...Biographical Films Jenna Nelson December 12, 2014 JASS 248 Professor Erik Marshall Analysis Essay-The Five Heartbeats; The Film Genre of Biopics The Five Heartbeats (1991), directed by Robert Townsend, is a movie that I know all too well. This film effectively portrays the highs and the lows of the music industry and how it affects the members of a group. In this essay, I will analyze the cinematography, mis-en-scéne and the importance of music in films such as this one. I will also expound upon the genre of biographical films and how they contribute to society. Biographical films, or “biopics” represents the life history of an actual person or group. Unlike documentary film, biopics employ actors to play the roles of these individuals: they are dramatized, fictional films. Biopics are often marketed as being “inspired by” or “based on” the lives of famous people including entertainers, royalty, scientists and even criminals. Dennis Bingham conducted a study on biographical films and discusses and history of the biography. He also looks at the various forms of the biopic, including theatrical releases, made-for-television movies and short films. Bingham argues that biopics of women are structured so differently from male biopics as to constitute their own genre. The conventions of the female biopic have proven much more intractable than the male biopic. This is due to society’s difficulty with the very issue of women in the public sphere. The difficulty kept...
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...be the best’. This analogy was all I thought about while trying new things and keeping me motivated to keep doing it. Malcolm X’s motivation came from his desire to to learn. In “Homemade Education”, Malcolm X addresses his educational development through his “prison studies” (68). By simply getting a hold of a dictionary, he accomplished his goals of improving his penmanship, vocabulary and his education overall. He values education as he states before he not only “wasn't articulate” but also not “functional” (68). Malcolm X’s strategy to learn consisted of a dictionary; which he described it as a “miniature encyclopedia” (68). Malcolm X viewed education as a cure to humans, like “intellectual vitamins”(68). Education is a set of skills that one may learn through different resources, but the most important thing is having the motivation to learn and improve your own self. Malcolm X is the epitome of a motivational leader that used his limitations to his benefit of expanding his knowledge while in prison, with limited resources like a simple dictionary. Malcolm X had the motivation within himself and took those experiences and accomplishments to making a change and taking action upon things he cared about, which is something we must all think about in our life time, making a change. “I’ve never been one for inaction” (67) these are the first words Malcolm X uses to begin his Homemade Education Essay, he describes his desire and need of action towards aspects he feels strongly...
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...organization was putting Christian principles into practice, achieved by developing "a healthy spirit, mind, and body" (Wikipedia.org). In 1853, the first YMCA for blacks was founded by Anthony Bowen, a freed slave, in Washington, D.C. This opened the doors for newcomers and immigrants which has always been a part of the YMCA work. In 1860, YMCA supplied affordable safe housing similar to hotel rooms for young men moving to cities from rural areas. In 1867, the first YMCA dormitory ‘The Chicago’s Farwell Hall’ was built. Between 1922 and 1940, YMCA dormitory rooms grew from approximately 55,000 rooms to more than 100,000. amongst those who stayed at YMCA residences were journalists Andy Rooney and Dan Rather, African American leaders Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., novelist Jack Kerouac, and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young (ymca.net). The YMCA is a federated organization made up of local and national organizations in voluntary association. Presently, the YMCAs are open to all, regardless of faith, social class, age, or gender. The YMCA is an influential association of men, women, and children committed to bringing about lasting personal and social change. According to ymca.net, currently the YMCA engages more...
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...and yourself as a Baptist, I having a past of wrongs and an illegal violent lifestyle and you being born into christianity and lastly you wanting segregation to end completely and for white people and black people to come together as one, and I wanting black people to be independent from racist whites meaning having their own business, communities etc. So with this being said although our ways of fighting for justice are opposite our goal is still the same. The purpose of this letter is to propose to you Martin Luther King Jr a proposition of I and yourself to join forces. I suppose, do to this proposal you would want to know more about myself aswell as my past and my beliefs. My past is not the brightest. I was not born Malcolm X, I was born Malcolm Little to My father Earl Little. My father was killed by the KKK (white racist) I believe that this is one of the reasons I feel the way I do towards white americans. Not only was my father murdered, but he did not receive justice in fact the police blamed him for his death calling it a suicide. I refuse to believe that my father beat himself up, tied himself up and through himself in front of a train. At my age of adolescence I lived in harlem with my sister during this time I got caught up in the hustling and managing prostitution. I landed in prison on a 10yr sentence do to a robbery charge in 1946. During this time I grew in the prison library. I expanded my vocabulary, as well as becoming a believer of islamic beliefs. I...
