Rochelle's Assignment #1

Response to Thesis #1:

Derek Knowles, “Toward a More Perfect World: How the Long Arc of Violence is Laid to Rest in the Films of Clint Eastwood.” (2011)

            In this thesis, the author looks at the Western trope of violence and regeneration through the movies of Clint Eastwood. He argues that Eastwood, through his work, rejects the notion of regeneration through violence. Usually in Western films, the phrase regeneration through violence describes the belief that “violence can have cleansing, positive effects on a community or society.” The author argues, Eastwood, one of the most prominent actors who consistently plays violent roles, ends his acting career actually criticizing the violence he portrayed for so long. The chapters display Eastwood’s journey to this realization through his films to eventually show that the only end to violence is nonviolence, which he displays in his final film Gran Torino.

            To support this assertion, the author looks at the work of historians that discuss the evolution of the Western myth, specifically the role violence played in framing the Western image. Prior to the 1960s, the Western heroes would only use violence in extreme cases as a means to an end or in the case of Westerns – to a regenerated social order. However, the Western paradigm shifts with the social, cultural, or political time it was produced and the author then compares the Western of the old with the introduction of Clint Eastwood’s first movie to describe the shift and the effect of the shift in the way we think about violence. Overall, the author uses these various historians, and even images, to paint a picture of the time he is describing. Specifically, he uses them as a roadmap to help guide his readers to the point he is trying to make about the evolution of violence in Westerns.

            Overall, I think looking at the role of violence in film and modern day life through the films of Clint Eastwood is fascinating. Although not a personal fan of Clint Eastwood, to base an entire thesis surrounding the implications and trajectory of his work is creative. However, I didn’t like how summary based the thesis was. I felt like I was just reading movie reviews and it was hard for me to distinguish between the opinion of the author and a description of the movie. It took me a while to understand what the author was actually arguing, if he is arguing anything at all, it seems more like he’s making a statement and using the work of historians and the movies to support it. The big takeaway from the thesis is the importance of using clear and concise language to get your message across. It is really hard to lose what you’re trying to say amongst all the information you’re trying to throw at your reader and I really noticed that here.

Response to Thesis #2:

Miles Unterreiner, “Race, Memory, and the Law in the Tacoma Chines Expulsion of 1885” (2012)

            As I begin reading, it initially struck me as strange how the thesis read like a story. I suppose my perceptions of how academic papers should be portrayed is misguided because I can’t help but feel like I’m actually in the story. The author’s writing is captivating. However, similar to the first thesis I read, my biggest struggle with this essay is that because it comes off more as a story it’s hard for me to grasp what the author is arguing. Instead what Unterreiner is tackling in this thesis is describing the history of the Chinese Expulsion and Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States specifically through a case study: Tacoma, Washington. Rather than simply recounting the events that happened the author aims to take it a step further and instead uncover the ways racism, economics and the law interacted to result in the waves of violence against Chinese people living in America. In addition, the author compares the notions of the Union army – freeing slaves and a sense of equality – with the contradicting notion of Chinese expulsion. However, there were some that didn’t buy into the anti-slavery rhetoric and owned Chinese slaves as well as wanted to further the anti-Chinese crusade. This in particular was really interesting to me because it tells the recurring story of how America puts economic and monetary gain over the rights of human beings, opting for oppression and savagery over humanity. I also enjoyed the chapter that explained the legal aspect of the incident and how it tied into the overall theme of the thesis. Throughout his thesis Unterreiner looks at the history of Tacoma, Washington while also utilizing narratives of the time to provide more context and help better describe the increasing sentiments of the time. I really appreciated this approach because it didn’t feel like information was being thrown at me. As such, it was easy to follow the thought process of the author. In addition, I think seeing the notes in the margins, and the changes really helped me because it also gave me a peek into the thought process. I was able to see where the author should flesh things out more or where the author should take out words and phrases to make it more concise.

Response to Thesis #3:

Bianca Dang, “The Fate of the ‘Negro Republic:’ The Santo Domingo Affair as a Lens for African American Visions of Reconstruction” (2013)

            In her thesis, Dang explores the opinions of Frederick Douglass, Henry McNeal Turner, and The Christian Recorder, towards President Grant’s attempt to annex the Dominican Republic. Unlike the other two theses, Dang presents a clear stated argument; arguing that the continued discrimination and violence towards African-Americans during the reconstruction greatly shaped their opinions towards Grant’s annexation attempts. Events surrounding the Santo Domingo controversy signaled that African-Americans would not gain equality and thus felt America shouldn’t subject more free people to the same fate as the African-Americans. It’s interesting though because Frederick Douglass was more concerned with the values America could import on the people of the Dominican Republic. He, who had no reason to believe in the American system, felt that America could have a positive impact on this developing country, this could also be because of his relationship with President Grant at the time. However, Douglass, one of the greatest American minds, was too removed from the destruction of Reconstruction to realize the disastrous effects colonization could have on the Dominican Republic, it’s quite ironic actually. Dang argues that this thinking stems from the inner contradiction many African-Americans of his stature faced: reconciling the privileged life he lived with the need to help African-Americans at the time. Throughout the thesis, Dang uses sources to recount the opinions and mood of the time to better understand the varying opinions of the issue. Dang discusses what the Santo Domingo affair actually entailed and what were some popular arguments surrounding the issue. Then she utilizes an African-American newspaper to discuss the role it shared in changing the narrative surrounding possible perceived perceptions of African-Americans during that time. Next she introduces Frederick Douglass’ account to show a fairly unexpected opinion to the situation and what I think is the most fascinating aspect of her argument. Finally, she closes out her thesis to explain how the Santo Domingo affair affected these two conflicting ideas of what it meant to be an African-American from the North and an African-American from the South. Overall, I found her argument quite convincing and I appreciated the use of two conflicting views to describe the overarching messaging of racial tensions during that time period.