Faith Ramos Professor Timothy Conley Film 1 2 June 2024 Exploring Social Realities and Cultural Commentary in "Boyz n the Hood" “Boyz n the Hood" is the project of John Singleton that launched his career at a mere 23 years old when he wrote and directed this film. Not only has the film guardered many awards, it has become the most prolific Black film in the 20th century. It was nominated for multiple ‘Official Oscars’ and ignited the ability of many African American urban stories to be told on the big screen by African American writers and directors. Through Singleton’s lens, we learn so many crucial themes that run through the Black community in Los Angeles and other urban areas. Singleton tells the story of Tre Styles life in South Central Los …show more content…
Each character had a different type of camera angle used which created a personability and different type of audience impact. For example, high-angle shots were used for Furious, which created a feeling that he was important and larger than life. With Tre, we saw close-ups of his face to illuminate the emotionally invoked reactions to violence, social injustices, and the loss of his best friend. Tre’s mom was always shown in extremely close-ups, emphasizing her powerful dialogue, and her candor. Doughboy was always shot with a medium and/or close-up depending on the type of scene, but he was always the center, leader, and driver, and when he was in a scene he always had the last line of dialogue. His perspective was consistently heard as if it were a social commentary on what was taking place in the black community. Ricky was always shot with a football, child, girlfriend, friends, mom, or brother, showing how connected he was to the others in the story. The stylized character shots intertwined from scene to scene provided a sense of closeness to the characters and made the audience feel like we were part of the story. The sound design was innovative, lending
Boyz N the Hood is a classic film for African American culture and depicts juvenile delinquency in the tough streets of L.A. They can relate all too well to the situations these three best friends went through. To apply this movie to the life-course perspective and strain theories we have to analyze these three boy’s realities from a structural, social and cultural level to determine why they ended up deviant and they way they started off. Sampson and Laub’s theory was, criminal activity as well as elements preventative of crime, change throughout the life-course. While all of the criminals have some form of a shared beginning. While Merton’s strain theories revolve around five different types, that puts people into certain categories; conformity,
Although Boyz n the Hood helps to resist the stereotypes of young black men, and shed light on the real, lived experiences and institutional oppression of black people and young black men in particular, the film also reinscribes a stereotypical narrative that all black people are impoverished and become incriminated in gang activity. Not all black people experience poverty and gang activity. One could see this film as perpetuating the single black experience as if all black people are exactly alike and have exactly the same
In the novel “Black Boy” by Richard Wright, Richard’s different character traits are revealed through multiple different instances of indirect characterization. Indirect characterization is a literary element commonly used in the novel. It is when the author reveals information about a character through that character's thoughts, words, actions, and how other characters respond to that character; such as what they think and say about him. Richard is put into many circumstances where the way he acts, the things he says and thinks, and the way others respond to him clearly show his character. Richard shows his pride when he refuses to fight Harrison for white men’s entertainment, principles when he doesn’t take advantage of Bess even though he has the opportunity, and ignorance when he sells KKK papers.
“Boyz in the Hood” was a film that displayed how chaotic African Americans communities were in Los Angeles. The film explored how violence is real with black on black crime and how the youth neglected by the community. The entire film displays a moral, mental and eagerness for one endures, conquer and defeat their demons. However, each in the movie enhances the quality of today’s world and the environment. Enthralled with the hope for life encompass the thought and desire to secure one's enter most fears and desires. Tre Styles were a character in the film that was an intelligent young man. In a perfect world, a mother and father share the responsibilities of raising children, but nothing is perfect. When Furious Styles come into the picture with his son, Tre develops into a person of understanding. Tre mother felt it was best that
In the 1992 drama Boyz N the Hood Furious Styles, the father of main character Trey Styles, is in Compton, California giving a speech on a hill to the local residents of the neighborhood, which include the elderly, middle class workers, and youth. During his speech Furious asks the small crowd, “Why is there a liquor store on every corner in this community?” He then answers his own question: “I’ll tell you why, for the same reason that there is a gun store on almost every corner in the black community. Why? They want us to kill ourselves. The best way you destroy a people is if you take away their ability to reproduce themselves.” That is a bold statement to make, and it is also a statement that provides an example of the Marxist theory of
Among the numerous movies in this film genre, ‘Boyz N the Hood’ and ‘Menace II Society’ are the two classic movies and are the best examples of Hood Films. Speaking of ‘Menace II Society’, the movie is a directorial debut of Allen Hughes and Albert Hughes which was released in 1993. The movie is a very good example that exposes the city of Los Angeles and its culture. Not only does the city has
MASLIN, JANET. "Boyz N The Hood (1991) Review/Film; A Chance to Confound Fate." Movies. The New York times, n.d. Web.
