• Blog – After finishing the film, what emotions do you feel? What do you think Anna Deavere Smith was trying to do in creating this piece?
After watching “Fires in the Mirrors” I had mixed emotions. There are parts of me that think it is the Jews fault but other parts that make me feel as though it is the African Americans fault. The only person who felt as though the whole thing was an accident was Roslyn Malamud in “Coup.” She was an African American who clearly stated that what happened was an accident. She said that everyone in the same neighborhood wants the same things. As I recall this is the only person who felt as though the entire incident was just an accident. There were feelings of sadness when the Jewish man was stabbed for just being Jewish but also when the young African American boy was hit by the car.
Anna Deavere Smith, the producer of the movie was trying to show people all the different views on the incident. There were people who were laid back and others who were constantly shouting. She interviewed all different types of people from a mayor to an anonymous young man on the streets. She tried to balance out who she interviewed, balancing out interviewing Jewish people and African Americans. I think that she succeeded in her movie because each persons view was different, even if it was in the smallest way. I don’t think that she was biased in any way. This is because she played the role of each person she interviewed and said and did exactly what the person she interviewed did. She didn’t manipulate anyone’s interview to favor one side or the other, only the side they supported.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Movie Blog
Blog – Who do you sympathize with?
There are two sides to every story. In this case it was between the Jews and African Americans. The incident was when a Jewish man hit and killed a young African American. The African Americans claim that he was drunk at the time of the accident but when the ambulance took him to the hospital he had no alcohol in his breath. The ambulance that came to take the Jewish man to the hospital was a private ambulance for the Jews. The African Americans complained that they needed to attend to the dying kid on the ground rather than taking the Jewish man to the hospital. Their argument was that the Jewish man was up and walking while the young African American was lying still on the ground. The African Americans also beat up the man who killed the young boy so much that he required stitches on his head and skull. Also as a result of this incident a few hours later another Jewish man was walking when a group of African Americans stabbed him just because he was a Jew. After all of this and listening to the movie I have to say that both sides are to blame. I feel sympathy for both but I think that both sides also did things to anger the other side. The African Americans stabbed a Jewish man for the simple fact that he was a Jew and the Jewish man who hit the young kid ran a red light, which is never acceptable. The Jewish also brought their own private ambulance to the scene to help the driver; while they just left the young kid lying there. That is why I don’t feel as though I can side with one or the other.
There are two sides to every story. In this case it was between the Jews and African Americans. The incident was when a Jewish man hit and killed a young African American. The African Americans claim that he was drunk at the time of the accident but when the ambulance took him to the hospital he had no alcohol in his breath. The ambulance that came to take the Jewish man to the hospital was a private ambulance for the Jews. The African Americans complained that they needed to attend to the dying kid on the ground rather than taking the Jewish man to the hospital. Their argument was that the Jewish man was up and walking while the young African American was lying still on the ground. The African Americans also beat up the man who killed the young boy so much that he required stitches on his head and skull. Also as a result of this incident a few hours later another Jewish man was walking when a group of African Americans stabbed him just because he was a Jew. After all of this and listening to the movie I have to say that both sides are to blame. I feel sympathy for both but I think that both sides also did things to anger the other side. The African Americans stabbed a Jewish man for the simple fact that he was a Jew and the Jewish man who hit the young kid ran a red light, which is never acceptable. The Jewish also brought their own private ambulance to the scene to help the driver; while they just left the young kid lying there. That is why I don’t feel as though I can side with one or the other.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Malcolm X
What in trigued you? What angered you? How does this compare to the writing of Martin Luther King, Jr?
