The discourse communities of law and science shaped the multi-literacies, thinking, and imaginations of audiences watching Birth of a Nation. At this time, the discourse community believed that African Americans created division. They also believed that slave labor was necessary to keep America running. This discourse community shaped the multi-literacies, because people would talk in a way that showed their disdain for African Americans and their thoughts of how the white race was superior. When they were watching Birth of Nation, they got sucked in and believed that film really portrayed what was happening in their world. It continued to enforce their beliefs that Africans Americans were not smart and that they were aggressive. Also they believed that anything should be done to stop them. including the KKK.
Griffith wants a viewer to feel sympathetic towards the woman and her family, and the South, in this scene. The decor around the woman and her family is nature in the midst of a battle. This portrays the South as helpless. The typage includes a mother and three children. The mother is wearing a polka dot dress, the dresses of her children include soft colors and flowers. This portrays the South as sweet and innocent. The parell editing is a scene of a mother comforting her children, then it cuts to a war scene with shooting in death. Again, this is used to show that the South is innocent and undeserving of all the violence from war. The iris around the mother and the children is blue. This is a calm color, meaning that the family is the calm admist the chaos. The iris arounf the war is red, meaning violence and chaos. This shows that this little family is doing their best to remain calm in the middle of a war.
The one video is about a man who will not allow this mulatto(mixed) woman to touch him, she cries and drops to the floor. Then she tells the other man that the man hurt her. The iris is around the southern gentleman in the beginning as he is working, this is used to focus in on him and show that he is important. The decor around the man includes bookshelves, rugs and lamps at the time. This shows that he is intelligent and rich. The decor around the mulatto woman is the fancy house, she is wearing an apron and she picks up the man’s hat; this shows that she is a servant. The woman is wearing somewhat gypsy like clothes and the men are in business suits. The typage of the woman is a shorter mulatto woman with dark hair, they used this woman because she is mixed. The typage of a the southern gentleman is one young and one old man and they are both nicely dressed.
The other video is about a mulatto man who a souther says should be their equal, because he looks white. He then calls the senator, and he says that this man should be a symbol to his people of what to to achieve. This man is the mulatto leader of the blacks, there is an iris around him when he bows, to focus in on how he is respectful of whites. The type of man they used is mixed, but looks very white. He is nice looking and wears a nice suit. The decor in the scene includes bookshelves and rugs to show how rich the master of the house is. The mulatto women is this scene is wearing a fancy dress instead of her other clothes. Griffith wants a viewer to feel that biracial Americans are the top tier of their race. And, that all African Americans should look up to the mixed people of their race, he wants viewers to feel happy that the black race could be elimimated their intermixing.
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