We've discussed quite a bit about early Hollywood film as well as the origins of black cinema. Several topics stand out to me: blackface, metaphysical dualism, spatial narration, and the "single story." I'd like you to share which concept/topic stood out the most to you, and why? Finally, I'd like you to address this: what do you believe is Oscar Micheaux's legacy?
Due: Fri., 9/2/16 by the beginning of class.
After discussing various cinematic pieces and viewing early Hollywood films such as "Birth of a Nation (B.O.A.N) and Oscar Micheaux's "Within Our Gates," I have come to find great appreciation for early Hollywood films. I have also become very enlightened on issues, prejudices, and gained much awareness on the detrimental effects Hollywood can leave on not only a certain culture, but nation.
ReplyDeleteOut of all the various topics discussed in class thus far, the one that has left the most major impact on me is the concept of the "single story." In class we were assigned to watch a TED Talks speech conducted by Chimamanda Adichie entitled "The Danger of a Single Story." In the video, Adichie discussed how so many of us [humans] live our lives a certain way or view a certain type of person (or group of people) based on only one concept of what we've heard or seen throughout our lives. Adichie is a professional writer and native of Nigeria who attended college in the United States. In the TED Talks video Adichie told the story of a conversation between her and her college roommate. Her roommate, who was a white female, believed that people who lived in Africa were poor, listened to tribal music and lived life how Africa is portrayed here in America. Adichie stated how her life in Nigeria was upper-middle class, she listened to Mariah Carey and had servants, thus proving to live a complete opposite life of how her roommate portrayed her to be. The one thing that her roommate was suffering from was a "single story."
After viewing the TED Talks video from Adichie I began to think about how many things or people in my life that I may or may not view a particular way due to a "single story" or "single perspective." I can recall during my freshman year talking to a girl I met on campus. I asked her where she was from and she said Detroit, MI. The first thing that came to mind was how horrible and poor the city of Detroit was due to the city filing for bankruptcy. On TV and on the news I would always see images of Detroit with streets full of burned and abandoned houses, graffiti-painted walls, stray dogs and decaying concrete buildings. After remembering these images in my head and how I believed Detroit to be, I then asked the girl was it really as bad as the news portrayed it to be. The girl informed me how Detroit wasn't at all as bad as TV made it out to be, and that the city was actually bouncing back from bankruptcy. After hearing Adichie's speech, I realized that my encounter with the girl from Detroit was only one of the many things in my life that I had (or have) a single perspective on because I only heard a single story.
In conclusion, I believe Oscar Micheaux has left a legacy of counteracting the Hollywood's white "Master Narrative" or "single story," as well as making all his films to have multiple stories of life in African-American culture. He focused to tell each of his stories in his movies in several different ways and was precise to show African-Americans in different lights, avoiding the "single story" trap.
Early Hollywood Films like Birth of a Nation and Within Our Gates have really opened my eyes to reality and how people of the world back then perceived blacks and whites at the time. Entering class, I didn't know much about the concepts such as "blackface", and metaphysical dualism. I noticed that the movies made back then perceived white people as heroic figures who were also oppressed at the same time (conflicting), and how black people were normally perceived in a bad light, displaying either coon-like activity, criminal like behavior, and aggressive personalities. I've come to realize that many of the media works are still intact in today's film industry and even reality.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me was "The Danger of a Single Story". At first, I didn't know what to expect when watching this. I thought it would be some boring speech about Adichie's life. It was an eye opener. In the video, she explains how a Single Story is oneself living in ignorance based off what they hear, see in the media, or just draw conclusions on. Adichie brought up really great points in her speech, how people in the US (like her roommate) perceived her based off where she grew up (Nigeria) and how people as a whole viewed Africa based off what they saw or heard. People in the west automatically assumed majority if not all of Africa was poor, unhealthy, and constantly living among danger. Adichie is a living contradiction of what people normally thought, growing up in a happy and upper middle-class home. She tied in people's typical assumptions and linked it with how she saw her poor neighbors she grew up with. She brought up these stories just to basically come to one very important point: The world would be a better place and more at peace if we didn't limit ourselves to what we only want to know. If we decided to actually be open minded to people and their way of life, versus living in ignorance (a "single" story), we would understand each other a lot more. The media and people themselves paint ideas in other people's heads and we are forced to believe certain things instead of getting to know someone or someone's way of life. It was a very great speech and it made me reevaluate my way of thinking and how I interpret certain things in the world. Growing up, I did paint certain ideas in my head about people but I've learned to detach myself from that way of thinking. I am a very open person and I don't consider myself to be ignorant, but her words made me think very critically of what I should've done back then and maybe my social life could've been enhanced. Going to A&T, I realize that not all of us grew up in the same area or were brought up to believe or share the same values, customs, morals, and beliefs. Despite all of us attending an HBCU, we are still very diverse in a lot of aspects, so I force myself to get to know someone before actually making assumptions just based off where they are from and how they dress or look. I self reflected a lot after watching the video, and it somehow inspired me to want to read more of her works seeing as though I want to follow her path in becoming a writer and author.
Finally, Oscar Micheaux is what I consider a "rebellion" to the early film industry and I admire him so much for that. Instead of focusing on one thing about a certain race or concept, he showed it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. His work was truly authentic, and it's as close to reality as it could possibly ever be. He worked alone: directed, wrote, and produced. One of his key tactics was manipulation and how people would think to perceive characters in his film, but throwing in plot twists to make you rethink. He truly opened a different realm to how the world views each other (especially focusing on what lurks on in African Americans' lives) versus how people wanted to view us or thought about us.
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ReplyDeleteSo far we’ve had the opportunity to study and speak on various concepts and ideologies observed in early African American cinema, that are still relevant to modern black culture. Issues such as, the usage of blackface in D.W. Griffith’s, “Birth of A Nation” portrays the roles that whites believed to be suitable for African Americans. This ultimately illustrated and reinforced racist and prejudicial perceptions of blacks. Thus, promoting the concept of the black man being only useful for entertainment purposes. Blacks were only being represented as domestics, slaves and criminals. “Birth of a Nation” was Hollywood’s first blockbuster, which revealed how D.W Griffith usage of the “master narrative” facilitated the perpetuation of racist ideologies of how African Americans were and behaved in society.
ReplyDeleteA few things resonated with me after watching the video where Chimamnda Adichie, explains what a “single story” was and the dangers and consequences of its transmission. I began to reflect on how D.W Griffith’s success in promoting racist values in his famous film, aided the spreading of ignorant perceptions of blacks. I then began to self-reflect on how my way of thinking may have been impacted by being fed a single story. Being born in New York City and raised within a Caribbean culture, my values and mannerisms were customary to what I was being taught by my parents and peers. I was always taught to be open minded and accepting of people different from me. My mother encouraged me to read, and watch many documentaries on a wide spread of topics. Therefore, I found that I was not as greatly affected by the danger of a being told a “single story” because I was taught to never accept one aspect on an issue. What I noticed however, is some of the stereotypes I affiliate with certain cultures and people is the result of the success of a single story being transmitted through what I was seeing in the media and around me. It limited my view of certain cultures, ultimately enabling the breeding of my own ignorance.
