Essay Prompt:
In Jordan Peele’s Get Out, the “Sunken Place” is a haunting metaphor for racial oppression, psychological erasure, and the paralysis of learned helplessness. In Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” we witness the chaos and spectacle that distract from—and contribute to—that same systemic dehumanization. Across both works, the Sunken Place is not just a cinematic device—it is a chilling representation of the Black American experience under white supremacy, media manipulation, and cultural exploitation.
Meanwhile, in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Spike Lee’s movie Malcolm X, we see two historical figures who not only diagnosed their own versions of the Sunken Place but fought like hell to escape it—and to pull others out with them. Both men confront the dehumanizing force of racism, the danger of false identity imposed by the dominant culture, and the urgent need for self-definition through education, oratory, and rhetorical power.
Your Task:
Write a well-structured, argumentative essay in which you compare and analyze how the Sunken Place operates as a metaphor for racial oppression in Get Out and “This Is America,” and then examine how Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X function as heroes because they:
- Identified and articulated the psychological and cultural dimensions of the Sunken Place,
- Used literacy and self-education to transform their consciousness and identity,
- Embraced self-reinvention to reject the roles society had written for them,
- And wielded rhetoric, public speech, and writing as tools of resistance and uplift.
Your Essay Should:
- Develop a clear thesis that connects all four texts and takes a position on why Douglass and Malcolm X are essential in the larger conversation about the Sunken Place.
- Use specific evidence from the film Get Out, the music video “This Is America,” Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.
- Analyze how self-reinvention and literacy act as tools of resistance in both historical and contemporary contexts.
- Explore the power of rhetoric and performance—whether in speeches, writing, or visual media—as a means of disrupting oppression.
- Consider how media, identity, and oppression intersect across the past and present.
Length: 1,700–2,000 words
Format: MLA, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman
Sample 9-Paragraph Essay Outline: Out of the Sunken Place
I. Introduction
- Hook: A striking image or quote from Get Out or Douglass’s memoir that captures the feeling of being silenced, erased, or controlled.
- Context: Briefly introduce the concept of the Sunken Place and how it serves as a metaphor for racial oppression in both modern media and historical reality.
- Thesis: Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” depict the Sunken Place as a form of psychological and cultural imprisonment, while Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X represent heroic resistance through literacy, self-reinvention, and rhetoric—tools they used to break free from the false identities imposed by a racist society and to help others escape as well.
II. Paragraph 1: The Sunken Place as Metaphor in Get Out
- Analyze the concept of the Sunken Place in Peele’s film as a visual and psychological metaphor for helplessness, erasure, and loss of agency.
- Discuss how the character of Chris embodies this forced subjugation.
- Connect the visual metaphor to systemic racism and cultural silencing.
III. Paragraph 2: Spectacle and Distraction in “This Is America”
- Analyze how Childish Gambino’s video presents Black suffering behind the mask of American entertainment and spectacle.
- Examine the use of chaos, dance, and violence as metaphorical distractions from systemic oppression.
- Connect to the Sunken Place as a cultural state where truth is obscured by media performance.
IV. Paragraph 3: Douglass Diagnoses and Escapes the Sunken Place
- Show how Douglass identifies slavery not just as physical bondage but as psychological erasure.
- Analyze how literacy becomes his path out of the Sunken Place.
- Use key moments from the memoir (e.g., learning to read, confrontation with Covey).
V. Paragraph 4: Malcolm X and the Power of Self-Reinvention
- Explore how Malcolm X’s transformation (Malcolm Little → Detroit Red → Malcolm X) illustrates his escape from imposed identity.
- Discuss how the prison-to-platform arc parallels Douglass’s journey.
- Emphasize the role of reading, writing, and faith in his transformation.
VI. Paragraph 5: Literacy and Rhetoric as Weapons of Resistance
- Compare how both men use writing and oratory as tools of liberation.
- Show how speeches, autobiographies, and essays were used to expose racism and awaken others.
- Draw parallels to how modern media (like Get Out) also aims to awaken.
VII. Paragraph 6: Counterargument & Rebuttal
- Acknowledge the claim that historical figures and modern entertainers operate in fundamentally different spaces.
- Rebut by showing that both use performance and storytelling to fight cultural amnesia and reclaim Black identity.
VIII. Paragraph 7: Synthesis of Past and Present Resistance
- Tie together the works: How Douglass and Malcolm X laid the rhetorical groundwork that Peele and Gambino build on.
- Emphasize the continuity of struggle and evolution of the Sunken Place.
IX. Conclusion
- Reaffirm the thesis with renewed emphasis.
- Reflect on what it means to escape the Sunken Place in today’s cultural landscape.
- End with a powerful final thought about the ongoing power of education, identity, and resistance.
Cinemorphosis 
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