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Grace DeSanctis
Professor McLaughlin
Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric
9 October 2015
Dear White People Rhetorical Analysis - Not Your Conventional Leader
Samantha White is an outspoken biracial student filmmaker at the prestigious Winchester
University whose radio show, Dear White People, is the premise surrounding the movie title.
As a symbol of black activism, she is not opposed to discussing extremely provocative topics on
her show through the use of dark humor. Right off the bat the audience becomes aware that Sam
is a bold character willing to speak her mind. Yet, over the course of the film, Dear White
People, Sams apparent strong sense of identity and self-assurance becomes rather unstable -- a
mask of vulnerability beginning to peek through. Simultaneously, as the audience gets more of a
sense of Sams vulnerability, a noticeable change occurs and Sam drifts from her radical ways.
The director of Dear White People, Justin Simien, uses cinematic elements to highlight the
development of Samantha White in order to foster change in the racial standings of Winchester
University. As a black activist, Sams main purpose is to discover facts and distribute knowledge
of the racist encounters she has on a daily basis with the hope that this information will somehow
create change among the student population. For this reason, rhetoric is essential for the
persuasion of her listeners. Cinematic elements used to show the development of Samantha
White include camera angles, dialogue, and editing.
Sams very first line of the film occurs during one of her radio shows as she states, Dear
White People. The minimum requirement of Black friends needed to not seem racist has just
been raised to two. Sorry, but your weed man Tyrone does not count (Simien 3). The camera is

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extremely zoomed in as she says this line, cutting off her eyes and a large portion of her head,
leaving only her mouth and the microphone in the frame. This is the moment in which Sam's
ethos is first introduced. By purposely revealing only half of her face, Sam is hiding her identity
to the viewer, thus, raising some questions as to why she is hiding herself. Does the fact that
Simien chose to hide part of Sams face represent a lack of confidence with what she is saying?
Perhaps she is ashamed or unsure of her opinion. Confidence is an important aspect of ethos and
building credibility (UWP). Contrastingly, by revealing only half of her face, Sam is carefully
excluding her age and appearance. With an ambiguous age, people may be more likely to believe
her or not judge her strictly on her age, which would increase her credibility. Another strategic
move by Simien, Sams use of rhetoric is highlighted in these short few seconds. The art of
rhetoric can be defined as the systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic
expression. Effectiveness is measured by the ability of rhetoric to achieve its purpose, whether
that be persuasion, clarity, beauty, or mutual understanding (Herrick 7). She has no issue
offering glimpses of racism from a black persons point of view, that is, as long as she is hidden
behind the safety of the sound booth. So long as she has this, Sam uses a direct rhetorical
approach to dole out bits of advice to fellow students, holding nothing back. An example of this
was when Troy Fairbanks, her ex-boyfriend, was with his new, white girlfriend Sophia. As the
two are standing in front of Sams campaign booth for dorm president, Sams voice echoes
through the room saying, Dear white peopledating a black guy just to make your parents mad
is a form of racism, yet Sam is nowhere to be seen (Simien 11). Additionally, Sam has no
credibility to back this statement up. This apparent jealousy seems to be causing her to lose sight
of the logic of the argument, or the logos of the situation (UWP). This is an instance in which
Sam uses planned rhetoric to respond to a situation, two characteristics of rhetoric defined by

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James Herrick, acclaimed writer of The History and Theory of Rhetoric. However, she does all of
this indirectly. Her inability to address a live crowd up to this point raises the question of whether
or not she is the radical activist the audience outwardly is given the impression of.
As mentioned previously, Samantha White wishes to gain a position of power as she runs
for president of her dorm, Armstrong/Parker House. The ethos she has gained from her radio
show provides a sound basis for running. It is important to have good credibility to hold a
position of power. The other name on the ballot is that of Troy Fairbanks, the poster child son
of the dean who is the current president. Through Sams speech, the audience learns that the
Randomization of Housing Act to desegregate dorms was implemented under the authority of
Troy, not to bring about racial and socioeconomic harmony, but rather to quell AfricanAmerican radicalism on campus (Simien 13). The night of the election was the first time the
audience sees Sam speak to a large crowd live, yet Justin Simien gives further indication of her
general discomfort with the situation. It is a mere couple seconds that the camera trains its focus
on the writhing hands of Sam behind her back, just before she is about to deliver her Head of
House campaign speech. This camera angle gives the viewers of the movie more information
than the audience that Sam is addressing . As viewers, we are able to gather information about
Sam that she does not reveal to others. This is significant for understanding the true Sam because
we are aware of her apprehension yet will still see her forcing herself to complete these roles she
is expected to. For someone so clearly given the rebel label, this apprehensive side to Sam
surely goes against this. In addition, several words were exchanged between Reggie, another
Black Student Union member, and Sam moments before she took the stage. Reggie gives Sam
the reassuring words, just pretend like youre in the booth. Just you and the mic. As Sam starts
to get up out of her seat, she mumbles, hate this shit (Simien 12). This is another moment in