Adichie says, “the consequence of the single story is that it robs people of dignity and shows how we are different as oppose to similar.” People fear what is different, especially in America. So I can imagine the fear that white people that white people had of blacks during that time period. I believe Oscar Micheaux’s legacy was trying to rectify the racist perceptions assimilated with black people and black culture. In his film, “Within Our Gates”, we’re introduced to complex characters and shown an opposing view of African American culture. Instead of blacks being shown as criminals and domestics, we see blacks in positions such as teachers, nurses, and preachers. Oscar attempts to portray a more authentic view of African American involvement in society. Therefore, I believe his legacy can be best described as being one of the first African Americans brave enough to discredit white racist propaganda; all while being a great director, writer, and producer. His films were so dynamic that whites felt threatened by its existence, because of its threat to shatter that “single story” of blacks.
Upon watching and discussing films such as, “Birth of a Nation”, and “Within our Gates,” I have come to the realization that I was not educated or aware of black culture through film. Class discussions helped me to gain insight on various subjects such as, black face and spatial narration. Never have I thought of watching silent films from the early 1900’s, but it has brought to my attention the effect of film by the portrayal of characters and stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteFrom the selection of readings and videos, the topic/concept that stood out was the videos “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the discussion with Tim Wise. The first thing I took from the “Single Story” was that a single story leads to stereotypes. A stereotype is an unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things. Adichie, a professional writer, native of Nigeria, and United States educated woman was stereotyped because of where she came from, and how she lived her life. When you only know of one story that is the only thing you tend to believe. If I were to film a commercial showing how North Carolina is a wealthy, thriving state then people would only think of that when they think of North Carolina. When ignorant to certain things it shows lack of substance. People have to become open-minded. There is a world out there that you don’t know everything about, but it’s up to you to figure out.
I remember going prom dress shopping with my best-friend not even 2 years ago. We were in the Fayetteville Mall and had been window shopping all day. When I finally saw a dress that I liked I proceeded to buy it. The dress only cost $400 dollars, but this is a moment that I had been saving for. My friend thought that was entirely too much money. We went to the food court afterwards to get something to eat. I automatically offered to pay for her food, because I assumed she had little to no money. She actually took offense when I continued trying to pay. I assumed she didn’t have money because her house was in shambles; her mother’s car was always breaking down, etc. I was wrong, I was dead wrong. I based how I treated her only off of what I saw. I should have asked.
The discussion with Tim Wise put a smile on my face. It let me know that there are still some people who care about things other than themselves. Never did he white bash anyone, which is what I love, but instead he clearly states he would like whites to own up to the facts. As African-Americans we still are treated unfairly and not paid nearly as much as whites. The older guy in the video states that it’s because, a black person would rather major in “black studies” while a white person will major in computer science. The young white guy is what startled me. As stated in class this guy is a student at a university. He wants white people to continue to be the majority, and have the upper hand over everyone. This stuck out to me because; someone on A&T’s campus can have the same ideas. Tim Wise states facts and lets us know that something has to give.
To conclude, I believe Oscar Micheaux is a creative, daring soul. He was the first to put blacks on the silver screen. Though he had character flaws, blacks were portrayed much better than in Birth of a Nation. He showed the good, bad, and ugly. He wanted it to be raw and real. We are more than your entertainers, slaves, and third role characters. We have the ability to be the main characters and show off our talents. Oscar Micheaux stepped out to show people that, and I appreciate it.
The dehumanizing of African Americans in birth of a nation was appalling to me. The fact that white women would cry wolve in order to protect their cheating husbands of being shamed for sleeping with black women is astonishing. People actually believed the black man would dare sully a white women with the consequences that would proceed. They'd rather believe their pure innocence was violated by evil darknesss than acknowledge they'd were taken over by temptation and greed. White privilege ties into this because of whiteness and it's "innocence".
ReplyDeleteOscar dared to show the white man what African Americans really were. Not that we were just tools, backup actors and whipping boys. We could could play prominent roles and be someone important. His legacy is that of someone willing to push boundaries and show the world the true talent of African Americans. He first showed we were just as human and intelligent as white people and that were capable of more than entertainment.
DeleteAfter having class discussions over various topics over films such as "Birth of a Nation “and "Within Our Gates," certain subject began to spark my interest. I will say one of the topics that that caught my attention was the Master narrative. It’s mind boggling to see how whites went out of their way to portray blacks as savage beast and destroy the image of the African American. I believe that it has to be a greater reason as to why whites tried so hard to create the false presumptions of my people and my culture. And through every hardship that we went through we always found a way to prevail. Hollywood and media try to paint these singles stories but people like Oscar Micheaux and Chimamanda Adichie try to break these stories and give truth.
ReplyDeleteThe legacy that Mr. Micheaux has left behind is that in order to be great we have to break the norm and that is exactly what he did in his film Within Our Gates he was able to show Hollywood that he can make a movie all by himself and that takes extraordinary talent and courage.
To begin the semester, we viewed the films "Birth of a Nation" and "Within Our Gates." I can honestly say I've always heard about these films but I never took the time out to actually view them. Upon viewing BoaN, I was ignorant to the fact of blackface and character portrayals. Blacks were portrayed as criminals, loyal slaves, entertainers, and many other derogatory things. Upon viewing WoG, I noticed how the use of black characters were a lot more authentic. You actually got to see blacks with real roles such as teachers, doctors, and ministers.
ReplyDeleteWe also talked about activist and writer Tim Wise. It made me really happy to see a white man actually defending racism. What stood out to me the most about his segment was how the young college student was around my age saying the racist things that he said. It really shocked me that someone that young had a mentality as such. Tim Wise gave an analogy to break down racism, and also acknowledged that religion and racism are two different things. I really realized a lot by watching the Tim Wise film. One thing that will stick to me the most from it is how the young college student believed that whites are superior and should keep that superiority.
The last thing we discussed was Chimamanda Adichie's "The Danger of a Single Story." I first heard of Adichie because Beyoncé sampled her in the beginning of her song "Flawless." When we discussed the dangers of a single story, it really dawned on me that I, too, sometimes single people out just by their appearance. I learned how the dangers of single stories not only are limiting but they incite hatred, provoke war and many other harmful things to society.
In all, I think Oscar Micheaux broke barriers. He had the courage to show Hollywood that African Americans are more than just "entertainers" but that we are intellectual beings. He proved that blacks had the capability of reading and acting and that, to me, was a major break through. His legacy continues to push through to this day as you have directors such as Nate Parker producing black indies.
For me, the concept of metaphysical dualism was the most interesting recurring theme in early cinema, especially in what we've watched and read in this class. The Birth of a Nation, being THE master narrative on race for so long has influenced so much when it comes to portraying whiteness as good and pure and blackness as tainted and base in cinema. However, Birth of a Nation wasn't by far the first time anyone ever thought to imply these things. The visual legacy of this specific kind of metaphysical dualism (race related dualism) goes back as far as the concept of whiteness begins to coagulate into a tangible, "righteous" identity, aka the age of exploration. There are countless paintings that illustrate this idea, like this painting of Christopher Columbus' arrival in America by John Vanderlyn.
ReplyDeletehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Landing_of_Columbus_(2).jpg
Here, you see Spanish conquerors framed in light, while Native Americans are hiding and cowering in the shadows. This kind of framing of race, light, and darkness in painting is so common in this era that it can be considered to be a cliche at this point. So when D. W. Grifith used a similar visual language of light and dark to make his points, it had already been done by generations of painters before him. He was just continuing and commercializing the binary language of narrow-minded racial stereotypes.
