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Emily LeForce
Ms. Gathof
ENGL102-05
15 February 2016
Single Source Analysis
Finding the right source for a research paper can be a very daunting task. Although the
writer knows what he or she would like to write about, finding sources that relate to his or her
specific topic may not be quite right as evidence for the paper. Through use of the EBSCO
research guide on the library website, and of the many options of sources that were not quite
right for this project, I finally discovered a diamond in the rough expanse of sources. Mr. Carter
goes to Washington by Allen Rostron contains very useful information for my research topic
about the change of American president portrayal in film and television from the 1990s to today.
The author of Mr. Carter goes to Washington, Allen Rostron, uses many different
sources to explain his views on the correlation between film and television and political
occurrences during the Carter administration. Although Rostrons essay was particularly about
the Carter administration, the association between politics and pop culture such as movies and
television continues to be prominent and remains a hot topic of discussion among movie critics
and political figures alike. Aside from making his own inferences about the connection between
the Carter administration, specifically the swift decline of former President Jimmy Carters
popularity, Rostron uses multiple different sources, as well as multimodal sources, to make his
argument. Rostron references several movies, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939),
the movie that the article was named after, ...And Justice for All (1979), The Seduction of Joe
Tynan (1979), and Brubaker (1980). Rostron used critical reviews and summaries of each movie

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and included other scholarly sources such as other articles and books as well. Because of his use
of sources, Rostron was able to very clearly demonstrate the direct relationship between pop
culture and political themes even going so far as to point out some examples from the 1980s
and 1990s, such as Field of Dreams (1989), The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), Dave (1993),
and Forrest Gump (1994). It is clear in these movies that politics often influences movies, as the
movies depict the popular opinion of current or past political ideas and issues, as well as using
satire to further drive the argument being made. The use of more modern examples also proves
that the relationship between film and television and politics has continued over the course of
time.
Rostron appeals to the audience reading his article by using relevant examples. For one,
the magazine that this particular article appeared in is called the Journal of Popular Film and
Television, so the audience would have a definite interest in the relationship between politics and
movies, as well as knowledge of the films referenced throughout the article. By using a mixture
of sources, Rostron ensured that the audience could very clearly see the parallel between the
movie plot and the political influence. Although, as mentioned, the article only follows the Carter
administration and the movies resulting from that era, which may not be directly relevant to
modern day scholars, such as myself; however, the article was still relatable to my research
paper, because it demonstrated that film and television have been mirroring politics for decades,
and will most likely continue to do so.
The author of the article Mr. Carter goes to Washington holds the same viewpoint that I
do about the subject that movies and TV mirror the view of the people (the American people,
specifically) on politics. He discussed the idea that movies often represent either an idealistic
view of the presidency, or focuses on the pervasiveness of the forms of corruption within the

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American political scene (Rostron, Mr. Carter goes to Washington). Rostron makes his
viewpoint clear in the beginning of the article by explicitly pointing out the correlation between
the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and Jimmy Carters presidency in the
beginning, at least. Rostron goes so far as to literally state this correlation in the title of his
article. Rostrons view does not change over the course of his article, and he makes a point to
reference multiple other scholars who share the same ideas, giving his analyses validity.
With any topic under the umbrella of pop culture, there is a lot of room for assumptions
and biases. There is also a lot of room for assumptions and biases within political topics, as well,
so it is safe to say that any view is an opinion when discussing the way film and television
portrays politics over time. One thing that cannot be refuted, though, is the undeniable fact that
film and television correlates to current political events or attitudes: whether an individual agrees
or not is a different story. For example, as stated in the article, each film focuses closely on the
relationship between morality and politics[but] the two are not initially at odds (Rostron,
Mr. Carter goes to Washington). The audience is left to decide, based on their individual
assumptions and biases, where to draw the line between morality and diplomacy. Everyone has
an idea about how the President of the United States should be, which may be (and most likely
is) different from how the President actually is, as well as how the President has to be. Film and
television also assume a basic faith in American ideals; they assume the audience also accepts
the pervasiveness of the forms of corruption depicted (Rostron, Mr. Carter goes to
Washington). The key point is that movies and TV shows based on politics such as Scandal,
House of Cards, and the like assume we do not need to be convinced of the political corruption
surrounding our government systems because we already believe in it. Allen Rostron,

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particularly, may hold significant bias as a lawyer in New York City, as he experiences
corruption in the American justice system on quite possibly a daily basis.
The movies and TV programs based off of political events are important aspects to pop
culture, because aside from movies and TV being a major component of pop culture, they
provide insight to how the public views politics at the time. Although I was not alive during the
Carter administration discussed in the article, it is clear that many Americans were displeased
with the government under his control as evidenced through the movies made at that time.
However, as time goes on, new Presidents come into office, and dynamics change, the popular
opinion changes as well, resulting in the more positive films made during the 1980s and 1990s.
Politically based movies and TV shows are important to pop culture because they relate to people
at the time they are made, and they provide insight to how people really felt at the time despite
what political journals may depict.
This article relates to my research paper quite well. The relationship between the films
made during the Carter administration and the public opinion of Americans during the Carter
administration is clearly parallel, and over time, as opinions and Presidents changed, so did
films depictions of politics. Those ideas clearly represented in the article support my research
paper thesis that the portrayals of American Presidents in movies and television have changed
over time from the 1990s to today. While I may not be able to use a lot of specific evidence from
this particular article in my final paper, the general ideas are applicable to my paper as well.
Finding sources for research papers are difficult, as I experienced first hand while
searching for scholarly sources on such a narrow and modern topic. The source Mr. Carter goes
to Washington turned out to be extremely useful in helping me not only decide how to discuss

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my topic in my final research paper, but also providing insight on what to look for in other
articles as I continue my search for sources for this project.

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Works Cited
Rostron, Allen. Mr. Carter goes to Washington. Journal of Popular Film and Televison. 25.2
(1997): 57. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.