course materials

1. The Help Film Essay
The Help Film Essay ON The Help Film EssaySelect a film from the attached pre-
approved film list (or email your instructor an alternative film title for approval) and watch
the film at least once. Create a brief outline of what frames and storylines you will likely be
applying, and to whom, and submit it to the Assignment box. (This Assignment box is linked
to Turnitin). The Help Film EssayStudent will choose a film, present quotes from each of the
colorblind racism, frames, and analyze them accordingly, in a minimum of 6 pages. As
his/her critical-thinking decision-making objective, students should decide whether the
societal evidence he/she reviews in the paper (a) demonstrates the typical colorblind
pattern that Bonilla-Silva describes in the textbook; or (b) reveals a more progressive
and/or minority pattern; or (c) some combination of the above; or (d) some other pattern
not discussed in the textbook but worth exploring in future research. The student may find
that the quotes he/she analyzes deliberately challenge one of the 4 frames of colorblindness
in some way, and he/she can note this in the paper as well. Each paper should consider the
implications of the analysis of colorblindness for the future of multiracial society. In other
words, how do the representations discovered in your analysis help and/or hinder a
society’s progress toward inclusive multiracial democracyThe Help Film
Essayattachment_1Unformatted Attachment PreviewThinking about my film paper
Requirements: Students will choose a film, present quotes from each of the colorblind
racism frames, and analyze them accordingly, in a minimum of 6 pages (this excludes Title
page and Reference page). As his/her critical-thinking decision-making objective, students
should decide whether the societal evidence he/she reviews in the paper (a) demonstrates
the typical colorblind pattern that Bonilla-Silva (four frames, rhetorical/semantic moves in
language, storylines) describes in the textbook; or (b) reveals a more progressive and/or
minority pattern (decrease in segregation, acceptance of interracial relationships,
advancements made by race/ethnic groups); or (c) some combination of the above (a and
b); or (d) some other pattern not discussed in the textbook but worth exploring in future
research ( You will need to these ideas from text of LibGuide readings or student research
w/citations). The student may find that the quotes he/she analyzes deliberately challenge
one of the 4 frames of colorblindness for the future of a multiracial society. In other words,
how do the representations discovered in your analysis help and/or hinder a society’s
progress toward inclusive multiracial democracy? The paper should present quotes that
illustrate all 4 frames of colorblindness and analyze them accordingly. Some examples: (All
“A” paper from previous sessions). Crash These frames include: Abstract Liberalism- the

2. notion that racial unfairness is masked in the name of equal opportunity, Naturalization- the
idea that it is “normal” or “natural” for race-related matters to occur, Cultural Racism- the
“blaming the victim” mentality, and Minimization of Racism- the idea that racism is not an
issue any longer as it was only in the past. (Bonilla-Silva, 2014, p. 73-96). I argue that
evidence of these frames can be identified in the move Crash….In the movie Crash there is
evidence of Matt Dillon’s character, Officer Ryan, as having this tendency. While this
character is portrayed as openly racist, his interaction with an insurance specialist in the
movie shows his adverse feelings toward affirmative action…. Naturalization is the
colorblind frame that explains racial phenomena as natural occurrences. One way in which
Crash portrays this frame is the way in which Anthony, portrayed by Ludacris, chooses to
deal with the van full of presumably illegal immigrants that he happens upon by a string of
criminal acts. Anthony, throughout the movie, is very open on his views of discrimination
and racism. He still portrays, however, his own colorblind views. Because he feels that the
Asian community segregates itself because it is the “natural” thing to do, he lets the
immigrants free in Chinatown, assuming that’s where they’d naturally want to be.
Naturalization is often used to explain away segregation. Higher Learning That night we see
2 different fraternity parties going on, one with white and one with black students. As 3
white female students enter their white frat party they are talking about a Mexican
roommate that got a scholarship because of being Mexican. This is an example of both
cultural racism and abstract liberalism, getting a scholarship based on heritage (affirmative
action) and the storyline of a Minority getting into college over a white majority (the white
students had to pay full tuition while the Mexican got a free ride). Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning, immediately places the audience into the Jim Crow era, as the first
scene shows two separate drinking fountains, one labeled “Whites Only” and the other
labeled “Colored.”….. Sheriff Ray Stuckey, Mayor Tilman, and Clayton Townley are very
vocal about their disapproval of government interfering with their great state of Mississippi.
They do not want the government to force anything on them, liberal democracy. Sheriff
Stuckey calls the missing Civil Rights Activist a hoax all cooked up by that Martin Luther
King fellow. The Help Film EssayTownley held an all-white rally at night and stated, “They
hate Mississippi! They hate us because we present a shining example of *successful*
segregation.” Additionally, he stated to a reporter, “We do not accept Turks, Mongrels,
Tartars, Orientals nor Negroes because we are here to protect Anglo-Saxon Democracy, and
the American way!” These statements further justify his belief in the liberal democracy
principle of Abstract Liberalism…… Mississippi Burning was full of cultural stereotypes. A
reporter asks a white lady what she thought about black people and she stated, “They nasty,
stink, not like us white folks.” These stereotypes were very much present in the 1960s and
vocally expressed. Deputy Pell stated to his wife after seeing her old a black baby, “It’s
funny, they are so cute when they are babies.” His comments suggesting all blacks are not
attractive once they grow up and inferior to whites. The first thing Sheriff Stuckey asked the
FBI agents was, “Are you here to fix my Nigger problem.” First, he is calling everyone of
color a racial slur and implying all black people are problems. To Kill a Mocking Bird One
character that enforces black stereotypes is Lula. She is a parishioner of the “colored”
church, First Purchase. She is angry that Calpurnia brings white children into their black

