Kyle Hendrix

Professor Erin Dietel-McLaughlin

WR-13300
2 March 2015
Selma: Starring You
If youve ever dreamt about being the star of a feature film, it is detrimental that you go
out and watch the movie Selma, because it may be as close as youll ever get. Selma is a film
directed by Ava DuVernay that is centered around the works of Martin Luther King Jr. and his
attempts to gain equal rights for African-Americans. The film builds suspense surrounding the
subject until King finally organizes and executes the Selma March, a paramount event in the civil
rights movement. The film Selma uses well organized rhetoric and rhetorical techniques to help
argue its message effectively. Rhetoric, as defined by Hope College Professor James A. Herrick,
is, the systematic study of and intentional practice of effective symbolic expression and simply,
discourse crafted according to the principles of the art of rhetoric (7). When initially viewing
Selma, it is fair for one to assume that the films primary goal is to tell an entertaining story
about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Selma march. However, after combining this knowledge of
rhetoric with the film Selma, the viewer can observe the cinematography, sound, and casting, and
see that DuVernay is attempting to make a connection with todays young adults who have the
future of the world in their hands. The film is calling people of all backgrounds to act; and when
the viewer realizes that they are being called, they will quickly realize that they, the viewer, are
the feature of the film.
Any movies trailer is what ignites the viewers first impression. Selma is no exception
and clearly attempts to appeal to the countrys youth and draw them in to the box office. The

trailer includes many items that are aesthetically pleasing to a younger audience. First, the trailer
has the hip-hop song Say It Like It Really Is playing in the background; which is, a furious,
modern hip-hop song, promising us with beats and the promise of revolution (Blankenship).
This style of song is used in the trailer near the end as furious whites and blacks stare each other
down momentarily before lashing out and beating one another into the ground. This fast-paced,
violent track combined with adrenaline-filled clips give the youthful audience the emotional rush
they are seeking. Also, the violence displayed in the trailer is never resolved; and this helps
create a feeling of suspense among the viewers. If they want to see the resolution, they have to
go watch the film. As past Rowan University College of Communication Professor, Judith
Lancioni says, Viewers construct meaning from shot content and context, from the relationship
of shot to shot, and from the rhythm of cutting, all of which contribute to the films visual
rhythms and constitute an important part of its rhetoric (109). In the trailer, scenes flash onto
screen for mere seconds before disappearing into the next clip. These short shots create a pacey
rhythm that keeps the audience on its toes. For example, the blacks and whites come to a
standstill and the camera flashes back and forth between the two groups of people before
flashing to a variety of shots of punches being thrown one after the other. The rapid and intense
rhythm in Selma happens to be the preferred tempo of todays youth, and this is no coincidence.
Although the trailer involves non-stop action, the actual films pace is slowed down and
gives the viewer time to think and reflect. In contrast to the trailer, the film makes the dialogue a
focal point of its rhetoric. Dialogue was specifically important to the film in many ways such as
when President Johnson and Governor Wallace become heated and argue back and forth up in
each others face over what to do in response to the uprisings of civil rights activists. Another
way that dialogue was key to the film was through Kings well-known, riveting speeches.

Creating a message involves thinking critically about the facts available to you (Herrick 20)
and Selmas writer successfully does so by keeping the dialogue authentic to what is historically
factual, but also applying it to issues still prevalent in todays world. Because of the deliberate
words chosen for King to express, a powerful message was created.
In addition to the significance of auditory messages and dialogue, visual symbols are also
integral to the identity and rhetoric of the film, Selma. We live in cultures that are increasingly
permeated by visual images with a variety of purposes and intended effects (Sturken &
Cartwright 10) and our visually satiated society is able to pick up on the slightest of symbols that
carry extraordinary significance. One specific symbol is the use of the presidential portraits hung
up in the White House. When King is talking to President Johnson, a photograph of George
Washington is clearly visible between the two of them. Washington can be seen as the bridge
between the two men; he owned slaves, but he also founded this country and helped orchestrate
the ideal that every man is created equal. When Governor Wallace is shown, a portrait of Andrew
Jackson is visible behind him. Jackson, like Wallace, is viewed as one of the nations most
ruthless and unrelenting presidents. Just like Andrew Jackson, Governor Wallace is always being
stubborn. When actively viewing Selma, the viewer can gain so much more insight into Selmas
intended purpose of calling people to action.
Selma is the first film created about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Selma march, but this
achieves more than just the effect an observer would imagine. People usually know about King
by either reading about him in books or listening to his various speeches. By creating a movie
about him, it successfully combines both of these visual and auditory aspects into one, creating
an all-powerful effect. However, this movie helps serve another purpose by stressing the theme
regarding the impact the media of the media on the public. In Selma, media is the most important

