A Class Divided, Research Paper Example

1. Why I picked this film over the others offered.

Before choosing which film to analyze, I did some research. I realized that A Class Divided started by examining racism and bigotry beginning in the third grade, at an age at which children are most impressionable. If we are to make a difference in how people of varying colors are treated, we must begin by educating our youth. A Class Divided did exactly that. I don’t think the teacher who initially worked with her class thought that the results would be as widespread. I doubt that she foresaw that the training she provided to her class would eventually be used in an adult context. She merely believed that by beginning her training of her third grade students, she would have an impact on them.

2. Why did I pick this film over the others offered?

Although the teacher depicted in this film eventually expanded her program to an adult audience she started out by working with third grade students. Human beings are more impressionable as children than they are as adults. Teaching something to a child and letting him/her grow up knowing right from wrong, and having them teach what is morally correct to their own children, will eventually lead to more members of society changing their ways. I chose this film specifically because of the teacher’s choice of audiences.

3. What is (are) the central messages(s) of this documentary/fictional film? Be specific. Use examples from the film to support your choice.

The central message of this documentary is that “there is no difference.” There is no difference between people of different races, just like there is no difference between people of different features. Differences of people are based on deeds—the interrelationships people hold between themselves are others. However, all races are born alike: There is no difference between people solely because their skin color is different.

In the third grade classroom, the teacher started out by separating students according to the color of their eyes. Students were either labeled as brown-eyed or blue-eyed. Students with brown eyes were told they were better than students with blue eyes. Students with brown eyes were told that they were more likeable, more intelligent, and more respectful. Students with blue eyes were told they were dumber, less respectful, and couldn’t learn as quickly. Indeed, the old self-fulfilling prophecy immediately took effect: If a person is told he/she is dumber than a person from a different culture or group, then his/her learning ability is immediately altered.

In the excerpt about the training of corrections officers, those individuals were also divided based upon the colors of their eyes. More so than the third grade children, actual hostilities arose among and between the two groups. Until the end of the in-service when each group was given an explanation about what had occurred, open hostilities could easily have erupted between groups, and also in incidents directed at their instructor. The results of this in-service probably more so exemplifies the open hostilities displayed by forced racial barriers in daily living.

4. Consider the effectiveness of this film for this history class. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this film in documenting history?

In the wild, non-human animals will fight each other for food, territorial rights, and to defend their young. Mankind is the only animal that will attempt to do bodily harm to others because of perceived differences. Here in the United States, Anglo-Saxon (Europeans) fought and defeated several Native American tribes primarily because of perceived differences. White Americans, beginning in pre-Civil War years decided that African slaves brought involuntarily to our shores could not be educated equally with Whites. Although not as visible and differences between Blacks and Whites, other immigrants to the United States have historically had difficult times, the difference being that Non-Blacks have an easier time assimilating into American culture because skin tones are not as clearly visible as differences between Blacks and Whites.

Even though African Americans have made great inroads into American culture in all walks of life, in many parts of these United States and among various ethnic groups, there still exists a hatred of African Americans. The people perpetuating these hatred still believe that America needs to be White and that other non-White groups still don’t belong as part of American society.

5. How do you think the filmmakers want the audience to respond? Is there a social justice message? If so, what is it?

I think the filmmakers expect an eye-opening experience. The social justice message is that people who are not ordinarily singled-out need to experience the feelings of those individuals who are (singled-out). In a normal world people are not sorted by their eye color; however, in the same world people are often categorized by their skin color, some kind of deformity, or speech. Beyond these special identifiers, people are just the same as everybody else.

6. Did the documentary leave unanswered questions? If so, what were they?

The only unanswered question is, “Will prejudice always exist?” I think that in my lifetime, the answer to that question is simply, “yes.” Whether future generations will see the error of their ways and correct themselves remains to be seen.

7. How did this film change any misconceptions or stereotypes I had about the subject matter? If so, what were they?

Up to the era of the Civil Rights Movement, Anglo-Saxon treatment of African Americans was intentional; much of that treatment had not changed too much since the Civil War. Following the Civil Rights Movement I thought the treatment of African Americans was still intentional and had not changed too much. After watching the film, I am not sure about my previous feelings. I now think that differences between the two groups are more unintentional. There is no difference between Anglo-Saxons and African Americans. An individual’s skin tone may be different, but everything else is much the same. In fact, research conducted by Kozol (1992), suggested that students’ achievement gap in elementary and high school was based on economic differences and not on race. Students from lower economic means fare worse in school than those who come from families of higher economic means, regardless of race.

8. Did the documentary leave me with any unanswered means? If so, what were they?

I think the election of President Obama suggests that Americans are finally learning that race is only skin deep. However, there are still several groups of citizens who remain on the outskirts of our society. For instance, one very large group has been asking to examine the President’s birth certificate almost since the day he took office. Although the Governor of Hawaii has acknowledged that the President was born there, these splinter groups have been unwilling to accept this as a fact. The question that exists in my mind is: How long will it take to convince all Americans that regardless of race, we are all the same?

9. What is the most important thing I learned from watching the film?

Nobody likes to be disliked. No group likes to be singled out. People who feel that they are being singled out will fight against the present establishment. This was most poignant among the adults who were given a professional development seminar in race relations.

10. Why is this film important to understanding contemporary African American History?

No one group in the United States has been more singled-out, more-hated than African Americans. African Americans have fought in every war from the Revolution to the present, for the preservation of the United States. African Americans have been among the top scientists and inventors. An African American now represents all of the citizens of the United States as its President and Commander-In-Chief, and still there are those groups here in our homeland that cannot understand that as Human Beings, we are all the same and our differences are only skin deep.

“We Shall Overcome” is far different than the chant of Dr. King’s era. During the earlier era of Dr. King, African Americans fought for the freedom to simply co-exist in the United States. Presently, “overcome” needs to be replaced with “assimilate.” We need to assimilate into a single race where all of us are simply accepted as Americans.

Reference

Kozol, J. (1992). Savage inequalities: Children in America’s public schools. NY: Harper.