In conclusion Boyz N the Hood is a solid example of the everyday struggle and the lack of urban planning. The lack of planning leads to poverty and low income families flooding these areas and ghettos. The low income and poverty is the direct cause to crime and gang violence, which affects the families and the generations to come. The lack of father figures and horrible youth environment is no place for kids to grow up in. This whole cycle leads to bad behavior and a continual problem that will take generations easy to fix.
Set in lower-middle-class, predominately black, south central Los Angeles, a neighborhood where constant gunshots regularly interrupt study time and the sound of police helicopters flying above is a familiar tune, Boyz N the Hood is basically the story of three teenage friends coming
Media is a focal reason for the evolution and formation of masculinity, especially black masculinity. Men are at the forefront of media, and the men that are portrayed in media are almost perfect in every fashion. The media has stereotyped black men, which ultimately leads to the evolution of the black man. The evolution of the black man is formed through a stereotype because, it affects the expectations of what black men are supposed and not supposed to do. Starting in the early 1950s the image of black men started to change. Elite black jazz men started to withdraw themselves for the stereotypical black man.
Hip-Hop: from the live performances to the lyrics this here brought up many thoughts in my head. I attended a concert on April 2016 and several other old school concerts at the Queen Mary, front row VIP area which included; Debbie deb, Cover girls, Vanilla ice and so on. Going to an old school/hip-hop concert the songs and experiences as a whole are different with every time. New school hip-hop is narrative and with this you can receive the same lyrical experience every time, as for the concert the experience is the same as the next. I am not saying that an old school concert isn’t different in its own way but I do think their not so far apart performance wise. Example going to a “Drake” concert is more narrative compared to an old school
Hip Hop has been around for decades. Due to positive perceptions behind the idea, many DJs and artist started to come about. Hip Hop solely originated in New York city where DJ Kool Herc is the founding father of Hip Hop. The main components within hip hop was Break Dancing, Rap, Beat Boxing, and Graffiti. These components originated from the Ghettos of New York city. Hip Hop culture formed in the 1970s during many block parties and gatherings in New York, where DJs from all over Manhattan and the Bronx came and created mixes and breaks on the turn tables. Alongside Kool Herc is GrandMaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa who created Universal Zulu Nation, which was music to decrease violence, drugs and get kids involved. Around this time funk,
Hip-hop began in the undergrounds in Bronx New York in the early 1970s and has gradually grown to become mainstream music. According to Lori Selke a professional writer for Global post, “hip-hop is the term that refers to more than just a musical genre; it includes culture, dance, art, and even fashion” (Selke). Since it originated in the 1970’s, hip-hop has had profound influence on society, and has grown into the lives of listeners worldwide; hip-hop’s influential power is astonishing. Within the last decade, hip-hop artist like Jay-Z, Nas, and Young Jeezy helped to increase voting in the 2008 presidential campaign by informing a hip hop audience consisting of a majority of African Americans on soon to be 44th President of the United States, by using their voice and lyrics as their tool to encouraging people to stand up for a change by voting. According to Emmett Price in his book Hip Hop Culture (2006), “in the early years prior to the rise of recorded rap music via Sugar Hill Gang’s controversial “Rapper’s Delight” (1979) hip-hop was a growing culture driven by self-determination, a love for life, and a desire to have fun [through entertaining fans and expressing themself].” (Price) Although artists today accomplish the same things, the focus of the lyrics has changed consisting of “extolling violence, drug and alcohol use, and detailing sexual exploits” (Selke). If one were to observe the most popular music from artist in the 80’s until now, they would notice a definitive change in its overall message. If hip-hop continues on its current route it will become a musical genre known solely for its references to sex, drugs, and violence.
In recent discussion of hip hop culture, a controversial issue has been whether if hip hop makes people believe that money is everything you need to get respect and power. Some argue that you need to build respect and by building respect you become powerful and that will lead you to money. On the other hand, however, others argue that hip hop life helped them a lot by writing the lyrics and saying the things that they can’t do or say. One of this view’s main proponents, “money brings power, ” according to this view, people who have more money will get more power and then they usually use this power to do the most disturbing activities, such as crime. In sum, then, the issue is whether having too much power is good or it’s just a life destroyer.
Something that I am fairly sure everyone has an opinion on is music. I have yet to meet a person who had to preference to music; everyone has something that they like to listen to. Lately for me that music has been hip-hop.