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...1960's Diary Entries Witness to the assassination of Malcolm X HIS 135 Dear Diary, I am one of many to witness the assassination of Malcolm X. On February 21, 1965 today we have lost a legacy. Malcolm X was a strong speaker, and was moved by many African Americans. He did so much to make us feel connected with our African American heritage. He would say the words that we would think but were scared to say. Malcolm X lost his life by the Nation of Islam; everyone is surrounded by questions of this fearless man’s death. The files The Files of Malcolm X, reveals The Smoking Guns in the FBI reports, which was dated for February 22, 1965, the files declares that Malcolm X had 10 gun shots penetrating to the chest, his thigh and ankle, also there were 4 bullets pleats into his chest and thigh. When his autopsy was done, they found 1 gun being noticed as a millimeter slug, 1 - 45 caliber slugs, with numerous shotgun shots, that were all around and about in his body, torn through the heart of Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. When Malcolm was in prison, he got religious, he wanted to change his criminal past, and became a member in the Nation of Islam. After Malcolm was released he started to preach on street corners. I have to say that Malcolm X was a very brave young man and stand up type of guy that did a lot to make blacks feel more connected to African American heritage. He stood up for African Americans and spoke out words and things that they were too afraid...
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...AAS2010 Introduction to African American Studies Comment Paper #3 3/14/2011 Dr. King speaks of the struggle as a hope for the poor and oppressed, regardless of race or creed as Ho Chi Minh fought for the liberty of his people over the corrupt Dieu regime. Noting he had several major reasons for commenting on Vietnam, the most apparent and obvious of the irony that we “have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools” (King). King referred to a cruel manipulation of the poor, those youth with education or money were exempt from a war, sending poor youth and minorities into a country and fighting a war they did not understand, fighting for liberty of the people in Vietnam while killing side by side, yet they would not be able to eat in the same room or live on the same block in America. From the Japanese, French and later American involvement, the Vietnamese have been embroiled in 116 constant years of warfare and oppression, betrayed by the Japanese, betrayed by the French and anticipating and inevitable betrayal from the blatant lies of the U.S.A. King mentions this distrust of the Vietnamese against the United States and how “Hanoi remembers how our leaders refused to tell us the truth about the earlier North Vietnamese...
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...(Pierre) Minority groups within the United States struggled for nearly a century to gain racial equality. In the mid 1940s a movement began assembling that would later bring about change, it was known as the Civil Rights movement. It reached its apex in the mid 1960s, around the same time a heavy-weight fighter named Cassius Clay was making his bid for a belt. In 1964, the young boxer shocked the world, making his conversion to Islam and his new name public. He announced that he had become a member of the Nation of Islam, a group that would influence his ideology and involvement with Civil Rights. (Pierre) It is widely believed that Ali joined the Nation of Islam because of his friendship with another Civil Rights activist of the time, Malcolm X. Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam urged blacks not to cooperate with the Mass Civil Rights movement and not to coalesce with their white...
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...many different types of people. Not only people with different personalities, but people with different types of race and ethnicity. In our present day it is very rare for you to go somewhere and notice that everyone is all one race or ethnicity. Going back many years ago, if one were to use the same bathroom as an African American you were viewed as a traitor and a bad person. Now imagine living that way today, imagine how difficult it would be to find a job or even do your daily routines, it would almost be impossible. The real question is what caused all of the racism to change or who can we thank for all of this? There are a great number of people who came up and made a stand against this which helps us live freely today. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Norton Little, was a homemaker occupied with the family's eight children. Louise father was Scottish which made Louise have a very light complexion, so light she could even pass for white. His father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl's civil rights activism constantly received death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, which forced the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday. Regardless of the Little's efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 their Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl's body was found lying across the...
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...Ever since the Reconstruction era after the Civil War there has been the issue of race and equality and rights. A movement occurred and two men gained power and influence the African American community. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X two men having experienced different things in their lives held different beliefs and morals and influenced people based upon those things. Martin Luther King Jr., came from a Baptist home with a fairly easy childhood, he was educated when he was younger and attended Morehouse College, an all black college, where he had several role models that shaped his beliefs. Malcolm X, on the other hand, experienced a hard childhood and used drugs and committed other crimes in his early adult years. While in prison he found a father figure in Elijah Muhammad and joined the Nation of Islam. There are many differences between Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X in the way they acted and influenced the African American community. This paper will look to describe their differing views and analyze their actions and their lives. In most cases a person’s childhood has a lasting affect on the rest of a person’s life. In comparing Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X this seems to be the case. Martin Luther King Jr., was born January 19, 1929 and was raised by a strong supportive family. He had a somewhat privileged life and “never experienced the feeling of not having the basic necessities of life.”[1] His father “was a community leader in Atlanta...
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...Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King’s inspiration for writing his, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was mainly to appeal to an undeniable injustice that occurred during his time. His letter was in response tos eight white clergymen, who objected to King protesting in Birmingham. Dr. King effectively crafted his counterargument after analyzing the clergymen’s unjust proposals and then he was able to present his rebuttal. Dr. King effectively formed his counterargument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then using logos, pathos and egos to present his own perspective on his opponent’s statements. The majority of the sentences in King’s letter can be connected to logos, pathos or ethos and his incorporation of appeals is masterful. On more than one occasion, King uses various strategies to appeal to his audience, in the letter he writes, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.” In this excerpt, King presents his ethos very tactically. The Alabama clergy presents him as an outsider in the letter, but demonstrating his ethos, King presents himself as an insider. He is not just a man who chose to protest in an outside community, but is in fact the president of the Conference. He...
