Hidden Figures is a film that tells the story of three African American women who played essential roles at NASA during the 1960s. Katherine, the main character, is a scientist at NASA working to do the math required to launch a rocket into space. She struggles because as an African American woman trying to get people to give her the respect she deserves. Many scenes show the hardships that she had to go through in order through a normal day. This essay will be exploring three main communication concepts found in the film: Instrumental needs, Identity needs, and Dialogue. Instrumental needs refer to the practical and tangible needs that a person requires to function in their daily life, such as food, shelter, and transportation. These needs …show more content…
These needs are important for personal growth and fulfillment. While working one usually has to relieve themselves a couple of times throughout the day. The same goes for the protagonist Katherin but in her case due to segregation, her bathroom was far from her workplace leading her to be gone for excess periods of time while she was working. One rainy day Katherine is gone for an even longer amount of time because of the inclement weather. This came to the attention of her boss and he called her out for it. After being reprimanded for something that she had no control over she defends herself in an emotional monologue. “... And I work like a dog day and night, living on coffee from a pot none of you want to touch! So, excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day.”(Melfi, 2016). In this quote, she is stating very clearly that she works just as hard if not harder than anyone else in the office and she will not tolerate not being seen for what she has done during her time there. After speaking her mind to not only her boss but to everyone in the office she storms out still soaking wet from the rain outside. In response, her boss first takes off the colored label of the coffee pot and drinks from it. Then he smashes down the colored bathroom sign allowing Katherine to finally be able to