...Multiple Protagonists and No Concise Antagonist Result in a Heartfelt Film The 1997 Steven Spielberg film, Amistad, the Hollywood strategy of having multiple protagonists in one film is exercised to perfection. This situation happens many of times in movies. But the fact that it happens in Amistad is noteworthy due to the fact this movie, a movie about the happenings of the trial after a slave mutiny aboard a Spanish transatlantic slave ship, contains a protagonist that was neither aboard the ship, nor is he black. The other protagonist in the movie was a slave on the ship, and a good portion of the movie depicted his plight both during the mutiny and during the trial that made the audience want to be on his side throughout the film. There is no clear cut antagonist in this film. Is it the nation of Spain who wants its “property” back? Could it be the two Spaniards that were the only surviving “victims” of the mutiny? Or better yet could it be the finders of the ship La Amistad? No, in fact the antagonist is actually an establishment. The first thirty minutes or so of Amistad starts out with the mutiny that takes place aboard the ship La Amistad. This dramatic scene shows vivid detail in attempt to bring the audience into the realm of the ship. Here the audience is introduced to Cinque, the leader of his tribe, who in the opening moments of the film uses his bloody hands to meticulously pick the lock to his shackles during a mid-ocean storm. It starts with...
Words: 2024 - Pages: 9
...GEC: THE LITERATURE OF LIBERATION Assignment: AMISTAD Amistad is the name of a slave ship travelling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. It was carrying Africans who were sold into slavery in Cuba, which was physical captivity as they were caught against their freewill and also subjected to harsh conditions on the ship. They were then taken on board and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship was crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, led a conspiracy amongst the slaves to overthrow the ship’s captain and he took over the ship. They used physical liberation as they had to fight with their captors to take over the ship. When they took over the ship, Cinque saved two of the ship’s officers, Ruiz and Montez, whom he believed would sail them back to Africa, little did he know that they would sail them straight to the U.S. The two sailors were able to do this as they knew more than the slave that is the geographical ways around the area. After some weeks, the ship was running out of food and fresh water, a group of African men took one of the small ships to go look for food. While there, La Amistad was found by a military vessel bearing an American flag- the Spanish men had tricked them by sailing them straight to the U.S. They were then captured and thrown into jail and charged with insurrection on the high seas. Two other men, by the names of Theodore Joadson and Mr. Tappan volunteered to help them as they heard of their plight and...
Words: 696 - Pages: 3
...One of the final scenes in the 1997 film Amistad is President John Quincy Adams’s appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States in his effort to argue for the release and freedom of the Africans. His argument to the Court is composed of various rhetorical strategies that make it persuasive and effective. Throughout his appeal, Adams implements the notable Aristotelian rhetorical elements of ethos, logos, and pathos, each contributing significantly to strengthening the logic and persuasiveness of his assertions. In his opening remarks to the Court, Adams states: “This is the most important case ever to come before this court. Because what it, in fact, concerns is the very nature of man.” In this instance, Adams appeals to logic (logos),...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
...Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank to accompany A First Look at Communication Theory Sixth Edition Em Griffin Wheaton College prepared by Glen McClish San Diego State University and Emily J. Langan Wheaton College Published by McGrawHill, an imprint of The McGrawHill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright Ó 2006, 2003, 2000, 1997, 1994, 1991 by The McGrawHill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may be reproduced in print form solely for classroom use with A First Look At Communication Theory provided such reproductions bear copyright notice, but may not be reproduced in any other form or for any other purpose without the prior written consent of The McGrawHill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. PREFACE Rationale We agreed to produce the instructor’s manual for the sixth edition of A First Look at Communication Theory because it’s a first-rate book and because we enjoy talking and writing about pedagogy. Yet when we recall the discussions we’ve had with colleagues about instructor’s manuals over the years, two unnerving comments stick with us: “I don’t find them much help”; and (even worse) “I never look at them.” And, if the truth be told, we were often the people making such points! With these statements in mind, we have done some serious soul-searching about the texts that so many teachers—ourselves...
Words: 159106 - Pages: 637
