In the film "The Hurricane" directed by Norman Jewison, an interesting character was Rubin Carter. Carter is an interesting character because of the changes he goes through throughout his life in prison until he is freed in 1988. Carter is aggressive and angry at first but has developed into a calmer and wiser man when he meets Lesra, a young African-American boy inspired by Carter's story. From the time of his meeting with Lesra to the end of the film, Carter begins to realize the importance of trust and eventually, this is what sets him free.
In the beginning of the film, Carter is angry and aggressive. He holds a grudge against white people as he believes they are the reason he was imprisoned. "Everything I lost, I lost at the hand of white folks." To some extent this is very true. Carter is still furious at being falsely imprisoned for "three times life" for a murder he didn't even commit and believes solely in his innocence, so much in fact that he trained himself to not follow and conform to prison routine. Carter's former glory of being the "welter-weight champion of the wo...
Jimmy Carter says looking back they were very poor by today’s standards. His dad owned a store on the main street in plains, owned his farm, did some teaching and was very involved in the community. His mom was a nurse and would often help people who were sick and needed medical attention. She delivered many babies and helped everyone regardless of their color which in that time was very unusual. His father always referred to himself as fair but Jimmy Carter thought he still kept racial divide a part of his
We see the unfairness that was demonstrated to blacks whether it was on the battlefield or the sports field. There are all these hardships that black soldiers and athletes have to endure before others are able to see what exactly the capabilities of the black characters being portrayed. I believe that these actions are due to the blindness that society had for blacks and thought of them as a lower class in society. Today, many former soldiers like retired General Colin Powell and athletes like Michael Jordan are very much looked up to as being a higher class. I think in the next 10 to 20 years we will see documentaries made about these two gentlemen and we will still see some hardship that they endured due to the color of their skin. The unfortunate part is that society as a whole thinks still to this day that those of different color still belong into a particular class whether higher or
“Their struggle has been a struggle that every black person went through, one that grew from the seeds of slavery and took hold in a post-civil war America, when blacks gained their freedom (Shadow Boxing - The Journey of the African-American Boxer (Great Documentary), 2012).” It was interesting to learn from the movie that “reconstruction is a defining moment in African-American history in which blacks gained political rights in the south. With these rights, whites saw the blacks gain social equality. Fearing what they saw, whites brought a quick end to reconstruction. (Shadow Boxing - The Journey of the African-American Boxer (Great Documentary), 2012)." It would be interesting to interview people from the past to ask them why they think it 's okay to treat African Americans like that. It made me wonder what white people were thinking in the past. It brought tears to my eyes to learn that blacks quickly lost their new found freedom and lynching
He was sentenced to five flat years without the possibility of parole. In prison, he had the same idea about race. He must stick to what this family taught him and stick to the Chicanos. Everybody is prison had the same idea. “Whites sat with whites, blacks with blacks, and Chicanos with Chicanos.” (Baca 114) It was the same thought process of race behind bars. He did just that, throughout his time in jail his close friends were Chicanos and he didn’t trust any other race.
The first subtle racist theme that I noticed in the Rocky movies is the labeling of African Americans as villains or enemies to society. In Rocky I, the first installment of the series, this can be seen when you think about the big picture of the storyline. Rocky is introduced as a hardworking, lower class white man with ambition. In this first movie, he ends up fighting an African American man by the name of Apollo Creed. Apollo is shown to be a very flashy guy compared to Rocky, who is shown to be the epitome of humbleness. Th...
In the Deprivation Theory, inmate subcultures develop in response to the deprivations of prison life. Then there is the Importation Theory where inmate subcultures are brought into prisons from the outside world. These theories are very true and visible in the movie because the prison is split up by race, which is very common for male inmates in prisons. There are basically gangs formed based on race. John Smith, who shares a cell with Wade Porter, says, “It’s not about gangs, it’s about race.” That statement is true to how prisons are in real life. In the movie, there is the Aryan Brotherhood, who basically runs the show. Most of the white men are in this gang, except for some who are in smaller gangs below them. Wade Porter finds himself joining the Aryan Brotherhood due to the need for protection. Next are the Hispanics who are split into two gangs, the northerners and the southerners who have a huge rivalry. Then there is the blacks who are joined by the Asians and the pacific islanders. This movie is a great representation of how prisons are split up by race. The gangs in the movie are also show how there is social control in prison because the gangs are split up into
John had been looking for a job, but John was not having any luck with finding one. One thing had hit him pretty hard. While looking for a job in Mobile, John had meet a foreman and he asked for a job. The foreman was not budging even when John had said he would work for less money than a white man. That was when the foreman snapped he had said, “I’ll tell you… we don’t want you people. Don’t you understand that?” (Griffin 100) The Foreman had said it was nothing against him, but it was the fact he was colored. John had also experienced a moment when he was riding the bus. The bus driver had not said a word, but when Johns stop had come along, john had rang the bell and the bus driver did stop, but he did not let him off, the bus driver had deliberately slammed it shut right in John’s face (Griffin 44). These 2 acts had shown John that it was not aggressive action to the person, yet actions to the color of their skin. It made him realize that the black community had it rough. John even says that it was not an act against him, but an act against his color (Griffin
In saying this, it displays how an inhumane society tries to discourage the individual growth of the black community. Those who try to change this are reprimanded and are seen as outcasts. The black community is seen as inferior and when this community tries to integrate into a society full of “whites” , aggressive violence and words of hatred are used by the stereotypical whites to try and keep them seen as superior. This was also the type of behaviour that was displayed during times of slavery.
