Reference no: EM133287428

Assignment:

1. In America on Film, Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin write, "Looking back from the early twenty-first century, one can see how greatly the cinematic images of African Americans have changed. From crudely stereotyped silent films, through the social problem and blaxploitation eras, today's films exhibit a much larger variety of African American characters and concerns" (99-100). Do you see examples of earlier African-American stereotypes from the chapter, such as the "mammy" or the "brute or savage," operating in the film?

2. "Passing" is when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived ("passes") as a member of another. There are multiple instances of 'pretending to be something you're not' going on in this film. Give a few examples and discuss the implications for, say, what these categories mean.

3. There has been much progress in African-American representation in the more than a hundred years since Birth of a Nation first appeared--the film Lee uses to intercut for his ending in this film. One movie that became a huge global success was Black Panther, which was something more than your typical superhero movie. Supporting your case with several reasons and using detail from the movie, explain why you think the movie was such a success both here and around the world.

4. The film ends with a montage footage bringing footage in from a variety of sources. Discuss the meaning and/or impact of this ending.