Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- 329:question:329--week_6_questions_comments-2024 [2024/10/03 07:27] – [How does this movie work as a secondary source? What does the movie get right about history?] vveriak
+++ 329:question:329--week_6_questions_comments-2024 [2024/10/03 16:53] (current) – 199.111.65.11
@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 The film highlighted a couple things about history somewhat well. The sheer loss of life that was experienced during the civil war was illustrated quite strikingly. The struggle for survival of many widows and broken families following the war was also represented well. o’hara’s view that African Americans were “inferior” was unfortunately a commonly held worldview at the time in the south. The film illustrated how women’s role in supporting the household changed, and how they had to begin performing labor they hadn’t been doing before. Additionally, Rhett’s initial synopsis of why the north was better positioned to win the war was relatively accurate. - Owen
 Despite being a highly romanticized period piece, Gone With The Wind does get certain things right. For one, in my eyes it does a solid job at portraying the grandeur of the Southern aristocracy through plantation estates like Tara. Another thing I believe it did well was how it depicted the Civil War. While using the conflict as mostly a backdrop, the film does depict the real life siege of Atlanta.---Thomas K
 Gone with the Wind captures several historical elements of the American South during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. It portrays the chaos and destruction brought by the war, illustrating the profound impact on Southern society and civilian life. The depiction of plantation life highlights the economic reliance on slavery, showcasing the lifestyles of the wealthy elite. At the same time, the rigid social hierarchy is evident in the roles and expectations placed on women. The film also touches on the challenges of the Reconstruction era, reflecting the tensions between white Southerners and newly freed African Americans. Additionally, it conveys a strong sense of Southern pride and nostalgia for the "Old South," demonstrating the cultural identity many felt during this period. - Sam B
+While this movie did not get many things right. It did get many themes right. Such as the Southern pride thinking that they could win the war with the idea that they were gentlemen that knew how to fight and fact that the north had the advantage of ships, ammunition, guns, and other such necessities of war. It also got the timeline right of the south winning the war in the beginning then the north starting to win. Next it got the destruction of Atlanta right with how the north went on a path of destruction and burning on the road to Atlanta. It also got the roles of the women in the movie right with how they had to help during the war by becoming nurses then after the war they had to pick up the work on the farm.-Ryan K
+This movie gets many general topics/concepts right. One being that women who were left at home during the war had to step up and work hard to stay afloat. This is shown when Scarlett goes back home to the destroyed Tara and does whatever she had to keep the plantation running. Another concept this film gets right is that Sherman burned and destroyed everything in his path. It also got right that during this time period girls were primarily valued only for their beauty and marriage prospects. -Maddy Woodard
+I think that the only thing that this movie gets in terms of being historically accurate is how the South behaves during the Civil War in a general sense. -Kazu Ferris
-  ====== Problems with historical accuracy? Errors in fact? ======
+====== Problems with historical accuracy? Errors in fact? ======
 Gone with the Wind has several problems with historical accuracy. It romanticizes the Old South and shows a misleading portrayal of slavery. It shows enslaved people as content and loyal, which erases the brutal realities of their oppression and suffering.It ignores the violence and resistance that African Americans faced during this period and overlooks their significant role in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Overall, the film simplifies and distorts complex historical issues, presenting a biased and incomplete picture of history.
@@ Line 45: / Line 51: @@
 Gone with the Wind contains several inaccuracies and problematic portrayals, particularly regarding race and historical context. One of the most significant issues is its romanticization of slavery, presenting plantation life as picturesque and depicting enslaved people as loyal and content, downplaying the brutality of their experiences. The film minimizes the violence and resistance associated with slavery, offering a sanitized version of history. Additionally, it relies on racial stereotypes in its portrayal of Black characters, often relegating them to secondary roles that reinforce harmful notions. While the film features strong female characters, it ultimately reinforces traditional gender roles, depicting women as dependent on men for social status and security. Furthermore, Gone with the Wind promotes a nostalgic view of the "Old South," glossing over the systemic oppression and moral implications of slavery. - Sam B
-One of the biggest historical inaccuracies in Gone with the Wind has to do with its portrayal of slaves and slavery. The film romanticizes slavery and depicts it as being something slaves were happy with. They were portrayed as being content and happy with their circumstances. When the "Yankee's" were pushing their way South to Atlanta, the slaves were all too happy to dig trenches and help in driving them out which is something I feel diminishes the actual struggles of slaves and their fight for freedom.-Vumiliya V.
+One of the biggest historical inaccuracies in Gone with the Wind has to do with its portrayal of slaves and slavery. The film romanticizes slavery and depicts it as being something slaves were happy with. They were portrayed as being content and happy with their circumstances. When the "Yankee's" were pushing their way South to Atlanta, the slaves were all too happy to dig trenches and help in driving them out which is something I feel diminishes and overlooks the actual struggles of slaves and their fight for freedom.-Vumiliya V.
