I thought that Mr. Anderson (the older FBI agent) was a very interesting character. Given that he was from a town just like the town they were investigating, I would presume that his character had the same mind set as many of the local law enforcers: extremely racist. But for some reason he lacked that characteristic. Though he seemed very understanding of the racist point of view he seemed far from a part of it. The way he laughed while singing the Ku Klux Klan song showed his light-heartedness toward the whole situation, while most older white men are extremely intense and prejudice when it comes to racial matters. In contrast to the lead FBI agent, who seems to lack a bias when it comes to race, Mr. Anderson shows small clues that he knows how to be racist but the north must have changed him. Even though he grew up and was apart of a town that most likely had KKK members within its law enforcement system, he has no problem asking members of the colored race for help for their investigation. Nonetheless, he clearly understands the social norm in the south, demonstrated by the numerous times he warns the other FBI agent to be careful when and where he talks to blacks because it will get the blacks in the trouble. His overall openness to treating races equally must have been swayed by the ways of the north when he was working in Washington. However, from what I've heard about J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI was not very colored friendly either. I'm wondering if we'll get more clues into why Mr. Anderson is the way he is as the movie goes on.
One thing that really stuck out to me in Mississippi Burning was the resilience and dedication of the African Americans in the town. This was obvious to me during the scene when they continue to have mass while gathered in the remains of the church that the KKK burned down. They were determined not to let the KKK scare them away, or defeat them. They found little ways to fight against the oppression they felt, and this was one of them. They suffered a loss, but did not let that stop them from living their lives; they got knocked down, but continued to power through, even when it was dangerous. They were brave and strong, and in that strength, they made a clear that they could not be beaten or intimidated. It was a simple act, them returning to the church after its destruction, but it was one that made a statement that said, “We will not be intimidated.” They protested what was done to them in a subtle, non-violent way, but a way that made a strong statement. That scene was very powerful to me, because it showed the solemn resilience of African Americans in the South.
The scene that resonated with my the most was when the Klu Klux Klan waited outside the church until the African Americans were done with their service to beat and severely injure the church goers. The young boy, who the FBI agent had spoken to before about the flowers, was standing outside the church praying as he observed all the violence going on around him. The boy innocently was standing there and a member of the KKK started beating him up. The little boy never said anything, never fought back, just kept praying and trying to defend himself by crawling into a ball on the ground. I thought this scene demonstrated a major message of the civil rights movement. The little boy showed the peacefulness during the movement. The blacks never provoked violence during the movement, the white’s were just afraid to lose their superiority and resorted to violence. Also, this boy showed the determination to bring equality. He knew that by talking to the FBI agent previously could get him into a situation like this yet he was stilling willing to risk himself in order to help the agents solve the case. This little boy showed the selflessness that many of the African- Americans possessed during the movement. They were willing to fight for the greater cause.
I think one of the parts that struck me the most in the movie of Mississippi Burning was when agent Alan Ward went into the diner and all of the other people in the restaurant went silent when he went to sit down in the "colored section." The silence didn't surprise me, it was the violence that followed. Even though the African American didn't say anything to Agent Ward, members of the KKK still had to make sure that no one was talking badly about any white members in the community to the FBI, and violently attacked anyone that they suspected of speaking to the agents. Even with the little boy in the burned down church who said that he wasn't afraid of the KKK, the KKK still came after him and the entire church just a few days later to beat the men, women and children. Although I knew that many of these acts were committed throughout the south by the KKK, the movie, still helped to show that many of the African Americans were beaten when they really never said anything about the case. Although throughout this year we have learned about what the KKK did to a lot of the African American community, I found it to be much different when the people getting beaten up really did nothing wrong because if anyone was to blame, it was the agents who continued to ask the African Americans questions even though they continually were getting hurt.
A scene that I found interesting during this viewing of Mississippi Burning was when Mr. Anderson went into the women’s hair salon. From what I have learned in the past, I already knew that the majority of the southerners during that time period were incredibly racist. However, I was still surprised when a woman responded to Mr. Anderson’s questions about the missing men by saying that it was a shame that the two boys were dead. Even though I expected her to ignore the African American man’s death, it was still shocking for me to hear how normal it was for her to say something that was racist. Back then, even seemingly harmless people harbored a lot of hatred. Because this woman was incredibly average, this moment helped me to recognize how bad the racial tensions were in the south and to remember that they truly did affect everyone.
