Saturday, February 12, 2011
Amistad
Based on real events, Amistad is a fascinating account
of the trial of fifty African slaves in America in the year
1839. 'Amistad’ was released in 1997 and directed by Stephen Spielberg.
Film Summary:
It is 1839. Fifty Africans have been kidnapped from their
home in Sierra Leone, in West Africa. They are put in chains
and transported by ship, in terrible conditions, to Cuba in the
Caribbean, where they are sold as slaves to two Spaniards,
Ruiz and Montes. The Spaniards put them on another ship,
the Amistad, and the ship sets sail for America, where the
Africans are to be put to work in the sugar plantations.
Then something extraordinary happens. Led by Cinque, the
captives break loose from their chains and kill the Spanish
sailors. However, they do not kill Ruiz and Montes, but
instruct them to sail the ship back to Africa. Instead, unknown
by the Africans, the two Spaniards continue the journey to
America. At New Haven in Connecticut, in north-east
America, an American ship attacks and defeats the Amistad,
and the Africans become prisoners again.
The Africans stand trial for murder, accused of killing the
Spanish sailors. Different people insist that the slaves belong
to them: the Queen of Spain, Ruiz and Montes, and the
owners of the American ship that defeated the Amistad, all
say the Africans are their property. However, one young
property lawyer thinks differently to everyone else. He
believes that because the Africans were kidnapped and not
born into slavery, it is the kidnappers who are the criminals.
Men, he says, must kill for their freedom if necessary. The
Africans, he claims, are innocent.
The attention of the whole of America is on the trial,
because by 1839 slavery is an issue that threatens to split the
country in two. The President himself intervenes in the trial.
But he is not on the side of the Africans ...........
___________________________________________________________________
BHM Assignment #7 - Briefly respond to one of the following scenarios. Post your response to the blog.
· Scenario #1: Imagine that you are living in Africa in the 1830’s. You were taken from your parents, marched to the coast of Africa, and are now chained in a smelly, dark ship's hold. How do you feel? What are you thinking? What would your biggest fears be? If you were a child on the Amistad, would you have liked Cinque (Cinque was the captive that led the revolt/mutiny aboard the Amistad)? Why or why not?
· Scenario #2: Imagine that you are Cinque and you have just been told that you and your companions are to be killed. How do you feel? What will you do? How would you justify your actions?
· Scenario #3: Imagine that you are a slave trader. Why are you in this business? What are your feelings toward your slaves? Do you regard them as people, or property, or both? How would you justify feeling this way about your slaves?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
If I were Cinque and I was about to die, I would feel disappointed but angry. I would fight against them or convince them why they should keep us alive because we could help them. At the same time, I would also say that since we are all humans, why are you doing this to us? What does our skin color mean? How does it affect our character?
ReplyDeleteI think the Amistad video is an awesome video espically in the beginning when the slaves freed themselves by taking over the ship with force. Thats what I think.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also think taht the slaves would never forgive the people that wronged them by harming them or their families.
ReplyDeleteIf they captured the ship, aren't they the 'owners' of themselves in a way?
ReplyDeleteIf i was taken away by those guys i would give those guys a piece of my mind!! X[ But, i'd also feel scared. If i did give them a piece of my mind i'd sure get killed. X{ Still i would give Cinque a knuckle sandwich! X[
ReplyDeleteI would feel so sad if I was away from my parents because I would miss them. I'm just thinking that what Cinque was doing is wrong and that if I was ever free again, I would go straight home into the arms of my parents where I was taken care of and was treated fairly unlike the musty, dusty, and wretched ship I was on where I was chained up and I had nothing to eat! My biggest fear would be getting killed if I was acting the way I wasn't supposed to be in front of the captains. Since I am a child, I wouldn't like Cinque because I know what he did was wrong and that we should all be treated fairly. We shouldn't be treated this way because of the way we act or the color of our skin!
