory (1989)

4 Glory 4 stars

5 Glory 1989 (prt2)

12 Years  A Slave

6 12 Years a Slave

7 12 Year a Slave  (film)

8 12 Years a Slave (critic)

9 '12 Years a Slave' Review

10 12 years a slave 2013

Practicing Incorporating a Quotation

Lots of teachers use the movie Glory because of its historical accuracy in fact, in a review by James Berardinelli he states that "Glory has become one of the most frequently shown motion picture in high school."

What I have learned today in was how to paraphrase and practicing incorporation a quotation. The idea of paraphrasing is to put the words of the author in our own word without making a summary of what they had said. In practicing incorporating quotation i have learned that to make sense of the quote itself, I have to make a reasoning of why I am using the quote and to back that reasoning.

 Mrs. Lawson wanted us to learn:

Only use a quote when it adds power and style to my writing.

Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote.

Whether I quote or paraphrase, always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it.

If I use another authors exact words or phrases to any extent, I have to use the quotation marks and give credit.

If I use another's  authors presentation of facts or ideas, but put their their ideas in my own words, i better have a good reason for doing that, and I MUST give credit.

Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources.

I understand the idea of quotation, but I do need to do more paraphrasing eve though i understand what i am doing.  

This is an excerpt of an overview of the Glory http://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/glory

"The historical backdrop against which Glory transpires is mostly historically accurate. In fact, a great deal of effort went into getting the details correct. The main events shown in the film happened much as they are depicted, some of the key characters (Shaw, Frederick Douglas, etc.) existed, and the outcome was as Zwick presents it. Many of the secondary characters are either partially or entirely fictionalized, but they are intended to represent a broad cross-section of the types of men who joined the Massachusetts 54th."

The history behind story of Glory is for the most part accurate. Zwick the director of this movie had attempted to make the details as accurate as they existed in reality. The illustration of the main characters (Shaw and Frederick Douglass) and events of the movie was made to the closest of accuracy to the original. The lesser characters of the movie were either somewhat real or completely made up, this was to help show the type of men that were enlisted in the 54th.

Empathy vs Sympathy

I learned that the definition of the empathy is the intellectual identification or vicarious experience of feeling, thoughts, or attitudes of another. It's the experience of another person's condition from their perspective. An example of empathy popped up while reading a speech by Thoma Jefferson on human equality and that to be able to make himself say that slaves were okay, he had to maybe tell himself  that the slaves themselves were born into it and that it was not his fault. By saying that they were born into it it helped him go from speaking a liberty and freedom of going home to his slaves. I also learned that sympathy is when when you feel of pity or sorrow for someone else misfortune.