One scene in the movie that has really stuck out to me so far was the part where the FBI agents were interviewing several of the white members of the town. They told the agents that the black members of the society did not mind how they were treated, and that things were much better before the FBI got involved. During this time period, it was very obvious that many black people resented the way they were treated, and were willing to do whatever they could to fight back. Yet, despite everything that the black community has done to prove that they will no longer tolerate being seen as inferior to whites, the white people of the small Mississippi town still believe that the blacks living alongside them have no complaints. This shows how deeply ingrained their racist ideals are into their way of life. They do not see the error of their ways, and as a result, they believe that everyone else sees their situation in the same manner. Because of this unchanging mindset, it is clear that anything that the government does to combat this racist behavior will ignored. It will take a lot more than legislation to end this conflict.
One thing that really stuck with me from our viewing today was that vengeance for those who step outside of the Southern white view on how the African American and white ‘cultures’ should interact. The FBI investigator sat down in the colored section of a restaurant, just seeing open chairs and a chance to ask some questions. The man that he talked to was later thrown out of a moving car onto a road. Although that man had committed no crime or done anything except being next to an empty chair, he was presumably tortured in some way and then thrown onto the street as a message against the actions taken that day. This showed me the extreme measures that people were willing to take in order to keep the blacks and the whites separated strictly. Although the man had done nothing, he was treated horribly because of the extreme Southern racism in Mississippi.
I thought that the choice of viewpoint was interesting. In the documentary, it was made very clear that the FBI was not the driving force in the case, but rather the people, yet the movie provides a conflicting view. The movie seems to be following the story from the point of view of the FBI, often giving only the FBI's opinion on a matter. As a result, it appears that the FBI had a much larger role that they truly did. Producing a story that appealed to the largest demographic would have been more difficult if it were not from the FBI perspective. That being said, I think a story from a different perspective would have been quite different and interesting
I was not in class today to watch the first part of Mississippi Burning, but I am looking forward to watching it tomorrow. I am curious as to how the FBI are portrayed, as their role in the investigation is shown differently than reality. Also, I am excited to see how the people in the town react to the incident itself, the national attention, the FBI involvement, and more. One last thing that I am looking forward to observing is how the people in the town interact with each other, such as the townspeople, the civil rights workers, the KKK, the local police, the FBI, and the media correspondents.
I was shocked by the extent to which black people had to attend to the white people’s desires. White KKK members wanted to control who the blacks spoke to and what they said. If these desires were not met, they would resort to violence. This shows how little freedom black citizens had, as they had to live their lives within the severe restrictions of the white man. This was evident by the segregated water fountains, bathrooms, etc, but was even more prevalent with the way whites and blacks interacted with one another. White men believed that they had the most power in society, and were more than willing to demonstrate that power to black citizens.
Something I noticed was how stoic and preachy Warden was during his investigation. He seems to have a very progressive mindset about the missing persons case considering that most people only talk about the two white people missing. He is also rather productive in his search effort. While this makes for a likable character, it was strange considering that the search was lazy in reality. After learning that the FBI wasn't concerned about the search and only found the bodies because of a tip, it's strange to see them moving so fast. The movie has made the search seem to move much faster than the forty-four days. Also it was very strange how knowing how racist Mississippi was, Warden ignored what might happen if he talked to the African American citizens. It doesn't make sense that someone who has that type of progressive mindset in the movie would go out of there way to cause more trouble for the African American community.
One character in Mississippi Burning that interested me was the young black boy whom the FBI agents met when they went to the burned-down church. I was shocked by his bravery and willingness to speak out. He defied all of the adults around him when he chose to speak to the FBI agents. He also defied the opression of the white community. I admired this character not only for his bravery, but also for his wisdom. Agent Ward asked him, "Why aren't you afraid?" and he replied, "how come you ain't?" recognizing the important thing that they had in common. Neither of them were afraid because they both cared enough about the cause. I think it made this boy all the more admirable that he was not just being ignorantly bold, he was being bold for a cause. I hope this character continues to be a part of the film.
Honestly, the most surprising part of the movie, to me, so far, is the way the FBI is conducting operation "Burning Mississippi". I am so surprised by this because agents seem to have unlimited resources, blank checks, and overnight shipping on everything. The agents' ability to spend so much money and have so many agents come help on a whim not only makes me wonder about how much the US federal government values human life but also makes me think that our director took some liberties in this regard because in reality, no federal operation is so pampered in terms of resources.
I am also really surprised by how well our director has been able to convey racial tensions that existed in the deep south in the 1960s. I think that the most effective way he has been doing this so far is by showing what the the white racists would do to African Americans that merely looked the wrong way.
