The Help is a movie based on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This film attempts to portray what it was like to be a black maid during this time and bring to light racial issues, such as Jim Crow Laws. White women are used in the movie to help display how poorly treated black people were during this time. The movie is based on the lives of three white women, Hilly, Celia and Elizabeth, their maids and Skeeter, a southern society woman, who wanted to interview black women who spent most of their lives working for white families.
Skeeter was raised in a wealthy southern family, like all her other friends. She had recently graduated from college and had ambitions to become a writer. Skeeter grew up having a maid all her life and was very …show more content…
“The Help traffics in stereotypes and fails to present the complexity of race relations. It downplays both the institutionalized violence (including sexual violence) of southern culture and the Civil Rights movement’s collective resistance to that violence” (Blackpast). The Help tones down much of the racial brutality during this time period. For example, when Minnie used a bathroom inside, that was for whites only, she was fired, but during the actual time period of this movie the punishment would have been much more severe. A Black person could have been thrown into jail for committing an act such as …show more content…
Celia hired Minnie because she needed to learn how to cook, clean and be a housewife for her husband. Celia challenged the norms of how maids were treated during the civil rights movement. Celia actually cared for Minnie and was very grateful for her help. Celia and her husband included Minnie in their family and would even have meals with her, which was uncommon during this time. Normally, the black maids had to eat at a separate table in a different room. Celia and her husband made Minnie feel loved and appreciated which did not happen with other white families.
This film could be helpful to people who are unaware of the racial tensions that existed during this time in our history. It would not be as helpful to those who have studied this period due to the inaccuracies. The inaccuracies could be considered harmful if you wanted to truly understand this period. When I saw this movie for the first time, I was knowledgeable regarding The Civil Rights Movement and the Jim Crow Laws, but I did not know how black maids were treated in their jobs. It was very enlightening for me and interesting as I was able see how people were actually treated and the deep issues of
Skeeter was raised in a wealthy southern family, like all her other friends. She had recently graduated from college and had ambitions to become a writer. Skeeter grew up having a maid all her life and was very …show more content…
“The Help traffics in stereotypes and fails to present the complexity of race relations. It downplays both the institutionalized violence (including sexual violence) of southern culture and the Civil Rights movement’s collective resistance to that violence” (Blackpast). The Help tones down much of the racial brutality during this time period. For example, when Minnie used a bathroom inside, that was for whites only, she was fired, but during the actual time period of this movie the punishment would have been much more severe. A Black person could have been thrown into jail for committing an act such as …show more content…
Celia hired Minnie because she needed to learn how to cook, clean and be a housewife for her husband. Celia challenged the norms of how maids were treated during the civil rights movement. Celia actually cared for Minnie and was very grateful for her help. Celia and her husband included Minnie in their family and would even have meals with her, which was uncommon during this time. Normally, the black maids had to eat at a separate table in a different room. Celia and her husband made Minnie feel loved and appreciated which did not happen with other white families.
This film could be helpful to people who are unaware of the racial tensions that existed during this time in our history. It would not be as helpful to those who have studied this period due to the inaccuracies. The inaccuracies could be considered harmful if you wanted to truly understand this period. When I saw this movie for the first time, I was knowledgeable regarding The Civil Rights Movement and the Jim Crow Laws, but I did not know how black maids were treated in their jobs. It was very enlightening for me and interesting as I was able see how people were actually treated and the deep issues of