Ethnic and Cultural Diversity: The Untold Story of Emmet Louis Till

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The theme of the film
The issue of diversity
The Main Characters
Reaction to the Conflict
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The Untold Story of Emmet Louis Till is a film documentary that revolves around the cruel murder of an African American boy for insulting a white woman. The film is based on a true story that happened in the 1950s about the killing of Emmet Till in a brutal manner. The film brings out various aspects of society particularly those relating to ethnic and cultural diversity. In essence, the film exposes the rottenness within society by manifesting the divergent perceptions of people. No wonder the movie was a great success in motivating the American civil rights movements. The contents of the film had a greater impact to the level of spearheading the reopening of the case almost fifty years after the murder. In its best, the documentary successfully captures the ethnic and cultural perceptions which hinder harmony in society. This is best portrayed by the outcome of a simple act of whistling by the young boy.

The theme of the film

Throughout the entire film, one aspect seems to dominate the whole story. Therefore the theme of the film as portrayed through its successive sequence is ethnic hostility and injustice. Right from the start of the movie the aspect of hostility amongst the different ethnic groups, in this case, blacks and whites come out clearly. The movie illustrates the level to which this hostility can reach by the eventual and cruel murder of Emmet Till. The aspect of double standards as far as justice is concerned further exposes the manner in which one’s ethnic background has a lot of weight on his/her social life. The film brings an ethnic conflict between the blacks and whites (Nelson 21).

The issue of diversity

Diversity is not an issue to be taken lightly; it carries a lot of weight in the day to day living. For instance, the movie is about a clash of two ethnic groups who coexist side by side. Diversity, therefore, is portrayed as a complex scenario bearing in mind people’s different cultural perceptions.

The Main Characters

The film’s main characters are portrayed according to the manner in which they respond to the turn of events. Tills mother for instance responds by exposing the brutality of her son’s murder to the shame of authorities. Her action forms the basis of the American civil rights movement. Till the on the other hand is portrayed as mischievous when he meets a white woman and whistles at her.

Reaction to the Conflict

The reactions elicited by the various characters and other people are diverse in nature. Till’s mother for instance takes this as an opportunity to expose the rottenness in society to the shame of the authorities (Grindy & Houck 78-82). The authorities on the other hand respond by concealing the brutality of Tills murder. The conflict attracts different responses from the many characters of the film. However, one thing that comes out clear is the ethnic and cultural background of the characters. This background forms the basis of their reaction to the conflict. The African American society reacts by championing their civil rights. I think I would have reacted swiftly to the conflict; of course, I would have sympathized with the African Americans since the conflict was very painful for them. I would also have joined the movement for the rights of blacks.

Conclusion

The film is a story about the torture and eventual murder of an African American boy by whites for whistling at a white woman. The theme is ethnic hostility and injustice. The film properly documents the plight of blacks in the hands of the cruel whites. The film elicits a variety of reactions that end up defining society in its diversity. The film, therefore, serves the purpose of exposing the complexity of diversity.

References

Grindy, Mathew &Houck, Davis. Emmett Till and the Mississippi press. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2008.

Nelson, Marilyn. A wreath for Emmett Till. Texas: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.

Click Here To Order Now!