Black History Month Rhetorical Analysis

Throughout the month of February, Black History Month is celebrated. What was originally negro week, founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and then later changed to Black History Month in 1976, by President Nixon, celebrates the lives and discoveries and impacts African-Americans have had on the U.S throughout history. Shukree Hassan Tilghman, the director of the documentary “More Than a Month,” explores the importance of black history and tries to get rid of Black History Month. The director’s message in “More Than a Month,” is that black history goes so much deeper than just a month of celebration, and to show true respect, Black history should be American history.
The director uses ethos to convince the audience of this message. An example

In the interview, which included mostly close-up shots, Freeman says “I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history.” This is important because Morgan Freeman, a very famous actor and African-American, doesn’t believe that there should be only a month where black history is celebrated and educated, and that it should always be like that because, like he states, black history is American history. This is also important because Freeman is a prominent figure in the African-American community, and he especially is a person who is celebrated heavily in Black History Month. Freeman’s words are strong and gives the filmmaker a strong argument for his message. The Filmmaker again uses ethos when he meets Dr. Sidanus of Harvard University, (24:00). During this conversation, visual and audio tracks are used with dialogue, establishing shots,long shots, and medium shots. Dr. Sidanus supports the idea of not having a Black History Month. He talks about how black history

An example from the film that demonstrates this message is in the visual and audio tracks, when the filmmaker gives the background of Black History Month. (11:00). This is significant because the filmmaker shows when and why Black History Month began and why it was important. He goes into detail about Carter G. Woodson, the man behind Negro Week, who fought his whole life for recognition of African-Americans. The filmmaker also talks about how President Nixon expanded Negro Week into Black History Month. This background perfectly sets up the director’s message because it shows how black history has grown, and how it can be much deeper and more than just a month. Logos also is used when the filmmaker and Dr. Sidanus review the results of a self esteem survey regarding Black History Month. (27:30). The survey results show that people aren’t really affected by the celebration of black history, and Black History Month doesn’t have a bad nor good effect on