...American History X is clearly a film dealing with racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is treated. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dumming down. Second, the film's figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and intelligent, although he clearly holds ideals that are terribly wrong. Finally, the film shows that it is not just the white, neo-nazi racists who are fools to be involved in this, but all racism is foolish. Through these methods, the film shows the viewer, extremely convincingly, that hatred and racism will destroy a person and those around him. It is immediately revealed to the audience at the outset of this movie that there will be no holds barred and no playing down the realism of this intense racial hatred. When the film flashes back to the reason for Derek's incarceration, we see Danny wake up his brother to tell him that some black guys are trying to steal or wreck his truck, and Derek immediately jumps out of bed, grabs a gun, and shoots one of them, wounds another and fires at the third as he drives away. Then, in one of the most brutal scenes in film history, Derek forces the remaining, wounded man to put his face on the curb and Derek kicks the back of his head, smashing in the man's...
Words: 355 - Pages: 2
...Alexis Franciscotty 04/02/2015 SOC 2100 American History X American History X is an interesting and complex film with many eye opening events. The writers of the film lead the viewer to see where racism begins at its’ source, in an individual’s upbringing. The film tells the story of Derek Vinyard through his younger brother Danny Vinyard’s narration. The story takes place in Venice Beach, California, and shows how the brothers become swept up in the neo-Nazi gang movement. Derek is first drawn into the racist underground after their father, a firefighter who was also racist, is killed by an African-American drug dealer while trying to put out a fire in a South Central neighborhood. Derek finds his place with the neo-Nazi skinheads because they create an environment where Derek feels welcome and part of something bigger and more powerful than himself. It was then that Derek’s racism grew from feelings to actions. Derek murders two African-American Crip gang members trying to steal his truck and is sent to prison. The film follows Danny’s influence by his older brother's actions and thoughts, as well as how Derek, now enlightened by his experience in prison, tries to prevent his brother from going down the same road he did. The film is full of gore, violence, and makes the message clear that hate will only lead to more hate, but it also portrays how one person’s influence and actions direct others in the same capacity. Derek’s father’s views, in theory, are what let Derek...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...Running head: American History X American History X Brandon Morris Embry Riddle Aeronautical University When it comes to moral concerns in regards to race, I felt that American History X was the most compelling. American History X is a film about the racial struggles and beliefs of two brother in Venice Beach, California. After losing their firefighting father (who displays racial tendencies) while putting out a fire in a drug den by black drug dealers, the brothers plunge into the Neo-Nazi world and begin creating their own gang. The older brother, named Derek, is sent to jail for three years, while the younger brother, named Danny, struggles with what is right and wrong. During his time in jail Derek befriends a black gang member, with whom he is forced to work with, all while being disillusioned by the Arian Nation. During this time, Danny on the other hand is growing more and more attached to the ideals and morals of the Neo-Nazi gang. Danny is doing poorly in school, getting in trouble, and is even threatened with expulsion. Upon his release from jail Derek sets out to save his younger brother. After a long talk to explain the errors of his ways and the errors of the Neo-Nazi ideals, Danny decides to leave all that hate behind him. During school that day, Danny runs into a black teen he had a scuffle with the previous day. The black teen shoots and kills him, and Derek is left to deal with his decisions that led Danny down the path that killed him. The moral issue...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...make matters worse. The movie “American History X” is an admirable alterable attempt to inform us about these types of malicious ignorance that plague our society. The impeccable acting, artistic cinematography, occasional adrenaline-pumping score, and slightly faulted, though award-worthy script, all combine to create an over all exceptional film. American History X should not be immediately dismissed as an archetypal account of a controversial issue, it provides much more that what an audience would expect from a movie of this nature: it is an innovative drama about the unfortunate consequences of racism in a family that is surprisingly yet, frightening realistic it. The racial identity that plays in to American History X also plays out to what the authors of Omi and Winant describe in there novel “Racial Formation and plays into act with Michael Rogin, “The Sword Became a Flashing Vision”: D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Finally, the film shows that it is not just the white neo-racists who are fools to be involved in this, but that all racism is foolish. Through these methods, the film shows the viewer, extremely convincingly, that hatred and racism will destroy a person and those around them. The dynamic that greatly contributes to the efficiency of American History X, is the illustrious acting. Edward Norton flawlessly plays Derek Vineyard, the main character in the movie, who is angered but the murder of his father by two African-American people who then, therefore turns...
