Creation Of The Hood Essay

The Creation of the Hood The hood, short for neighborhood, of a predominantly poor, minority area is vastly different from the neighborhood of middle or upper class suburban area. Whereas one is overridden by violence, hopelessness, and a sense of confinement, the other is an exemplification of the American dream, prosperity, and opportunity. The polar differences between the two areas are not coincidental, but, rather, consequential. Beginning in the 1960’s, shortly after the end of segregation by the Brown vs. Board of Education verdict, a shift in population began to ensue in every major city. “From 1960 to 1968, an estimated two million whites, most of whom were relatively young, middle and upper-income families, moved into suburban areas”

The creation of suburbs served as a mean of self-segregation. As Caucasians flooded out, African Americans and minorities were left in the central cities. “Blacks accounted for 90 percent of the total growth of the non-white metropolitan population through 1968, and 71 percent or 2.4 million blacks were added to central city ghettos” (Davies, Fowler 153). The creation of suburbs, consequently led to the creation of centralized black populations within inner city boundaries. Although, cities like Los Angeles are not predominantly inhabited by one race, there are certainly enclaves. There are communities of African Americans and others consisting of primarily Hispanics; the self-segregation developed in the 1960’s has yet to be disbanded. The black populations left in the cities, unable to leave, became increasingly impoverished and as a consequence grew violent. Although people favored and moved to suburbs, they continued to work in

Boyz n’ the Hood demonstrates high levels of urban consciousness through Ricky’s aspirations, Tre’s desire to leave, and Doughboy’s despondent view on life and death. It appears as if everyone in the movie-- including gang members-- wish to leave the hood. When Ricky is visited by a college recruiter, Doughboy’s friends sit on the porch questioning the recruiter about college and repeatedly requesting for scholarships. The movie displays everyone desperately looking for an opportunity to escape the hood. Very few do. Ricky, who is his mother’s pride, joy, and meal-ticket out of the hood meets an untimely death. His mother is shown hysterically crying over his corpse, because not only has she lost her young son but she has also lost her only opportunity to leave the