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Three sociological theories relating to gangs
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Three sociological theories relating to gangs
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Tommy gun shootouts, big cities full of crime, and a mob boss in a smoke filled room. These are all things that one might think of when referring to a gangster film. However, many fail to see the underlying traits that most of these “cold hearted killers” possess. Take the movie The Godfather for instance. Yes, the Corleone family do kill and cheat in their personal lives and operations, but beneath all that is a sense of loyalty, determination, and business sense. Now, that’s not to say that it justifies any of their lawless actions, but nobody can deny that they know how to get things done. Very rarely do we ever see a poor gangster, and that is for good reason. The classic “Gangster” as portrayed in movies is essentially the ultimate businessman who finds himself on the opposite side of the law. …show more content…
It is a position of power that holds the complete influence and respect of those under him. He oversees all the operations of the family, but never gets directly involved, much like a CEO would. Now, it goes without saying that the actions that the Don condones are far from legal, but disregarding all the violence and crime, the family is one large business. The rest of the Corleone family acts as the counsel and begin the descending chain of command. The Don is the head, and the nameless grunt is at the bottom. Each member is loyal to every other member of the family, but especially when concerning those above them. Building loyalty from those around and under him is a top priority from any gangster, and the concept is no different for any business
The theme of The Catcher in the Rye is simple. J. D. Salinger uses this novel to draw a clear distinction between the purity of childhood and the wickedness attained when one reaches adulthood. Salinger uses multiple literary devices including diction, symbolism, tone, and even the title of the novel to drive home his ideas about the innocence of children and the corruption of the world.
The gangsters we know and love today are much different from what they were 40 years ago. From the way they talked, dressed, and went about their business, the idea of a gangster has changed a lot. But they have one thing in common and this is the fact that they both had and have a huge impact on our society. One gangster in particular, Henry Hill, contributed to a huge turning point in the methods of American criminals. Henry Hill’s accomplishments as a mobster and an FBI informant helped change the ways of organized crime and how the government tried to stop them.
As more and more immigrants began to spread throughout the US, more and more gangs of people began to emerge. Gangs were usually made up of people of a common ethnicity, whether it be Irish, Italian, or Hispanic. These gangs were usually victims of anti-immigrant policies and looked for strength in numbers. As gangs became more and more sophisticated they realized they could make profits from the power they were accumulating. One of the most recognizable examples is the bootlegging of alcohol during the Prohibition. When federal officials attempted to enforce legislation such as the Volstead Act, there was a surge of illegal sales and profits. In 1927, Al Capone and his gang racked up over $60 million from bootlegged alcohol. With all of this money came tons of violence, people were getting murdered in broad daylight just so others could have a sum of all of this wealth. Soon Mob families would own clubs or casinos to increase their wealth. The attendees weren’t only made up of rich mob bosses, the alcohol, dancing, and gambling attracted many ordinary
Goodfellas" is a dramatization of life in the New York Mafia. It is based on the accounts of real life ex-gangster turned state evidence. He tells his story from when he was hired by a wiseguy as a teenager in the fifties, to the time he is put in the witness protection program in the seventies.The movie portrays the spirit of the Mafia and demonstrates their distinctive values, customs,gangster like lifestyle.
The Godfather is most notably one of the most prolific films of its time. This "gangster" film displayed many transformations of permeating color to give the viewer observable cues in its mise en scene that drew one right into the movie. The dramatic acting set the tone of the film with a score that lifted the viewer right out of their seat in many scenes. The directing and cinematography made The Godfather ahead of its time. The nostalgic feel of family importance and the danger of revenge lets us into the life of the Mafia. Even though no other techniques would have given the viewer a feeling of inside the mob like the mise en scene of the power the godfather held, the characters are reinforced literally and figuratively because the story views the Mafia from the inside out, and the cinematography of the film gives it a dangerous and nostalgic feel.
