Selma
Lenox Academy
Julissa Richards
Class 701
February 18, 2015
Reflection on “Selma”
The Influence Setting had on the
Plot of the Movie
The setting in the movie “Selma” influenced the development of the plot. The movie
“Selma”, which was directed by Ava DuVernay, took place in 1965, Selma, Alabama. During this time, racism was very high in the south. AfricanAmerican people were at their wits end with the unfairness in their communities and in the South.
The year of 1965 had a huge impact on the plot of this movie. First of all, this was a time when Caucasian people were thought to be superior to black people, or Negroes, which black people were called back then. This idea of unfairness being passed down from one generation to the other, gave Civil Rights Activists more reason to protest and march for equality in the South every day. Secondly, this was a time when Black people had certain rights, but were not able to embark on them. For example, in “Selma” a woman named Annie Lee Cooper, had the right to vote, but her papers were denied. Cooper was denied because she was asked a question that no one would have been able to answer. In a way, she was set up to fail, like all Black people were expected to do. Overall, this was at a time in America when Black people were not being treated fairly, causing people to become outraged and fight even more.
Along with when this movie took place, “where” was also a very important element. The plot of the movie took place in the Southern part of the United States, more specifically Selma,
Alabama. Not only back then, but even today there is still a wide spread of racism in the South, making this setting perfect for this particular movie. Selma was a place where hate crimes were recurring actions. For example, in 1963 four AfricanAmerican girls were killed by a bomb that was planted underneath the church they were in by four Ku Klux Klan members. It was violence such as this that led
Julissa Richards
Class 701
February 18, 2015
Reflection on “Selma”
The Influence Setting had on the
Plot of the Movie
The setting in the movie “Selma” influenced the development of the plot. The movie
“Selma”, which was directed by Ava DuVernay, took place in 1965, Selma, Alabama. During this time, racism was very high in the south. AfricanAmerican people were at their wits end with the unfairness in their communities and in the South.
The year of 1965 had a huge impact on the plot of this movie. First of all, this was a time when Caucasian people were thought to be superior to black people, or Negroes, which black people were called back then. This idea of unfairness being passed down from one generation to the other, gave Civil Rights Activists more reason to protest and march for equality in the South every day. Secondly, this was a time when Black people had certain rights, but were not able to embark on them. For example, in “Selma” a woman named Annie Lee Cooper, had the right to vote, but her papers were denied. Cooper was denied because she was asked a question that no one would have been able to answer. In a way, she was set up to fail, like all Black people were expected to do. Overall, this was at a time in America when Black people were not being treated fairly, causing people to become outraged and fight even more.
Along with when this movie took place, “where” was also a very important element. The plot of the movie took place in the Southern part of the United States, more specifically Selma,
Alabama. Not only back then, but even today there is still a wide spread of racism in the South, making this setting perfect for this particular movie. Selma was a place where hate crimes were recurring actions. For example, in 1963 four AfricanAmerican girls were killed by a bomb that was planted underneath the church they were in by four Ku Klux Klan members. It was violence such as this that led