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...Martin & Malcolm & America In this paper, there will be a primary focus on two of the most prominent leaders during the civil rights era. These two leaders are Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. The paper will discuss how these extraordinary men made their phenomenal contributions to America by offering to bring about their own political, racial, and social views that were affecting the people of color. Their ability to voice their strong opinions about the injustices that were taking place among African Americans and the oppositions that were before them gave them the durability to prolong the fight for freedom and justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were both men of purpose, dignity, and pride. The ongoing effort they gave for the people and to the people helped them to earn the respect that has followed them for decades. For that reason, this paper will reflect the ways in which both men contributed to the African American culture and the shaping of America in an effort to bring about a change that was needed to move forward. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X had different political philosophies; however, they both went about using different methods to campaign for civil rights. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a champion of non-violent protests and peace marches. His speeches entranced both blacks and whites into action for the civil rights movement. MLK knew that if the blacks worked for peace, peacefully, then equality was inevitable. “What they...
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...Islam, like other monotheistic religions, such as, Judaism and Christianity; originated in the Middle East. There are many similarities and differences between Islam and other religions, such as Christianity and Judaism. Muslims have beliefs and rituals that have been practiced and followed throughout the world. Many times the religion of Islam has been misunderstood and misrepresented. This paper will explore the foundation and beginnings of Islam and discuss the role it has played in the lives of three significant social leaders in America: Malcom X (civil rights), Loon (rap music/entertainment, and Muhammad Ali (sports). Islam is based on the belief of one god. Islam began in the sixth century. Mecca, a city in Saudi Arabia, was growing as the new business center with a new population of wealthy people, but also with a growing division between the rich and poor. This changing situation in Mecca challenged the traditional system of Arable tribal values and social security. At that time, appeared the prophet Mohammad who preached the messages from the book of the Quran, which is the core of the religion, Islam. It was calling everybody to return to the worship of the true God and to fairness in the community. Muslims believe that God sent a revelation first to Moses (found in Hebrew Scripture, the Torah), then to Jesus Christ (the Gospel), and finally to the prophet Mohammad (through the Quran). Muhammad had told his followers that he is not the founder of a new religion...
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...His/145 | Civil Rights Movement | Malcolm X and Martin Luther King | Rose Carr 3/7/2010 | Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were very important to our country’s history. They are revolutionary men. They fought battles against a bigoted nation. They fought for what they believed was right. The two gentlemen however fought very different battles although they seem to be fighting the same prejudice. If you ask anyone today, that remembers the movement, ‘Who was Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr?’: the opinions you will hear will be quite contrary to each other. The two men were very influential in American culture. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were able to use the media to allow their voices to be heard. I will be explaining the reasons why these two gentlemen fought such extreme battles fueled by passion and hate. The media have always been a presence during the movement of the 60’s. During the time of the movement the nation was glued to the media. Martin Luther King, Jr., is known for his non violent manner for leading a protest. As Martin Luther King led his followers, he taught them protest with respect and dignity. Martin Luther King once said, in regard to his non violent approach, “Violence, as a way of achieving racial justice, is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win...
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...race thing. I wanted to make it for a bigger goal in mind and that’s to stand above all the bulls***.” He also explains how he’s trying to represent every person trying to escape oppression by standing up for something bigger than his or her own life that may last forever. The main message I tried to get across on my zine page is the fact that while a large part of HiiiPower is about race that is not the main purpose. The first quote “The sky is falling, the wind is calling Stand for something or die in the morning,” from Kendrick Lamar’s song “HiiiPower” explains how if you don’t stand up against your oppressions today, no matter what they may be, they still will be waiting for you in the next morning. Kendrick references people like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. many times and the fact that they took the initiative and stood up for what they knew was right. They were willing to sacrifice their own lives for the better of the world and its going to take that from more and more people if we want to be as oppression-free of a world that we can. The message is important to me because I feel like I can relate to it in a few ways. When I was growing up I was teased a lot and instead of standing up for myself I would always find a way to hide. It wasn’t until I stood up...
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...1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, held diametrically opposed political philosophies. King was a pacifist, in the tradition of Gandhi before him; Malcolm X was a radical, an advocate of violence. Both, however, shared a common goal—real freedom for African Americans. Malcolm X’s speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” was a direct response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech of a month before. Malcolm X, once associated with the Black Panthers, and a member of the Black Muslim movement, wrote “The Ballot or the Bullet” not only as a response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s pacifism, but because he was frustrated with white dilly-dallying in reaching a decision on black rights in America. Political debate had reached an impasse, and Malcolm wanted to make it clear that if the Congress couldn’t come to a decision, black Americans would take matters into their own hands. He did not share Martin’s pacifist inclinations, and he promised a violent seizure of civil rights. An examination of Malcolm X’s speech will reveal that it is one of the most powerful speeches ever written. It is, in every respect, the equal of Martin’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It is eloquent, it is memorable, and it is poetic. Its tone, unlike Martin’s conciliatory speech, is militant. He appeals to the emotions of his young audience, rousing them to anger; and in the same breath, strikes fear into the hearts of his white listeners. Malcolm uses several methods to rouse his...
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