ORIGINAL POST 1 – Conditions Faced by Slaves
I believe one of the strongest aspects of the film lay in its depiction and explanation of the conditions faced by slaves on the transatlantic ships of the 18th century. The former victim of the slave trade, Olaudah Equiano, gave a horrifying account of the four by four feet compartments in which the salves were forced to stay for weeks. The mention of the blood, feces, and vomit were enough to acquaint us with the realities of the slave trade. This makes the film valuable to the study of history, because it allows us to understand why abolitionism received such popular support in 1787-1788 (Drescher, 43). It brings the “distaste and revulsion that the overseas slave system evoked” (Drescher, 43) right in front of our eyes
As well, the brutality and morality of the slave ships was a popular subject for propaganda (Drescher, 49), which the film also portrays effectively. In the scene where Wilberforce commands a crowd of wealthy, affluent people to experience the stench of a slave ship, and continually urges them to “remember”, we can see how the inhumanity against the slaves can be used as a propaganda tool. Also, the scene in which Clarkson brings a set of chains to Wilberforce’s house shows how abolitionists could use this subject matter as an effective argument (52), not entirely outside the realm of propaganda. The film presented a visual reconstruction of the past, in terms of the tactics abolitionists used, and allowed us to sympathize with the abolitionist movement.
ORIGINAL POST 2 – A Link to Modern Times
From earlier readings in the Pereboom book, we have learned that, in order for a historical film to be a commercial success, it must appeal to its audiences (Pereboom, 62). As a result, when studying the relation of a film to history, we can gain an understanding of the culture and interests of the general