Response Essay On The Play 'American History X'

Response to text essay
American History X
In order for a text to be successful, should the drama one produce be used in a calm and restrained fashion? This certainly isn’t the case for Tony Kaye, whom seemingly takes the opposite approach towards his directorial style in the critically acclaimed American History X. Undoubtedly, it is because of Kaye’s use of drama stemming from a cynical and unrestrained nature that the film is able to resonate so effectively with the targeted demographic. The contradiction of the opening statement is made apparent and becomes the basis of this essay through scenes such as the curb stomp scene, prison rape scene, and Danny’s shooting. The clever use of cinematography throughout these scenes exemplifies that

Following the curb stomp scene as the second instance of intense drama, Kaye’s use of sudden violence within this scene causes the greatest confrontation within the Derek, and the audience alike, as we witness unrestrained drama at its finest. An amalgamation of close-up shots and music is used to entice the viewer into an atmosphere of apprehension before the abrupt rape of Derek. Whilst showering in prison, Derek is raped by fellow skinheads, those who he had long associated with and were supposedly like-minded. During this instance of explicit drama, close-up shots of the perpetrators showcase the pure detest these men have for Derek. The ringleader taunts him by saying, “you wanna be a nigger lover sweet boy, well we’re gonna treat you like one”. And as abruptly as the drama came, it dissipated. Kaye’s intent is to leave the audience to contemplate the complexities of prisons social construct and Derek’s predicament, while also staring at his motionless body with the absence of

Kaye’s use of captivating audial features and instilled camera shots ultimately manipulates and stimulates the senses of the viewer. Kaye’s film adopts a unique style of cinematic expression through his blatant explicit drama and dialogue to subtly deliver the overall message. He creates a tenuous link between the message and techniques so he can broaden the interpretation of the message in his film. This formatting urges the audience to ponder their true perspective on covert yet ever-present issues in societies such as racial prejudice. As a result, Kaye has successfully brought upon the masses a large awareness to varying perspectives of racial like-minded which is now is a cornerstone in the conversation of issues that society needs to address. Kaye’s success in doing this is not through conforming to the notion that drama is best when calm and restrained and instead has flipped that notion on its head much to his