In the opening scene, we see Danny Vinyard, a young white supremacist, sitting in the principal's office, waiting to be summoned. As we move into the office, we hear and see Danny's history teacher (Elliot Gould) explaining to the principal, Dr. Sweeney (Avery Brooks), that Danny wrote a book report on Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. The teacher tells Dr. Sweeney that he is offended by Danny's gesture and he wants to see him punished, declaring that Danny was pressured into writing the paper by his older
nationalities. There are many countries in this world which contribute different traits to society. In the United States itself, there are about 198 nationalities out of 254 countries worldwide as reported in the 2000 census. As showed by the film American History X, prejudice is the antagonist. The character of Derek Vinyard, the leader of the Nazi skinhead community in the film demonstrates neglect, discrimination and brutality against non-American citizens (migrants) which results in Derek being sent to prison
American History X American History X (1998) illustrates how segregation is aggravated by missing father figures as well as the herd mentality of the characters in the film. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of the herd mentality states that people need a concept or a worldview to adopt in order to give meaning to their lives. This herding of people who choose to adopt this certain ideal or ideals in effect causes the stifling of individual thoughts or creativity because everyone
American History X Derek & Danny’s Turning Point Many factors contribute to decisions we make, often life changing decisions, like we see in “American History X” with brothers Danny and Derek. Both are active skinheads in Venice California, under command of Cameron Alexander a Neo-Nazi leader. Derek and Danny were not raised as racist, but when their father was killed by a black gang member, their views changed. Derek’s turning point for the better was during his time in jail. His brother is headed
America has come a long way with how people are treated as opposed to how things use to be not so long ago. In the film American History X (1998) we see how some parts of America were not adjusting to change in their towns which resulted in violent outbreaks and many deaths. Although throughout the movie we see the main character, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) that at the beginning of the film is in a “white power” gang and later transforms as a character to protect his brother and the rest of his
Theory Assignment on American History X This movie tells the story of a young man, from Southern California, that is the product of several unfortunate incidents, and his misguided search trying to answer the question why his life is the way it is. I. Daniel appeared to be dealing with the adolescent stage. Daniel seems to have developed his sense of self worth by mimicking his older brother. Daniels significant relationships, since his brothers incarceration has been derricks old friends (the skin
American History X is an American film released in 1998, directed by Tony Kaye (his first feature film) starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong in the leading roles. The film tells the story of the two Vinyard brothers, Derek and Danny and their family living in Venice Beach, California. Derek is a member of a neo-Nazi group and is very involved in the defense of the white race he calls '' higher '' while Danny, younger, admires his brother and just wants to behave like him. Sentenced to three
In American History X, directed by Tony Kaye, a grade school student Danny Vinyard writes a paper about his older brother Derek Vinyard depicting his struggles as a past neo-nazi leader. Derek and Danny’s father, whom has racist tendencies, was murdered by a few black males while trying to put out a fire. The death of his father fuels Derek’s rage for racism, and he soon creates a gang called the Disciples of Christ. After dinner one night, Danny hears noise coming from their drive way. Outside their
point during our lives and yet it still continues to live on without us blinking an eye in the slightest of bit. The films American History X directed by Tony Kaye and Crash directed by Paul Haggins allows the audience to view how racism still rears its head in today’s society but also shows how people can change when they allow their minds to evolve. American History X is considered to be a dark film which shows how stereotypes, prejudice and racism still coexist and how the “American
American History X Will racism ever come to an end or will its path go on infinitely? For the most part, the majority of people respect those who are different either in color, race, and/or heritage; however, there are those few that hold bigoted views towards people who are different than they are. The movie American History X by Tony Kaye displays an example of people who hold bigoted views. Derek, a Neo-Nazi leader, must contend with his actions relating to his past racist views and actions.
with X-rays was on his wife’s hand where, on the film, you could see her hand bones and her wedding ring. (1.) While the discovery of x-rays was a huge advancement in medical technology, they were not used in the medical field at first. Instead the mystical invisible rays that could penetrate solid objects were used in the industrial field. However, once the public caught wind of these magic rays, the x-rays popularity skyrocketed. Within 6 months after the announcement of the discovery of x-rays
Rhetorical Visions in the Film, American History X “Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time”. This is a quote from the film American History X. This film sends out a powerful message about hate groups such as skinheads and Neo-Nazis. The vision of this movie is to make others aware of the complex life of a skinhead. Through different symbolism we see how society views this group. We also are made aware of the continuous cycle of violence that continues to exist
The Truth About White Supremacy: American History X As a Hispanic, I suppose I should expect or, be prepared, rather, for racism and discrimination. Thankfully, I have not experienced either.. yet. Our world is not perfect; things take place that we rather not know about, but ignoring the problem seems to only make matters worse. The movie American History X, is an admirable attempt to inform us about these types of malicious ignorance that plague our society. The impeccable acting, artistic cinematography
American History X and the Epidemic of Youth Violence Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, But now am found, Was blind but now I see. --Shaker hymn James Garbarino (1999) discusses the boys who are lost and ways that they can learn to see again in his book Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. He takes an in depth look at what he calls the "epidemic of youth violence" in America in order to determine its causes and origins
American History X is a film about two brotherS and how their lives drastically changed when their father was murdered. The movie is about discrimination and racism. Derek Vineyard, was the main character in the movie, who then turned into a racist when his father died "in the line of duty" by a minority and when Derek killed two African American men who were trying to rob him. Prior to Derek going to prison, he already had his mind set that blacks were bad people and that the white race was superior
The movie American History X directed by Tony Kaye follows the story of a family who lost their firefighter father while he was trying to extinguish a fire in a drug lab ran by black men, the eldest son Derek decided that all black people are responsible for his fathers death and that they don’t deserve to be in the country, he then goes on to become a high up member in the venice beach white power gang effectively making him a neo-nazi. He is sent to jail for murdering two black men who were stealing
Social justice is a topic known all to well in today's society. Such issues as social heirarchial structure and unjust representatives of citizens of nations are issues in need of attention by those in power. Corruption, lies and greed by those in power however stand in the way of this form of justice from occurring, leaving many with little or no social status open to prejudice on race, religious and sexual grounds. Outlined by William Shakespeare in Measure for Measure and George Orwell in Animal
discover and work on. One of these inventions has been the X-ray. It was first discovered in 1895 by a German physics professor, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, who performed the first human X-ray on his wife’s hand. The X-ray has been around for a while now, and a plethora of changes have been made for the X-ray to work its best. The X-ray has brought many advantages into the medical field and has help save many lives. Before the discovery of the X-ray many things were impossible to doctors, and scientists
U.S. History History Day Outline Theme: Rights and Responsibilities Thesis: Malcolm X’s prejudice towards Whites began diminishing after his trip to Mecca. Following the life-changing journey to Mecca Malcolm was able to contribute more to the Civil Rights Movement. I) From the moment that Malcolm X was born he had always lived a rough life and he had blamed the whites for that, because all he had seen and heard them do were evil things towards African Americans. A) The tale of Malcolm X relates
Filed with violence and racial overtones, American History X managed to take a subculture and bring it to the front of the viewer’s mind. Seventeen-year-old Danny, a budding skinhead, is forced to rewrite his Civil Rights paper after the original was rejected by both the school and his principal. The black principal tells his he is being removed from his original history class and being put in his version of a history. The first assignment, tell the story of his formerly incarcerated older brother