week 3

Mraz delves into the fact that it is challenging to research the world of slavery, because there are so few firsthand experiences. The fact that Sergio Giral did extensive research for his films about slavery means that he can better portray the audience to the life of a slave as it really was. But Robert Rosenstone combated with a very good argument; to him for something to meet standards of “historical” then the film needs to somehow contain, “the issues, data, and arguments of the ongoing discourse of history.” In both of the films law is missing. One shows Fransisco lashed to death when law only allowed for twenty nine lashes of the whip, and in La Ultima Cena how the runaways/disciples were ruthlessley executed and their heads placed on poles placed in a semi-circle for everyone to see. Fernado Ortiz’s statement written in the article is in the same font but stands out so boldly and sums the times up very well, “…Slave laws were dead…”
Kirsten Schultz’s essay focuses on integration of slaves that have been freed into society.Pascual is happy but when he has attained freedom but later this happiness dwindles away. This is because slavehood is all Pascual has ever known, he has learned slavehood, and didn’t know how to be happy in his liberty. It is because he was practically being released into another world. Schultz’s essay discusses how slaves should have a skill or trade would make integration into a free society easier, this relates to the film because the count tries to teach the twelve slaves Christianity so that they can achieve happiness in slavehood. In the movie a count comes to a sugar mill plantation where he invites twelve slaves to a dinner where they act out the Biblical account of Jesus’ last supper. At this dinner the twelve slaves feet were washed and they were taught the teachings of Jesus about obeying. But it is clear that they are taught the parts the count wanted them to hear. The count thought of himself as a god figure. Slaves in the film were treated terribly with the exception of the nice meal they received. The slaves of the count in the film closely resemble the officials in Schultz’s article about Brazilian citizenship.