The scene that struck me the most in the movie was the seen at the church. While the black people are at church the KKK gathers up outside and waits with maces and bats to hit the black people coming out. Once church finishes the black people come out to go home and they see the Klan. The Klan starts chasing after them and beating them. One of the things that interested me was that these people in the deep south are religious too. They are famous for being creationist and believing directly what the bible says, yet they can burn down a church without feeling bad. Also at the end of the scene the boy praying has a bible next to him and the Klansmen kicks that away. He would not do that to a white bible. this may not have happened exactly, but things like this happened. This just shows that there beliefs about religion and morality are not stronger than their hatred of blacks. Cognitive dissonanace happens and they side with racism. Another, thing that interested me was the boy. he was brave enough to stay their and pray and was not afraid to get beaten. This boy has so much will power, I wonder where he got it from.
The character relationship between Anderson (Gene Hackman) and Ward (Willem Dafoe) is quite interesting to this point in the movie. Anderson is much more old school than Ward, and relies more on his instinct. Ward sticks to protocol, and goes more by the book. Ward struggles to get Anderson's respect, despite being in charge of the case. Anderson prefers to do things his way, and goes outside of FBI protocol to get answers to the case. Anderson is very unorthodox, but his methods work. Anderson has a lot more experience than Ward, and that helps him in stressful situations. In the motel room scene, Anderson knew exactly what to do when the brick was thrown through the window, and ordered Ward to turn off the lights. Ward panicked, and chaotically ran outside the motel with his gun. Anderson is much more effective getting answers from town people, but is also irresponsible at times. Anderson is very flirtatious with Mrs. Pell (Frances McDormand (she's also in Fargo)), which defies FBI protocol. Ward is much more responsible than Anderson, but Anderson to this point has been more effective.
One scene that I found interesting was the scene in which the KKK waited outside a black church and attacked its members when they came out in order to punish the young black boy who talked to the FBI. It took me a while to realize that they did that specifically to get to that boy, but the part of the scene that stuck out the most to me was how the boy, upon seeing the KKK attacking, just knelt down and prayed. The fact that a very young boy would have the courage to do and would actually do that when all of the adults around him were running away screaming really surprised me. The only possible reason I could think of for why he did that was because he knew that they were coming for him, and he thought that if he ran, they would do something worse to him. After seeing that, it's much easier to understand why the black people, and the non-KKK white people, didn't want to help the FBI.
I thought that Mr. Anderson (the older FBI agent) was a very interesting character. Given that he was from a town just like the town they were investigating, I would presume that his character had the same mind set as many of the local law enforcers: extremely racist. But for some reason he lacked that characteristic. Though he seemed very understanding of the racist point of view he seemed far from a part of it. The way he laughed while singing the Ku Klux Klan song showed his light-heartedness toward the whole situation, while most older white men are extremely intense and prejudice when it comes to racial matters. In contrast to the lead FBI agent, who seems to lack a bias when it comes to race, Mr. Anderson shows small clues that he knows how to be racist but the north must have changed him. Even though he grew up and was apart of a town that most likely had KKK members within its law enforcement system, he has no problem asking members of the colored race for help for their investigation. Nonetheless, he clearly understands the social norm in the south, demonstrated by the numerous times he warns the other FBI agent to be careful when and where he talks to blacks because it will get the blacks in the trouble. His overall openness to treating races equally must have been swayed by the ways of the north when he was working in Washington. However, from what I've heard about J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI was not very colored friendly either. I'm wondering if we'll get more clues into why Mr. Anderson is the way he is as the movie goes on.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really stuck out to me in Mississippi Burning was the resilience and dedication of the African Americans in the town. This was obvious to me during the scene when they continue to have mass while gathered in the remains of the church that the KKK burned down. They were determined not to let the KKK scare them away, or defeat them. They found little ways to fight against the oppression they felt, and this was one of them. They suffered a loss, but did not let that stop them from living their lives; they got knocked down, but continued to power through, even when it was dangerous. They were brave and strong, and in that strength, they made a clear that they could not be beaten or intimidated. It was a simple act, them returning to the church after its destruction, but it was one that made a statement that said, “We will not be intimidated.” They protested what was done to them in a subtle, non-violent way, but a way that made a strong statement. That scene was very powerful to me, because it showed the solemn resilience of African Americans in the South.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe scene that resonated with my the most was when the Klu Klux Klan waited outside the church until the African Americans were done with their service to beat and severely injure the church goers. The young boy, who the FBI agent had spoken to before about the flowers, was standing outside the church praying as he observed all the violence going on around him. The boy innocently was standing there and a member of the KKK started beating him up. The little boy never said anything, never fought back, just kept praying and trying to defend himself by crawling into a ball on the ground. I thought this scene demonstrated a major message of the civil rights movement. The little boy showed the peacefulness during the movement. The blacks never provoked violence during the movement, the white’s were just afraid to lose their superiority and resorted to violence. Also, this boy showed the determination to bring equality. He knew that by talking to the FBI agent previously could get him into a situation like this yet he was stilling willing to risk himself in order to help the agents solve the case. This little boy showed the selflessness that many of the African- Americans possessed during the movement. They were willing to fight for the greater cause.
