How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.
Quote #1
INTERTITLE: If in this work we have conveyed to the mind the ravages of war to the end that war may be held in abhorrence, this effort will not have been in vain.
According to Griffith, the primary purpose of The Birth of a Nation is to expose the horrors of war. And that's not entirely inaccurate for the first half of the film, though the second half devolves into straight-up racism. Still, we'd be lying if we said that this wasn't a key aspect of the movie. It's well worth studying.
Quote #2
[Lincoln wipes his eyes after signing the order requesting the first volunteers for the Union army.]
Lincoln is portrayed as going into the Civil War regretfully, which is pretty close to the historical reality. He tries numerous ways to ease the tension between the two sides before his hand is forced and the war begins.
Quote #3
[The Stoneman brothers share a playful goodbye with their sister, Elsie. She becomes distraught when they walk away.]
Elsie puts on a strong front for her brothers, but has an emotional breakdown once the reality of the situation sinks in. The two brothers are so high machismo and nationalism that they don't understand the horror that they're walking into.
Quote #4
INTERTITLE: Piedmont scarred by the way. An irregular force of guerrillas raids the town.
Because most of the Civil War took place in the South, the region was indeed scarred more by the conflict than the North. Plenty of innocent civilians ended up in the crossfire.
Quote #5
INTERTITLE: War claims its bitter, useless, sacrifice. True to their promise, the chums meet again.
[The younger Stoneman nearly stabs the younger Cameron, who has just been shot, before being shot himself.]
This tragic moment has been building from the moment we saw the two youngest bros horsing around in Piedmont. Because we've grown close to both of these families and seen their close bond with each other, they become a symbol of the inherent tragedy of armed conflict.
Quote #6
While the women and children weep, a great conqueror marches to the sea.
[A family huddles in the woods as Union forces march below.]
This is another powerful depiction of the horror of war. General Sherman's March to the Sea was indeed a brutal military campaign, one that focused on not just military targets but civilian ones.
Quote #7
INTERTITLE: "The little Colonel" leads the final desperate assault against the Union command of Capt. Phil Stoneman.
Ben, the soon-to-be creator of the Ku Klux Klan, is depicted as a war hero who refuses to give up against insurmountable odds. This is a way of emphasizing his noble nature before we see him create America's longest-running hate group.
Quote #8
[Ben Cameron gives water to a Union soldier who has been wounded before leading a final assault.]
This is another moment meant to make Ben look heroic (woo). That aside, however, it also highlights the complicated nature of civil wars. Are you supposed to hate your fellow countrymen simply because they're wearing a different uniform?
Quote #9
INTERTITLE: The blight of war does not end when hostilities cease.
This is certainly true. War doesn't just end as if you're switching a light on or off. It has consequences, many of which can't be fully understood until well after the fact.
Quote #10
[War is personified as a warrior attacking a group of wounded people. He disappears, replaced by an image of Jesus atop a group of people in togas.]
Pretty impressionistic, huh? Putting aside the implication that Jesus Christ himself is on the side of Southern slave-owners, Griffith is clearly associating Christianity with peace...and slavery?! It's a pretty trippy moment in a film that is otherwise told in a straightforward, grounded fashion.