Words: 2252 - Pages: 10
...the middle of the road, Derek rushed to intervene and crack down killing two men in the group. He was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. Derek in jail during the future of Danny (Edward Furlong) - younger brother Derek was always considered a hero - began to be covered by black clouds of Nazi ideology. According to his step brother, Danny joined the new fascists, assaulted immigrant Asian, African, Jewish ... days out of prison, instead of joy, Derek proved before the panic really changed my son. In those days sitting in his cell, Derek realized that the nature of those who want to revive Nazism. When forced to live with a black inmates, Derek can understand the injustices and difficulties that people of color suffered on American soil. Meanwhile, the Nazis who renewed violence always playing games with him in solitary confinement. Finally, he realized that one thing: true friendship comes from the heart, not skin color Danny was amazing to hear what Derek said he has spent in prison. He looked up the swastika flags, pictures of Adolf Hitler's Nazi bosses that the brothers had pasted on the wall is listed. Maybe they did not bring anything good for America as his constant message? Will Derek's experience has been his brother pulled out of mud sin? he film wowed the audience by recalling and contrasting methods.Alternating between the full-color image of the current black and white images of the past. Edward...
Words: 363 - Pages: 2
...American History X Racism can be seen day to day and through various forms and avenues. It's very rare to watch a news program, read a paper or magazine, or participate in a political discussion without a reference to racism. “White Rage” has many forms: from the display of the KKK to the shaved heads and swastikas of today's imitations of Hitler. This particular social topic is not limited to the United States. It is a worldwide phenomenon, with prominence in every "civilized" country. To this day one of the most powerful films about modern-day race hatred has been the film American History X. It's virtually impossible to watch the film and not be deeply affected. The film has the capacity to disturb. It recognizes that, when it comes to racial and ethnic hatred, no one has the answers or a solution. American History X does not easily dismiss the rhetoric of pro-white groups. From violent scenes such as “curb stomping” to point blank range murder, American History X gives us a window to look through, a window that display the harshness and severity of racism. While racism is not a new phenomenon, it has become more apparent to society than ever before. In the world of the skinhead neo-Nazi, slogans replace thought, propelling a severe and ignorant hatred towards different races, namely African Americans. In the film, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) is one of the most well known members of the Venice Beach White Supremacist movement. He was known to have a dedicated hatred towards...
Words: 612 - Pages: 3
...American History X Ryan Reynolds Housatonic Community College What Sociological theories present themselves in the movie American History X? Sociology is defined as the study of human behavior and how society impacts us as individuals and as groups. From that definition you know that the setting of the movie has the biggest impact on how the characters are going to act as individuals and as groups. Groups play a major role in this movie. The topic of Nature and Nurture can also be talked about. I believe that there are only two major theories that pertain to American History X and that is Control theory and Labeling Theory. Everything that occurs in this movie trickles down from Control Theory and Labeling Theory. Let me just describe to you the family, setting and the main character in American History X. Derek, the main character, is a young, intelligent very impressionable young man who is raised in a middle class family in Pasadena, California. Pasadena, California is a beach town that is very diverse in ethnicity and has many gangs. Derek’s father kind of instills racism in his children by telling them that illegal immigrants are coming into America and stealing the white man’s jobs. Now Control Theory comes into play when Derek’s father is murdered. I brought up that Derek is very impressionable because he kind of loses it at this point and starts to blame everything bad that is happening in his life on blacks and anybody that is not white like him...
