Final 10page paper - for Essays Guru

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Green Book Film Analysis

Sugiarto Muljadi

CSUN

COMS 321

Prof. Darla Anderson

12th May 2021

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Green Book Analysis

Social stratification exists in almost every place that human’s dwell. Nonetheless, race

remains one of the most controversial elements of social stratification. The film Green Book

wants the audience to learn that there are no differences between humans regardless of their

race. While watching it, I was concerned that the script might have glossed over Shirley and

other African-Americans face. The newfound abundance of clean, inexpensive cars in the

1930s was more than a matter of convenience for middle-class Americans (IMDb, 2020). It

opened up new opportunities, giving them the freedom to fly across the world at their own

pace without having to rely on anyone. Also, in a constitutionally segregated world in some

areas and functionally segregated almost everywhere else, this was so for African Americans

(Lemire, 2018). However, while white travelers could travel with relative ease, stopping at

restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and places to stay as they wished, African Americans

faced greater challenges. Staying in the wrong hotel or attempting to eat at the wrong

restaurant could result in you being ejected or worse.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was not the only travel guide for African-Americans,

but it was the most popular. Victor Hugo Green, an African-American mail carrier from

Harlem who served in Hackensack, New Jersey, designed it. Green worked on the effort for

almost three decades, from 1936 to 1966, soon after the Civil Rights Act was signed into law,

including a four-year pause during WWII (Diamond, 2018). The Green Book quickly

established itself as the most important document for black travelers in America, outlining

where they could eat, drink, and sleep without being abused or worse. Green Book depicts

various discriminatory prejudices that permeated American life in the early and mid-

twentieth centuries, ranging from snide remarks and racial epithets to outright hatred.

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References

Diamond, A. (2018, November 20). The true story of the 'Green book' movie. Smithsonian

Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/true-story-green-book-

movie-180970728/

IMDb. (2020). Green book (2018). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6966692/plotsummary

Lemire, C. (2018). Green book movie review & film summary (2018). Movie Reviews and

Ratings by Film Critic Roger Ebert | Roger Ebert.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/green-book-2018