Throughout the narrative of the story, several examples of characters being portrayed by their race’s negative racial stereotypes. A great example of the negative racial stereotypes is the character Calvin Payne. In the episode “Payneful Assistance”, Calvin was arrested for owing child support to his “baby mama”. This scene in particular where Calvin is in jail and meets some random family member in jail. This exemplifies the racial stereotype against African Americans by portraying them in a negative light. The show portrays African American fathers as deadbeats and having multiple kids by multiple mothers. Another way I believe that scene in particular shows that racial stereotypes are present is the fact that Calvin, while in jail, had 2 cousins in jail with him randomly. This scene tries to make it seem like if you are black, you are guaranteed to have someone you know in jail. Also, throughout the show, many racial undertones are present, for example most of the all the characters talk with a certain loud slang and absent fathers are common. This conforms to the negative racial stereotypes placed upon African
The African-American race is viewed negatively in this documentary. One aspect of race that stood out to me was the way people of color are negatively stereotyped. This stood out to me the most because it shocked me. At my high school in Chelan, people of color are associated with positive judgements. There are
However, this is no coincidence. Alexander adds, “The churning of African Americans in and out of prisons today is hardly surprising, given the strong message that is sent to them that they ate not wanted in mainstream society” (Pg. 143). Society has made it clear that the African American body was never and probably will never be fully accepted. Tupac raps, in his song “Changes” he states, “…the penitentiary’s packed, and it’s filled with blacks” (Shakur Tupac). The prison system has been heavily populated by blacks for decades. Black men are constantly being take away from their families on non-violent charges.
Human beings have always feared what they don’t understand and, in this case, they started to hate people of different skin color and races as a result of that fear. It’s a common belief that African Americans are constantly involved in some form of trouble. An example of this can be found in Bryan Stevenson’s novel Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Bryan Stevenson is a nationally acclaimed professor and lawyer who challenged the racism in the criminal justice system. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Stevenson often witnessed acts of racial discrimination from authorities. In one situation, Stevenson became the victim of such discrimination while sitting outside of his Midtown Atlanta apartment listening to music. Authorities soon approached him, accused him of being a thief, and illegally searched his car. At that moment, Stevenson realized that we, as a society, still have a long way to go in accepting the progress African Americans have made and getting rid of negative
In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, a fictitious migrant family, the Joads, travel west in search of a new life away from the tragedies of the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma. Along the way, Steinbeck adds a variety of minor characters with whom the Joads interact. Steinbeck created these minor characters to contrast with the Joad’s strong will power and to reflect man’s fear of new challenges, and to identify man’s resistance to change. Three minor characters who fulfill this role are Muley Graves, Connie Rivers, and the tractor driver.
The plot follows the life story of Caine (played by Tyrin Turner). Caine’s father, stereotypically, is a drunken murderous gangster and his mother a crack addict. Caine reflects on all his misadventures as a young, black, troubled teen including racist police officers, ex-con friends, and gang related activity. This movie plays on many stereotypes of African American men in a comical fashion. Contributing to the strengthening of these stereotypes. While the audience may not be consciously noting these stereotypes being embedded into their minds, it subconsciously and significantly alters the lens they view race and/or culture
Conflict is one of the main driving forces behind a story. Without conflict the characters in the story would have no reason to do anything. Because of this every story requires some type of conflict in order to progress. The types of conflict can range from a man enduring the elements, known as man against nature, or as one character against a larger group, man against society. In addition to the other styles of conflict, the most relatable and compelling is when one character is set against another, known as man against man. Kate Chopin’s story “The Storm” displays three examples of a man against man style conflict, Bobinot against his wife Calixtra, Alcee against Calixta, and Alcee against his wife Clarisse, these show how a nonviolent conflict can occur between characters.