+Gone with the Wind while got many themes right did not get the specifics right and skipped over the racial issues of the time. Such as how the slaves were portrayed to be happy to be working for Scarlett. Just like in the patriot even after they were freed after the war they just continued to work there as if they were part of the family. And the Ashley saying that they didn't treat the slaves badly just reminded me of the patriot again. The only instance that mistreatment of slaves was brought up was when Scarlett's father said you are being to hard on the slaves like she was their parent or teacher scolding their child. Overall this movie did not touch the issue of slavery in the slightest bit which should of been the biggest issue in this movie.-Ryan King
+Gone with the Wind did not portray the horror of slavery and instead tried to spin it to look much less awful than it really was in reality. It romanticized it. -Kazu Ferris
 ====== How does the film’s overall interpretation(s) deviate from scholarly historical sources? ======
@@ Line 58: / Line 68: @@
 This movie didn’t do a great job of painting slavery, showing the slaves as being happy and proud of their work. That being said, it still was a good primary source in some aspects. I thought that it captured a lot of the southern attitudes well before, during, and after the war. Some of the first hand experiences that the film portrayed gave the viewers a small look into what those people might have gone through emotionally. Along with emotional changes, there were lots of societal changes as well, seeing towns/cities go through reconstruction and even social hierarchies changing. For women’s experiences back then, it was a great primary source. It showcased lots of things that they had to go through, that of the pressure of marriage, poverty, and abuse. Furthermore, this film did romanticize the South and its people a little too much. Portraying messages like “better things will come tomorrow”, when in reality people probably didn’t have super hopeful mindsets when their homes were destroyed. -Matt S.
 Gone With The Wind is an excellent source to use when looking back at American society and culture during the 1930's. During the period this film was released, Americans were still reeling from the Great Depression, with millions of ordinary Americans jobless and unable to provide for their family. What's more, Americans were also grappling with their role in the world as Hitler and Imperial Japan were murdering their way across Europe and Asia. Conceivably, this film could've been seen by Americans as escapism that took them back to a simpler time. Lastly, this film also appeared during a time when there was still a decent amount of Civil War veterans were still alive, making the topic of the Civil War "more" personal to Americans of the 1930's.--Thomas K.
@@ Line 64: / Line 75: @@
 This film was created during the height of Jim Crow laws and the black actors were not allowed to attend the premiere. Needless to say, it’s not shocking, but still upsetting, with how the glaring issue of race is portrayed. This film does provide insight into what Hollywood and the general American audience thought of the Civil War. It was highly romanticized in its depictions of the enslaved people. They wanted to believe slavery “wasn’t that bad” but didn’t shy away from the violence and horror of the Civil War on Southerners. - Allie
+The way in which Gone With the Wind portrays the events it does tells us a lot about the people who created it, and the atmosphere surrounding the Civil War era in the film industry of the time. When the movie was released, the Civil War had ended less than a century ago — many of its veterans were still alive. Despite some changes from the source material, such as skirting any specific mention of the Ku Klux Klan, the movie largely ignores the concepts of slavery and racism in favor of a vaguely defined Lost Cause that would not offend any with immediate connections to the conflict. - Claire
@@ Line 85: / Line 100: @@
 Gone with the Wind is one of the highest-grossing films of all time and this is significant due to the fact that it romanticizes the Antebellum South and largely ignores the horrors of slavery. It even goes as far as to depict slavery as a being something good and beneficial, with slaves content and happy with their lot in life and lacking any desire to change it. The film is definitely a product of its time but it has also influenced how many generations viewed slavery and the Civil War in general. It perpetuates the narrative of the South as a victim, framing the Confederacy's efforts in the war as being a defense of their way of life (slavery) being threatened. It also further goes on to depict the aftermath of the war in the South and the devastation southerners faced, all while completely ignoring the very real suffering slaves faced and the impact of slavery as an institution in the South. Given the films enduring legacy, it's all too likely that not many of the people who watched or will watch this film will go out of their way to research what this period in time was actually like which leads to further complications and distortions in our understanding of the past. -Vumiliya V.
+Gone With the Wind is the quintessential piece of media often thought of in popular culture when the romanticized concept of the antebellum and Civil-War era South comes up. I have personally seen several parties and balls on social media over the years themed after the movie, often thought of by attendees as a love story whose historical roots are an afterthought irrelevant to the fantasy of being Scarlett O’Hara. Of course, with this comes the criticism that only privilege can allow these often white women to play pretend in a sandbox that includes the horrors of slavery and the Civil War. The aspects of its setting that Gone With the Wind chooses to focus on, and the aspects that it chooses to minimize, heavily impact society’s impression of that period. - Claire