Amistad Rhetorical Analysis
D’voya L. Wilks Wilks 1
Carlos Pettigrew
AP Language
November 27, 2012
Amistad Assignment The speaker of the film “Amistad” is David Franzoni. Since this fact was not identified verbally during any part of the movie, and I was not able to view the credits, I went to the World Wide Web to find the author for the movie. The subject of the film “Amistad” would prove to be freedom and everyone’s right to the acquisition to such freedom despite opposition. This is proven throughout the film in that despite the efforts of some individuals who sought to illegally gain these slaves, in the end the right for everyone to be free won over. In depth, the Africans on “La Amistad,” specifically Cinque, lead a rebellion against the Spaniards
that are holding them captive on the ship. In the process, many of the Africans and the Spaniards are killed except for Ruiz and Montez, who are the owners of the ship. The Africans believe that Ruiz and Montez and sail them back to West Africa. The Spaniards deceive the Africans into believing that they are sailing to West Africa when actually they are sailing straight towards the United States. Thereafter, the Africans are continually put on trial, attempting to decide whether to imprison them for murder, or release them as slaves to Ruiz and Montez who supposedly are the owners of the Africans. When it is proven by Roger Sherman Baldwin, the Africans’ attorney, that they are in fact not slaves, the Africans win their freedom. This proves that in this case, everyone’s right to attain personal freedom should be acknowledged on both the state, national, and international levels. The tone of the film “Amistad” could be described as full of sympathy combined with determination to pursue one’s personal rights. This was shown in the progression of the movie. In the beginning of the movie, we were shown the distress of the enslaved Africans and how they were treated. We were given a view of how the Africans were being forced to live and how they had to live with each other. These dark scenes with very little light gave us a synopsis of how terribly uncomfortable the Africans’ journey was. Yet we also had just enough light to see how one of the Africans, who later became known as Cinque, used an unlikely tool, a nail that took much trouble to free from the ship’s structure, to free himself from his shackles. Cinque saw this as an opportunity to win his freedom despite the fact that they were on a ship in the middle of nowhere. This shows how overpowering the desire for freedom can be when you are under intense conditions.
Wilks 2
The mood of the film “Amistad” is very depressing yet very moving. This is not only because of the scenes shown in the beginning of the film of the Africans’ journey, but also because of the emotional journey that the Africans had to endure. The various court trials, and the language barrier between them and the Americans proved to be extremely frustrating and disheartening. But, the thought of both the Africans and their attorney putting forth the effort to learn each other’s languages revealed to me how motivated they were to accomplishing their goals. The theme of the film “Amistad” could be the respect of one’s personal entitlements. In this case, the specific entitlement is the Africans’ freedom considering that they were not actually slaves. By using the United States’ forefathers as an example in the right way to judge, the Africans’ attorney brought to light their right to freedom despite the attempts by those who wish to deny them of that freedom.
Carlos Pettigrew
AP Language
November 27, 2012
Amistad Assignment The speaker of the film “Amistad” is David Franzoni. Since this fact was not identified verbally during any part of the movie, and I was not able to view the credits, I went to the World Wide Web to find the author for the movie. The subject of the film “Amistad” would prove to be freedom and everyone’s right to the acquisition to such freedom despite opposition. This is proven throughout the film in that despite the efforts of some individuals who sought to illegally gain these slaves, in the end the right for everyone to be free won over. In depth, the Africans on “La Amistad,” specifically Cinque, lead a rebellion against the Spaniards
that are holding them captive on the ship. In the process, many of the Africans and the Spaniards are killed except for Ruiz and Montez, who are the owners of the ship. The Africans believe that Ruiz and Montez and sail them back to West Africa. The Spaniards deceive the Africans into believing that they are sailing to West Africa when actually they are sailing straight towards the United States. Thereafter, the Africans are continually put on trial, attempting to decide whether to imprison them for murder, or release them as slaves to Ruiz and Montez who supposedly are the owners of the Africans. When it is proven by Roger Sherman Baldwin, the Africans’ attorney, that they are in fact not slaves, the Africans win their freedom. This proves that in this case, everyone’s right to attain personal freedom should be acknowledged on both the state, national, and international levels. The tone of the film “Amistad” could be described as full of sympathy combined with determination to pursue one’s personal rights. This was shown in the progression of the movie. In the beginning of the movie, we were shown the distress of the enslaved Africans and how they were treated. We were given a view of how the Africans were being forced to live and how they had to live with each other. These dark scenes with very little light gave us a synopsis of how terribly uncomfortable the Africans’ journey was. Yet we also had just enough light to see how one of the Africans, who later became known as Cinque, used an unlikely tool, a nail that took much trouble to free from the ship’s structure, to free himself from his shackles. Cinque saw this as an opportunity to win his freedom despite the fact that they were on a ship in the middle of nowhere. This shows how overpowering the desire for freedom can be when you are under intense conditions.
Wilks 2
The mood of the film “Amistad” is very depressing yet very moving. This is not only because of the scenes shown in the beginning of the film of the Africans’ journey, but also because of the emotional journey that the Africans had to endure. The various court trials, and the language barrier between them and the Americans proved to be extremely frustrating and disheartening. But, the thought of both the Africans and their attorney putting forth the effort to learn each other’s languages revealed to me how motivated they were to accomplishing their goals. The theme of the film “Amistad” could be the respect of one’s personal entitlements. In this case, the specific entitlement is the Africans’ freedom considering that they were not actually slaves. By using the United States’ forefathers as an example in the right way to judge, the Africans’ attorney brought to light their right to freedom despite the attempts by those who wish to deny them of that freedom.