3. church, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here – they got their church, we got
our’n” (Lee 1960)…. Conversely, there are several characters who defy stereotypes. For
example, the Finch’s housemaid, Calpurnia cleans the home, cares for the children and
prepares the Finch’s meals. She is more than a housemaid and is thought of as family. She
acts as a disciplinarian to the children and Atticus defends her to his sister, saying she’s
“been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been…and the children love
her” (Lee 1960). Moreover, she acts as a maternal figure to Jem and Scout…. Miss Maudie
elucidates, “We’re so rarely called upon to be Christians but when we are, we’ve got men
like Atticus to go for us. I thought, Atticus Finch won’t win, but he’s the only man in these
parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought, we’re making a step;
it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step” (Lee 1960). Obviously, the citizens of this small town
hide behind the de facto race laws and they allow one man to rise against the discrimination
and racial slurs. A Time to Kill I recognized the “I have black friends…” (Bonilla-Silva 2002)
storyline as well as blatant bigotry. It also has good examples of social capital and
conventional wisdom specifically related to the trial of Carl Lee (McClure and Harris 2015).
There is a counter-perspective of a few minor characters who are progressives that display
empathy and lack prejudice for Carl Lee Hailey…. I saw evidence of the use of the cultural
frame of color-blind racism (Bonilla-Silva 2003). Billy Ray’s brother, Freddie Cobb makes a
statement to character Ellen Rourk who is an attorney assisting Jake Brigance with the case.
Freddie, one of the KKK members, tells her, “you can’t blame a nigger for being a nigger no
more than blaming a dog for being a dog” (Shumacker 1996). This quote is a statement
commenting on how black people are raised, and they behave according to how they were
raised….. There are a lot of instances in the film of the abstract liberalism frame (Bonilla-
Silva 2003). Most of these relate to the trial and whether it is possible for Carl Lee to receive
a fair trial. The first instance is when Jake requests a change of venue. The Help Film
EssayThe judge, Omar Noose, denies the request for change of venue. He states, “It is
impossible to find a fair and impartial jury in Madison County. It is impossible in the whole
state of Mississippi. The jury here would be as fair as anywhere else” (Shumacker 1996)….. I
witnessed a lot of social capital and conventional wisdom in this movie as well, primarily as
related to the trial. First, the DA, Rufus Buckley, who is telling reporters that the juror list is
sealed, and that no one will know who the potential jurors are, looks beyond reporters to
see his assistant who illegally obtained the names of the jurors. This advantage is an
example of social capital that whites can access. The DA had the necessary connection to
obtain the list. Another example is Judge Noose connects to a friend who is an appellate
judge to guarantee his ruling on the change of venue request will not be overturned. This
connection shows the network capabilities of the white judge with an assumed white
appellate judge. By using this form of social capital, the DA can obtain an all-white jury. Jake
states, “if it is an all-white jury, Carl Lee dies, and if there are blacks on the jury, Carl Lee
lives” (Shumacker 1996). Get Out The opening scene begins with a black man walking down
the street in a suburban neighborhood at night. Research has shown minorities typically
avoid this scenario from fear of being racially profiled. The psychosocial pressures of being
criminalized are a deterrent. And this is a further inflected by the character when he
continues to walk and say “you know how they like to do us out here” (cultural racism &

4. naturalization). Then, a variety of photographs of African-Americans are showcased on
screen, a pregnant woman, and a man with a pit bull. Some of these images are stereotypical
and can be associated with rhetoric storylines such as labeling black women as a welfare
queen. Storylines are socially shared stories that are fable-like and include a common
scheme and wording…. The next scene moves to the two main characters a black
photographer Chris and his white girlfriend Rose packing for the trip to visit her family.
Chris is nervous about meeting them and asks, “Do they know I’m black?” In the past, there
were strict miscegenation laws against interracial dating and marriage. Some individuals
still do not this topic. Statistically, whites are the least likely marry outside of their race
(abstract liberalism) …. She minimizes the severity of race as if it doesn’t exist. Then uses
the statement “My dad would have voted for Obama a third time.” This affinity for “special”
minorities is a fallacy of whites claiming to not be racist by relating to minority culture.
These are examples from the films that were identified by students. Remember your paper
should: 1. Address course concepts that have been presented. 2. Look at various examples of
Bonilla-Silva’s components of colorblind racism (including frames) 3. Cite examples from
the film to your application (quotes are best, scenes will work) 4. Create a paper that
demonstrates your ability to incorporate what we have examined in the course and brings
this all together when considering ways to build a multicultural society (conclusion). 5.
Format: Introduction of film (brief not a synopsis of the entire film) Application of course
materials to the film Conclusions …The Help Film Essay