The entire passage was about Malcolm X’s life while he was in jail. Malcolm talks about how he learned of Elijah Muhammad and his teachings of “the white man is the devil and the brainwashed black man.” This is a reoccurring phrase throughout the autobiography; similar to the reoccurring phrases “I have a dream and let freedom ring” in Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. However this is the only thing that is similar between the two. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. had two very different views on how people should fight the problem. Through his communications with Muhammad, Malcolm learned that history had been “whitened” to subjugate the blacks. This was a problem because for all of the blacks in the prison, this is what they believed. They didn’t know any better. This is not surprising because Malcolm says, “even the black professors have known little more than the most ignorant black man” (Pg. 1869) because history had been so “whitened.” Malcolm believes that the whites are nothing but an enemy to the blacks and wants to use violence against them. This is the complete opposite of what King wanted to do; he wanted to solve the problem peacefully. What was interesting was how he brought religion into the problem. His views on religion were so extreme that he blames his violence on it. The way he wants to solve the problem is through violence and he is willing to do anything to get what he wants.
The entire passage was about Malcolm X’s life while he was in jail. Malcolm talks about how he learned of Elijah Muhammad and his teachings of “the white man is the devil and the brainwashed black man.” This is a reoccurring phrase throughout the autobiography; similar to the reoccurring phrases “I have a dream and let freedom ring” in Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. However this is the only thing that is similar between the two. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. had two very different views on how people should fight the problem. Through his communications with Muhammad, Malcolm learned that history had been “whitened” to subjugate the blacks. This was a problem because for all of the blacks in the prison, this is what they believed. They didn’t know any better. This is not surprising because Malcolm says, “even the black professors have known little more than the most ignorant black man” (Pg. 1869) because history had been so “whitened.” Malcolm believes that the whites are nothing but an enemy to the blacks and wants to use violence against them. This is the complete opposite of what King wanted to do; he wanted to solve the problem peacefully. What was interesting was how he brought religion into the problem. His views on religion were so extreme that he blames his violence on it. The way he wants to solve the problem is through violence and he is willing to do anything to get what he wants.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sonny's Blues
• Blog – What does the brother realize about Sonny as he plays the piano? What does the music allow Sonny to do?
It takes a while for Sonny’s brother to understand Sonny and why he wants to play the piano. The brothers get into a big argument about Sonny skipping school to play jazz. The first time the brother realizes why Sonny played the piano was when Sonny invited him to one of his gigs. The brother learns that by playing the piano Sonny is able to express the truth inside himself and in turn allows the brother to realize that the truth that exists all around him in life. He also learns the necessity of music and its role in the black community. The brother noticed how Sonny was struggling to find the right language to express himself in. Not only until the end of the story does Sonny find this new language when he gets lost in the expression of his music. Sonny used music as a way to escape. Music was the only thing that gave him hope and kept him dreaming for a better life. Music gave Sonny hope for the future. The relationship between drugs and music has been historically intertwined. “Sonny’s Blues” started off with Sonny getting arrested for heroin and why he did drugs. Near the end of the story we Sonny tells his brother that the reason he did drugs was to escape the hardships of life. Sonny used his experience of addiction to create his music. So, had it not been for Sonny’s drug problems earlier on in his life, there would be no “Sonny’s Blues” or his music.
It takes a while for Sonny’s brother to understand Sonny and why he wants to play the piano. The brothers get into a big argument about Sonny skipping school to play jazz. The first time the brother realizes why Sonny played the piano was when Sonny invited him to one of his gigs. The brother learns that by playing the piano Sonny is able to express the truth inside himself and in turn allows the brother to realize that the truth that exists all around him in life. He also learns the necessity of music and its role in the black community. The brother noticed how Sonny was struggling to find the right language to express himself in. Not only until the end of the story does Sonny find this new language when he gets lost in the expression of his music. Sonny used music as a way to escape. Music was the only thing that gave him hope and kept him dreaming for a better life. Music gave Sonny hope for the future. The relationship between drugs and music has been historically intertwined. “Sonny’s Blues” started off with Sonny getting arrested for heroin and why he did drugs. Near the end of the story we Sonny tells his brother that the reason he did drugs was to escape the hardships of life. Sonny used his experience of addiction to create his music. So, had it not been for Sonny’s drug problems earlier on in his life, there would be no “Sonny’s Blues” or his music.
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