Martyrs of the Alamo is a silent film that not only loosely depicts the historical event of the Battle at the Alamo but it perpetuates ethnic stereotypes of Mexicans to build a sense of nationalism in the early 1900’s. Researchers Ford and Harawa argue in their academic journal that ethnicity can be broken down into two dimensions, relational and attributional. The relational dimension pertains to the relationship dynamics between an ethnic group and the society they live in. These relationships can be shown through different societal institutions; such as, the educational system, judicial system and even the film industry. As stated by Dr. Keeling, the film industry can be seen as an institution that produces ways of thinking of the world. Within Martyrs of the Alamo we see D.W. Griffins depict his image of American nationalism through his cinematic production of the Battle at the Alamo. The film gives today’s viewers a historical perspective on how the use of ethnic stereotypes reinforced Griffins theme of nationalism. As stated by Dr.Keeling, this film came about a time of war when there was a need to rally and a need to belong. Griffin used his film Martyrs of the Alamo as an outlet to promote the need for nationalism in the United States. Griffin focuses on creating this feeling of fear when Americans and Mexicans interact in certain scenes. Through out the film this reoccurring theme of fear is seen in many of the battle scenes. One of the most striking scenes is during the battle between the Mexican soldiers and the Americans in the Alamo. Throughout the shot we see both sides rushing toward each other firing their weapons and there is a cloudiness from the dust. As this fight is going on we see a little blonde and blue e... ... middle of paper ... ...e. Cinema can create new or old perceptions of reality through their depictions of ideas or images. Martyrs of the Alamo is a film that created a new perception of nationalism during a period where there were threats against the United States. D.W. Griffin’s productions of the film perpetuated racial images of Mexicans in order to enhance his central theme. Through out the film we see these racializations through the contrast in characters and how different scenes were created to evoke emotions needed to instill this need to belong. Works Cited Ford, Chandra L., and Nina T. Harawa. "A New Conceptualization of Ethnicity for Social Epidemiologic and Health Equity Research." Social Science & Medicine 71.2 (2010): 251-58. Print. The Martyrs of the Alamo. Dir. W. Christy Cabanne. Perf. Tom Wilson, Alfred Paget, Sam Degrasse, Walter Long, and A.D. Sears. 1915. DVD.
Ramos, Raul A. Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821-1861. The University of North Carolina Press. 2008.
In the afternoon of February 23, 1836, Santa Anna’s army arrived in San Antonio. The Texan defenders retreated to the well-fortified Alamo. Santa Anna had given the defenders time to escape if they wanted, but the Texans stayed, confident with their weaponry. With the few soldiers he had, Colonel Travis sent requests to Colonel James Fannin for reinforcements, but received none. Fannin thought that the 300 men he had wouldn’t make a difference and may not arrive in time. Of the 200 defenders, there were settlers who wanted independence as well as a dozen Tejanos who joined the movement. Although they believed in ind...
Klos, S. (2013, March 11). George Armstrong Custer. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from George Armstrong
Texas prides itself on a strong heritage and history. Events that happened when Texas fought to gain independence will forever remain preserved and idolized in the heart of every true Texan. One of the most famous events that occurred during the fight for independence happened at a place that was not well-known and did not hold much importance at the time, but because of the events that occurred there, it will forever be a place of remembrance and pride. This place is known as The Alamo. This paper focuses on the articles written by Brian C. Baur, Richard R. Flores, and Paul Andrew Hutton over The Alamo.
The first social issue portrayed through the film is racial inequality. The audience witnesses the inequality in the film when justice is not properly served to the police officer who executed Oscar Grant. As shown through the film, the ind...
Rosales, F. Arturo. Lecture 2/14 Film The US-Mexican War Prelude. Weber, David J. - "The 'Path of the World'" Foreigners in Their Native Land: The Historical Roots of Mexican Americans.
The film observes and analyzes the origins and consequences of more than one-hundred years of bigotry upon the ex-slaved society in the U.S. Even though so many years have passed since the end of slavery, emancipation, reconstruction and the civil rights movement, some of the choice terms prejudiced still engraved in the U.S society. When I see such images on the movie screen, it is still hard, even f...
