Q1. How does this film
relate to relate to Chapter 25 in Foner?
A way that the film relates
to Chapter 25 is with the slow pace racial change. During this time in the
1960’s you had a lot of racism and segregation in the country. Many people did
not tolerate it while others enforced it. In the film In the Heat of the Night, we have an African American detective,
Virgil Tibbs, who in the beginning is racially profiled by an officer. In the
beginning of the film we see Sergeant Sam Wood arrest Tibbs without any reason
other than having money in his wallet that he presumes is stolen. Then we learn
that he really is a very famous detective and is put into working out a case.
This to me although it is facing racism is a step of social change because
Tibbs is put in charge of the case and is a detective that is renowned for his
work. Tibbs can be seen as a step for racial change in the United States.
Another example of this is when white men are chasing Tibbs and is about to get
taught a lesson after he slaps a rich well-known white man. This scene can be
viewed as the same with the using tides of college students getting involved
with civil rights. Many people that fought for rights were often hurt through
violent acts like in the film where the white men were going to beat up or kill
Tibbs. The film relates to Foner in the sense that it is a film that tries to
give the audience of sense about the racial tensions that occurred after the
civil rights movement and try to get people to educate about the negativity of racism
and segregation.
Q2. What was the symbolism
behind when Police Chief Bill Gillespie told Detective Tibbs “you’re just like
the rest of us ain’t you?”
This particular part of the
film shows the true intentions that Detective Tibbs has. In the scene before
the line is given Tibbs slaps a rich white man that him and Chief Gillespie
interview. When they leave, Tibbs begins to say some things that sound racist.
They sound racist in the sense that he wants to bring the other cop down since
Tibbs is a black detective. This then leads the chief to give that comment. The
comment symbolizes that Tibbs along with the other cops have a racist side that
sometimes comes out and they want to accuse the other person because of their
skin color. The other scene in which we are able to se this symbolism is
towards the end of the film in which Tibbs goes into a small shop and yells at
the woman to tell her who it was that was involved. Out of frustration Tibbs
begins to yell out that he wants to know who it was, and that he wants to get
the white man. The fact that he said ‘white’ in the film lets the audience know
that there is much more depth than is led on. We are left to assume that Tibbs
wants to do this because he knows that it will help being a white man down to justice.
The symbolism of “just like us” is to suggest that not only white people are
racist but that other races also have a racial tension between others. Tibbs is
a perfect example of this.
Q3. Do you think that the
film offers a pessimistic or hopeful vision for the future of race relations in
the United States?
I definitely do think that
this film offers hope and pessimism. The reason being that although Tibbs is
black, he is able to solve the crime and get respect from the white cops and
the chief of police. A part in the film that this happens is after Tibbs goes
for an autopsy and one of the people comments to the chief, “you don’t want
him, but you need him…” This lets the audience know that Tibbs is needed and
the whites know it too. We are able to see Tibbs portrayed as a big masculine
lead that is very well educated and surprises most of the white cops in the
film. This is seem as progress because at the time many African Americans did
not have an education to where they are now allowed to have. Another part of
the film, which provides hope, is at the end of the film in the interaction
between Tibbs and Chief. You are able to see that Chief Gillespie respects
Tibbs and is able to move from race and focus on who Tibbs really is as a
person. This is a sign oh hope as we can see that some aspects of racism walls
are deteriorating and there is room for joy and change in society.
Q4. Pick a character and
what he/she stands for.
The character that I have
chosen is the character of Chief Gillespie. In the beginning of the film we can
see that he is close-minded and a little racist towards Tibbs. He represents
your standard white man with the same ideas as many Americans at the time. He
is a tough guy who believes in justice and doesn’t need help from a black man
and throughout the film struggles with acceptance. Chief represents many Americans
and the audience can identify with him in the beginning. Once Chief begins to
change it is to show the audience that change and openness is important. One
example in the film is when Tibbs is about to get beat up by thugs and Chief
comes and breaks it off and actually defends Tibbs from getting hurt. This to
me shows that he is a character that does not condone violence and to influence
the audience to not be racist and accept others no matter what. We first know
that he is open to change or ideas when he first contracts Tibbs to help him
with a case since he is a detective. This shows us that he is very professional
and doesn’t care as much about race but rather whoever is experienced enough
and is willing to get help from a black man. Chief Gillespie depicts a racist
man that eventually opens up and rethinks racism through the help of Tibbs. This
shows that the American Culture was shifting into being more tolerant and
promote peace amongst each other.