ReplyDeleteI would feel very sad because I won't even know where the kidnappers are bringing me and without my friends and family I would feel really lonely. I'd be thinking about ways to escape and will bring everyone else with me because I'm pretty sure they would feel the same way about being kidnapped and they should be able to have freedom instead of staying with a master that just tells them what to do and treat them badly. I would fear not being able to ever have freedom and never able to see my friends and family back. Yes I would've liked him and he would be my role model, too because he was so brave to try and help everybody escape from the kidnappers.
ReplyDeleteIf my friends were killed, I would feel very sad because my friends helped me with many things and they give me advice and they would talk to me and make me feel happy when I'm sad. I would try to get revenge although that's violent and not the right thing to do so I'd rather just do nothing.
If I was a slave trader, I was just doing it to get money to raise my family and I would feel very sad for them that they have no freedom. The slaves are people that are just the same as everybody else so why shouldn't they have freedom? Everybody should because everybody is a person so I should quit the job.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteScenario #1: Imagine that you are living in Africa in the 1830’s. You were taken from your parents, marched to the coast of Africa, and are now chained in a smelly, dark ship's hold. How do you feel? What are you thinking? What would your biggest fears be? If you were a child on the Amistad, would you have liked Cinque (Cinque was the captive that led the revolt/mutiny aboard the Amistad)? Why or why not? I would feel very sad, scared and alone in a place that I had never been in before, a prisoner away from my parents, all my friends and some of my family have been killed. Either that or I will never see them again. I would want to escape and help everybody else escape, but I knew if I tried I would be killed. If I had known I was being taken to the new world (America), I would have thoughts and maybe commit suicide.
ReplyDeleteyes I would of felt like I'd want to commit suicide to. It is very sad to be alone, away from your family and friends.
ReplyDeletewho cares color doesn't mater
ReplyDeletei am really disapointed at the beginning when there were still slaves now. But the good part is they are free now.
ReplyDeleteI would feel angry, sad, and hatred to the executors. I would try to break my chains and kill the man how wants to kill my family. I chose these answers because You would definitely be mad if your family got killed so, that is why it is my answer.
ReplyDeleteScenario #1:
ReplyDeleteIf I was taken from my parents and chained in a smelly ship I would feel sad. I would feel sad becuase I'm away from my parents and I probably don't know anyone there. I would be scared because I won't know what is going to happen on the ship. Te ship can drown and we might die to my opinion. I am thinking that I will die sooner or later because the people have swords and it was mostly slavery on the ship. You have to workfor the bosses or you will probably get killed. My biggest fear is that I will be like totally trapped in a unknown ship not knowing what to do. If I try to escape, never, I won't wven know which way is land. Unless I can find and island. I will still not know anyone and starve to death. I would of not liked Cinque because he was mean. If it was a real day in the whole life I would think to myself that I was never seperated from my parents.
I would feel horible I mean colorof skin does NOT matter. I would try to escape.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely feel scared because you're being taken away from your parents by strangers! Also sad because you're being taken to an unknown place and have no clue what's in store for you. But also mad because the people who took you away doesn't have authority to just snatch you away!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all Bebe, if u were taken away by "those ppl" aka the traders, you wouldn't have a choice. Also, you would know Cinque is the good guy, so unless you're bad u wud not punch him.
ReplyDeleteScenario 1: I would feel sad inside. I would think about what to do, like if there ever wud b a chance 2 escape. I wud be afraid of the unknown (I.e. Where we're going, etc.). I would've like Cinque because he actually had the guts to do something about us.
If I was taken from my parents and chained in a smelly , dark ship’s hold, I will feel homesick and desperate because I know the people won’t take me back to West Africa. What I’m thinking are: where are the people taking me to and what’s the purpose of the kidnap? My biggest fears are what if I won’t take back to West Africa and going to be slave in America with unfair treatments. If I was a child on the Amistad, I think I would have liked Cinque because Cinque help the Africans to get freedoms and he was very brave to do that too.
