ipl-logo

Nat Turner Birth Of A Nation Essay

553 Words3 Pages

Nate Parker tells the story of a slave named Nat Turner in his movie “The Birth of a Nation”. Nat Turner was taught, at a young age, to use his ability to read to study the bible. Later on, he becomes a minister and uses his knowledge of the bible to lead slaves from bondage. Because of his belief that slavery violated the law of God, on August 21, 1831, he led a rebellion with fellow slaves against their owners. The purpose of this movie is to show the people of modern society the unjustness that the slaves endured. It does so by using pathos and logos to tell the legacy of one slave, Nat.
Storytelling is a great way to teach people. In the movie, Nate Parker tells the story of Nat Turner and gets his message out there in a way that will impact the majority of the audience, by tugging on one’s heartstrings. The struggles and mistreatment inflicted on the slaves is shown throughout the movie. Their sadness and pain radiates through the movie, making sure the audience has a deeper understanding. Nat’s owner uses him to make money by preaching to other slaves in a way that will get them to obey their owners. Throughout these visits Nat witnesses the treatment of other slaves. In one scene Nat spots two …show more content…

The story of Nat Turner was a true one and the movie is a mix of fact and fiction. The closing text says “The rebellion lasted nearly 48 hours, and over 60 white individuals were killed, leading to an even larger number of deaths of black individuals. Nat Turner’s body was dismembered, flayed, and his remains were made into relics, all for the sake of preventing a legacy.” Nat was a real slave and minister who lead a rebellion. During the rebellion they killed 60 men, women, and children however, in the movie it shows them having a standoff with the slave owners. Numerous slaves were killed after the rebellion until Nat Turner was found and hanged. He was then decapitated and his body burnt to

Show More
Related
622 Words | 3 Pages

Stephen B. Oates writes about a slave named Nat Turner, who led a rebellion against slavery in the book “The Fires of Jubilee”. Turner was born on October 17, 1800 in Southampton County, Virginia. His mother Nancy was bought by a man named Benjamin Turner in 1795 and was transported to America. Nat’s father was never named, but was married to Nancy.

Read More
729 Words | 3 Pages

While working as a slave Nancy met another slave whose name is not known, but what we are told is that the unknown named man is Nat’s father. As the author continues to tell Nat’s childhood we come to find out that Nat was no ordinary boy. Nat

Read More
373 Words | 2 Pages

Nat Turner and John Brown are both noted, as being symbols of American reform. Leaders of abolitionist groups, who went on a killing spree believing they were given “extraordinary powers from above” and were executed for their strong beliefs of anti-slavery. Their gruesome murders could easily attract followers and spark interest in others to write their biographies. John Brown and Nat turner both came from strong religious backgrounds.

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

After watching this movie I took a few minutes to reflect on the story and its main points. As Nate Parkers job as a filmmaker I believe that he wanted portray Nat Turner as a hero that acted with honor and dignity to serve what he believed to be the lord 's purpose. Throughout the whole movie Nat turner can be seen as a right and just slave. Whether it was going from plantation to plantation with his drunken master to preach or serving a group for dinner, he did what he was told no questions asked. The film leads up to the mass murder by showing what Nat Turner experienced and why he lead the revolt.

Read More
274 Words | 2 Pages

Nat Turners Rebellion became monumental for many people of color, he was idolized and respected for his courageous actions. The rebellion created fear that spread through the South, even those in favor for abolishment now wanted stricter laws for slaves. Turner was “recorded on the list of dishonor” for the organization he had lead (“An Address To The Slave Of The united Slaves”). There had been an interview by Thomas R. Gray, defending and slightly sympathizing with Turners actions, many rejected the validation of the interview and felt as if he just wanted “to trick, confuse, and overwhelm the slave’s minds.” (“The Southampton Tragedy”).

Read More
171 Words | 1 Pages

In August of 1831 tensions between slaves and their owners had risen. One such example was slave Nathaniel Turner of Southhampton County, Virginia. He organized a rebellion with other slaves and they all went around killing 55 to 65 slave owners. While some thought he was a hero, he was truly a mad man.

Read More
1202 Words | 5 Pages

This goes to show the tremendous toll slavery had on many families; a mother could kill her baby to give them a better life. Nat’s “owner,” Benjamin Turner, gave him the opportunity to learn how to read and write. (“Nat Turner’s Rebellion”) It became apparent from a young age that Nat was a very intelligent child. As he grew older, Nat Turner became more involved in religion, which he often practiced with his fellow slaves.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

Frederick Douglass, born a slave and later the most influential African American leader of the 1800s, addresses the hypocrisy of the US of maintaining slavery with its upheld ideals being freedom and independence on July 4th, 1852. Douglass builds his argument by using surprising contrasts, plain facts, and provocative antithesis. Introducing his subject, Douglass reminds his audience about the dark side of America for slaves, in sharp, surprising contrasts with the apparent progressivity within the nation. He first notices “the disparity,” that “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and deaths to me,” as an African-American former slave. It is surprising for the audience to hear that the Sun does not bring him any prosperity, that the Sun, the source of life on earth, brings him destruction.

Read More
1080 Words | 5 Pages

In “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass narrates in detail the oppressions he went through as a slave before winning his freedom. In the narrative, Douglass gives a picture about the humiliation, brutality, and pain that slaves go through. We can evidently see that Douglass does not want to describe only his life, but he uses his personal experiences and life story as a tool to rise against slavery. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. Douglass invalidated common justification for slavery like religion, economic argument and color with his life story through his experiences torture, separation, and illiteracy, and he urged for the end of slavery.

Read More
1295 Words | 6 Pages

He stayed out of trouble and he would do everything that was asked of him (“Nat Turner and the bloodiest slave rebellion”). Many believed that Turner’s education and intelligence played a major role in his ability to be able to be a leader of such a bloody rebellion (Klein,Christopher). His rebellion made a statement. They ended up killing 51 white people including children (“Nat Turner”). He had slave owners and their families in fear.

Read More
498 Words | 2 Pages

Douglass tells about his own childhood and how his father might have been a slaveholder. He explains

Read More
1149 Words | 5 Pages

Nat Turner Rebellion Stacey Cofield Florida State College at Jacksonville Nat Turner Rebellion The primary source that I have chosen is Nat Turner Explains His Rebellion, 1831. More than fifty white men, women and children were led to their untimely demised at the hands of Nat Turner. Leading a revolt that was comprised of Black men, some freed and others enslaved, Turner felt his actions were an act of God.

Read More
1180 Words | 5 Pages

Towards the beginning of this movie, many blacks were looking at the white men with hatred for raping and nearly killing a ten year old black girl. The men transformed the innocent little girl’s life forever. The men were instantly

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

Read More
1171 Words | 5 Pages

With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. ”(7) The character developement of Douglass’ planning is overshadowed by the humanism inside the children. The white boys Douglass meets have not yet been exposed to severe racism and the hate of black Americans, and humanistically teach Douglass how to read as if he was just another boy. Humanism seems to be an overlooked theme throughout Douglass narrative, the system of thought of putting humans before divinity and emphasizing human empathy is truly a large theme in how slavery has

Read More

More about Nat Turner Birth Of A Nation Essay

Related Topics

Open Document