Oscar Micheaux on the other hand dared to break out of the simple depictions of race that had bound others. He portrayed black people as just that: people. People with virtues and vices, good sides and flaws just like anybody else. He showed film audiences that their fellow black citizens could be just as complex as white people. Though he may have made a few mistakes in Within Our Gates with the politics of colorism, our reading in Bell Hooks showed that he had the capacity to learn from those mistakes. His legacy left us the possibility of the complex black protagonist who doesn't have to be bound by one dimensional characterization, paving the way for the commonality the heroic black leads that millions of people of all creeds enjoy in film to this day.
After watching BoaN and doing the readings, as well as watching the ted talk with Chimamanda Adichie, I found that the concept of a single story stuck with me the most. Not only because of her examples, but because it was very relatable. No matter who you are, your upbringing and the portrayal that you are given of the world from a young age will shape how you see things. It's your worldview. So until you see things to counteract the image you’re given, you continue to build on your single story.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the danger of BoaN's single story. Because majority of white folk during that time had not seen a Black person, BoaN was a groundbreaking revelation to average (white) people. It not only gave them a skewed perception of Black people, but for those who had only heard bad things about Black people it reinforced the negative stereotypes that were there.
Marcheux’s legacy is counteracting the single story. Within Our Gates gave us Black people who were not only criminals, but also teachers, doctors, servants, farmers – the actors were allowed to play a multitude of roles that expanded the coon like Mammy, or the dumbed down happy darky, or the biracial temptress Jezebel. And unlike BoaN in which all white people were good at heart, or some were simply deceived by the Black people whose justice they sought, Within Our Gates had a diverse set of white roles too. There were a lot of rich white people, the goodhearted Elena Warwick and the racist Mrs. Stratton, the devious Gridlestones and of course the white mob that lynched Sylvia’s family. But the story was centered on blackness, and it sought to unravel the story that was being told of Black people by white folk. Marcheux’s films not only went against the ideas that white folk had of Black people, but also the idea that black people had of themselves. While Marcheux had a tendency to cast lighter skinned women as the heroes or main protagonists, he also cast them as the villains to show that light doesn’t always make right. Marcheux opened up not only the doors for fighting against the single story, but he also paved the way for black independent filmmakers, and for nonlinear story telling on the big screen.
In this unit we have discussed various topics that are centered on early Hollywood films and the way these films have an effect on the image of African Americans. The two films that we have watched are The Birth of a Nation and Within Our Gates, which both have two very different ways in which African Americans were portrayed within them. Before watching the movie The Birth of a Nation I knew only a small portion about the concept of blackface. Watching the Birth of a Nation a few aspects stood out to me, which include how they portrayed African Americans compared to whites during that time period. The blacks in the film started out as slaves, who were somewhat bowing down to the white slave owners. The slaves would be shown dancing (shuckin and jiving) to perform for their masters and their visitors. Some of the slaves were seen shaking the hands of the white people in form of appreciation towards them. The film made it seem as if the African Americans were ignorant and highly depended on the whites. Another part of The Birth of a Nation that stood out to me was when the blacks won majority in congress. During this scene the black political leaders had their shoes off, drinking liquor, and arguing with one another. I believe this scene was to serve as a scare tactic towards white people in a sense, showing them what might happened if black people become in charge. Overall I feel as if the entire B.O.A.N film was to serve as a form of propaganda against blacks and a scare tactic for whites. Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates portrayed the black race in a whole new light. In this film the African Americans were educated and had careers; more independent. This was the beginning of character progression with African Americans in films. Although Micheaux film has a good purpose and portrayal of blacks, there were still some things that still needed work. This is where we get into the discussion of colorism, internalized racism, and metaphysical dualism.
ReplyDeleteIn class we brought up the topic of colorism and metaphysical dualism in relation to Micheaux’s film. The African Americans that were main characters in his film Within Our Gates, were all of a lighter skin tone. This gives off the ideal that only lighter skin African Americans were successful back during that time period. By having majority light skin actors, it gave off the perception that the closer to white you are, the more important you will be in society. This leads to the discussion of colorism in the black community. Now on to metaphysical dualism and how it relates to whiteness and superiority; Metaphysical dualism is the belief that there are two kinds of reality. Whiteness being associated with purity and blackness being associated with evilness and taint is an example of metaphysical dualism. This concept was portrayed in both films, but definitely in B.O.A.N.
Oscar Micheaux’s vision changed African American portrayal in Hollywood films for a lifetime. His strength to be able to step out of the box and create films that started African Americans, has had many positive effects that still exist in Hollywood today. Micheaux’s film helped break the “single story” of African Americans in our society. Through his films he showed that we too have the ability to be leading actors and actresses as African Americans. His films showed that African Americans have more than “one story” to tell and that we have several aspects to our lives. Oscar Micheaux took a risk that would in fact be controversial, but it benefited the African American image in the long run.
As unit one comes to a close, rethinking all movies is a must. “The birth of a nation,” “Within Our Gates,” “The Danger of a Single Story,” and an interview showing the prevalence of white privilege where all watched during this unit and various concepts where taught. However, the concept that stood out the most was the danger of a single story. This concept alone could be responsible for the most of the misguided prejudice and hate in American culture today. A single story breeds ignorance and creates massively inaccurate stereotypes which lead to an instant false back story for any individual. As expressed in the Tim Wise interview, everyone sees race first and once that race is perceived the stereotypes attached to that race are then placed on the person. An instance of this occurred when I was in high school and I was told that I could not use chopsticks. When I asked why I was answered with because black people don’t use chopsticks. The single story that was received by that person was completely inaccurate and because of that I was shamed by that person for stepping outside of the bound of that single story. Adding to the power of a single story would be that the person who called me out in that situation also happened to be black. It is likely that this individual was exposed to the single story that states that all black males must be tough and uncultured. The single story’s danger was also displayed in the original “The Birth of a Nation” film. This movie displayed black people as criminals and servants and the ones who had status where incapable of acting civilized in that environment. This led to a single story for all of the white people who had never seen a black person before to think that all black people acted the same way. This was only countered when Oscar Micheaux created the film “Within our Gates” that displayed a more accurate story for black people. This film showed blacks as doctors, teachers and policemen as well as criminals. Unfortunately the damage had already been done and the added effect that there was a white villain had all but destroyed the film in America. This still continues today as displayed in modern day movies such as “Triple 9” in which almost all the main cast where dirty cops and a minority most of which where black.
ReplyDeleteFinally Micheaux has left a legacy of black films the where innovative and ahead of his time. He showed foreshadowing and the ability to accurately depict a story. Micheaux also tried to address the different social issues of the time. Even as there where some signs of his weakness as his main character was still haft white and there was still the issue of the white savior. He was under a lot of pressure from the time and he still need to make money from the film as well. Micheaux is also responsible for modern day race films and the outline for a lot of black cinema.
Throughout the duration of this class so far we have discussed and viewed various early Hollywood films like Birth of A Nation and Within Our Gates by Oscar Micheaux. We have also watched videos dealing with race and racism. Watching these films and videos has definitely opened my eyes to things I never realized or was blind to.