ReplyDelete#!) I wouldn't miss my family right away I would probably be in this just frozen state where I just couldn't think strait, like is this real? WAKE UP!! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!! Then I would just be such a problem for the traders. Whenever I was let up to walk around (it was nessacary for the traders to let the kipnapped people walk around so they could keep use of their legs)I would just be reluctant and disobedant(sp?).My biggast fear would be am I even going to make it whereever I'm heading for? I would have liked Chinque because he would at least be trying to escape which I think is very brave.
ReplyDelete#@) If I was Chinque and was told my compainions where about to be killed I would try and get them out, I wouldn't really mind having to do some hardcore stuff to get out, if we where caught (which I hope we wouldn't) I would just argue that we weren't meant to be here and if we were left alone this wouldn't have happened (dimwits!)
##) If I was a slave trader I would probably be in the trade because I neede to be like I need the money it will bring or it's the family buissness and I don't know how to do anything else. I would probly think that slaves are below me because that's what I would have been taught growing up I would think slaves are people we own to do work, they don't deserve the same freedom I do, they can't speak english *snort* where were they when my fore fathers where dying for my rights? If they can't fight us off to keep themselves in that barbaric place they should work for me!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteScenario #1
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel?
I feel sad because I am forced to leave my family, friends, and freedom and I also sad because the people who are taking me want to use me because they are too dumb to do their own work. Fail. Just fail. XD
What are you thinking?
I am thinking about why these people would do this to us and how the kidnappers would feel if they were us.
What would be your biggest fear be?
My biggest fear would be thinking that I might never see my family or country anymore and stuck slaving away with no care by anyone else.
If you were a child on the Amistad, would you have liked Cinque (the captive that led the revolt aboard the Amistad)? Why or why not?
I would have liked him and supported him because he is risking his own life fighting to help us even though he doesn't know us gain freedom.
Scenario #2
How do you feel?
I feel guilty because I am supposed to be responsible for helping these slaves to freedom but I am about to fail.
What will you do?
I will try to help theses salves escape whatever it takes even if I have to murder. (MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahah…*cough* *cough* sorry). I will even kill the slaves and not let them be slaved to those people.
How will you justify your actions?
I would argue that they should be free because they were stolen.
Scenario #3
Why are you in this business?
I am in this business because I want to earn money to feed my family.
What are you feelings toward your slaves?
I feel sad for them because they were stolen from their families and their freedom.
Do you regard them as people, property, or both?
I regard them as people.
How would you justify feeling this way about your slaves.
I can justify my feeling by paying them and taking care of them instead of treating them harshly. I would feed them better food, buy beds for them to sleep on, and also clothing for them.
• Scenario #1: If I was a slave, kidnapped, taken from the people I care for and forced to live in terrible conditions, I would be extremely sad and maybe confused. I would be sad and mad. I would think, why was I being taken? I did not do anything wrong to my kidnapper! I would be afraid that my kidnappers would kill me or something. I would have liked Cinque because he would lead me and my friends to freedom!
ReplyDelete• Scenario #2: I would feel scared and worried because I was going to be killed for nothing! I would have tried to escape and maybe helped Cinque to defeat our captors before they could kill us! I would say, to justify my actions, I only helped Cinque because the captors were going to kill everyone.
• Scenario #3: I, first of all, would never be a slave trader, but for the sake of that question, I am in the slave trading business because, maybe, I am desperate? I might need to provide for my family, and there may be no other available jobs but to do the slave trading. I am compassionate towards the slaves because they are in terrible conditions. I call them as people because regardless of what race they are, it is not right to be prejudice. I would justify that by trying to show my kindness toward them.
•I would feel depressed, wet, and hungry,thinking to myself about what would happen next. My fear would be of dying a slave because of not doing my job correctly.I would look up to the captive as a leader, someone who would lead us to freedom.
ReplyDelete•I would feel furious knowing that my companions and I were soon to die not knowing why(heh. that rhymed). I would take action by going up to our slave owner, and give him/her a lexer to think about what loyalty we've provided them.