The bosses often used prostitutes to "sweeten" deal between rival leaders or crooked politicians. They were as dangerous as the trained killers were, because they possessed something more powerful than guns. They were just as ruthless as the men that put holes in people's heads; they only came in a nicer package. The Mafia men of the 1920's and 1930's were some of the most influential men in American history. They robbed banks, killed people, stole, cheated, lied and corrupted an already corrupt country. They were not role models, and they did not aspire to be. They were businessmen, men who had only two objectives, money and power. They saw a need for something and they produced it.
People have many different dreams, and many different ingredients for happiness. Some people relay on love, others lean towards money, it may be achieved through money, relationships, or even the misfortune of others, but why does power have the persuasion to change a person and what drives them to gain more?
The film Serpico is a true story based on some of the life and career of Frank Serpico. The film depicts an honorable New York law enforcement officer who brought to light the corruption he witnessed amongst his fellow police officers. Serpico was a decent, honest, law abiding and enforcing officer. The film is relevant to criminologists trying to understand police behavior because it gives an inside look at the cyclical perpetuation of corruption amongst the authority figures that are supposed to serve and protect society.
THE GODFATHER, made in 1974, details the Corleone crime family in Manhattan during the mid 1930s. The Don, Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, leads his organization against a relentless narcotics push by a rival family, the Sollozzos. Vito Caleone does not want anything to do with drugs because he believes they will be the downfall of the Mafia. The story, covering a ten year time period, offers a rich tapestry of Mafia life from the inside, drawing the audience into witnessing the transfer of power within a close-knit family
Different groups of the Mafia are called “families” because all of the members are related. Each family is led by a capo, or boss, whose authority is very absolute. Some caps may be called “godfathers” because the capo serves as a godfather for children of members of the “family.” Most Mafia leaders own legitimate businesses. Ownership does not involve racketeering, because running a business honestly allows owners to receive respectability (or at least a bluff). Underneath the boss is the sottocapo, or underboss, and a consigliere, or counselor. The consigliere is an older member of the “fa...
It is the Godfather that demands the family stick with family and never side with any one out side of the family no matter the situation. Vito the Godfather would remind them family is family and no one will miss treat or use any member of the family. He proves this point when his godson comes to him about a problem with a director name Jack Woltz. Because Jonny Fontane is the godson the Godfather Corleone will send his step son who is consigliere to the family to California to advise the director to hand the part over to Fontane.
The film begins with a wedding, and this setting sets the stage for the basic theme of the movie, which is family. ?The Godfather?, isn?t necessarily about organized crime. Crime is merely the family business, and crime is the way in which the author of the novel in which this film is based on used to set up the interactions and conflicts between the members of the Corleone family. In fact, this film could probably work even without the Mafia themes. At heart it is just a movie about the structure of a family from generation to generation.
The Gangster Genre as a Creation of the Necessity to Promote Civic Responsibility and Social Contentment With Ones Society
Cosa Nostra (literally translated means “this thing that is ours”), or the Sicilian Mafia, had the perfect social setting for their concealed rise to power. Between the clannish nature of Sicilians, their almost instinctive dislike for inconsistent law enforcement, and a repressed hereditary aristocracy created a favorable cultural petri dish for the Mafia. “And it’s no secret that the criminal justice system does not function very well in Italy. And where there is no law, there is no sin (www.bestofsicily.com).”
Gangs have been around for a very long time. Gangs were still around back in the late 1800s. Now gangs have evolved so much from that time period. In the 1920s – 1930s, gangsters were very classy dressed men, these people were in the gangs to make a lot of money. Yet, there was people that were in prison gangs also, they were in them for protection. Now in today’s times, things have changed. People don’t carry the same ideals on why they want to join up with a life of crime. Yet, here is some a few of the reasons behind why people do the things they do with a gang. Poverty, is the first reason I would like to talk about. To this day, money still makes the world go around. Meaning that some of the gangs are created to be a money making