I think one of the parts that struck me the most in the movie of Mississippi Burning was when agent Alan Ward went into the diner and all of the other people in the restaurant went silent when he went to sit down in the "colored section." The silence didn't surprise me, it was the violence that followed. Even though the African American didn't say anything to Agent Ward, members of the KKK still had to make sure that no one was talking badly about any white members in the community to the FBI, and violently attacked anyone that they suspected of speaking to the agents. Even with the little boy in the burned down church who said that he wasn't afraid of the KKK, the KKK still came after him and the entire church just a few days later to beat the men, women and children. Although I knew that many of these acts were committed throughout the south by the KKK, the movie, still helped to show that many of the African Americans were beaten when they really never said anything about the case. Although throughout this year we have learned about what the KKK did to a lot of the African American community, I found it to be much different when the people getting beaten up really did nothing wrong because if anyone was to blame, it was the agents who continued to ask the African Americans questions even though they continually were getting hurt.
ReplyDeleteA scene that I found interesting during this viewing of Mississippi Burning was when Mr. Anderson went into the women’s hair salon. From what I have learned in the past, I already knew that the majority of the southerners during that time period were incredibly racist. However, I was still surprised when a woman responded to Mr. Anderson’s questions about the missing men by saying that it was a shame that the two boys were dead. Even though I expected her to ignore the African American man’s death, it was still shocking for me to hear how normal it was for her to say something that was racist. Back then, even seemingly harmless people harbored a lot of hatred. Because this woman was incredibly average, this moment helped me to recognize how bad the racial tensions were in the south and to remember that they truly did affect everyone.
ReplyDeleteOne scene in the movie that has really stuck out to me so far was the part where the FBI agents were interviewing several of the white members of the town. They told the agents that the black members of the society did not mind how they were treated, and that things were much better before the FBI got involved. During this time period, it was very obvious that many black people resented the way they were treated, and were willing to do whatever they could to fight back. Yet, despite everything that the black community has done to prove that they will no longer tolerate being seen as inferior to whites, the white people of the small Mississippi town still believe that the blacks living alongside them have no complaints. This shows how deeply ingrained their racist ideals are into their way of life. They do not see the error of their ways, and as a result, they believe that everyone else sees their situation in the same manner. Because of this unchanging mindset, it is clear that anything that the government does to combat this racist behavior will ignored. It will take a lot more than legislation to end this conflict.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really stuck with me from our viewing today was that vengeance for those who step outside of the Southern white view on how the African American and white ‘cultures’ should interact. The FBI investigator sat down in the colored section of a restaurant, just seeing open chairs and a chance to ask some questions. The man that he talked to was later thrown out of a moving car onto a road. Although that man had committed no crime or done anything except being next to an empty chair, he was presumably tortured in some way and then thrown onto the street as a message against the actions taken that day. This showed me the extreme measures that people were willing to take in order to keep the blacks and the whites separated strictly. Although the man had done nothing, he was treated horribly because of the extreme Southern racism in Mississippi.
I thought that the choice of viewpoint was interesting. In the documentary, it was made very clear that the FBI was not the driving force in the case, but rather the people, yet the movie provides a conflicting view. The movie seems to be following the story from the point of view of the FBI, often giving only the FBI's opinion on a matter. As a result, it appears that the FBI had a much larger role that they truly did. Producing a story that appealed to the largest demographic would have been more difficult if it were not from the FBI perspective. That being said, I think a story from a different perspective would have been quite different and interesting
ReplyDeleteI was not in class today to watch the first part of Mississippi Burning, but I am looking forward to watching it tomorrow. I am curious as to how the FBI are portrayed, as their role in the investigation is shown differently than reality. Also, I am excited to see how the people in the town react to the incident itself, the national attention, the FBI involvement, and more. One last thing that I am looking forward to observing is how the people in the town interact with each other, such as the townspeople, the civil rights workers, the KKK, the local police, the FBI, and the media correspondents.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by the extent to which black people had to attend to the white people’s desires. White KKK members wanted to control who the blacks spoke to and what they said. If these desires were not met, they would resort to violence. This shows how little freedom black citizens had, as they had to live their lives within the severe restrictions of the white man. This was evident by the segregated water fountains, bathrooms, etc, but was even more prevalent with the way whites and blacks interacted with one another. White men believed that they had the most power in society, and were more than willing to demonstrate that power to black citizens.