outlet for gaining public interest for the civil rights movement. Televisions and radios showed
first-hand the violence and brutal destruction that blacks were facing on a daily basis and this
helped spur an uprising. Ultimately, this media coverage is what leads President Johnson to
legally supporting Civil Rights because of the opposition faced from the publics popular
opinion. Whether someone experienced the Civil Rights movement firsthand or not, Selma
impacts them in one way or another. Movies are another form of media and this just goes on to
prove the point that media is one of the most important outlets in influencing the thoughts and
actions of the people of America.
In accordance with attempts of appealing to a younger audience, the film tries to
modernize the works of King by using well-known actors, a modern soundtrack, and deliberate
cinematographic techniques. This helps create a connection between the problems King fought
and the problems the world is currently facing. For example, Oprah Winfrey is adored by many
because of her charitable acts and this creates a connection between the film and helping out
those in need. They also chose Common, a popular rapper among late 1980s and early 1990s
children. Associating his name with the film helps transcend Selma into the future because of the
audience drawn in by his popularity. The song during the credits mentions Ferguson, which is a
pressing issue in todays world. By deliberately choosing a song with these lyrics, DuVernay
shows that the problems that go along with racism still exist, despite Kings best efforts, and that
todays people must continue to stand up for equal rights for all. Finally, the film modernizes
King and enhances its argument through its cinematography that implants the viewer into the
actual scenes of the movie. In Lancionis work on the rhetoric used in a Civil War documentary,
she discusses the use of the moving frame and gives the example of, Slowly panning the
photograph of slaves at work in the cotton fields creates the illusion that the line of slaves

stretches on eternally (110). Selma uses similar strategies to give the viewer perspectives from
both sides of the conflict. For example, by not showing the end of the queue of Kings followers,
the viewer feels as if they are in line with everyone else, just beyond the view of the camera.
However, when the camera is directly behind an arm reaching out to punch a black man, the
viewer feels as if they are doing the punching. Both sides help the viewer feel either positive or
negative emotions and motivate them all the more to choose Kings side.
Some critics may argue that Selma is not actually a call to action because of the violence
depicted among whites and children who decide to side with the blacks. They may ask, Who
would want to stand up for something that is only going to lead to them getting hurt in the end?
However, these scenes are included to show the realistic challenges faced by those who decide to
swim against the tide when it is the right thing to do. The film creates a sort of martyr feel to the
actions of those siding with the blacks. Although it may create some sort of temporary pain, the
outcome of their actions is what makes it all well worth it in the end.
King is often thought of as the ideal human being; however, Selma depicts him just like
any other human and shows that one of the worlds greatest leaders of all time also made
mistakes and doubted himself, two of the biggest fears preventing people from acting out. The
first time the viewer meets King, they dont even see him; they hear him rehearsing a speech, and
this immediately humanizes King because nobody thinks that one of the greatest speakers of all
time had to actually practice. Kings vices and mistakes are also put on display in the film as
Kings wife receives a voicemail of what is thought to be King and another women having sex.
Third, King is criticized when his supporters line a bridge as King kneels, prays, and decides to
turn around and not march onward toward the officers awaiting them. He was called a coward
and many believed that he had given up. Throughout the movie, King uses the word tired

continuously which is an emotion everybody can relate to. When in jail, he has a conversation
where he questions whether its even possible to overcome racism. King relies on others to help
pick him up when he has fallen and during this conversation his face emerges and enters the
light.
Moving out of this darkness, King emerges as one of the greatest leaders of all time. He
ignited a movement in which he had millions of supporters willing to put their life on the line for
the sake of humanity. Many regular people, including King, faced brutal violence daily, were
thrown in jail, and even killed; yet none of these people started out extraordinary; they started by
simply answering yes to their calling. In Selma, King states, Who murdered Jimmie Lee
Jackson? Every Negro man and woman who stands by without joining this fight as their brothers
and sisters are brutalized, humiliated, and ripped from this Earth. Everyone is responsible for
protecting every mans rights; and if any one person decides to be a bystander and not make an
active effort, they are just as responsible. Selma encompasses every living person and calls them
to fight against anything that they believe is an act of injustice.
Herrick makes an observation as to why Kings actions were so effective. He states,
Through his rhetorical efforts, King built a community of discourse that enabled people to
think and act with unity to address a wide range of serious social problems (Herrick 23).
Rhetoric is the key to everything because it is used in any and every convincing argument. Selma
uses rhetoric effectively by uniquely making the viewer the focal point of the film. The film uses
techniques to draw in youth and young adults because the world is in their hands as they
continue to fight against racism and gain equal rights for all. Selma asks the viewer how they are
going to react to what they have witnessed. Any person, having actively viewed Selma, will be
prepared and ready to act against any injustice they face in todays world.

Works Cited
Blankenship, Mark. Can Public Enemy Make Selma Feel Modern? Tribeca. Tribeca
Enterprises LLC.
Herrick, James A., The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed. Allyn & Bacon, 2001. Print.
Lancioni, Judith. The Rhetoric of the Frame: Revisioning Archival Photographs in the Civil
War. Western Journal of Communication. Western States Communication Association,
1996. 105-116. Print.
Selma. Dir. Ava DuVernay. Paramount Pictures, 2014. Film.
Sturken, Marita, and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture.
Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.