THE IDEA OF PROGRESS - THE BUTLER + AN ARTCLE ABOUT OPRAH WINFREY

The Idea Of Progress

There are different types of progress : social progress, technological progress, scientific progress….

Progress  makes the world a better place – it improves people’s lives but it takes time, it is not always easy to achieve.

A famous African-American writer said: without a struggle, there can be no progress

So my question is: what makes progress possible? What makes social progress possible?

-          In class we studied the trailer of a movie called THE BUTLER – it illustrates the idea of progress and how  progress can be achieved. 

THE BUTLER – MOVIE 

THE TRAILER:

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The hero: his name is Cecil Gaines

He was born in the 1930’s on a cotton plantation in the South

When he was a child, he picked cotton with his father – he didn’t go to school

At that time, blacks were still treated like salves

His father was shot and killed by the plantation owner – his mother was raped

HE HAD A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD – IT MADE PROGRESS VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE

When he was a teenager, he decided to leave the plantation

He didn’t want to live like his father

Fortunately he had one skill: he knew how ot serve

He managed to get a job as a butler

Later, he was hired as a butler in the White House in Washington DC where he worked for 30 years. He served 7 US Presidents (names:…)

So he climbed up the social ladder and joined the middle class

He overcame many difficulties (to overcome = surmonter)

His hard work and his determination made progress possible for him but he was all his life a servant to white people

2.       In the film, OPRAH WINFREY plays his wife

We read an article about OPRAH WINFREY (America’s beloved best friend)

There are similarities in her life with Cecil Gaines

She had a very difficult childhood – she came from a very poor family - she was raped when she was young –

Now she is one the the richest women in the US – she is world famous and has a lot of influence

She overcame a lot of obstacles and she is a symbol of progress

3.       The Butler

        Cecil Gaines had a son, Louis – Louis represents another form of progress

4.       In the 1960’s LOUIS became involved in the Civil Rights Movements and he took part in sit-ins to fight against segregation and discrimination. Segregation (in schools, buses, public places) was abolished in 1964 so we can say that progress was made possible thanks to the people who took action who risked their lives , who refused to accept injustice.  We studied a scene from the movie in which Louis takes part in a sit-in in a segregated restaurant:

THE FIGHT FOR PROGRESS  IN THE US IN THE 1960’s – THE BUTLER

THE WORKSHOP

AT THE RESTAURANT – The SIT-IN

Main character = Louis Gaines: the butler’s son. The scene takes place in Tennessee in 1960. There is an underground organisation called ‘the school of love’to fight against  SEGREGATION The goal is to build an army whose only weapon is love. The students learn about Ghandi’s techniques. It is based on non-violence and peaceful resistance. The students have no weapons and they can get killed. 4 qualites are necessary to achieve preogress : patience, persistence, intelligence and thought. The students are trained to resist insults, physical and mental (psychological) violence. They must not break down when they are attacked.  This training makes progress possible because the students learn how to fight without violence

The second part of the scene takes place in a segregated restaurant. A group of students, both black and white are sitting at the counter. At that time, restaurants in the south were segregated. Blacks were not allowed to sit at the counter. They say they would like to be served but they are sitting in a section reserved to white people. The white customers are shocked; they can’t believe what’s happening. The waitress refuses to serve them. They stay for hours without moving. Then a small group of angry white men come in and attack the protesters violently. They insult them, they punch and kick them, they throw food in their faces... But the black students still don’t react (they are poker face) . They never break down. Finally they are arrested but they don’t resist arrest.   THEIR COURAGE , THEIR  PATIENCE, THEIR PERSISTANCE  MADE PROGRESS POSSIBLE BECAUSE SEGREGATION WAS ABOLISHED IN 1964