Corruption In Mississippi Burning

Power can be forged into many different aspects, both good and bad. Over the course of this term I have studied a range of different films and texts which show numerous perspectives of the way power can be used, influenced and turned into the bitter state of corruption. Mississippi burning directed by Alan Parker, the first film which I analysed and studied, portrayed power in a rather negative matter. It heavily expressed the relationship between power and corruption. Secondly, I analysed the help directed by Tate Taylor. This mainly showed power in the sense that it can influence those in its path in both an inspiring and controlling way. Thirdly, I analysed I have a dream, spoken by Martin Luther king Jr in the time and era of great need. …show more content…
Specifically in Mississippi burning directed by Alan Parker, fear was used as a way to inflict discipline. It was used merely as a weapon and never for anything pleasing by those being targeted. From this film there are countless scenes that could potentially be used as an example. The entirety of the film could be used as an example itself as it was based around suspense built up by fear. An important scene which represents fear is when the village where the negro live is burnt to nothing more than ashes. Those living in the area was forced to flee but not without the loss of the life of a negro to further impose more fear into the negro of the town. A loved man of the negro was hung purposely by means of ‘The KKK’ (Klu Klux Klan) to reinstate fear into them. The negro put one foot out of line and this cost them more than they could ever imagine. Fear was used commonly for the purpose of power I think because one does not forget the fear they felt and will go to a great extent to avoid the situation again. Forever they will be living under the unpleasant control of fear because the fear felt from this will be forever forged into their memories and they will never forget that feeling for one moment. They will begin to fear fear itself and this will cause them to be controlled due to the corruption of those blinded by power. The help directed by Tate …show more content…
It diminishes the opportunity to be an individual and seen as an equal with your own views and beliefs. All four texts which I analysed show some form of lack of individualism due to power of another. It was a relatively common occurrence where the expression of corrupt power creates a society led by dishonesty and deceit where individuals are enforced into groups. The help directed by Tate Taylor expressed this with great insight. An example of this was the way the whites treated the negro. They dehumanised them to the point where their life was believed to be worth absolutely nothing and far less than their own. The Jim Crow laws were put in place because the negro were seen as a “disease” and not for their own characters with emotions and thoughts. The Jim Crow laws were present in all four texts, mentioned in some more so than others. The Jim Crow laws were a set of laws set in order to enforce segregation between the whites and the Negro. These laws include things such as not being able to handle a book the other race had previously handled. In our society, these laws seem absolutely ridiculous to most but in the time and place of the US these laws were never questioned and considered necessary because of the perspective the different races had on one