ReplyDeleteFrom the different topics we have discussed so far in class the topic that stood out to be the most is “the single story”. A Nigerian woman named Chimamanda Adiche discussed the single story concept in a TED talks video. Throughout this video Adiche talks about the dangers of a single story. In this video Adiche speaks on the fact that we tend to single or label a person based of what we hear and see, this becoming a “single story”. Adiche talks about her life and how people throughout her life have singled storied her. She speaks about her college roommate, who figured that because she was African she automatically liked tribal music. She speaks on various ways she has been single storied, such as because she is from African some people thought she was poor, talked about the animals in Africa, war, and diseases. These are all some of things that tends to pop in people minds when they think about “Africa”. Adiche breaks it’s down that when people automatically think of theses things we are essential using “ the single story” concept about Africa because not all of Africa is like that. Adiche also talks about how she was born in an upper middle class family that had servants and her parents were teachers. She also has a US education. Through her story it allowed me to see that others and myself included single story knowingly and not knowingly.
I believe that Oscar Micheaux’s legacy is the fact that instead of allowing white film markers to put blacks in a bad light using the Master Narrative concept; he shows blacks in a different light. Micheaux breaks the “single story” of blacks and shows how things are from the view point of African Americans in his films.
This is my first encounter with experiencing and discussing early Hollywood film and black cinema. When the class dug deeper into the concepts it got more and more interesting, although some things seemed appalling it made me see a new light on how black stereotypes live on forever. The most intriguing concept to me was the concept of "blackface". This concept was used in movies(racist propaganda films) to portray the white mans' image of how they view the black race. Also before the expansion of different races in the cast of older films the characters who are presumed to have these "blackface" stereotypes were played by white characters instead of actual black people. Some examples of the different stereotypes are the "Mammy" which is the teachers pet in a sense because they are very humble and independent. the "Jezebel" or "Wench" which is a temptress and seen as female mulatto, and also the "Mulatto" which is a mixed-blood male or female and they usually pass for white until someone realizes there is negro blood within them.
ReplyDeletehttp://black-face.com/
Addressing Micheaux's legacy, me personally I feel as if he is showing that the problem is not just black people or how we were brought up. But the problem is that different depictions exist in every person's mind. Micheaux took racist propaganda towards blacks and inverted it towards the white population. He showed that black people can be the working class and how whites can be seen as the criminals or antagonist. With "Within Our Gates" Micheaux wrote, directed, and produced the film.....a black man had done this which shows how incorrect the stereotypical views on black people are. He also used real black actors within the film and did not need the use of "blackface". All these advancements, signs, protest, or however a person sees it sets out Micheaux's legacy to pave way and give a little more confidence in black people and opened the eyes of any racist offender that "we"(the blacks) are not blackface puppets but people just as any other race.
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DeleteMetaphysical dualism was most striking to me because I wasn't aware of its origin. The notion of black (taint) white (pureness) derives from the master narrative as seen within D.W. Griffith's, "A Birth of Our Nation." Oftentimes "whiteness" would be at the center of Hollywood cinema. Black faces, white saviors, and a white woman's virtue, all come to mind when thinking of the master narrative. So essentially, black people were already in danger of creating their own "single stories." Adichi highlights this in, “The Danger of a Single Story,” when she asserts, “show a people as one thing, as only one thing, and that is what they become.” Early Hollywood cinema depicted blacks as slaves, domestics, criminals, and individuals who possess the striking ability to entertain. Oscar Micheaux's films however, brought "authentic blackness" to the forefront. He wanted to "view the colored heart from close range," & that by doing so, he'd hope to elevate his people to greater heights. His film "Within Our Gates," counters "A Birth of Our Nation," in that his characters portray blacks who were teachers, doctors, nurses, etc. Micheaux’s characters challenged the preconceived notions that western film popularized. Contrarily, Micheaux’s films were not without flaws. In lieu of Micheaux uplifting his race and calling white people out, a lot of his works consisted of mixed raced protagonist and dark skinned criminals. As seen through Sylvia, the school teacher in, “Within Our Gates.” Readers later learn that Sylvia is mixed race, during the scene where she’s almost raped by her white father. Micheaux would integrate both an internalized racism and a rigid color caste system. So in some ways, I’d argue that he was deliberately being controversial. White people hated to be depicted as violent, thieves, rapists, or murderers, but that’s what they were. Micheaux was able to creatively expose white people. In doing so, he urged black folk to question western metaphysical dualism. Furthermore, he would urge his audience, to re-evaluate the internalized racism that leads them to respect white or light, while at the same time devaluing “blackness.” Micheaux was complex, controversial, and his works were all over the place, doing all kinds of things. I’m profoundly impressed to have learned that he wrote, produced, and directed his own work. This is Black Excellence at its finest.
ReplyDeleteHis legacy extends what “Black Excellence” is and how we too can achieve black excellence. It is by becoming co-creators of our own lives, that we are able to tap into this phenomenon. Re-writing our own stories of our lives, will gives us power. This is Oscar Micheaux’s Legacy.”
It was the summer before I came to A&T university my mother asked me about if I knew who Sidney Poitier was. I told her no. She looked at me and recommended one of my classes I took when coming to school was an African American class. I say this because when watch the videos in unit one and discussing about early Hollywood her question came back in my mind. When she asked this question and I said no she had a look on her face that said pretty loud that she was disappointed that didn’t know who The first Afro-American actor to win the Oscar (Lilies of the Fields, 1963). One of the very best actors of all time was. What stood out to me was Chimamnda Aclichile’s roommate in college. I’m not sure if this can count however, as I watched this video I thought, “damn. This was me.” Not saying I thought Africa was a country or Nigeria had nothing but animals and land. I have a friend who I consider a sister from Nigeria and she told me as she began her process of coming to America she always saw videos of extravagant living now she’s a college grad who often feels like she only pays bills. I thought I was this college student because I was completely oblivious of how black people were shown. In film, how my thought of great actors started in the late 90’s.
ReplyDeleteI believe Oscar Micheaux’s legacy is to simply inform people about African American / black culture. Produce African American / black greatness. Teach African American / black greatness. I know a lot of people think we have too many “slave films” out however; Micheaux realized no one is telling the story right so he will. It is now our time to keep the greatness going and eventually tell more than just that. If white America won’t tell our story but will bash us in their films than its only right, we do the job ourselves. If we don’t our younger generation will never know. If you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself. That is Oscar Micheaux’s legacy.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiQ4aiM-e_OAhXRMx4KHchYAl8QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Flife%2Fmovies%2F2014%2F02%2F25%2Fblack-history-month-poitier-oscar%2F5817735%2F&psig=AFQjCNEpZmNWtimqjZPnS3a1v9ZuRz3-PQ&ust=1472880366408036
Terrance McCarthy
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first few weeks of the semester, we have covered early Hollywood films, as well as the origins of black cinema. The films "Birth of Our Nation" and "Within Our Gates" changed my perspective on many of the Hollywood films I see in the 21'st century. Even today, the use of race films, metaphysical dualism, and single stories continue to remain within worldwide cinema. Among all of these topics, the single story is what grabbed my attention the most.
Chimamanda Adichie's "The Danger of a Single Story" expressed clever truth that correlates within all time zones; past, present and future. Adichie spoke of the dangers of hatred, fear, dehumanization, violence, war and ignorance.
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I learned that these individual elements are all products of a single story. Ironically, throughout her presentation Adichie admits to also being subject to the danger of a single story. She has judged and made assumptions on others based on information shes learned through literature and multi-media. For example, through Adichie's eyes, the United States portrayed Mexicans as unemployed rodents that constantly cross the border and take American jobs. After visiting Guadalajora she was surprised to see Mexicans living much differently than what the U.S had previously portrayed. During her speech, Adichie states that "as you show people as one thing, and one thing over and over again, that is what they will become". This is yet another consequence of the single story. "It robes you of your dignity and emphasizes how different people are. The single story concept is interesting, yet frightening. The fact that it exist in today's times more than ever is what scary me the most.
