Bri Henderson

Assignment 2 Rough Draft

Birth of a Nation

            Applying the work of Swales and Mirabelli, how do you think the discourse communities of law and science shaped the literacy, thinking, and imaginations of audiences watching Birth of a Nation?

            The movie Birth of a Nation was a monumental production of its time and received a large amount of feedback, both good and bad, from viewers all over the country.  This early 1900’s film produced by D.W Griffith was originally a book titled “The Clansman” by Thomas Dixon. This story can be portrayed in different ways because of its controversial and historical content used to tell the story of two families, one residing in the North and the other in the South. This representation can be seen as an example of these split of a country and the war that took place during this time. The films historical content is one of the reasons that it made its way in the White House and greatly approved my President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson applauded Birth of a Nation saying “It’s like writing history with lightning.” Though the president gave the film a promising review other’s, more specifically members of the African American community found the film to be extremely derogatory offensive and even was considered to be used as propaganda for the Ku Klux Klan.  Many efforts were made to stop the film from being shown in theaters, people protested and even stormed theaters to detest the film. The main issue within the film is how the African American characters were characterized and presented. After watching parts of the film in class, it was evident that the writers had a certain agenda with how they chose to depict these characters. These representations can be seen in the presentation, typage and epistene throughout the film and how the characters were negatively portrayed in Birth of a Nation. The discourse community of this time period plays a major role in how the movie shaped the audience because of the negative representation of minorities and stereotypes used in the film. 

            After watching parts of Birth of a Nation, it becomes clear who certain characters are set our out to be viewed, both negatively and positively. The presentation of the black characters differed greatly from white characters. One small detail that should be kept in mind in the film is the fact that the people playing the Africans Americans roles were actually white actors who used the offensive form of theatrical make up called black face. Today, it’s been very common for people to speak out against this because it is seen as very disrespectful. Considering the Birth of a Nation did not to use real black actors but chose to stage white actors as black can be seen as inappropriate and offensive. When we take a look into the characters and the actions/agenda of the roles we see how the African American was negatively presented in the film. The main discourse community centered around Birth of a Nation at the time were white viewers. Since racism was widely acceptable during this time and African Americans were still fighting for their basic rights, it should come as no surprise that the film was seen as ineffective and a step backwards for the civil rights movement. Since African Americans had made some strides within their community after the Civil War, many blacks took great offensive to Birth of a Nation and felt that it was unacceptable and also unproductive. With the issue of racism being so prevalent in the U.S at the time, Birth of a Nation was viewed as propaganda for these beliefs and could be used to fuel the fire on this problem. With so much positive feedback from the president and the White House, the discourse community ranged from important leaders of our country, the typical white audiences and included those associated with the KKK.                                            

            Typage can be described as the basis of actors and their facial or bodily features that were used to convey their character. Those picked to play the roles of African American characters in the film were seen as shady, malicious and untrustworthy. Since many of the people included in the main discourse community at the time already believed  those misconceptions to be somewhat factual and hold some truth, the movies portrayal of these characters could only be used to remind the audience of these negative ideas and reinforce their stereotypes. We see this example in the mixed character Lydia who finesses her way from being a lowly house maid to the head of the house. Her character was presented as scandalous, deranged and manipulative. Many mixed raced individuals at the time were seen as incompetent and provocative so her role was used to reinforce this belief. One specific clip from Birth of a Nation that can be used as an example is when Lydia stages a scene between the head of house and exposes herself to provoke him. The sexual nature of the scene shows her manipulative agenda and negative influence on the man. 

            Another important factor of Birth of a Nation that is was used to influence the minds of the audience was the use of morals and the rape allegation. The use of episteme in the film was another detail that was used to shape the audience. In this part of the movie, the daughter is raped by an African American man which causes furry. This depiction of the black man paints him as a monster and out of control. Since majority of the audience and discourse community portrayed African American man as violent and untamed, this scene caused a lot of criticism and backlash. The way Birth of a Nation chose to represent the African Americans in the film explains why the film would provoke racist ideas and beliefs in those who watch it. With scenes that bring up such issues and moral unjustice it’s no wonder how Birth of a Nation was used for racist propaganda. The discourse community as this time played a major role in influencing the audience because the use of stereotypes and played on the negative qualities associated with African Americans.