ReplyDeleteSomething I noticed was how stoic and preachy Warden was during his investigation. He seems to have a very progressive mindset about the missing persons case considering that most people only talk about the two white people missing. He is also rather productive in his search effort. While this makes for a likable character, it was strange considering that the search was lazy in reality. After learning that the FBI wasn't concerned about the search and only found the bodies because of a tip, it's strange to see them moving so fast. The movie has made the search seem to move much faster than the forty-four days. Also it was very strange how knowing how racist Mississippi was, Warden ignored what might happen if he talked to the African American citizens. It doesn't make sense that someone who has that type of progressive mindset in the movie would go out of there way to cause more trouble for the African American community.
ReplyDeleteOne character in Mississippi Burning that interested me was the young black boy whom the FBI agents met when they went to the burned-down church. I was shocked by his bravery and willingness to speak out. He defied all of the adults around him when he chose to speak to the FBI agents. He also defied the opression of the white community. I admired this character not only for his bravery, but also for his wisdom. Agent Ward asked him, "Why aren't you afraid?" and he replied, "how come you ain't?" recognizing the important thing that they had in common. Neither of them were afraid because they both cared enough about the cause. I think it made this boy all the more admirable that he was not just being ignorantly bold, he was being bold for a cause. I hope this character continues to be a part of the film.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the most surprising part of the movie, to me, so far, is the way the FBI is conducting operation "Burning Mississippi". I am so surprised by this because agents seem to have unlimited resources, blank checks, and overnight shipping on everything. The agents' ability to spend so much money and have so many agents come help on a whim not only makes me wonder about how much the US federal government values human life but also makes me think that our director took some liberties in this regard because in reality, no federal operation is so pampered in terms of resources.
ReplyDeleteI am also really surprised by how well our director has been able to convey racial tensions that existed in the deep south in the 1960s. I think that the most effective way he has been doing this so far is by showing what the the white racists would do to African Americans that merely looked the wrong way.
The scene that struck me the most in the movie was the seen at the church. While the black people are at church the KKK gathers up outside and waits with maces and bats to hit the black people coming out. Once church finishes the black people come out to go home and they see the Klan. The Klan starts chasing after them and beating them. One of the things that interested me was that these people in the deep south are religious too. They are famous for being creationist and believing directly what the bible says, yet they can burn down a church without feeling bad. Also at the end of the scene the boy praying has a bible next to him and the Klansmen kicks that away. He would not do that to a white bible. this may not have happened exactly, but things like this happened. This just shows that there beliefs about religion and morality are not stronger than their hatred of blacks. Cognitive dissonanace happens and they side with racism. Another, thing that interested me was the boy. he was brave enough to stay their and pray and was not afraid to get beaten. This boy has so much will power, I wonder where he got it from.
ReplyDeleteThe character relationship between Anderson (Gene Hackman) and Ward (Willem Dafoe) is quite interesting to this point in the movie. Anderson is much more old school than Ward, and relies more on his instinct. Ward sticks to protocol, and goes more by the book. Ward struggles to get Anderson's respect, despite being in charge of the case. Anderson prefers to do things his way, and goes outside of FBI protocol to get answers to the case. Anderson is very unorthodox, but his methods work. Anderson has a lot more experience than Ward, and that helps him in stressful situations. In the motel room scene, Anderson knew exactly what to do when the brick was thrown through the window, and ordered Ward to turn off the lights. Ward panicked, and chaotically ran outside the motel with his gun. Anderson is much more effective getting answers from town people, but is also irresponsible at times. Anderson is very flirtatious with Mrs. Pell (Frances McDormand (she's also in Fargo)), which defies FBI protocol. Ward is much more responsible than Anderson, but Anderson to this point has been more effective.
ReplyDeleteOne scene that I found interesting was the scene in which the KKK waited outside a black church and attacked its members when they came out in order to punish the young black boy who talked to the FBI. It took me a while to realize that they did that specifically to get to that boy, but the part of the scene that stuck out the most to me was how the boy, upon seeing the KKK attacking, just knelt down and prayed. The fact that a very young boy would have the courage to do and would actually do that when all of the adults around him were running away screaming really surprised me. The only possible reason I could think of for why he did that was because he knew that they were coming for him, and he thought that if he ran, they would do something worse to him. After seeing that, it's much easier to understand why the black people, and the non-KKK white people, didn't want to help the FBI.
ReplyDeleteHe seems to have a very progressive mindset about the missing persons case considering that most people only talk about the two white people missing.
ReplyDelete^^
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