The filmmakers of the movies Glory and Twelve Years a Slave both faced the challenge of trying to create an inspirational and moving film about slavery and the Civil War, which they successfully did. They both faced the obstacle of a time limit to cram years of historical events into a two-hour timeline. Nevertheless, they were able to produce a movie that kept people glued to their seat. Even though some of the events that were shown in the movie were changed a little in order to create an entertaining movie that people would want to watch, the end result of both films was an honest, riveting two hours that gave viewers a better understanding of the events that took place during slavery and the Civil War. These movies are not only informational but also very accurate, which makes them a good source to use in a school classroom in order to help students get a better understanding of life during slavery and the Civil War. They are just as good, if not better, than textbooks because they allow the student to achieve the same goals and improve the same skills as reading a textbook does.
It is possible to be just as analytical in your thinking while watching a movie as it is while reading a textbook. While watching Glory, for example, I was able to analyze how white regiments felt about having black regiments in the Union Army. Whenever the two regiments interacted with each other, I was able to see that the white regiments did not have any respect for the black regiments; they felt like the black men were worthless and didn’t stand a chance at helping the war effort. This was shown by the white men repeatedly calling the black men the “n” word, even if a black man had a higher rank than the white man. Since the movie was able to create these types of scenes in order to give the viewer an understanding of the way black men were treated by white regiments, I wanted to do more research on the way black regiments were treated during the Civil War and whether or not they were successful in the war. According to ABC-Clio, I discovered that black regiments were given inferior weapons and health care, which is why over 37,000 black men died in service, 29,000 of which were from diseases. I also discovered that black men were paid $3 less than white men, which is something that the movie was able to show in a big scene where Shaw refused pay until his regiment received equal pay. I also discovered that 16 black men received the Medal of Honor, which proves that black regiments were a great help to the war effort and the defeat of the Confederacy. Because the movie sparked this curiosity in me, it proves that students can be very analytical in their thinking while watching movies.
Arguments can also be created while watching a movie, just like reading a textbook, and evidence can be used to support it. For example, while watching the movie 12 Years a Slave, I developed an argument that Solomon wasn’t just a character in the movie; he was a symbol for so many more people than just himself. This can be proved because, while reading a New York Times movie review, I came across a statement that said that in the movie, Solomon “represents all free black men that were kidnapped and forced into slavery.” This supports my argument because, in the movie, Solomon didn’t just want to be freed from slavery; he wanted to live. His desire for freedom is what drove him to never give up and to keep fighting for freedom. This is how all kidnapped slaves were; they wanted to regain their freedom because they knew that it was wrongly stolen from them. Solomon is a symbol for injustice throughout the movie, and he is also a symbol for all the men and women whose freedom was taken away from them. This proves that arguments can be made from movies and can be supported.
I understand that a filmmaker faces the difficult challenge of trying to take several years of historical events and trying to fit them all into a two-hour movie without changing the facts too much. However, by condensing all of the events, it keeps the audience engrossed by the action occurring on screen, ensuring that the audience stays in their seats and keeps watching the film. Also, by making certain historical events more intense and by killing off an important character during a war scene (like in Glory), it actually causes the audience to be empathetic towards the historical event and the people that experienced it. For example, according to a New York Times movie review on the movie Glory, it says that some of the events in the movie, especially the ones at Fort Wagner, were made more dramatic than described in Shaw’s real-life journal. This makes the movie much more interesting because if, for example, Shaw’s death wasn’t made a focus point in the movie, then the audience wouldn’t realize what caused the black regiment to suddenly surge and fearlessly attack the fort. By focusing on his death and the way his men reacted after his death, it shows that Shaw, a white man, was willing to give up his life for his regiment, proving that he truly cared for them. The way his regiment went on to charge into the fort after he was killed proves that his regiment respected his bravery and truly valued what Shaw had given up to put his men in a position to succeed. Filmmakers do have a disadvantage when it comes to fitting years of historical events into a two hour movie, but they have proven to do a very good job of making the most out of their time by creating an empathetic aspect that textbooks cannot do.
Textbooks do a very good job of giving students a good understanding of historical events and the facts of those events, but what they cannot do is create a sense of empathy for the reader towards the men and women that actually had to experience those events. The producers of Glory and 12 Years a Slave successfully created a connection between the audience and the characters in the movies in order to cause the audience to feel sorry for the people that actually had to endure slavery and fighting in the Civil War. The movies create a sense of chaos and brutality that is very similar to the way life was during these times. I believe that learning from movies is just as useful as learning from textbooks because the same goals are still able to be accomplished, like being analytical in your thinking and being able to create and support an argument.
Works Cited
Canby, Vincent. "Black Combat Bravery in the Civil War." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Dec. 1989. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
