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13TH Documentary Analysis

The documentary 13th analyzes the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans in the US prison system. It argues this is a continuation of the historical oppression and marginalization of Black people dating back to the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery. The film tells the story in a systematic way to appeal to modern audiences and make them feel empathy. It connects the issues presented to the understanding that Black lives matter. Specific examples of racial injustices from the criminal justice system are shown through cinematography and song lyrics. The film is generally organized with an introduction, body, and conclusion structured around the treatment of Black people in America. It covers information in a medium pace that feels balanced without being too dense. The context of racial tensions in

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103 views

13TH Documentary Analysis

The documentary 13th analyzes the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans in the US prison system. It argues this is a continuation of the historical oppression and marginalization of Black people dating back to the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery. The film tells the story in a systematic way to appeal to modern audiences and make them feel empathy. It connects the issues presented to the understanding that Black lives matter. Specific examples of racial injustices from the criminal justice system are shown through cinematography and song lyrics. The film is generally organized with an introduction, body, and conclusion structured around the treatment of Black people in America. It covers information in a medium pace that feels balanced without being too dense. The context of racial tensions in

Uploaded by

Ndache Permata
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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13TH DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS

1. Central argument and secondary arguments

5. THE STORY TOLD:


⁃ I think this story was told systematically since it can be justified based on the fact that the
movie is quite appealing and it really relates to the realistic nowadays.
⁃ Yes, I do see a central narrative, which central narrative itself is a forward moving story
by the director, Ava DuVernay. It correspondingly makes me want to watch more, as it is on-
going story and continuity. Besides that, the audience who watch the movie can actually feel
emotional and empathy towards the situations that were presented in the movie.
⁃ Furthermore, it connects to the understanding of the audience’s mindset that the issue of
black lives is really matter. This can be justified from several cases that are shown in the movie.

6. THE PEOPLE IN THE FILM.

7. OTHER ELEMENTS:
⁃ the song (some lyrics do have implicit meaning that correlates about black lives matter
[SPECIFIC EXAMPLES CAN BE GIVEN])
⁃ the cinematography is intriguing too since the video shows explicit contents about
harmful and prohibited acts of some white people towards black people.

8. I can possibly say that the documentary is significantly organized, as Ava DuVernay is
structuring based on normal structure, like general, main point, and conclusion. Nonetheless, the
general point is at the starting part of the movie, which talks about Black people and how they
are treated by some white people in America. Then, it moves to the main point where it includes
some specific examples such as several cases of black people, imprisonment, ALEC, CCA,
Florida Law, and etc. At last, it comes to the conclusion, as it concludes about how black people
should be treated and how differences and togetherness are essential. This can be seen through
the ending of the movie in which a lot of people are demanding about peace and love among
each other.

9. PACING:
⁃ Not necessarily slow and not necessarily fast.
⁃ I can say that the pacing is standard and in a medium pace, which some scenes are
specific but the specific ones are not that thorough.
⁃ Most of all, it talks about the general context of the black people and how they are being
disgraced by some American people. However, as mentioned in the second bullet point, I think
that there are some scenes that the movie discusses specifically and in detailed; but not that
detailed.
⁃ I think that it feel just right; not too dense with the information. However, a lot of
information are gathered and argued in this movie. Nevertheless, the information itself are only
presented in general; not that specific, since the purpose of the movie wants to cover most of all
supported information that connect to the black lives matter.

10. The film was released on 2016. Major national event that was happened in the 2016 is the
Donald Trump Presidency Election. It connects to the insight where one article
(https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-09-02/racial-tension-in-the-2016-presidential-
election) mentions that “Two white people were seeking the presidency and race was a constant
and underlying issue, with black people fearing the police and whites feeling threatened by the
potential power of African-Americans.” “But the current campaign between Republican Donald
Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton suggests race relations might actually be getting worse or,
at least, more heated, they say.”

I guess it might be significant to know this context for the documentary because it really
apprehends that the insight of black lives matter should be known and can be connected to the
documentary itself. Says if a person knows the understanding of the major event in 2016, he/she
will know deeper and can emphasize or broaden the knowledge about the connection of the
documentary.
11. I personally believe that the story undoubtedly matters now, in 2020. This can be further
seen based on the fact that BLM is still happening today, even there are more cases like ALM,
Blue Lives Matter, etc.

There is major connection between the documentary re-circulation in the year of the 2020
presidential election in the United States. The evidence can be connected based on the movie
itself, which includes the scene of Hillary Clinton’s statement of ….. This sincerely correlates to
the 2020 presidential election, as a prove that black lives issue are still occurring and there might
be some political issues, affecting the case of black lives imprisonment. It correlates to the
heated situation that might appear during the election.

12. SCENES:
⁃ 1 scene that I remembered is the 5 black people in the Central Park, which were accused
by the authorities that they raped a woman who was running in the central park. (accused
because they are there)
⁃ I think it is interesting because we cannot just judge people from their appearances and
stereotypes. I know the story portrays that they were there with the woman, but we need to see
clearer information regarding the situation.
⁃ It is emotional because I connect to myself, where if I am the black person, I will stand
out and speak up that I am not guilty. I also feel sad but at the same time brave since I am sad but
I do want to talk about it and clarify the truth about the unfair judgments.

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