What Is The 13th Strain Theory Analysis
13th Documentary Analysis
Ava DuVernay’s documentary mentions that the United States makes up five percent of the world’s population yet is home to twenty five percent of the world’s prisoners. One out of four prisoners in the world are locked up in the U.S. The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. The thirteenth amendment of the constitution makes it unconstitutional for someone to be held as a slave. It grants freedom to all Americans, but there exceptions, including criminals. Many see this as a loophole, and it can easily be used as a tool for whichever purpose one wants to use it. At the end of the Civil War, the Southern economy was left shattered because slavery obviously an integral part of their economy.
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The culture of the United States was established on the American Dream regardless of race, religion, gender, or class. However, the American Dream was not attainable by everyone, so this imbalance created a strain between people’s means and goals. Merton’s strain theory was also prevalent in the documentary, 13th. The theory says that society puts pressure on people to achieve socially accepted goals, even though they lack the institutionalized means, which leads to strain, which may lead people to act out and commit crimes to meet these unattainable goals. People of color, specifically African Americans, don't have the same means that others do in this country. They are disadvantaged, live in higher rates of poverty, which often leads them to strain and commit crimes for survival. Statistically, they face higher jail time for the same crimes, which keeps them in that cycle. An African American or any underprivileged minority child most likely will not be able to achieve as much a white child from a high class family. The tension between the goals and the institutionalize means will cause unsatisfied aspiration, which has a higher chance to lead to crime. The reasons that there are higher rates of crime in lower social classes are easily explained by this theory. Since African Americans from lower income households don’t have legitimate opportunities available to them but they still want the nice cars and lives that everyone dreams of, they resort to crime because that’s the only way for them to achieve material success and avoid being labeled a failure. The only way for many of them to “make it” and live out “The American Dream” is a lot of times only possible through
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What Was The Impact Of Slavery On The Old South
766 Words | 4 PagesThe impact of slavery on the Old South is a difficult measure to establish because slavery was the Old South. While the popular adage was “Cotton is King,” it was simply a microcosm of the delusion of the day. Truly, slavery was king. Slavery was the growing tension of the time, political catalyst and ironically crux of American power. To the masses, slavery was a social defining stance; the “peculiar institution” to some and a defining moral line to others, American life was changed depending on what view you took of slavery.
Effects Of Incarceration On African Americans
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'Code Of The Street' By Elijah Anderson
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13th Documentary Reflection
629 Words | 3 PagesThe media depicts African American males, in particular, as dangerous and the ones who commit really serious crimes such as rape or murder. African Americans are shown as criminals on television more than they really are, which has an influence on the public of being scared of African Americans who have been referred to as super predators in the past. Some African Americans cannot help but agree with the notion that they are criminals because it is what they have been told and seen which makes them terrified of themselves. All of this goes back to what was touched on in class on how incarceration is an important social justice issue that impacts the individual, family, and children which usually results in negative outcomes overall. Last but not least, an issue raised in the film was that state institutions have legally produced criminalization, particularly targeting minority communities.
13th Film Analysis Essay
1335 Words | 6 PagesThe film 13th directed by Ava DuVernay targets an intended audience of the Media and the three branches of the United States government with an emphasis that mass incarceration is an extension of slavery. It is intended to inform viewers about the criminalization of African Americans and the United States prison boom. 13th uses rhetorical devices in its claim to persuade the viewers by using exemplum in the opening seconds of the film. President Barack Obama presents statistics, saying “the United States is home to 5% of the world’s population but is home to 25% of the world’s prisoners.” Also the film uses a hyperbole in talking about the movie Birth of a Nation produced in 1915 which portrays a black man as a violent savage who will kill white women.
Argumentative Essay About The 13th Amendment
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Argumentative Essay: The American Dream
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How Did The 13th Amendment Sharecropping In African American History
1420 Words | 6 PagesThe definition of slavery is "a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune." (Dictionary.com) Slavery was a huge part of our American History. It existed for over 245 years, and flourished especially in the south where there was plenty of cotton and slaves were needed to work the fields. It was during the Civil War when things really began changing for the African Americans. The war changed from focusing more on bringing the Confederate back to the Union, to freeing slaves and bringing an end to slavery.
13th: Documentary Summary
492 Words | 2 PagesThe “13th” is a documentary about the American system of incarceration and the economic forces behind racism in America especially in people of color. One of the claims that the author mentioned is that today incarceration is an extension of slavery. It is also mentioned that most of the time in society we are defined by race. In the documentary, we can see how African Americans are sentenced for many years since they are too poor to pay their fines or sometimes most of these people plead guilty to get out of jail fast. However, African Americans are separated from their families and also treated inhumanly in prisons just because they are of a particular race.
The Inequality And Poverty Of Black People In America
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Mass Incarceration Literature Review
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Essay On Poverty And Crime
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