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O Brother Where Art Thou - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Cleansing, rebirth, purity
        
        Use of the religious songs "O Brother let's go down..."
        
        Flood- Biblical allusion to The Flood (Noah)- Everett's baptism because he didn't take part in the earlier baptism (still didn't take).
    - - Irony of crossing religion and hatred/racism
  - - - Not having many lines. Lines he does have are usually self-deprecating.
      - Promoting of white savior idea -trio saving Tommy from the KKK, giving him a ride in the beginning of the film, vouching for him as their accompanist.
    - - Time period relevance: the prevailing belief in Great Depression South would have supported this because they didn't believe a black man capable of such skill without something nefarious going on. Connection to the racism of the time in believing black people needed "saving" and the Christianity push in the south to "save souls."
- - - - Performative campaigns
        
        Using a Little Person as a prop
        
        Music used for the campaigns (religious association)
        
        Pardon
  - - - Coen Brothers admit to never actually reading the Odyssey
      - Greek Chorus- three black gravediggers (social commentary), Everett's daughters (angels/Greek chorus),
  - - - Everett praying for mercy, flood saves them (Deus Ex Machina- Hand of God, or The Machine, a Contrive last minute save); Everett dismisses the opportune flood as science and progress.
      - No character in the film practices it for the right reason (use as escapism- Pete and Delmar baptism, Greed- money to be made in religion (Big Dan), Everett- prays only when he is about to die).
  - - - Black characters serve as background in the film, much like they did in the "American Dream" portrayed in the South.
    - - Coen Brothers gave the KKK scene more weight than Tommy's character.
    - - Radio manager- only playing "certain" types of music.
      - Pappy O 'Daniel pardoning the group and "performing" acceptance instead of actual acceptance (only for the votes).
  - - - Using the faults of the three main characters as symbolic representation of the Greek "hubris" and Greek gods being tumultuous and humanlike in their own faults.
      - Coen Brother's using the framework of the myth without having read it.
  - - - Bible salesman talking about making money (Cyclops)- Also being at the KKK rally.
    - - Pete only having two weeks left and being punished for decades for escaping.