While viewing D.W Griffith's "The Birth of Our Nation" I noticed the dangers of a single story continuing to rise. The use of blackface, stereotypical black roles and the "White Savior are all made too comprehensible within the Blockbuster film. This particular Master Narrative was developed in 1915 and displayed blacks as monkeys, happy darkies and
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brute Negroes. Within society, as well as cinema, black occupations were limited to everything except entertainment. Hollywood's first Blockbuster film, "The Birth of Our Nation" drew in a huge predominately white crowd. Ultimately, this increased the number of single story victims and participants. During class I learned that this process breeds ignorance, limits imagination and creates vicious stereotypes of everyone involved. To reiterate, the dangers of a single story still exist today.
Fortunately, black cinema pioneers such as Oscar Micheaux began to pave the road of clarity and indifference throughout his films. The historical race film "Within Our Gates" was written, produced and directed by Oscar himself. This brilliant, individualized process of filming gave blacks a voice. It also opened up opportunity for African Americans to be viewed in a different perspective. Oscar gave back power to the black community by turning the traditional master narrative into a more polished and realistic plot sequence. Unlike "The Birth of Our Nation", Oscar Micheaux's films had legitimate black actors playing legitimate black roles with status in society. This notion brought joy to the black community, but confusion and anger among the whites.
( https://youtu.be/M25Nf0ifjpY )
The genius to Micheaux's film is the authentic perspective of everyday black living that it provides. After watching both films, it has become clear to me how dangerous a single story can truly be. Through cinema, Micheaux has erupted the laws of traditional film by developing black indie films; also known as race films. He has opposed the forces of white ignorance and opened the closed minds and imaginations of his audience. This is the legacy of Oscar Micheaux.
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ReplyDeleteAs I prepared to do this blog post, my grandmother asked me who Micheaux was. I informed her that he was the first black filmmaker to write, direct, and produce what we now call a "race film." She said, "I wish I was able to take classes like that when I was your age." She grew up in NJ and was only educated up until the 8th grade. She was forced to drop out to clean up in the Jewish neighborhoods to take care of her siblings. In this moment, the concepts of spatial narration and Adichie's "Single Story" stood out the most to me.
ReplyDeleteSpatial narration's encouragement of critical thinking through the use of flashbacks is a genius way to engage the audience. Micheaux mastered the use of spatial narration in Within Our Gates by uncomfortably portraying the lynching mob. Micheaux's legacy sticks out in my mind in regards to my grandmother because as she expressed her desire for the opportunity to receive a higher education, I imagined how in that moment a flashback to her as a youngster would be pivotal to an audience today. My grandmother is the matriarch of my family and raised 3 'successful' children, by my standards at least. To see her now, you'd think she was well learned and very educated. There has never been a question I've approached her with that she did not know the answer. The use of spatial narration, as Micheaux did it, would be perfect in a story of her life. She did not live the perfect "once upon a time" fairytale life, but her lack of linearity gives her depth as a character in this hypothetical film and as a figure in my life.
That being said, Adichie's "Danger of a Single Story" also sticks out most in my mind in regard to Micheaux's legacy. Within Our Gates was the first film featuring real black actors and black characters with status. Before that, films like Birth of a Nation portrayed us in the worst ways. We were only depicted as career criminals, slaves, 'the help,' and uneducated satirical creatures. Adichie says during her lecture that "to insist only on these negative stories is to flatten my experience and to overlook the many other stories that formed [her]." bell hooks stated that Micheaux's films got us "to view the colored heart from close range." He offered the opposite side (or the truthful side) to the dangerous single story portrayed by white filmmakers of black people. Micheaux "produced images that would convey complexity of experience and feeling," as hooks says, and gives us a glimpse of "the original stories of Negro life." The need for Micheaux in cinematic spaces in the 1920s was dire. There is so much danger that has been perpetuated from the single story told of Black people in this country. I believe that Micheaux's effort, as a black filmmaker, to tell stories of blackness in its entirety was extremely courageous and his legacy makes me proud. The danger of a single story, as it relates to the story of my nana, was just as impactful to me in regards to her education. She was never taught or told about the stories of these successful artists or academics, but she desired the status the white Jewish people that she cleaned up behind had. She was born in 1940 and had no idea that a brilliant black man like Oscar Micheaux was alive during her lifetime. To her, only wealthy black kids were given the opportunity to not work and continue their schooling. They were rarities in her community of Newark, NJ. She was only granted access to one story of success as it relates to blackness: you work until you die to receive half of what "they" are given.
Micheaux has left an incredible legacy of creating (and controlling) a space when you've been intentionally left out. Despite the flaws throughout his films such as mixed race protagonists and darker skinned characters portrayed as criminals, Micheaux was a trailblazer for black filmmakers and was one of the first to feature a 'black' woman protagonist!
ReplyDeleteAfter analyzing Unit 1 as a whole, I truly understand the origins of early Hollywood films during this time. So many in depth discussions helped shape my opinion of the evolution of films. I had never watched classic films like “Birth of A Nation” that depicted black people in such a negative light. I saw some progression in “Within our Gates” by showcasing the reality blacks are exposed like lynching and rape. Throughout the unit, I was able to truly grasp the reality of issues that are still present today. Unfortunately, a lot of the terms we learned during this unit still happen in today’s society. I learned that perception defines reality in so many ways. Unfortunately, blacks are still stereotyped in film portrayal in film culture.
The most empowering video was the “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Adichie. It was inspiring to listen to her develop the danger of a single story in great depth. I was never aware of how often I categorized people as a whole. She was so empowering by making me realize how we all have stories that overlap. Adichie truly inspired me to think more critically and to be more open with diverse perspectives. The power of stories is unbelievable in so many ways. People can truly feel broken or empowered from a single story. Stories shape our perspective . Adichie was so inspiring from just watching her articulate her words with passion in her speech. Her video made me want to explore my identity in depth and think about the labels I put on others. Overall, I think her speech was so emotionally powerful leaving me with hope. Her final words leave me inspired to believe that one day we can all relate to solve problems as equals.
I strongly believe Oscar Micheaux challenged a segregated industry and society during his time . He had the courage to counteract the negative misconceptions of blacks in“ Birth of A Nation. I feel like his strong vision is powerful and is still used in today’s society. Micheaux shows more realistic ideas from a black perspective. His vision has sparked others to follow him. Nate Parker is Oscar Micheaux’s legacy. Nate Parker has the opportunity to showcase what Micheaux envisioned 100 years later . It is amazing the impact someone can be years later.
I am excited to see Nate Parker's powerful vision in the new "Birth Of A Nation" in October. Attached below is an article in honor of the upcoming film. This article explains the relevance of the title 100 years later.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/1/28/birth-of-nation-title-matters
After watching Hollywood film as well as the origins of black cinema. Several topics stood out to me, but the single story blew my mind. I know now that a single story show people as only one thing over and over again, and that is what they become. I notice the films we watched so far pushes that narrative. Birth of a nation depicted blacks out of control since the beginning. It makes since how white people look at us, they been watching out of control black people their whole life. It was hard to watch cause they made the kkk seem so good and justified. The kkk was the savior I could not believe it, how a group so evil is depicted as the good guys. All my life I been taught how bad the kkk is off a single story. watching them be the good guys is mind blowing my brain was not ready for it.
