Mississippi Burning by Allan Parker - Analytical Essay...

Mississippi Burning – Analytical Essay Mississippi Burning, directed by Allan Parker, is set in the state of Mississippi, 1964. In this film, Parker shows that he feels sorry for black people, by strongly portraying the levels of racism and injustice towards negroes, which was implemented by white people (the Ku Klux Klan in particular) within the state. The Ku Klux Klan was a group of white people who believed that negroes were filth, and that they didn’t deserve to live equally among white people: â€Å"We want beautiful babies, not ones with brown faces†. They conveyed their message through strong acts of violence, to instil fear in the hearts of all negroes, and the majority of the state’s population were forced into racism, in fear†¦show more content†¦Throughout the scene you can hear a negro lady singing a sad song, which allows you to understand that black people aren’t equal, and that they are forced to feel like they don’t belong there: â€Å"take my hand, lead me hom e†. The song also makes you feel melancholy, and creates a strong sense of pathos. Parker effectively juxtaposes the tap scene with this scene, in order to give the audience a clear understanding of the racism and prejudice against black people in Mississippi. Parker vividly shows examples of this violence, prejudice, and segregation, through strong scenes of the murder and bashing of black people and those who stood up for them. In the next scene, three civil rights boys are murdered by the KKK. Two of them are white, and one of them is black. They were driving towards the Mississippi border, with the intentions of introducing equality between black and white people into other states, after failing to do so in Mississippi. Knowing about their work, the KKK decided to get rid of them, so they sent some of their members to follow the three boys in their car. This pursuit scene is set in a very dark landscape, in which the civil rights boys are driving a car with its lights on. Parker effectively uses silence to build anticipation in the audience, until three other cars appear, pursuing the boys. These cars do not have their lights on, and they are concealed in the night. Ominous music starts to play, which slowly starts to build and