Sophia Stein Dr. Simel Pd.

9 10-5-19

Part A: The film​ Lincoln​ opens with a flashback to the battle of Jenkins Ferry during the Civil War, setting the

overall tone of the movie as intense, violent, and dark. Abraham Lincoln is introduced while speaking to two black

soldiers, and later, two white soldiers about their experience in the war. This scene establishes Lincoln as a considerate

and down-to-earth leader who cares about the lives of his people regardless of their race or class. Throughout the movie,

Lincoln shows that leaders often have to overcome various internal and external conflicts to make important decisions that

reflect their (sing.) own moral code.

The second scene cleverly reveals the main conflict of the movie. Lincoln describes to his wife a bad dream about

a boat that is sailing towards an unknown shore, with him as the sole passenger. As Lincoln reflects on the dream, he

attempts to dissect the problem that is haunting him. His first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, suggests that he may be troubled

over his idea to re-propose the 13th Amendment, which would emancipate African-American slaves. Simultaneously,

Lincoln is trying to end the ongoing Civil War by creating peace with the Confederate States. The viewer soon sees that

the majority of the film is centered around this conflict. Throughout the movie, Lincoln’s cabinet proposes opportunities to

help him maintain his good reputation, negotiate peace with the South, and end the war efficiently. Lincoln’s conflict in this

situation is that none of the options allow for the emancipation of slaves. He decides to stick with his belief that achieving

racial equality is his most important task as President and insists on working towards the ratification of the 13th

Amendment, even if it means further complications with ending the war. The voting day arrives, and Secretary of State

Seward’s lobbyist allies are proven successful in procuring the needed votes from lame-duck Democrats. A grand

celebration follows the passing of the 13th Amendment. During the falling action of the movie, Lincoln and Seward are

seen meeting with Confederate deputies to discuss negotiations between the Confederate states and the Union. Lincoln

again refuses to compromise the 13th Amendment and even puts peace with the South in jeopardy to preserve the

immense progress that has just been made. Lincoln later rides through a battlefield covered in fallen soldiers and reflects

upon the fatal expenses of this prolonged war. Nearly a week later, the official surrender of Confederate General Robert

Lee to Union General Ulysses Grant takes place. During their first post-war carriage ride, Abraham and Mary Todd

Lincoln reflect upon the difficult war era and plan for happier days. This scene portrays the relief Lincoln experiences at

the end of the war as well as the immense physical and emotional toll the preceding four years have taken on him.

Throughout the entirety of this horrible period in the country's history, Lincoln remained true to his goal of creating racial

equality in America and changed the lives of generations to come. He left behind a legacy of national leadership while

staying true to his moral compass. He explained that leaders often have to endure many internal and external conflicts

when making landmark decisions for the good of the people.

Part B:

The film ​Lincoln​ takes place during the final months of the Civil War, between January and April of 1865. The war was

“the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil, with some 620,000 of 2.4 million soldiers killed, millions

more injured and much of the South left in ruin” (history.com, 2009). ​The movie follows the final months of Lincoln’s life

and presidency and portrays the journey he takes to ratify the 13th Amendment. The plot describes “​Lincoln overcoming

myriad political, personal and regional and factional animosities amongst the politicians and somehow patching up a

coalition of votes in favor of the amendment” (“Spielberg’s Take on Abraham Lincoln”). The characters in ​Lincoln ​depict

many of the relevant societal roles of the time, including slaves and servants, political figures (Congressmen, the

President, Secretary of State, etc.) as well as soldiers and generals in the Army. During scenes such as the House of

Representatives debates, the film explains the beliefs of different political factions including the Radical and Conservative

Republicans and the Democrats. Several of these scenes also highlighted the inequality of men and women as women

did not yet have any political power, including the right to vote.

When the film was produced in 2012, slavery and abolition were not directly related to current events; however, ​Lincoln

highlighted the relevant subjects of racial equality and opportunity for African Americans. During that year, President

Barack Obama began his second term as the first black president of the United States. The preceding four years had

symbolized a great victory for all people of color who now could look up to a leader similar to themselves. During the

film’s period of production, the nation was experiencing another period of racial bias and discrimination against legal and

undocumented immigrants. Viewers were perhaps able to relate to the prejudice displayed in the film as it mirrored the

struggles of immigrants experiencing social, economic, political, and educational discrimination.

The film presents a biased summary of the Abolitionist Movement. The movie portrayed Abraham Lincoln as the most

influential person in the emancipation of slaves. Rather, ​“[e]mancipation — like all far-reaching political change —

resulted from events at all levels of society, including the efforts of social movements to change public sentiment and of

slaves themselves to acquire freedom” (Foner, nytimes.com). For example, the 13th Amendment initially originated in

1864 from a petition organized by the Women’s National Loyal League, a group of women abolitionists. Due to the lack of

full information on the history of abolition, the film has a somewhat subjective view of Lincoln’s role in emancipation and

overlooks the contribution of other crucial organizations.

Part C: ​Analyze the use of metaphor and imagery in the film, citing several examples.

Spielberg uses metaphor and imagery throughout ​Lincoln​. For example, Lincoln’s dream at the beginning of the film

symbolizes his internal conflict about whether to re-propose the 13th Amendment. His dream involves a boat traveling

towards an unknown shore on which he is the sole passenger. The dream represents Lincoln’s uncertain and lonely

journey as he fights to ensure the ratification of the Amendment. Another metaphor is shown when Lincoln takes off the

gloves on his hands and passes them to his black butler. Directly following this scene, Lincoln attends Ford’s Theatre

with Mary and is assassinated. The taking-off of Lincoln’s gloves represents both Lincoln’s departure from life as well as

his symbolic transfer of freedom as he passes liberty from his hands to his butler’s and those of all African-Americans.

Finally, the ending scene with Lincoln’s image in a candle symbolizes his everlasting legacy. The scene slowly puts his

face in the flame of a burning candle, representing his permanent influence on the nation and his “lighting the way” for

generations to come.
 Works Cited

Editors, History.com. "Civil War." ​History,​ A&E Television Networks, 15 Oct. 2009,

www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history.

Foner, Eric. "Lincoln's Use of Politics for Noble Ends." ​New York Times,​ 26 Nov. 2012,

www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/opinion/lincolns-use-of-politics-for-noble-ends.html?_r=0.

"Spielberg's Take on Abraham Lincoln." ​Cliomuse​, Weebly, www.cliomuse.com/spielbergs-lincoln.html. Accessed 6 Oct.

2019.