Efficient Tool in Depicting Ethnical and Racial Peculiarities - Essay Example

Ideas of Race and Ethni in Visual Texts of the USA By Department In order to understand complexity and diversity of modern America today it is crucial to learn the evolution of voluntary and forced immigration and comprehend its reasons. It is impossible to see the core of the country without close study of ethnicities, linguistic groups, and races in general (Bayor 2005: 11). Black people were always the topic for discussion in American society, and the shift of attitude to the ethnicity was frequent and often dramatic. The change of opinion toward black was subsequently reflected in American art. Afro-Americans were almost always associated with such feelings as alienation, controversy, sympathy, aggression, bewilderment for white people (Locke 1925: 289). Despite the modern progress in black people treatment this ethnicity had to pass long exhausting way to be perceived as equal, however, disputable and controversial issues remain till today (Franklin & Moss 2000: 123). Having made a profound research I came to conclusion that visual texts are the most efficient tools allowing to shape the position regarding Afro-Americans and to trace the evolution of perception at the same time. It is possible to formulate the attitude to black people in America with regards to separate periods of history. In pre-Civil War and early Reconstruction period Afro-Americans were mostly perceived and depicted as ugly. Moreover, since the government aimed to underline the superiority of white above black the depiction of Afro-American slaves was almost always stereotypical and unified (Blum 2012: 41). High art in America also showed built-in perception of black people subordination to white (Boime 1995:64). Many famous posters, cartoons, boards depicted colored as lazy, unadjusted, and having no inner life. The image of stupid and infantile image of black people only reinforced racial discrimination and allowed justifying Afro-American exclusion from social life (Blum 2012: 42).Lastly, black were depicted as savages and uncontrollable. They were prone to aggression outbreaks and sexual promiscuity. The Southern states had particular interest in depicting Afro-Americans as barbarians in order to hold domination over slaves, which was stipulated by economic necessities (Locke 1925:273). Their alienation and difference from white people was too brutal and outrageous, and thus American society came to conclusion that different meant bad-looking (Rucker & Apton 2005: 35). Black people were associated with all the negative aspects of society as well. Afro-Americans working on plantations were also regarded as perfect servants. The image of happy workers was predominated in society, especially in Southern states of the USA. Black workers were believed to wear smiles and being glad of the fact that white people took care of them. Slaves seemed not to complain and perceive their work as blessing (Locke 1925: 271). The first racist visual depiction of Afro-Americans appeared in 1915 in the film “Birth of Nation”. The movie was advertised as sensational and became a subject of discussions and fluctuations in American society. The film turned out to spark aggressiveness to black around the states and caused numerous protests of civil-right organizations (Broody 2013). The movie utilized pioneer techniques, which turned it into one of the most recognized silent films in cinema history. However, “Birth of Nation” also granted historical justification for segregation and superiority towards black Americans (Daniels 1970: 67). The film aimed to show that Reconstruction was a historical catastrophe and that Afro-Americans could never be accepted by American society as equal. Moreover, the film justified the actions of Ku Klux Klan as inevitable for legitimate power reestablishment (Slavery in American Films). The slavery in the “Birth of Nation” was shown in a positive light with stereotypical images of loyal servants ready to please their masters. Afro-Americans were depicted as apt for physical labor and not worthy much attention from white owners. Reconstruction period put yesterday slaves into new conditions at once. Therefore, black turned out to be lustful and willing above all to have relationship with white women; moreover, Afro-Americans were portrayed as violent and easily controlled by vengeance (Brody 2013). The film was not the only in its genre to depict black using blackface, but it was probably the most negative in portraying Afro-Americans. It is interesting that black appeared only after the Reconstruction era in the movie being almost invisible before and during the Civil War. Griffin managed to portray Afro-Americans as people waiting for too long to grab the South and use it for their villains` intentions. Their outrageous cooperation with carpetbaggers had no other purpose than introduction of the laws permitting interracial marriages (Gates & Higginbotham 2009: 64). It is possible to admit that film depiction of Afro-Americans at that period was almost cartoonist since it was flat with one dominant trait prevailing: evil, stupidity, aggression. Visual text corresponded to the social perception of black in that time (Betten & Mohl 1974:43). The film also showed Ku Klux Klan in positive light, and its members as intelligent Confederates aiming to bring the system to norm and rescue the South. For those who participated and supported Ku Klux Klan the film became a persuasive explanation of the events. The suspense of the film progresses until the moment when sister of Ben Cameron dies in order to avoid being raped by a black freedman. This is the moment when Ku Klux Klan appears on the screen (Baoudoin 2011:21). The film turned out to be the best propaganda and the way of Klan`s atrocities explanation and even was used as a recruiting movie for Ku Klux Klan (McEvan 2007: 98). Boyd admits that the ending of the film showed two chase episodes in which Ku Klux Klan was portrayed as heroic since it managed to arrive at the nick of the time implementing white superiority and justice. Thus, the film was important not only in cultural sense but in political as well. It marked the date of the first riots in the country against racism (2008: 34). There was also a depiction of a villain black politician, who had well-known negative Afro-American traits of character: laziness, arrogance, and narrow vision (Lynch 2012: 114). The author also claimed that art cannot be separated from ideology, and watching “Birth of Nation” had to be perceived seriously within historical context. The movie showed how visual art can be a political manifest and a brilliant and bright picture at the same time. The auditory seemed to perceive the film as biased and distorting real events of Civil War (Griffith 1993: 98). Thus, it is possible to conclude that “Birth of nation” served as a political tool to create negative attitude towards black Americans who were released from slavery. Afro-Americans were perceived as non-competent, and legging behind the civilized society. Therefore, it was impossible to grant them with equal civil rights. This fact played an