Essay examples --

Steven Spielberg’s film â€Å"Amistad† and Howard Jones’ book â€Å"Mutiny on the Amistad† both tell the story of a group of slaves who were able to take over a ship called the Amistad just off the coast of Cuba in attempts to sail home to west Africa. After being tricked by the two remaining crewmembers into sailing up the east coast of America, the slaves are captured and thrown into a life changing legal battle, one of the most famous trials in history. Eventually, the group of slaves were granted their freedom and allowed to return to their homes. Both Spielberg and Jones focused on the events leading up to the trial, the outcome of the trial, as well as its significance, however Jones told the story with more depth, details, and accuracy. However even with this being said, there are still things that can be learned through viewing this film. When viewing the film, students will learn and get a feel for a general outline of the events that took place. The film does not go into much detail about any of the characters or main events, however does focus on the trials and their eventual verdicts. Also, in typical Spielberg fashion, the cinematography of the movie helps to provide very detailed visuals of the horrifying nature of slavery, evident in the conditions we see on the two ships, the Amistad and the Tecora. Though what went on aboard the ships in the film may or may not have actually happened, it if safe to say actual events probably were not that far off. At the most, this film may provide some background information on the events that took place during this time, and which may lead to further interest in the viewer. As previously stated, both the film and the book deal with the events of the Amistad and the fate of the slaves ... ... speeches, testimonies, etc. to put together an in depth look at the Amistad, along with many more sources which can be found at the end of the book (pg. 222-259). When it comes to teaching history in university, the fact that the book used many more reputable resources and remained true to the story makes it more suited and superior to the movie. The book is a more reliable source and a more accurate representation of all events that occurred, written from each angle. As stated earlier, Steven Spielberg put together very well made movie and includes many of the main events that occurred at the time, however due its inaccuracy and lack of detail regarding all events, it should not be used in teaching. It may be used to gauge interest and lead to further readings, however it should not be used over the book to teach the significance of this historical event.