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Shayla Staggers

Dr.Wynne

Written Communications

9 February 2017

Genre Analysis : Mass Incarceration

Slavery was never abolished it was simply reinvented. Mass incarceration is defined as

the substantial increase in the prison population. It has become an effect of the American Justice

System, inforced by our founding fathers who were not activist for racial equality. While the 13th

Amendment was ratified to put an end to slavery it simply opened the doors to a redefined

movement now known as mass incarceration. The documentary 13th directed by Ava

DuVernay, and the book The new Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the age of Colorblindness

written by Michelle Alexander both serve to depict this systematic oppression of the African

American community. The difference between these two genres is not the content of the message

but the medium in which the message is being relayed to the audience.

Writing attracts a specific audience and operates based on the extent of the details

provided by the author. With books being so lengthy, they have the advantage of being able to

provide as much detail needed for the author to get their point across and fully analyze the topic.

With books comes opinions, facts, personal experiences, etc. This book uses many persuasive

techniques to appeal to those who care about racial justice, but are not yet awaken to this new

and reformed version of oppression. The author feels the need to reinforce the word color-

blind to emphasize that The drug war is the new Jim Crow and bring attention to those who

are not mindful of the society we live in. The author also includes specialized vocabulary such as

lockdown to compare the world we live in now to the world we once identified with.
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In addition, the book uses rhetoric such as ethos, pathos, and logos, to deliver a more

effective message to the reader. Credibility of the source is established through facts provided by

the author and the history of our country. Alexander is a highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer as

well as a civil rights activist graduating from Stanford Law School and Vanderbilt University.

With this status as well as Alexander being African American she can provide a source of pathos

for the writer because she is also a victim of this oppression. In attempts to evoke passion from

the audience; she provides personal experiences as well as encounters of others to make the text

come alive and relate to real life situations. Facts are provided within the text to support evidence

and claims presented.

Structure and delivery are essential in grabbing the attention of the audience. Information

is organized to convey the authors message. In this genre the author organizes the information

provided chronologically so that the reader can easily follow along. She starts off by giving a

brief description of slavery showing the transition into The Jim Crow era and how that became

the era of mass incarceration. With written genres you are more open to interpretation due to

the lack of visuals. In this genre there are limitations in the audience because books do not appeal

to most. Some may not enjoy reading and find visuals easier to understand. This genre explores

the topic and explains it to the reader in a cause and effect structure.

On the contrary, visual genres have a broader audience and the ability to appeal to most.

Information is processed faster and more efficiently when displayed visually versus textually.

This visual genre in the form of a documentary targets African Americans who have prior

knowledge of mass incarceration, but are unsure why things operate the way they do and how we

can rise above this oppression as a people. The audience will spend less time with this genre

however the message will be just as effective as any other. This documentary was created to
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inform the audience of the injustices in our country. In a formal delivery, the director reiterates

legal terminology such as Bill of Rights and 13th Amendment (DuVernay) to stress the role

of laws implemented to structure our society. Visuals provided within this genre consist of

pictures from the Civil Rights Movement , inmates, and lots of black and white symbolizing

racial contrast.

As well as the written genre, this genre provides all elements of rhetoric: ethos, logos,

and pathos to appeal to those who are watching. DuVernay displays ethos being a well known

female African American director graduating from UCLA with a double major in English and

African American studies. Credibility of the documentary was established through her education

and background, personal opinion, celebrity commentary, as well as factual information. Logos

serves as a huge addition to this documentary. In the documentary the first line stated by

President Barack Obama says, The United States is home to 5% of the worlds population, but

25% of the worlds prisoners (DuVernay). This shocking statistic serves to immediately grab the

viewers attention making them want to continue watching. Lastly, in the documentary pathos

serves to evoke anger and awareness from the audience . Factual evidence provided by primary

sources and history supports claims by giving explanation and clearance of the topic. The

director inputs anecdotes of Emmett Till, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Rosa Parks to explore

obstacles we once had to live with. Showing the picture of Emmett Tills open casket as well as

lynching which was once legal in America, helped to get a reaction of sympathy and anger from

the audience. These emotional appeals will then serve to persuade viewers to become activist.

This documentary is structured as a story with the addition of outside sources. It begins

with discussing slavery, then how the 13th Amendment transformed this idea into criminals

becoming the new slaves. The usage of chronological statistics helps the viewer understand the
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sequence of events. This film is not a movie, and is based on facts. It is able to express what it

needs to with no limitations. These two genres have the same message; mass incarceration is the

new form of slavery. However visual structure allows the audience to not only retain the

information, but emotionally connect to what is being portrayed and potentially make a change.

Of the two genres the 13th directed by Ava DuVernay and The New Jim Crow

written by Michelle Alexander , the 13th is a more effective genre to impact the audience and

deliver the message. With a visual genre the audience can hear the message, see and identify

with the topic using pictures, music, and personal opinions. While the book, The New Jim

Crow delivered the same message, Alexander took a more structured and formal approach. This

formality and inability to be relatable narrows down the audience that the 13th would attract.

Sometimes the method of communication holds more value than the message itself.

Works Cited

Alexander, Michelle. New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. N.p.: New,

2010. Print.

13th. Dir. Ava DuVernay. Perf. Angela Davis Jelani Cobb. 13th. Howard Barish, 7 Oct. 2016. Web.
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