Spike Lee’s School Daze is truly a movie that was ahead of its time in many way. The “woke” comedy explores how Greek life is juxtaposed with the life of regular college students on a historically Black college/university campus known as Mission University in the 1980’s during homecoming weekend while touching on the issues of apartheid, colorism, “the good hair vs. bad hair debate, and sexism”. The movie shows a campus divided under the social leadership of two students, Dap, played by Lawrence Fishburne, and Julian, played by Giancarlo Esposito. The two often clash and show a clear power struggle as Julian is member of Gamma Phi Gamma Fraternity and Dap is a politically conscious student who leads rally’s and anti-apartheid marches. The movie opens with Dap leading an anti-apartheid rally surrounding his disagreement with the way the school is America is doing business with South Africa. The demonstration gets ambushed by Gammas and their pledges. Julian takes this time to taunt Dap and let him know that he does not agree with the demonstration and the two break into a fight. Julian then goes on to taunt Darryl …show more content…
bad hair” debate that we often see in the Black community. When Rachel’s clique, the Jiggaboo’s, and Jane’s clique, the Wannabes, cross paths, an argument immediately ensues. The Wannabes are a group of fair skinned girls with long straight hair and blue contacts, while the Jiggaboos are darker skinned with kinky hair. The two groups immediately start throwing around insults, such as, “tar-baby” and Barbie doll”. This exchange embodies an issue that was very large in the 80s and still very prevalent today. In the 80’s and even up until recent, if your hair was not straightened, or permed/relaxed, beauty was a standard that you could not achieve. This is also seen with skin color and it all dates back slavery times with things like Pear’s Soap ads and the narrative that whiteness is
The film starts with an uprising after a white storeowner kills a black teenager. This incident Highlights Prejudices. The teenager was labeled a thief because of the color of his skin and the unjustifiable murder causes racial tensions that exist as a result of the integration of the high schools.
The movie Walk the Line, is about the life of Johnny Cash and how he became a famous country singer. He was raised on a farm and was very good at memorizing songs. His brother Jack had a goal of becoming a pastor. Jack was working at a saw mill when Johnny decides to go fishing while Jack finishes his work. Jack was seriously injured by the saw and later died of his wounds with Johnny, his mother Carrie and father Ray by his side. Conflicts between Johnny and his father became hard.
...lms these students get away with murder and still go on to college. This simply does not happen in real life; therefore, looking to Hollywood films for the true colors of schools is not in the best of interests. We have to realize that directors produce these films in their vision of American culture. We as Americans always look to the American Dream of sometime “making it.” The films neglect to see the loser’s point of view, meaning Hollywood films only look to a positive ending because it is in our nature to believe in the American Dream. This book allows our society to actually look past the films fantasies and observe the true inequalities in school. Although Hollywood films do correctly show how urban, suburban, and private students behave in schools, they do not show the true outcomes of real life.
Can you recall the very last night that you spent with your high school buddies before packing your bags and leaving for college? The films American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused bring you back to that through the recreation of those great experiences. American Graffiti is based on a closely-knit group of teenagers who will all be leaving each other the next day for new adventures. This gang of teenagers, despite their differences, all goes out together and share their last memorable evening. Throughout the night, friendships are strengthened, conflicting struggles arise, and romances are created and disrupted. Dazed and Confused dealt about life during wartime – the wartime of high school, where the faculty is irrational, the parents are
The existing literature on ethnic and racial studies among African-Americans has focused on issues pertaining to beauty and body politics especially on natural hair. Spellers and Moffitt assert that the body politics that one assumes, guides how one relates to a particular political ideology in a particular society. Black natural hair is considered as a way by which the true identity of African women can be understood (Jacobs-Huey). It is a symbol of power among black women; it influences how people are treated by others.