...is own. In an overall assessment of this book, Martin comes to the conclusion that “Campbell has succeeded in providing a thoughtful, very readable, and eminently useful survey of a fluid, exciting, and fascinating period of United States and Texas history through the lens of the life of the greatest Texas hero of them all” showing that Martin as well as Campbell seemed to be very fascinated by the heroism of Sam Houston (The Journal of Southern History, 60, November 1994, 796).
As a result, both films represent Natives Americans under the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films add in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfold partly unlike. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar say, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.
In the beginning of the movie the students have a day camp where the main teacher and supporter, Mr. Sal Castro motivates them to raise the Mexican American graduate rate. He reads the poem “I am Joaquin”, a poem that reflects the hardship that Mexican Americans and Chicanos have lived throughout the years. This poem was a very important part of the Chicano movement. It is a very strong and empowering poem and makes you proud to be Mexican American. Also another scene that truly shows Chicano power is in the third walkout. The students walk out of the school, but are blocked by policemen and are not allowed pass them. However, you then see the student’s family, mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents. All united together holding the Mexican flag as well as the American flag. This is a very touching scene that I believe shows the unity of Mexican Americans, and how there is a lot of pride in being Mexican
Beginning in 1845 and ending in 1850 a series of events took place that would come to be known as the Mexican war and the Texas Revolution. This paper will give an overview on not only the events that occurred (battles, treaties, negotiations, ect.) But also the politics and reasoning behind it all. This was a war that involved America and Mexico fighting over Texas. That was the base for the entire ordeal. This series of events contained some of the most dramatic war strategy that has ever been implemented.
The Birth of a Nation (1915) is one of the most controversial movies ever made in Hollywood, some people even consider it the most controversial movie in the long history of Hollywood. Birth of a Nation focuses on the Stoneman family and their friendship with the Cameron’s which is put into question due to the Civil War, and both families being on different sides. The whole dysfunction between the families is carried out through important political events such as: Lincoln’s assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Kan. D.W. Griffith is the director of the movie, and him being born into a confederate family in the South, the movie portrays the South as noble and righteous men, who are fighting against the evil Yankees from the North, who have black union soldiers among them, whom overtake the town of Piedmont, which leads the KKK to take action and according to the movie become the savior of white supremacy. During this essay, I would focus on the themes of racial inequality, racism, and the archetypical portrayal of black people in the movie, which are significant especially during the era when the film was released.
Although there were many concepts that were present within the movie, I choose to focus on two that I thought to be most important. The first is the realistic conflict theory. Our textbook defines this as, “the view that prejudice...
One would claim that Dionisio is simply a prideful individual. Fuentes claims that Dionisio, himself, said “he wasn’t anti-Yankee in this matter or in any other, even though every child born in Mexico knew that in the nineteenth century the gringos had stripped us of half our territory” (57). The trouble with Fuentes’ claim is the inherent implication that all Mexicans hold some type of resentment toward their northern neighbor, and that Dionisio is not the exclusion to the rule. He implies that the anti-United States resentment runs deep through the veins of the Mexican consciousness. Dionisio referred to the United States as the “United States of Amnesia”, as a country who ignored the plights and needs of the Mexican people (57). This notion of anti-American sentiment is bolstered by Gloria in Borderlands, for “The Battle of the Alamo… became the symbol for the cowardly and villainous character of the Mexicans. It became (and still is) a symbol that legitimized the white imperialist takeover (28). The modern day Mexicans view the Americans as the invaders who aggressed into Texas, and that the political community which had existed was consumed by America. This parallels the notion that American incessant need for abundance, in every regard, is causing the withering of the Mexican
A nation formed from the blood of an entire culture. The Revisionist Western Film, Geronimo: An American Legend, (1993) directed by Walter Hill, sheds light on the events that transpired as the Whites migrated and expanded towards the West. The theme of this movie revolves around the oppression and injustices committed on the “inferior” Apache race by the “superior” Whites, and the conflicts that ensued from it. In the face of oppression and injustice, one will go to great lengths to protect and preserve one’s liberty, and likewise, it can also alter the conviction of an outsider.