Words: 660 - Pages: 3
...The movie that I chose to review is American History X. I picked this movie because this relates to popular culture in so many ways. The first way that it relates is the fact that people back in the day white individuals were racist against blacks and other minorities. The second way is that although faced with adversity you have to adapt to the current situation that you are arises. You can choose to go down the right path or your current path. This is exactly what happened in this movie. Derek had to embrace the aspects of being in a situation that he was not comfortable with and do the best that he could with it. Even though he had a swastika tattoo on his chest, the prison officials forced him to work with the black man. Being in prison changed the way that Derek thought and he changed his way and was no longer practicing in or for the KKK. The movie American History X is about two brothers, Danny and Derek Vineyard who skinheads. Derek was the older of the two brothers. The movie beings as with three black men pull up trying to break into Derek’s truck, Derek comes out with a pistol and shots and kills one curb stomps the other one as the driver gets away. The effect of his actions landed himself a conviction of voluntary manslaughter and three years in prison. Danny’s history teacher had the student write a paper on a civil rights person that of their choice. Danny decided to write about Hitler and titled it Mein Kampf. The history teacher went to the principle because...
Words: 1584 - Pages: 7
...This movie “American History X” has many major social issues which i believe still exist today. Once the movie began, it was hard to digest all of the racial remarks. All the ideologies in the movie have to deal mostly with race, hate, gangs, nazi’s, and poverty. Many of these are due to the fact on how they were raised, and their surroundings. The main idea in the movie, which was clear to understand, is that white is and should be the superior race in this country of America. Till’ today, many believe this is true, that the white race has what is known to be as “White Privilege”. The problem exist today, we are all prejudice inside, it’s what makes us human but to a certain extent is where it crosses the line. The problem exists when deciding to hire someone, jobs, meeting new people, sharing, and in schools. These are only some examples where race still affects us in humanity today. The Movie starts with a group of black men who are trying to hijack a white mans vehicle. The little brother interrupts his brother about the incident that is occurring, then he goes out and kills two of the men who were trying to steal the vehicle while one was still able to get away. The little brother stands and watches in the distance as his older brother does the killing. In this scene, the little brother now has a bad impression on the black skinned race. What affected him the most was his surroundings and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. In this situation, another mistake that...
Words: 915 - Pages: 4
...Social Media’s Effect on Learning: Does it Improve Educational Outcome? Abstract Due to the increasing importance of social media, previous research has been conducted to assess the validity that media improves learning. With the implementation of social media in education, researchers within this study will like to access technology’s effects on pre-school aged children. Before the conduction of this study, researchers will be taking a sample of 60 children and analyzing their pre-test and post-test scores. Researchers hypothesize that children will score better on their test after learning the concepts through media. After analyzing the results, researchers hope that this data will be able to generalize to the target population. Methods Participant Subsection By studying the effect of social media on learning, researchers will need to utilize a population in which learning is a critical aspect within their lives. In order for the population to be represented accurately, the sample would need to have results that are valid and reliable. The proposed population will be children between the ages of four and five within the Metro Atlanta region. This population was chosen because children experience the most cognitive development during this time (Children Now, 2013). This population is also the most accessible to the researchers. While demographics do limit to four and five year old children, researchers will not specify any other requirements, such as sex, in order to...
Words: 1219 - Pages: 5
...American History X I wonder many times human beings can’t get along or why are we many times are reluctant to accept each other and live in harmony. I believe our identity starts to develop from the moment we get to the age of reason and understand what is going on around us and how we are guided and raise by our parents. The movie American History X focuses on the identities of two main characters, Derek and Danny Vinyard. In the beginning of the movie, Derek is portrayed as a really great student and a good son. His father was a firefighter and wants to pass on his racist beliefs on Derek because he believes his black teacher Bob Sweeney is making him absorb everything about black literature. Derek’s father challenges him to rebel the ideas...