ReplyDeleteThe single story Is about having power to be greater than another. since it is a white mans world, you will have a lot of negative images on other races. That is how you destroy a race fast by a single story, cause words travel faster than images but a single story you might get both to enhance and speed up the process. Adichie said when we reject the single story, we realize there was never a single story about any place we regain the kind of paradise. This will stay in my memory bank forever if we want change, we gots to start with the single story.
Oscar Micheaux's did a lot for his legacy, he will always be remembered for counteracting birth of a nation. showing people you cant define us by that, when we is well rounded. Also the first to have flashbacks, that is very big today. Flashbacks helps tell the story better. you watch it as if you was their. It also make the story better when you can go back an reflect.
Reflecting on the items taught during our first unit, my attention was and still is on the fact that a Hollywood blockbuster such as "Birth of a Nation" by D.W. Griffith exist within our grasp as a part of American history. With as much sass and hatred for African Americans as it portrays, the film shows how true and blinding the "single story" that Adichie speaks on in her TED talk, can be if applied and given to the masses. Not only does it portray various negative stereotypes about a group of people or culture, but it helps to fuel a system of hatred for the oppressed(African Americans) by the oppressors(White people). For instance, white people who were not accustomed to slavery (northerners) and had no common disapproving sanction on African Americans were suddenly hit with a movie that told them of all the negative things black people did in the eyes of those deemed superior, which in return, gave off mass waves of negative feelings for blacks that they might not have ever felt before. But, because it was so widespread and readily available to all who would watch, the ignorance that it spewed (even if it was not true) was reciprocated like intended and acted upon. The white people who saw this film probably did not think so say maybe it was not true, but instead forced to see, believe and maybe even felt bad at the fact that they could not see the horrors of blacks before this "great" film was released. They were major victims of the "single story" for believing what they saw to be true in the film. The way to know that this is true is because of the fact that it was one of the best selling films of its day! Someone apparently agreed to what Griffith was saying about Blacks! As Adichie explained from her TED talk about the "single story", this film helped to provoke and promote fear from white people, dehumanize Blacks, spew hatred and violence as well as having the masses entertain overly ignorant views from one person. Another example that helps to portray Adichie's belief is that of the novel "The Bluest Eye", by author Toni Morrison. If the young girl in the novel was not only exposed to beauty from a white folk standard then she would not have dreamed and wished for wanting blonde hair and blue eyes like her doll (which as so is a problem that a little black girl has a white doll). Her knowing only white skin, light hair and eyes is the image of beauty is something that was a common notion by the masses that was held true by all people. In conclusion, the "single story" is very important to show how an innocent individual may view a topic because of how the majority wants it to be viewed. It is very ignorant and extremely dangerous.
ReplyDeleteLastly, in reference to Micheaux, I share a belief that he was a pioneer for negro film for those to come after him. There would be any Spike Lee's or Debbie Allen's if Micheaux did not see a need to react to the negativity that was placed before him with film BoAN. Although many can argue that his work was still flawed, he was a man who worked hard and brought never seen animations to film such as the flashbacks and worked diligently to ensure that the Black voice could be heard though his films. Granted, he needed to hire more people of color and not just very fair skin woman, he was groundbreaking in his contribution to Black Cinema.
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DeleteAfter watching early Hollywood films, the concept that stood out to me the most was the "single story" concept. The movie Birth of a Nation really blew my mind. It shows how ignorant and racist white people really were. The way the movie portrayed white people as victims and black people as criminals is a prime example of "single story". White people put people of color through more hell than they ever had to deal with but the movie made us blacks the evil ones. For hundreds of years we were enslaved and not given rights. Once we were given rights we were seen as if we were not supposed to have them or like we had to much power. We put fear in white people. Our will to be free and will to create good lives for ourselves terrified white people. In Birth of a Nation they even made fighting for the freedom of slaves a bad thing. It truly shows the hatred one race can have on another. Their hate tried to shape us. Their portrayal of black people was made in a "single story" image. White people who had never encountered with a black person figured that was how black people really were in Birth of a Nation. Which is why Oscar Micheaux''s legacy is very important. He broke that "single story" concept and gave a real image for black people. Within our Gates was the first black directed film and was well needed. It needed to show that black were not like how they were portrayed in Birth of a Nation. Oscar Micheaux started something that was very necessary for not just blacks but for whites also. He provedd that us black people can tell our own story instead of letting others do it.
ReplyDeleteEntering this class, I had no clue that analyzing African American film came with learning the history of African American film and writers. Starting off the semester watching “Birth of a Nation” not only made me bitter, but it also helped me notice how ignorant both white and black people are. Black face was the concept that stood out the most to me. To watch white people mock African Americans and give us the character traits of being a happy darkie or a criminal is very offensive. Learning about black face caused a domino effect to occur with my feelings. Never do I want to believe that all white people think the way early Hollywood film makers thought, but it is hard to avoid feeling animosity towards them, considering the fact that there were so many white people apart of movies like “Birth of a Nation” in the past and also today.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I appreciate Oscar Micheaux because he was an African American man who used his voice to tell our story. To be a student who wants to go into film and learn so much about how Hollywood treats us does put fear in my heart. It is as though African Americans have to become sell outs to reach a true audience. Oscar Micheaux did not open the complete door for African Americans, because even though he did create an African American film with African American characters, he still had flaws. In 1920, there was an African American female who played the lead role, but if you were to really pay attention to the movie, you would notice that the woman was actually mixed. Still till this day, it seems that the lighter skinned woman is the main character while the darker female is her sidekick. Even in African American films, characters have stereotypes associated with how the person who is playing the character look. Spike Lee did an amazing representation of that in his movie School Daze where the lighter woman had long blonde hair and the dark skinned woman had the short natural hair.
It is true that African Americans, in some instances, place the stereotypes on ourselves, but from “Single Story” you will soon learn to not look at someones life from your point of view but theirs. Why was it okay for America to accept “Birth of A Nation” but not “Within our Gates”? The answer is because America does not like for African American people to tell their own story, because telling their story means telling how they feel towards white people.
Oscar Micheaux may not have noticed back then, but he was the hand that was placed on the doorknob to open the door. With each step up that black people take, there is three more to take back.
Naiya Smith
Over the past two weeks of class, I would have to say the concept/topic of internalized racism stood out to me the most. This has been an issue for African Americans not only in social media, but also in society. Throughout time, white America has had control over they way we (black people) perceive ourselves. We are made to believe that our dark skin, kinky hair, and "exotic" features do not uphold to the standard of beauty. We grow up to be ashamed of the way we naturally look because for it, we are constantly ridiculed and criticized. As Bell Hooks mentioned in her book, "Black Looks", she talks about how a little black girl believes if her skin was lighter, she would be more worthy/valuable in the eyes of others. Even today, black people, especially young girls, are conditioned to internalize the white aesthetic and disvalue their own. This stood out to me because I have little girl cousins who want to look white girls they see on television. Today, most children television shows rarely have any black characters. And if they do, its usually a light skinned girl with long pressed hair. At such a young age, they already disown their beauty and believe their unique beauty isn't enough. Internalized racism is a huge issue that to this day, still hinders all people of color.
