13th
The 13th Amendment states that there should be no slavery or any involuntary labor, but only as a punishment for crime. Slavery is being forced to serve and be under another’s control with no freedom. This means that slavery is not entirely abolished, at least for criminals. A new form of slavery was imposed on people who were convicted and put in jail. The consequences given to criminals could be compared to slavery. Once a free man it would be hard to life a good life and work a good job. The documentary, 13th, depicts mass incrimination as an alternative slavery and persuades the viewer using ethos, pathos, and logos.
This documentary starts with the Birth of a Nation film, that portrayed African American men as horrible people attacking white women. It showed that everyone would be safe if the African Americans were removed. During the time of segregation, they established Jim crow laws, where African Americans were treated extremely less than Whites. African Americans had separate classrooms, restaurants, and restrooms, because they could not use the same as Whites. Moving into the civil rights era, with black activists and movement leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, fighting for equality for African Americans. From somewhat of equality being created, to Richard Nixon calling a war on drugs in the 1970s. The war on drugs was a campaign to eliminate illegal drug use in the United States. Running along with this campaign, an unplanned consequence came along with it, which was mass incarceration and increased violence. Law and order were trying to be accomplished in the heap of distress in the United States. As the population of the jails go up, so does police brutality, harsh and immoral treatment of officers, against African Americans. Many African Americans are killed and throw around by the hands of policemen, leads to the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter movement expresses that black lives are important and should be treated equally.
This documentary uses ethos which is the appeal to the character and if they are creditable. 13th persuades the viewer of the severe growth in the population of jails are a doing more harm than good. There are so many familiar faces in this documentary, especially presidents. Donald Trump was depicted as the wicked man he is, when he said, “in the good old days…” (DuVernay). He was claiming that the good days were when African Americans were not treated fair and abused. As Trump spoke at rallies, videos of African Americans being shoved were shown. They also showed black activist like Angela Davis. She was arrested herself, but she was a strong woman that overcame and had victory in the trial.
Not only does the documentary use ethos, but it also uses pathos to appeal to the audience’s emotion. There is a tremendous amount of pathos throughout this whole film from beginning to end. Examples were black and white images and videos of slaves and convicts. At a point the viewer could not tell the difference between the two. Very disturbing pictures of slaves with torn backs from beatings were shown. Also, even more disturbing videos and pictures of lynching and murders of slaves. In pep rallies were African American people were being pushed and shoved around with nothing they could do in return to defend themselves. Police officers were also being recorded shot and kill or mistreat multiple African American men. Its baffling that clips and pictures from back to the time of segregation and slavery, are very similar to the ones made now. Apart from videos and pictures displaying pathos, emotional songs were too that spoke of chains and being killed.
Besides ethos and pathos, this documentary uses plenty of logos, appeal to logic, to support its message with facts. In the documentary, it is said that “1 in 3 African American men” (DuVernay) are likely to be arrested. Out of that ratio “40.2% African American men are convicted for a crime” (DuVernay). In comparison to that, “1 in 17 White men” (DuVernay) are likely to be arrested. There is an enormous jump between the two ratios. It almost seems as if African American men are “targeted” more to be criminals. The CCA, a company that owns private prisons and detention centers, made sure more and more people were incarcerated without caring or sympathy for the harsh conditions and treatment for the convicts. Not only that, but they did not mind about the overpopulation and how it does more harm to have crowded jails. Although it may harm everything else, it boosts the money in their pockets. The CCA, Corrections Corporation of America, makes over “1.7 million” (DuVernay) just off the punishment of having mass imprisonment.
In contrary, some may say this documentary is not persuasive because the use of extreme pathos can frighten and disgust the viewers from even finishing the film. The intense image can put people at discomfort or even make them not watch to continue watching it. Many can have a weak stomach to the pictures of slave’s blacks that were torn and welted from receiving beatings. how there were pictures of African Americans being hung on trees. The police brutality and shootings were enough to make viewers complain about the film. The killings by policeman were very hard to watch, it would make the viewer grieve as if they knew the victims personally.
13th, an Ava DuVernay documentary about slavery hidden in injustice and mass incarceration, persuades the viewer using ethos, pathos, and logos that mass incarceration is a cover up for slavery. Cunningly, this documentary is named 13th, after the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment was supposedly an abolishment of slavery, but it was just transferred to criminals. Once someone is arrested and convicted, they are looked upon as a slave. They can not do things for themselves, have freedom, even once they are free they can not get good jobs for themselves.