When I first heard about Jonestown a little over a year ago, my first thought was that Jim Jones was just a mentally disturbed and paranoid preacher and his following must have been compromised entirely by gullible people. This is the second college course in which I have studied the Peoples Temple and I have learned that there were so many more dynamics at play than I ever could have guessed on my own. It intrigued me how so many people could end their own lives and their children’s lives under the direction of one man. A lot of sources simply document the horror that occurred by describing the actions of the members and displaying photos of the end result. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, directed by Stanley Nelson, actually …show more content…
The mass suicide in Jonestown seems to be a product of both obedience and fear. When the community was gathered one last time at the pavilion in Jonestown, the place was surrounded by armed guards. Those who questioned what they were about to do were quickly dismissed or put straight by Jones or other Temple members.

Jim Jones’ persuasion was also key to the formation and eventual destruction of the Peoples Temple. The majority of the Peoples Temple members were the needy and neglected: the poor, the elderly, African Americans, addicts, and convicts. Jones knew how to appeal to these people; he performed “miracles” for them. Peoples Temple members had found everything they could want through Jim Jones: racial harmony, a sense of purpose, and relief from feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.

The Peoples Temple attracted many of its members because it provided them an alternative way of viewing their lives; it gave many people who were downtrodden a sense of purpose, and even transcendence. But it did so at a cost, forcing them to disown their former friendships and beliefs, giving up their previous lives, and teaching them to fear anything outside of the Temple. Following Jones became their only choice. By controlling the information to which members would be exposed, Jim Jones effectively stifled any dissent that might arise within the