ReplyDeleteI believe Oscar Micheaux's legacy is the acceptance and respect for authentic blackness. He wanted black people to be seen as just that, people. Not cattle or property, but as human beings with families and jobs. He allowed the world to see the world through the eyes of a black person. He changed that "single story" many white people had towards black people with his brilliant work of race films. His productions were and still are unapologetic and valid to this day. "Within Our Gates" opened the doors for many other black producers, directors, and even activists. This groundbreaking movie was the voice black people needed during the rise of the KKK, lynching, and Jim Crow laws. Oscar Micheaux will always be remembered as a African American pioneer who changed the platform for African Americans in the film industry and in a white supremacist society.
One of the topics that we discussed that stood out to me the most was blackface, because the effect from this art form still negatively impacts African Americans to this day. Fredrick Douglas once said Blackface performers are, "...the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens." The stock characters of blackface minstrelsy have played a significant role in disseminating racist images, attitudes and perceptions worldwide. Every immigrant group was stereotyped on the music hall stage during the 19th Century, but the history of prejudice, hostility, and ignorance towards black people has insured a unique longevity to the stereotypes. White America's conceptions of Black entertainers were shaped by minstrelsy's mocking caricatures and for over one hundred years the belief that Blacks were racially and socially inferior was fostered by legions of both white and black performers in blackface. Blackface makeup was either a layer of burnt cork on a layer of coca butter or black grease paint. In the early years exaggerated red lips were painted around their mouths, like those of today's circus clowns. In later years the lips were usually painted white or unpainted. Costumes were usually gaudy combinations of formal wear; swallowtail coats, striped trousers, and top hats. The "father of American minstrelsy" was Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice (1808-60), who in 1828, in a New York City theatre, performed a song-and-dance routine in blackface and tattered clothes. Rice's character was based on a folk trickster persona named Jim Crow that was long popular among black slaves. Rice also adapted and popularized a traditional slave song called Jump Jim Crow. The American minstrel show was effectively dead by WW1, yet some old-timers continued to peddle the same blackface stereotypes later in vaudeville, films and television. It's one of the interesting twists of history that in the first half of the twentieth century, the main purveyors of the old-fashioned blackface minstrel tradition were Black performers, who'd began in show business wearing the blackface mask, either literally or figuratively, and were reluctant to give it up. But they also had little choice in the roles they were offered. Until well into the 1950s, Black male actors were limited to stereotypical roles such as coons, and mammy’s.
ReplyDeleteOscar Micheaux, is and always will be considered the father of African-American film making. Oscar overcame seemingly impossible barriers to succeed time and again. It grew out of a state of mind, that refused to acknowledge there wasn’t a way to attain what he wanted if he thought it through carefully and worked hard to make it happen. And because of his success, the Director’s Guild of America each year presents the Oscar Micheaux Award. And on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, his brass star shines brightly as a beacon to all. Additionally, in 2010, the U.S. Postal Service paid its respects by issuing an Oscar Micheaux commemorative stamp.
This blog was written by Marcella Elliott.
ReplyDeleteThe old saying "pictures are worth a thousand words" seems so lackluster and simplistic until represented in extreme cases. This is most definitely a reoccurring theme in the early depiction of black people in film. The dehumanization of black people in films like Birth of Nation are not shocking for this time period but leaves a somewhat ominous feeling. It is absolutely crazy to think this set the standards of what and how black people are suppose to behave. Blackface and other tools for enforcing stereotypes were able to fuel the black representation for generations. It's saddens me how easy it was for people to fall for the racial propaganda and embrace everything associated with it. Therefore, creating the ideal of the "single story." Not only has America profited off the ideal of the "single story" but has been passed on for generations, both whites and blacks. Using large media platforms for discrimination against blacks, not only impacted whites but the mental and social representation blacks have of themselves. It created this extreme false narrative that is used to educate. I sometimes have to catch myself from not exercising this tactic. It creates ignorance. Single stories are dangerous. Honestly, thank God for Oscar Micheaux. Without his influence, levels of dignity and respect for blacks in film would be questionable or not as present today. He elevated the social and economic class of blacks in all form s of media. That is his legacy. I think it such a strong one to have. He represented black people as people. Absolutely genius.
ReplyDeleteAfter discussing Hollywood films and the origin of black cinema, the topic that stood out to me the most was definitely metaphysical dualism. With metaphysical dualism I find a direct parallel with my daily life because there is always a inferior and a superior, and a good and a bad. I think with metaphysical dualism it was a way too oppress our people even more by changing the way our people worshiped during those heinous times. I also believe that metaphysical dualism relates to the type of people you have in society and within the slave trade times, the owners of these plantations- bad people, the slaves-good people.
ReplyDeleteI think Oscar Micheaux legacy is simple, he's is the greatest silent filmmaker of his time. With him producing forty-three films and with him showing the racial injustices that African-Americans faced in the twentieth century. Micheaux greatest achievement in my eyes is the fact that he was able to tell great stories through silence, his dedication to tell the story from an African-American perspective is unmatched.
-Reginald Ward Jr
The entirety of Unit 1 has been very eye opening. In watching and analyzing "Birth of a Nation" and "Within our Gates", The themes that have stuck out the most to me are the concept of a spatial narrative and metaphysical dualism. I loved the oder in which we watched the movies and the conversations because it showed haw over an expanded period of thime how thought processes are linked but aren't really progressing. I had neve4rr heard of the term metaphysical dualism, but after understanding, I can definetly say have been in situations when it has been prominent. "Blackness", whether it be the people or just the word has been igrained into societies' mind to be derogatory and "BoaN does exactly that. Blacks are shown in black face and they play roles such as criminals, rapists and domestics unlike in "WOG" where they are shown as intelligent and people of power. White people couldn't stand the idea that balack could be on the same level as them and the Tim Wise debate showed us that the same sentiment still exists. White folk are notorious for showing blacks in lesser positions or putting blacks in this box that makes us more violent or less intelligent, i.e, the prison system and not putting as much money into the education of the black community. This is where the "spatial narrative" comes into play. Placing whites in the center and allowing blacks to simply fill up the outside.
ReplyDeleteMicheaux combats these concepts very well. He places blacks in the center end depicts them in ways thnat scares the white folk. It was unbelievable to me that the original WOG was destroyed in the United States to the point that it almost didn't exist. Micheaux broke the ground for people to start to tell the truth and to expose the real problems of our society through all kinds of artforms. His legacy is one of bravery. He was brave enough to put everything he had into changing the views on blacks and everything they are capable of.
Attached is a video from a show called "Black and White" where they openly talk about race and how the communty feels. This video is based on hollywood diversity. Although there is a comedy aspect to it, I thought it really depicted how people see color in films and thought it was interesting how people responded to blind color casting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsjrGSXCQ_s
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” stood out to me the most in Unit One. Adichie illustrated through her speech how people have this preconceived notion of you based on your culture and ethnicity. Adichie is a professional Nigerian writer, who comes from an upper middle class family and attended college in the United States. Throughout the speech, one of the topics that was discussed was the conversation that Adichie had with her White college roommate. The United States media, portrays Africa has an impoverished country and Africans as skin and bones. Hence, the reason why Adichie’s roommate was expecting someone who didn’t speak English well, and only listened to tribal music. However, what she didn’t realize was that Adichie was well educated, listened to Mariah Carey, had live in domestic help and that her father was a professor and her mother was an administrator. After reflecting on her roommate’s ignorance, Adichie realized that she suffered from a single story as well. When Adichie was younger, her family received a new “house boy” named Fide. Her mother constantly told her that Fide’s family was impoverished. One day Adichie and her mother went to Fide’s village and she was shocked when his mother showed her a beautiful patterned basket that his brother made. Because, of the knowledge that she previously had about Fide’s family, she wasn’t expecting them to have the ability to know how to make things. As stated by Adichie she “saw poor and nothing else.”
