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Essay On African Americans In The Movie

1286 Words6 Pages

For many years, African Americans have faced the challenge of being accurately and positively portrayed within the mainstream media, such as American made films. They are often represented as people who are inferior to those of the Caucasian race, and are frequently presented with problems that are related to racial discrimination. The negative portrayal of African Americans in the media such as movies, have often been considered a large contributing factor to the racial tensions that still exist in our world today (Lemons, 1977). The movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a great example of the early portrayals of African Americans in films. It provides numerous examples of how stereotypes can greatly impact the lives of those who are not of …show more content…

Before going into trial, Atticus already knew he was going to lose his case even if he proved Tom was innocent. He knew the reality was that blacks had no supremacy when it came to their word against a white man’s (“To Kill a Mockingbird,” 2016). He also knew that a black man would never be acquitted of allegations against him when being charged with rape of a white woman, but he wanted to defend Tom to the best of his ability because he knew it was the right thing to do. This representation of African Americans in the movie showed the little power they had within the justice system, and how their fate could be left in the hands of the white man’s word (“To Kill a Mockingbird,” …show more content…

He was seen as a violent black rapist who forced himself upon an innocent white woman, and was most defiantly guilty of the crime. However, when he is proven innocent it enlightens the audience about how stereotypes can falsely portray African Americans, and shows the major damage they can cause to people’s lives (“To Kill a Mockingbird,” 2016). Overall, this movie teaches the audience that stereotyping groups can be damaging to the way individuals view others, and if we want peace among people of all races, then we have to push past stereotypes to learn who people really are on the

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