I wrote an essay and surprisingly it didn't suck

Last term our topic in English was visual text and learning how to write an essay about it. We watched
The Power of One, directed by John Avildsen. We had to write about the scene where two characters
(Gideon and Peekay) run through a township.

Essay

The 1992 film, The Power of One, directed by John Avildsen, showcases the horror and
impact created by apartheid laws in South Africa which lasted between 1934 - 1994.
The particular scene in question shows Gideon and Peekay running through Alexandria, a
township, with children trailing behind them. The scene utilizes important techniques such as
dialogue, facial expressions, diegetic sound, and tracking shots to showcase the impact
created by laws such as apartheid. 

The first technique is dialogue. Dialogue is used when Gideon and Peekay run through
Alexandria and we see the countless ways in which the local South Africans are treated
unequally, such as an endless toilet line, someone being pushed off a truck, and a domestic
workers bus while Gideon explains what we are being shown. John Avildsen, the director,
used dialogue in this way to further display the impact caused by apartheid while, at the same
time, showing the view of someone directly affected throughout the film, we are shown
everything through Peekay’s perspective. By having the dialogue here and spoken by Gideon
we learn what apartheid is actually like to live with. This taps into the part of the audience's
brain that makes them feel sympathetic towards Gideon, the kids that trail behind him as well
as the people who live in the township. This can even be compared to ads created by
charities such as Unicef, Kidscan, Starship. They show the reality of the environment that
these people live in and forces the audience to feel sympathy and asks them “what if this was
you?”. The use of dialogue in this scene leaves a powerful and impactful effect on the
audience. 

The minimal use of sound also creates an impact. Throughout the scene of Gideon and
Peekay running through Alexandria, the only sounds we hear are diegetic and dialogue. The
director used this technique to his advantage as it creates a sense of realism in the scene
and allows us to fully taken in what is being said by Gideon and the environment they are
running through. This also creates a sense of sadness in the viewer due to the fact that there
is no music to sugar coat the moment to make it seem as if this was ever only a terrible
situation in a movie universe far from our own. The minimal sound creates an impact on the
audience that subtly brings the film into our own world.

One other technique used is what’s known as a tracking shot. This is used throughout the
scene as we follow Gideon and Peekay running through the township and, eventually, into
a part of Johannesburg. This was purposely done to showcase the difference of structure and
treatment of the two races. On one hand, we have the clean and spacious town of
Johannesburg while, on the other hand, we have the cramp, crowded slums of Alexandria
and most other townships. The use of a tracking shot also allows the audience to visually see
the clear difference in treatment for black South Africans and the white South Africans during
apartheid and causes the audience to be shocked by the clear divide in treatment of the
South Africans. This visual aid is similar to the early industrial era and child labor abolishment
movement. Although many were being told of the frightening conditions many children were
forced to work in, it still didn’t have the impact that could cause change. That is until they met
photographer, Lewis Hine. Lewis Hine traveled around North America to photograph hundreds
of children slaving away in factories, mines, and fields, to put faces to the stories. This
allowed the public to visually see that this wasn’t just something happening in a far off world,
rather something happening right around the corner. This use of visualizing aided the
National Child Labor Committee in its fight against child labor. This is similar to what the
film, The Power of One, did. Putting a visual to a story.

Acting is another impactful technique. Acting is most powerfully used when Peekay and
Gideon finish their run. They stop to get water from two separate fountains, one marked for
whites and another for blacks, while in the background we see the reactions of white people
to Gideon, a black South African. Their faces show disgust towards him. The director did this
to display the feelings of most white people at the time as most would be disgusted by the
fact that Gideon would even consider coming near them. This further shows what white
people of the time thought of black people and demonstrates to the audience the thoughts
and feelings of society at the time. We’re filled with disgust at the fact that someone else
would think so lowly of another human being based solely on the fact they were black. But
what we fail to notice is that this kind of reaction and attitude towards not only black people
but any person of color was seen not only in South Africa but also Australia, New Zealand,
and, most famously, North America. The use of acting to display this attitude was cleverly
done and cements the feelings of others throughout the film.

The Power of One, directed by John Avildsen, is an impactful movie even with a scene that simply shows two characters who go for a run. John Avildsen’s use of important techniques such as dialogue, diegetic sound, tracking shots, and acting, to showcase the horror apartheid had on the South Africans and created an everlasting impact on the audience.

Self Reflection

What am I proud of?

I'm proud of the fact that I was able to complete an essay in the little time we had. I also came up and was able to write a few links to the outer world successfully. I was worried that the links would seem like I was rambling on a bit (and I still think I was) but it seems it came out well.

What can I improve for next time?

Next time I can actually put examples from the visual text (in this case, The Power of One) in paragraphs where I talk about techniques. For example I didn't quote any dialogue when I was talking about dialogue. Or when I was talking about music I could describe the music and what it sounded like.

What is one thing I enjoyed about learning about film?

I enjoyed learning how to dissect a film and interpret different techniques. Mostly how to give examples about what it means and not seem like I'm making it up, such as my Truman Show essay. Yeah I really like making up theories and figuring out what something means and symbolism and stuff like that.

What is one thing I found challenging while learning about film?

I don't know, probably the part where I had to come up with legit meanings behind techniques and having it not sound like bullcrap that I made up. That part definitely took up most of my planning time and I remember talking to myself about the ideas and absolutely looking crazy. 

What is one thing I found useful/I will use next time I write an essay?

I will take in to account putting examples from the film to demonstrate the technique and mixing words and sentences around. Mostly because if I don't like it I can always just rewrite it or undo it.

What is one thing I am wondering about to do with visual texts?
I don't know really. I'm really into investigating visual texts (i.e the Loonaverse or Twenty One Pilots Bandito thing) and how I could take this skill or interest further I guess. Yeah I can't really think of anything that I might ask.