ReplyDeleteI found this quote to be interesting because as a society, we have all suffered from single stories. As a society we see judgement and ignorance before knowledge and creativity. What I have learned from watching this clip is how the media and society itself breeds ignorance as well as how stereotypes can easily be created from our lack of knowledge. For example, when I was younger, I thought that Africa was an impoverished country, almost everyone had a disease, the only rich people were royalty and that the Africans didn’t have the resources to survive like America did. I myself, could only see Africa as “poor” until I was taught different. The thing that I find the most interesting is that we do not come into the world with any knowledge, we come into the world with an empty mind. However, we are taught the “knowledge” that we have. But just as you are taught this “knowledge” you can be untaught.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4SicqjPDSM
*This is a clip that I found about stereotypes of Africa and Africans
I believe that Oscar Micheaux's legacy was to show Caucasians their true identity as well as proving that Blacks can be more than what society thought at the time. For example, he produced, wrote and directed this movie all by himself. Back then White people only saw Blacks as impoverished and slaves. This is interesting because like Adichie stated, you only see what you know based on your lack of knowledge and ignorance. In addition, he opposed the Whites by creating a movie that showed how violent, ignorant, sexual and controlling that they really are. For some odd reason, Whites thought that Blacks were the criminal sexual beings but in reality it was them who were committing incest, raping black women, stealing land that didn’t belong to them and beating someone as well as having so much hatred in their soul because someone had a different skin color than themselves. I appreciate the bravery that Micheaux had for producing this film because, it taught the Whites that Blacks are more than just slaves but we are educators and innovators.
After watching the film "Birth of a Nation" the concept that stood out to me the most was the blackface used in this race film to stereotype African Americans. White American's faces were painted black to allow to portrays blacks in the films as they pleased. Most of the time they were portrayed as criminals and slaves. African Americans were nothing more that beneath whites and that they could not amount to anything or be successful enough to hold any other roles such as doctors or lawyers. This concept of blackface is very demeaning and offensive to African Americans, hence the race films. I believe Oscar Micheaux's legacy was to portray blacks as something more than just criminals. He directed his own films, and produced them so that he could show what he wanted and not be told otherwise. I admire his determination to shed light on the African American contribution to society. Although in his films the roles were severely reversed ans he did the same thing the whites did. In his films he showed that blacks were more that just slaves.
ReplyDelete-Cierria Hendricks
After discussing several topics related to Hollywood films and the origins of black cinema, the topic that stood out to me the most was the "single story." The single story is common problem the world faces and is driven by ignorance and the lack of facts. It also makes me believe it is based on an agenda setting. Meaning those who are educated on the truth purposely do not relay the information the way it's presented. Instead it is embellished and ultimately is received in another light. I can relate to the single story. Born and raised in New York, when I came to North Carolina for school I was shocked by the perception of New Yorkers. I wasn't aware of how much people spoke about New York. When the "outsiders" spoke they spoke on a part of the story but it was always presented as the whole story and often made me question am I really from New York? I finally realized, that everyone who spoke about New York was not from there. They merely mimicked information given to them from social media, TV and any other outlet that was not a reliable source. The information given wasn't false but it was not the complete story.
ReplyDeleteOscar Micheaux's legacy can be described as ground breaking. Often referred to as the first or the first African American to gain real exposure doing it, he created independent films putting the African American on front street. Depicting the African American as more than he/she was viewed as in "normal" society. Creating controversial films that made you stare race in the eye at a time when others were turning the other cheek.
- Tymal Apedo
ReplyDeleteIn 1915 the movie Birth of A Nation debuted and became a Hollywood Blockbuster. A two-hour silent film that depicts the ignorant views of White people and their interactions with African Americans. Instead of the title Birth of a Nation, the film should have been titled Birth of AmeriKKKA, story of the Klu Klux Klan. As inaccurate as the film is, one thing the director did nail was capturing how white people love to play the victim and hero in films. I call it the “white focus point” or white narrative, because white people cannot understand or portray things unless they make themselves the center of it. In their minds they actually believe that there is something wrong with AA and that some how god put them on earth to be the savior (white saviors). In the film the confederates play victim to the brute dumb Negros, and the KKK fly’s down with their white capes to save the day. The whole plot of BOAN is sad but shows white ideology and their true feelings of AA. The only reason the movie garnered so much success is because even though the audience knew how blacks were portrayed were wrong, they used films like this to validity the way they treated AA. By portraying blacks as criminals, rapist, and ignorant gives white audiences the satisfaction of reassurance that the way the treated AA was right. BOAN isn’t a powerful film because of its plot and message, but powerful in the fact that the first American Blockbuster film had to be a film on the white idealistic hatred of black people.
Film and Theater is an art form, a creation brought to life from someone’s mind. The director of BOAN, a man who would have been called an artist literally sat down and made a film on how problematic AA were to society. failing to highlight the terroristic torture that WHITE people were putting them through at that time. He made history with this film, seen as some as a masterpiece. Ironically not much has changed 101 years later, white film makers (artist) still profit off of AA culture and entertainers. The plot to Oscar worthy films either has to be centralized by white actors or the credit/dues of the black actors gets ignored and the praise of the film goes to the director and his “vision”.
Part 1 T.Jackson
Oscar Micheaux series of race films is a great example oh how AA prevails throughout white supremacy. In 1920 when he released Within Our Gates, he displayed a narrative of AA life that had not been showed in film before. The film portrays a realistic stance on racial inequality in America. WOG takes place in the early twentieth century, the period of Jim Crow laws and the great migration. The film uses the time period to show the emergence of AA people from an AA point of view. The aesthics and artistic interpretation that Micheaux uses in WOG were constructed to teach the white audience about racism and their perception of Negros. He rewrites the narrative of roles that AA play within sexuality, politics and race. WOG explores the topic of metaphysical dualism, which I still believe exist today. From childhood you are taught that the color white is a color of purity, beauty and holiness. But the color black is associated with evil, bad, and ugly.
DeleteWhat stood out to me most was the Landry Lynching scene and attempt rape of Sylvia. At this point in history black people were depicted over sexual. White people literally believed that black woman would use their “African magic” to seduce white men and that black men aggressively raped white women. But in all reality this was just a cover up for the inhumane sexually fetishes that white people had for AA. Since AA arrived here are bodies have been subjected to being raped and molested by both white men and white women. But instead of admitting their sick attractions to AA, white people used “white rape” to cover up their fetishes. White rape was the perfect excuse to lynch and kill a black man. However Micheaux deconstructs this ideology of white rape as an excuse to punish and lynch black men for alleged assaults on white women. Micheaux reveals this by showing assaults of black women by white men. Preluding to the practice of white men taking advantage of black slaves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44TG_H_oY2E
Movieclips. "Mayella's Guilt - To Kill a Mockingbird (5/10) Movie CLIP (1962) HD." YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2011. Web. 02 Sept. 2016.
Above is a clip from the film To Kill a Mockingbird. A perfect example of how white women used white rape as an excuse. Although there was no way the black man could have been her rapist, the women still goes along with her story.
Black cinema in the early 20th century in my opinion is not really “black cinema”. It’s the single story of white peoples narrative on how they view our community. With exceptions like WOG, I still do not feel as if the black experience was displayed on film during that time period.
Part 2
-T.Jackson