Symbolism In District 9

Image A Image B

The viewer of District 9 would see Image B when the hand-held camera is tracking through the city of Johannesburg. The sign represents that the aliens are not allowed in any specific areas around the city restricting them off access to certain services. This is shown by the red cross going through its body and by using the word “only” makes specific reference to a specific race/species. This is symbolic of segregation as seen during the Apartheid era, which is shown in Image A. The segregation in Apartheid relates to that of District 9 because they both exclude a specific race or species becoming very hateful of that group of people/creatures allowing them to become a common enemy. This plays on the characteristic
The eye level shot exposes that although the humans are seen as superior they are in fact equal to the aliens in evolution and intelligence standards ( although the aliens are made to be much more intelligent than the human race). This contradicts the laws that were enforced in District 9 and the Apartheid regime. Image A is also taken at an eye level shot from the times of District 6 evictions in Cape Town. Both images reveal that the lives of the oppressed were drastically changed and regardless of their residential living areas and preferences, the removal was a unavoidable fate that would end up excluding them of their human rights. Image A is specific to the Apartheid era which is what District 9 focused its main attention on. As seen in Image B, the oppressors are well protected by not only the law but by security guards and body guards who were armed at all times. This links to the pro-Apartheid police force who were part of District 6’s demolitions and relocations who had no regard for the well-being of the aliens or the coloured people. The oppressed being Christopher Johnson/Aliens/Black and Coloured people were obviously not provided the same amount of protection therefore facing much harsher prosecutions due to the laws at place in Apartheid or in District
The view of this image is at an eye level shot making the viewer feel as they are experiencing the view themselves to stimulate more sympathy for the aliens. There is a dead alien/prawn body hanging by its feet and wrapped in plastic, which exposes how terribly they are being treated and the humans have no respect for the aliens. Image A is a photograph taken at eye level of experimenting on Black people during Apartheid. The black people were mistreatment as unwitting subjects of medical experimentation. This is symbolic of segregation as there were no experiments on the white people (Apartheid) or humans (District 9) exposing xenophobia and excluding others to a stronger degree. Both images show the mistreatment of “the other” and a clear separation between the humans/the whites. Both experimentations in District 9 and Apartheid were illegal, yet they continued to do so as they were curious about “the other” but they had to keep it secretive, as they are part of a large company that would be at risk. Both images have dull, earthy colours to create realism, to make the viewer’s know that it is wrong and make them feel sympathetic for the