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Hidden Figures Movie

Jahbari Hodge

American Public University System

LIT233

22 May 2022

One of the movies that illustrate a one-sided focus like the Heart of Darkness is the Hidden Figures. Hidden Figures movie focuses on the true story of bright African women who worked at NASA and provides an actual look at the racial strains of civil rights and positive messages concerning perseverance, integrity, teamwork, and communication. One of the major themes outlined in the movie is racism and inequality. Hidden Figures critically looks at the adverse effects of racial discrimination and segregation at different levels including national, international, and interpersonal levels (Febriani & Arianto, 2020). It illustrates how the United States worked against its own self-interest at every level to impose racist laws. The effect of racism on the international level is illustrated through the racial consequences of World War II. As the United States fought for freedom and equality abroad, the nation itself showcased its hypocrisy by reinforcing seclusion on its own land.

The movie features the conditions of World War II, with both the blacks and whites following with fear the cruelty and deportation of Jewish people in Europe. Unfortunately, the blacks could not offer any help instead, they compared the situation of Jewish people abroad with that of persons in their own societies in which black people were tortured, harassed, and imprisoned for fighting for their rights and freedom (Ikawati, 2018). The theme of racism could have significantly changed if the focus was shifted to black Americans. Unlike the Jewish people, black people were more prone to racism, discrimination, and different forms of inequality. For instance, segregated workplaces developed cruel and taxing challenges that prevented black American employees from carrying out their duties to the best of their abilities. Although the skills and expertise of black computers were intensely required in the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, their contributions were devalued by segregationist policies.

References

Febriani, J. J., & Arianto, T. (2020). Racism towards African American Women in "Hidden Figures.” Linguists: Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 6(1), 66-76.

Ikawati, L. (2018). Afro-American Women Discrimination on Hidden Figures: A Critical Discourse Analysis. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 4(1), 19-30.