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which the film viewers are able to see a side of Sam most within do not. In the conversation with
her close friend, Sam reveals that she is not actually comfortable being the center of attention. It
is possible that Sams shyness is the reason for the camera only revealing part of her face prior.
Yet somehow, Sams speech turns out to be of similar caliber to one of her radio shows, despite a
slightly shaky start to her speech. She delivers a classic example of rhetoric, a planned speech
directed to the students of Armstrong/Parker responding to the Randomization of Housing Act in
hopes of persuading her audience to sign a petition to repeal this act. She does this by using
pathos and logos within the speech. Talking about how Troy is destroying tradition within the
dorm in a span of two years appeals to the audiences emotion, while the logical reasoning of
why the Randomization of Housing Act was instilled draws the audience in. It is not surprising,
though, that Sam was able to deliver a speech that matched her direct approach to activism heard
on her radio show. At this point of the film, Sam was still pretending to accept her seemingly
forced leadership role of the Black Student Union. Sam had not yet embarked on the journey to
discover her true self.
Despite Sams attempt to change black-white relations through her radio show, the date of
the highly anticipated Halloween blackface party is fast approaching. At this point when Sam
realizes that the Black Student Unions tactics arent working, she formulates a strategy that only
she is capable of executing. Instead of preaching her politics, shes living them. Instead of
rallying against whats wrong with the world, shes forcing others to see what she sees. As she
breaks away from the leadership of the BSU, who had always wanted to make her a symbol of
the polite, by-the-book, and almost certainly ineffectual resistance that they practice, Sams
genius for creative disruption is what pushes Winchesters race problem onto the national stage.
This is the true turning point of Sams character, as she rejects the role forced upon her by others

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and is allowing herself to foster change the way she wishes. This idea of rejection culminates
into the scene in which Sam walks away from the rally held by the Black Student Union. Perhaps
Sam chose to hide her face before because she was afraid of rejection, and up until now, it wasnt
inevitable.
No longer taking the direct, in-your-face approach, Samantha White becomes a fly on the
wall on the day of the blackface party, accompanied by her vintage Super 8 camera. She
noticeably appears more comfortable behind the camera. Eventually, the footage she shoots is
released to national media, exposing the race problem of such a prestigious university to all those
watching. So instead of Sams voice merely talking about racism, people can finally see the
credibility of her words. But, the most effective rhetoric Sam uses is that which appeals to the
nations pathos. Rather than just hearing about an incident like this, people are given footage of
the unsettling party, which adds a shock factor and appeals to the values of the audience
(UWP). Justin Simien parallels the ethos and pathos that Sam creates among her target audience
of the national press by editing in photographs of actual news articles of blackface parties
occurring at many universities. This appeals to the ethos of the films audience because the
movies plotline is given credibility since these images prove that events like this take place in
real life. Its almost as if the movie is the moving frame for the photographs edited into the
credits because the camera movement expanded on the frame of these original photographs,
thus giving them more symbolic importance beyond the scope of the actual photographs
(Lancioni 110).
Furthermore, the provocative approach Sam originally took to sharing her opinions in the
opening of the film most likely was too much for some people to handle due to the amount of
discomfort it caused. This new approach to her rhetorical strategy, targeting peoples emotions,

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although also creating unrest, probably appealed to a larger audience because of its definite truth,
and not simply a claim that Sam said was supposedly true. Therefore, when Sam was no longer
trying to be the leader that others wanted her to be, she attained more success in her goal of
shedding light on prejudices faced by blacks in modern society. Simien is promoting
independence and self-identity by making the association that staying true to oneself results in a
better outcome.
Some people may believe, contrastingly, that Samantha Whites character did not go
through a significant change over the course of the film. She began as a rabble-rouser and ended
as the true instigator of the blackface party. Yet, as we delve deeper into the heart of Sams
character, the complexities in her life all surface throughout different parts of the film. The
audience becomes aware that she is secretly sleeping with one of her class TAs, a white man
named Gabe, and that her ailing father, of whom she says little of to others, is, in fact, white.
These loves in her life push her towards a crossroads in which she is forced to confront this
radical identity she has taken up, one that has crowded out her loves and authentic interests.
Its Gabe, Sams white lover, who attempts to define who she really is, which is an anarchist, and
an artist at heart who actually likes Ingmar Bergman more than Spike Lee (Simien 69). In this
intimate conversation in her room, Sam appears to accept the claim. This is confirmed by Sams
change of hair as she begins to wear it down, representing her new-found comfort in herself, and
by what we surprisingly discovered is her involvement in creating the invite for the scandalous
blackface Halloween party. The party becomes a canvas for her to draw out what she knows is
already present on campus, and she shows up with her camera to create her next short film for
class. In the end, Sams shift away from her radical rhetorical tactics represents a true
transformation of her character.

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At this point it is unclear as to why Samantha White chooses to only reveal her voice and
keep her identity a secret. However, as her character develops throughout the movie her
rhetorical approach to how she brings awareness to real-life obstacles blacks encounter on a daily
basis develops as well. In the end, the character of Samantha White evolved from someone
trapped in this position of power forced upon her to an independent anarchist. Moreover, as the
identity of Samantha White transformed, so did her personal rhetorical strategies of ethos and
pathos used to foster a response from the members of the Winchester community over the racial
tensions present. In the end, Samantha White turned out to be a not so conventional leader like it
appeared she would be.

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Works Cited
Henning, Martha L. "Ethos, Pathos, and Logos." Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
Herrick, James A. "An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed.
Boston: Allyn and Beacon, 2005. Print.
Lancioni, Judith A. Rhetorical Analysis and Historical Documentary: A Case Study of The Civil
War. Philadelphia, 1994. Print.
Simien, Justin. Dear White People. Film script, 2013. Roadside Awards. 8 October 2015.
"What We Teach: The Ethical, Rhetorical, and Practical." University Writing Program
University of Notre Dame. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.