Mississippi Burning

The whole school focus this year is on improving writing across the curriculum. Students in Mr Oakes’ Film as Text (English) class in semester one, 2019, viewed the film, Mississippi Burning and were asked a series of questions after their initial viewing, to respond to in writing. The film is about the investigation into the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi, USA, in 1964, and is based on real events. Here are some of their responses.

Some things I learned from watching Mississippi Burning…

Watching Mississippi Burning showed me the severity of America’s racism problem. I always knew it was bad, but I didn’t realise that people of colour were treated lower than life.

Lara Beaton

I learned that the KKK were a group of highly racist white people, who tortured many coloured people and took their lives. I also learned that 3 civil rights workers got shot by the KKK.

Nerrissa Leach

I learned about how the KKK really treated the Negroes badly back then, and how one sided they were.

Zac Henningsen

I learnt how racist everyone was, most importantly, the KKK. I found out what the KKK was, because I had heard about them, but never really knew who they were or what they looked like.

Another thing I learnt was how cruel people were to others, shooting and attacking people for no reason other than the colour of their skin, bashing children, and husbands attacking their wives, while having other men watch and not doing anything about it.

Olivia McDonald

Mississippi Burning taught me that Mississippi was actively participating as part of the KKK and likely still has members today in places. Also that the FBI was allowed to handle civil rights cases, but not murder cases. Nathan Hobley-Gray

The scene that shocked me the most…

Where the KKK waited out the front of the negro church and when the service finished the KKK bashed them. The kid who was praying was kicked in the face by one of the KKK members.

Will Batey

The African kid drinking out of the “Coloured” bubble tap, that is not refrigerated.

Lachlan Logue

A scene that made me sad…

When the church was burning down because they didn’t respect the religious rights, even though the members of the Klu Klux Klan are Christians too!

Ahmed Yavuzel

When Mrs Pell was beaten up by her husband, because she had spoken to Anderson.

Braiden Rattenbury

When the kid, Aaron was getting bashed in front of the church by the white people.

Jack Argaet

My favourite character in the film ….

Alan Ward was my favourite character in the film because he would not give up until the killers had been brought to justice for murdering the three civil rights workers.

Jade Wells

My favorite character was FBI agent Rupert Anderson, because he knew how to get information from KKK members and he wasn’t afraid to do it.

Kaitlyn Poole

A scene where I thought, “Good, they got what they deserved.”

When the mayor got kidnapped by the coloured man and he felt scared, just like Negroes felt all the time. He was forced to tell the truth about who had killed the civil rights workers. Farzana Alizada

I thought that Lester Cowans got what he deserved when the FBI pretended to be the KKK and attempted to hang him. Lara Beaton

This scene was at the end when the KKK members of Jessup Town were finally found guilty of civil rights violation and the judge sent them to jail. Deputy Sheriff Clinton Pell got sentenced to 10 years, Frank Bailey got 7 years, Clayton Townley 10 years, Lester Cowans got 3 years, but Sheriff Ray Stuckey was acquitted. Lakeisha Willoughby

One of the scenes that gave me the feeling of “good they got what they deserved” … was when Agent Monk tied up the mayor and told him a story to scare him into telling about who was present at the murders. Jorja Noles

The scene where Clinton Pell was in the barber shop and Rupert Anderson comes in and takes over shaving. Anderson is telling him to come forward and he cuts his face to scare and threaten him. I thought Clinton really deserved that for being so unfair.

Angie Wren.

A scene that shows that things are improving…

When Mrs Pell said, “Enough people know what I did was right,” including white people. Farzana Alizada

At the end of the movie when everyone was singing on the site of the burnt out church and there were white people singing with coloured people.

Farzana Alizada

The very last scene of the movie showed improvement with segregation. Both white and coloured people of all ages were standing together on the burnt down church singing in harmony. It shows them coming together, and the start of ending segregation.

Macy Bollard

The character I hated the most…

I hated Deputy Sheriff Pell the most because I thought he was very cocky and rude. He would walk around town with a smirk because he thought that nobody could get him for the murder of the civil rights workers. But when the FBI finally got a lead because of a tip from his wife, he punished her by beating her up. Amie Forster

I hated Sheriff Ray Stuckey because he came across as a slob, and cocky. He didn’t care how he came across. Also, he was involved in the KKK, although he was supposed to be supporting Jessup Town, so he failed at his job. Wilow Hoskin

The character I felt most sorry for…

I felt sorry for Mrs Pell, as she knew what the right thing was (the truth), but was torn between being faithful to her husband and remaining safe, yet wrong, and by doing the right thing and almost being killed for it. Mia Villani

I felt mostly sorry for all the Negroes who got killed, treated unfairly and violated, who got their houses burned down, and their church, just becau

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