import role in installment of the image of the black in future. Not long after Reconstruction America has accepted the Black Code laws, titled as 13th Amendment which resembled slavery to some extent (Mitchell 2004:112). The racial Segregation was implemented in life putting black people in the second class list all over the country for half of the century. This politics even implied that Afro-Americans needed patriarchal protection from white people (Haws 1978: 67). At these times numerous racist products were manufactured and sold. There were pictures of a smiling Negroes with watermelon, “jolly nigger” images, and other prejudiced things. They were posted on the product labels, album covers, and postcards (Goings 1994: 31). The life of Afro-Americans did not improve much with segregation laws introduction as black were divided from white in public places, could not receive decent jobs, and even were often beaten. Black faced new challenges such as inability to vote, constant discrimination, poverty, and double standards (Trotter 1996: 1781). In this atmosphere the father of black cinema, Oscar Micheaux, made himself a name (Rhines 2000: 23). It is still disputable whether “The Homesteader” was conceived as an answer to “The Birth of Nation” but the idea of Micheaux turned out to be ingenious (Green 2014: 24). Micheaux managed to take a special place in film production of that time not willing to idealize the image of Afro-Americans too much and keeping away from racism and prejudices at the same time. He left space for reflexing and wanted black people to ask themselves whether their personalities, actions were good and moral (Butters 1999: 314). Micheaux tried to depict Afro-Americans in contrast to typical images of black by Hollywood. Large film corporations strived to show a colored man as the object of irony and satire. Most black-owned movie companies depicted Afro-Americans as flat as possible: either good or bad (Butters 1999: 345). In his literature works and his movies Micheaux aimed to show traits of character needed for self-actualization of a black man. However, he also examined negative associations with black manhood, such as drugs, alcohol, criminality, and lust for white women not concentrating on creation of positive image of Afro-American (Hooks 1991: 352). One of the most peculiar features of “Homesteader” is that it was the first film shot by Afro-Americans and targeted for black auditory, thus creating a milestone in American cinematograph . The film was an adaption of the same name novel by Oscar Micheaux (Sampson 1997: 45) In “Homesteader” Micheaux created a portrait of a new black man who received the possibility to become free and move to West in order to earn money. This black man can finally serve as a epitome of manhood for young Afro-Americans striving to find some basement. Most black got used to see themselves on the screens as savages or h clowns and this new image of black created by Afro-American was demanded highly by the society. The fate of the main hero resembles the director`s own fate as he bought land in Western states to become a farmer and then pursued with director`s career. The money he invested in filmmaking were mostly collected with the help of his farming business. The critics often remarked that Micheaux tried to reshape and rewrite his own autobiography in his novels and his films in order to create an image of a new Afro-American (Weiss 2000:1). In one of the interviews Micheaux remarked that his goal was to show that a black man could be anything he wanted, and racial prejudices had to be overcome (Cripps 1993: 12). It also important that Micheaux was the first director who depicted the relationships between a black man and a white woman in a normal way. Probably, it was the first portrait of such connection without abuse or rape issues. Micheaux managed to alienate from the image of “big bad niggers, over-sexed and savaged, violent and frenzied as they lust for white flesh” shown in Griffins picture(Reid 1993:13) To conclude, it is necessary to say that visual texts can serve as efficient tool in depicting ethnical and racial peculiarities and can be utilized for social, economic, and cultural purposes. This study examined the role of two important American visual texts in contributing to shaping Afro-American ethnical and racial narration in America. The USA faced a complicated issue of telling the story of the separate ethnicity of non-voluntary immigrants who were brought to America as slaves. No other country had to deal with such experience. The narration of this concept turned out to be dramatic with constant radical shifts of opinions regarding the objects of depiction. Afro-Americans have passed long way from slavery to equality in America. After Civil War the image of Afro-Americans was intentionally distorted in order to justify political ambitions of the South and spread superiority of the white. The period of segregation was marked by the shift of the image of black as well, but there appeared directors able to show ambiguity in the image. The narration of black in the USA can be traced with the help of two significant films such as “Birth of Nation” and “The Homesteader” which portrayed the image of Afro-Americans in an opposite ways influencing the perception of society. Therefore, the transformation of Afro-American narration has resulted in equality establishment between white and black races, which is well-documented in modern visual texts. Bibliography Bayor, R. Race and Ethnicity in America, (New York: Columbia University Press 2005) Baoudain, R. Ku Klux Klan. A history of racism and violence, (Montgomery: Southern Poverty Law Center 2011). Betten, N. &. Mohl, R. The Evolution of Racism in an Industrial City. The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan., 1974). Boime, A. The Art of Exclusion, Washington, (Smithsonian Institution Press 1990) Boyd, T. African Americans and popular culture, (Westport: Praeger Publishers 2008) Butters, G. Portrayals of Black Masculinity in American Silent Film, 1896-1929 (Ph.D. Diss., University of Kansas, 1999) Cripps, T. Making movies black: The Hollywood message movie, (New York: Oxford University Press 1993) Daniels, R. American Racism: Exploration of the Nature of Prejudice, (New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970) Gates, L.M. & Higginbotham, L.I. Harlem Renaissance Lives from African American Biography, (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2005) Goings, K. Mammy and Uncle Mose, Bloomington, (Indiana: Indiana University Press 1994) Green, R. With a crooked stick: the films of Oscar Micheaux, (Bloomington Indiana University Press: 2004) Franklin, J. & Moss, A. From slavery to freedom, (New York: Random House: 2000) Griffith, D. The birth of a nation, (New York: Rutgers Films Print: 1993) Haws, R. The age of segregation, (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi 1978) Hooks, B. Micheaux: Celebrating Blackness. Black American Literature Forum 25(June 1991) Locke, A. 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The outcome of that discontent: Oscar Micheaux, motion pictures, and the race for dignity. Read More