The kids I went to school with, the boys I had romantic relationships with, and even my family members, all made negative comments about my body hair. As a young kid, I believed my body hair was a personal problem. Experimenting with different hair removal procedures, some even painful. I wasted hours removing the hair on my body, in attempts to feel better about myself. My low self esteem became linked with the hair on my body. I believed I had too much body hair for a girl but according to Mills (1959) and the social imagination, I had too much body hair for society. My peers, as well as my family, had been socialized to believe that women’s body hair was gross, and unfeminine. Women had been taught to remove their body hair for decades now in the western world, and it was showcased or the lack there of hair was showcased in all forms of media. As a young girl, my mom bought me my first razor and paid for the electrolysis for the hair on my arm. It was in these actions, where the idea that it was my own problem started to form because it felt like I needed treatment for this problem of mine. I was perceiving a deep seated public issue as my own personal trouble. I can’t blame my mother or my peers because by the time my peers and even my parents were born, the western world had already determined that women should not have body hair. Christina Hope (1982) explains that in 1914 in America magazine’s had just begun
...family, could genetic discrimination really affect our future? Why did Gerome kill himself finally at the end, could he find reasons to live for a prejudiced society? Why did Gattaca present only white males as ‘in-valid’, how does this reflect stereotypes? Why society didn’t have pity for Vincent, where were the ethics and morals of society? to allow students think critically about the social justice issues presented in the movie. After class discussion, students can form into groups of four. Each group of students can identify a particular issue that they find interesting such as new type discrimination evolving “genoism”, ethics and morality of society, stereotypes, inequity between the two brothers and also consider the effects of discrimination of the characters. Students can present their chosen issues through role plays or an oral presentation to their peers.
By the twentieth century, slavery had damaged black pride, and made it known that black features were inferior. When it came to black women and their hair, black women desperately wanted to match the standard of “white” beauty. Walker’s solution to this was to create a look that was Afro-American without trying to imitate whites. Walker spoke about beauty emphasizing that to be beautiful does not refer to the complexion of your skin, or the texture of your hair, but having a beautiful mind, soul, and character.
Being one of the few black students to attend Tisch School of the Arts, the aspiring filmmaker’s first year at New York University was a particularly difficult one. Lee’s experiences, race, and upbringing have all led him to create controversial films to provide audiences with an insight into racial issues. Spike Lee’s first student production, The Answer, was a short ten minute film which told of a young black screenwriter who rewrote D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation. The film was not well accepted among the faculty at New York University, stating Lee had not yet mastered “film grammar.” Lee went on to believe the faculty took offense to his criticisms towards the respected director’s stereotypical portrayals of black characters (1).
In this film we see many typical high school behaviors such as cliques, cattiness, and popularity (or lack there of) issues. Many scenes in this movie have an array of stereotypes. Sometimes they are clearly stated and others just seen through attitudes of the actors/actresses character. Also through out we follow the main clique “the plastics” and they have this image they have to uphold. Be perfect, skinny, the best at everything, and in sync with everything they do; or they wont uphold their status. I chose this film because I think it shows a lot of what we have learned in this course and how it is in real life. Clearly the film is exaggerated but much of
Stereotypes are harmful because they affect those who are struggling with their identity. I think Wolfe included typical African American stereotypes such as the basketball player described by Miss Pat, the African American woman with “attitude” and “a healthy head of kinks” described by Janine, and Aunt Ethel who portrays the “down-home black woman.” In The Hairpiece, the woman is being persuaded to either be the sociality
Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. Class-passing : social mobility in film and popular culture (Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, 2005).
Almost 250 years of slavery and anti-blackness within the United States has created a divide in what type of hair is acceptable. According to Cynthia L. Robinson, “Black hair texture is graded” (Robinson 2011). Precisely, this means that a Black woman has either good hair or bad hair. Good hair has a resemblance of European hair texture, meaning straight and wavy curls. Good hair also diminishes the look of African ancestry. Bad is the complete opposite. The texture is kinky, coiled, and thick, giving the appearance of short hair (Robinson 2011). Hair that bears a resemblance to Eurocentric beauty standards is more beautiful and makes the individual with that hair type more beautiful as well (Robinson
“We fight each other for territory; we kill each other over race, pride, and respect. We fight for what is ours. They think they’re winning by jumping me now, but soon they’re all going down, war has been declared.” Abuse, Pain, Violence, Racism and Hate fill the streets of Long Beach, California. Asians, Blacks, Whites and Hispanics filled Wilson High School; these students from different ethnic backgrounds faced gang problems from day to night. This movie contains five messages: people shouldn’t be judgmental because being open-minded allows people to know others, having compassion for a person can help people change their views in life, being a racist can only create hate, having the power of the human will/goodness to benefit humanity will cause a person to succeed at any cost and becoming educated helps bring out the intelligence of people.
Film Review of Dead Poets Society Dead Poets Society explores the conflict between realism and romanticism as these contrasting ideals are presented to the students at an all boys preparatory school. Welton Academy is founded on tradition and excellence and is bent on providing strict structured lessons prescribed by the realist, anti-youth administration. John Keating is a new English teacher with a passion for poetry. When he returns to his own strict childhood school to teach, his unconventional methods quickly prove to be inspirational to a group of students. He inspires them to pursue their desires and live life to the fullest.