•If I were a slave trader, I'd probably only keep this job for the amount of money that would keep me wealthy. I would regard them as people who should be let out of slavery, and into freedom.
AKUNA MATATA
Scenario #2
ReplyDeleteI would be mad because Africans did nothing wrong. They were kidnapped. If this didn't happen, all this would probably not happen. I would tell everyone to just be killed because then if Africans tried to escape, that would mean that they are guilty.
Scenario 2
ReplyDeleteI would feel like an animal, i would be super mad because the Africans were never born to be a restricted from their rights. They shouldn't be look at differently just because of their color.I would tell the slaves just to give out your last fight because if you did atleast you died under the fact that you were fighting for freedom not dying just because you were controlled
I have seen the movie and I wrote a report on Cinque. I would feel angry and depressed because these people have absolutely no right to take the Africans captive. How would they feel about being separated from their family and friends? It isn't fair to Africans. What made the white think that they can just snatch some people and order them to work?
ReplyDeleteIf I was a slave trader I would want to do it because you earn a lot of money trading them, in addition to all of the other goods traded in the middle passage. I would want the slaves to be free and if it had technology and support like today, I'd probably give them first class, (food, awesome stuff, let them have parties and see their friends, but keep them in a really big room with a bunch of things to keep them from coming out and taking control of the ship)but if it was still back then, I would get a lot of space for them and only ask for a small amount of people to come. As you have read from my response, you see that I would have treated them as people. I would also become an abolitionist after I had enough money to only transport stuff like sugar cane and other EDIBLE goods.
ReplyDeletePlease do not look closely at my profile pic.
ReplyDeletein scenario 1 i would be scared and when i got out if i got out i would smack the people so hard they would give me the ship back
ReplyDeleteScenario #2
ReplyDeleteIf i was Cinque and I know that my companions and I will soon be killed by others, I'll feel angry and frustrated. I will convince them to not killed us and explain to them that they shouldn't look at us in a different way just because our skin color is different. I will also let them know that they should treat us the same way like how they treat their own people.
If I was a slave, I would feel really sad and unhappy about the way my life had turned out to be. I would also be mad at my owner for treating me like property, but I would know that any other slaver owner would treat me the same way, maybe even worse.
ReplyDeleteScenario #1
ReplyDeleteI would feel scared but just in my head I wouldn’t want to cause attention. My biggest fears are that the slave owners would want to kill us for no good reason. I would like Cinque because he was a bold, daring leader for freedom.
Scenario #2
I would feel sad but I would be killed for something I fought for all the way to death. I would cherish my surroundings because I would lose them after my death. I would tell the slave owners about my actions that I did for equality.
Scenario #3
I want to be in this business because I’m rich and lazy. I think they are mistreated people who need better care. I think they are people. I would welcome them into my family, give them a good pay, and help them in need.
Scenario #2
ReplyDeleteIf I am Clinique and was told that I am going to be killed along with my companions, I'll feel nervous or don't know what to do. But even feeling fear, I would defend myself and my companions from those circumstances because we want to survive. But I still would not want to see blood so I would try not to start war.
Scenario 1: I would feel afraid because I dont know the people and culture there. I feel angry that I am going to be enslaved. I think that we should riot to get out of this. I fear that my owner will force me to do lots of work.
ReplyDeleteI would've not liken him because my mom had to be enslaved at this time.
1. I would feel unappreciatted and scared. I would be thinking why would the people trap me and chain me up. My biggest fear is darkness. I would like Cinque because he helped led people to Amistad.
ReplyDelete2. I would feel really scared because we were going to get killed. I would help them by standing up to the people who were going to kill us. Well I would justify by taking a stand for people.
3. I am in this business because the was still rasism and the african american people had to be a slave to trade things for others. My feelings are that we shouldn't have to be a slave just because of our colors. I regard them as people because we should respect everyone not by their color. I would also help by doing something to help instead of just like just letting the other people tell you what to do.
oh yeah and if i were a slave i would beat up myyy capptooors
ReplyDeletehi
ReplyDelete