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Grady Jakobsberg Red CAP Group 10/9/13 1st Quarter Cinematic Analysis/ Lincoln Summary: Lincoln, released November

of 2012, directed by Steven Spielberg, takes place in January of 1865, before the 13th amendment has been passed. The movie follows the life of Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) shortly after his reelection as he tries to get the 13th amendment passed, with the Civil War coming closer to an end. The film portrays the fact that history is not as black and white as it sometimes appears to be. Lincoln has to deal with all the complications of getting the amendment passed before the war ends, for fear of the freed slaves from the Emancipation Proclamation being re-enslaved. He must focus on banning slavery forever in America to keep the Union together. As his Secretary in State, Seward, shows him with a white couple, most people only support the amendment because they think it will bring the Union closer to ending the war, otherwise they would not normally support having to compete with African-Americans in the workforce. He then has to juggle Confederate requests for peace as well as getting the majority to vote for the amendment in the House of Representatives. It has already been passed in the Senate, but Lincoln needs more than just the Republicans voting for it. This requires Seward to hire a group of lobbyists to try and get Democrats to vote for the amendment, who bribe them with jobs after they arent reelected into office. Lincoln also must team with the leader of the Radical Republicans, Thaddeus Stevens, who is an abolitionist and supports full African-American rights, to get all the votes he needs. Knowing his time is running out, and the Confederates want to discuss a treaty soon, the amendment has to pass immediately when it hits the House, but the vote is almost postponed when rumors run that the Confederates are in Washington. Lincoln gives his word that they are not and the voting goes on with the amendment winning by only 2 votes thanks to personal persuasion from Lincoln to on-the-fence representatives. The war continues after Lincoln and Seward negotiate with vice president of the Confederate Stare, Alexander Stephens, who will readmit only if the amendment isnt passed. Lincoln was forced to be very precise with his decisions and things were a lot more complicated than a sequence of events, but thanks to the way he handled the issue of slavery in America, the country is a better place today.

Historical Accuracy: Lincoln takes place in Washington DC in January of 1865 as Abraham Lincoln is trying to get the 13th amendment to the constitution passed in the House of Representatives before the Civil War ends, 4 months before he was assassinated. The film portrays the views of citizens on slavery at the specific time period. At one scene in which Lincolns secretary of state demonstrates how a couple only supports the 13th amendment because it is believed to end the war. The scene demonstrates the importance of getting it passed before the end of the war, but also how most people didnt want the African Americans to be free. In another scene Lincoln describes to Thaddeus Stevens, abolitionist, how the attempt for full African American rights must be gradual, otherwise it might never happen at all. African American equality was a very scary thought for most Americans as some couldnt even deal with blacks being free from slavery. Paul Escott wrote, Lincoln did not advocate or campaign for complete racial equality. Only a minority of Northerners favored such a step. Throughout the film Abraham Lincoln is portrayed as the hero of the Union and African Americans, freeing the slaves and rejoining the Union. Lincoln was an amazing historical figure who helped to get our nation to get where it is today, but wasnt everything the movie particularly portrays him to be. Lincoln did want to give the African American community freedom, but to keep the Union together. He knew the problem of slavery would constantly separate the Union, so he felt it was his duty to destroy it. Lincoln still did want to get rid for the ethical reasons slavery; he considered it unethical and unconstitutional. On the other hand, the Confederacy is made to look as if they refused to stay as part of the United States of America only because off how the North wanted to abolish slavery. The film doesnt touch on the other causes of secession such as the high tariffs and limiting of States rights. The film does do an accurate job of demonstrating the importance of passing the amendment and Lincoln understands this. He knew that all the freed blacks from the Emancipation Proclamation will return to slavery once the war has ended unless a law says they cant be re-enslaved. At the beginning of the film, Lincoln is consulted by a pair of African American soldiers who wish for more equality within the army. As history shows with draft riots and such, many Northern whites feared the consequences of arming black soldiers to fight for black freedom. (Julie Holcomb) In this scene the movie does a good job of demonstrating the respect Lincoln got from African Americans because, African Americans

recognized the implications of the Emancipation Proclamation and celebrated those who had brought about its existence. (Julie Holcomb) Lincoln was respected because of his resilience and intelligence in the eye of the storm.

Analyze the use of metaphor and imagery in the film, citing several examples. In the film, Lincoln directed by Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, playing President Lincoln, uses multiple metaphors to show Lincolns intellectual character. He tells many stories of his past to his cabinet, other republicans and other people in general to convey his point and demonstrate what needs to be done to accomplish a goal. At one point in the film Lincoln is trying to stress how important it is to get the amendment passed before the end of the war to his cabinet. He describes a time when he was a lawyer and was defending a widow who had killed her husband by hitting him with a piece of wood because he was choking her. In the will of the husband it is written that he suspects the wife has killed him and if he ever gets over it, he will have his revenge. Lincoln uses this as a metaphor to describe the south, that the south is the husband and has been struck with a blow, the emancipation proclamation, but when they recover they will have their revenge. In this case that means that they will end up re-enslaving all the blacks because the proclamation was only a military action and therefore the 13th amendment must be passed to keep the south from doing this. He goes on to say that he bent the rule of the law and let the old lady escape to Tennessee, for a drink of water. This is his way of saying that he will bend the law if he must to do what is just and right for America and African Americans. While Lincoln spoke many more metaphors then this, the film also used more visual metaphors and imagery. During the opening scene, Lincoln is at a military camp in the rain talking to a pair of African American soldiers and another pair of white soldiers. The blacks are asking for a pay raise when the whites come over. The whites begin to praise Lincoln for his work and his Gettysburg address and as they are leaving one of the African Americans join in, finishing reciting the address back to him. This is imagery which is supposed to demonstrate the equality Lincoln vouches for, in that he was out there with the soldiers as they neglected each others race and praised him for his leadership and righteousness. In one of the scenes following this one, Lincoln is giving a speech before raising the United States flag in front of the Capital. He keeps it short and sweet and says that he will raise this flag, but it is the job of the people to keep it that way.

This is a metaphor for what Lincoln is going to do. He will free the slaves and put America on the path to equality for all, but it is the job of the Americans to keep the African Americans free and the Union together.

Works Cited Escott, Paul. "The Great Emancipator: Emancipation and the Great Emancipator." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Favorito, Garland. "Speilberg's Movie Review." Free Republic. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2960216/posts>. Holcomb, Julie . "African Americans in the Civil War: From Enslaved to Liberators: African Americans and the Civil War." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. Holcomb, Julie . "African Americans in the Civil War: From Enslaved to Liberators: African Americans and the Civil War." American History.

ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

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