Films as Rhetorical Texts

Edited by Janice D. Hamlet - Contributions by Janice D. Hamlet; Raymond Blanton; Rekha Sharma; Tewodros Workneh; Gordon Alley-Young; Gregory Adamo; Gregory A. Cranmer; Tina M. Harris; Sheryl Lidzy; Debra C. Smith; J. Joy Davis; David Stamps; Vinod Kumar;

This book analyzes films as rhetorical texts capable of having an influential impact on viewers' interactions with others. Contributors use culture-centered films, especially those focusing on race, ethnicity, and gender, to generate open discussions about race, racism, and race relations in the United States.

Introduction: There's an Elephant in the Room and it's Not Leaving: Engaging Discussions about Race, Racism and Race RelationsChapter One: The Story of Right Hand, Left Hand: The Rhetoric of Racial Angst in Spike Lee's Do the Right ThingChapter Two: The Spice of Life: Discussing Diversity and Disparity in Mississippi MasalaChapter Three: The Ties that (UN) bind: Whiteness and the Racialization of Jewish Bodies in the film School TiesChapter Four: Smoke Signals: Opening the Conversation to Untold Stories from the First AmericansChapter Five: "White-Side, Strong Side": A Critical Examination of Race and Leadership in Remember the TitansChapter Six: The Difficult Dialog of Critical Race Theory through the Lens of CrashChapter Seven: No Filter: Counter-Storytelling and The HelpChapter Eight: Fruitvale Station: A Humanistic and Vulnerable Glimpse into Black MasculinitiesChapter Nine: Zootopia: Using a Utopia to Facilitate Conversations about a Dystopia in SocietyChapter Ten: Gook and the Conversation WithinChapter Eleven: Theft and White Supremacy: Cultural Implications of MudboundChapter Twelve: De-essentializing Race through Dialectic Analysis of The Big SickChapter Thirteen: Wakanda's Prodigal Son: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the Relationship between Africans and African Americans as Represented in Black Panther