Words: 930 - Pages: 4
...American History X The movie that I chose to review is American History X. I picked this movie because this relates to popular culture in so many ways. The first way that it relates is the fact that people back in the day, white individuals were racist against blacks and other minorities. The second way is that, although faced with adversity, you have to adapt to the current situation that you are put in. You can choose to go down the path in which you are traveling or change to a better path. This is exactly what happened in this movie. Derek had to embrace the aspects of being in a situation that he was not comfortable with and do the best that he could with it. Even though he had a swastika tattoo on his chest, the prison officials forced him to work with the black men. Prison changed the way that Derek thought about life, causing him to change his way as well as no longer practicing in or for the KKK. The movie American History X is about two brothers, Danny and Derek Vineyard who are skinheads. Derek was the older of the two brothers. The movie beings as with three black men pulling up trying to break into Derek’s truck, so Derek comes out with a pistol and shoots and kills one, curb stomps the other, and the one as the driver gets away. The effect of his actions landed himself a conviction of voluntary manslaughter and three years in prison. Danny’s history teacher had the student write a paper on a civil rights person that is of their choice. Danny decided to write...
Words: 1577 - Pages: 7
...American History X encompasses many sociological concepts. The concept that is present throughout the entire film and constantly in the forefront is racism and ethnocentric beliefs. Although these two are the most prominent, they are not the most important. The most important is the sociological concept primary socialization, but is not displayed until later. First Racism is introduced in the opening scenes through the use of derogatory terms. The main character, Derek Vineyard, begins to refer to African Americans and other minorities as parasites and problems in the United States. In this same scene he also shows views of white supremacy because he states that minorities come to America only to exploit it as opposed to establishing themselves as “model citizens”. As the movie progresses, it is established that Vineyard is part of an actual white supremacist organization known as the D.O.C. This is where the concept of ethnocentric beliefs is displayed. The group believes that whites are the supreme beings and that other minorities are at their feet. They believe that the government shows no concern for Americans that are down and out, but will rush to help out illegal immigrants. They carry out racist acts throughout the movie. The first one that they perform is the raiding of a grocery store. The D.O.C. enters the market and begins to beat any person of color insight while also screaming derogatory statements. This is followed by a dinner scene where another character tries...
Words: 769 - Pages: 4
...Themes in American History X The struggle to change. The character of Derek is one of a Christ like figure who has to be deconstructed or die mentally so that he may rise again and so save his brother Danny. Costume reinforces this idea with his tattoos “DOC” (Died on Cross) and the crooked cross of the Swastika to represent the Anglo Saxon Protestant as the basis of the ideology. (Watch Scene 14 again and notice the actions and expressions of Derek.) Throughout the film slow motion photography is also used. This is to let the ideas and events that have taken place be completely digested and analysed by the audience. By slowing the action down the audience can clearly grasp what is going on and the possible impacts. Adding to the Christ symbolism is the recurrence of water as background shots, both natural and indeed as a form of cleansing the body and the soul as baptism is done for Christians. (Watch Scene 28.) Derek does realise in prison that essentially the ideology is flawed and that others simply use it and him for their own means. He must now battle to destroy the mythology that has been set up around him and so prevent his brother from heading down the same path. (Watch Scene 16 as Cameron is confronted and belittled by logic but finally force.) Prejudice and the manipulation of others. Essentially the film bases itself around the idea of hatred and prejudice of races against each other. Derek primarily, and to a lesser extent Danny, are manipulated...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...American History X is a strong and powerful movie. This controversial film was written by David McKenna and directed by Tony Faye (who is also the cinematographer) making his directors debut. With a starring cast of Edward Norton who plays an intelligent super-neo-Nazi-skinhead, named Derek Vinyard and his younger brother Danny played by Edward Furlong, who idolizes Derek and wants to follow in his footstep, but lack the intelligence like Derek. Their family also plays a role in the films storyline. Their mother who is always chronically sick, they also have a sister who Derek fights with a lot, bu. T in the end they have a powerful scene of tough family love. However, it is their father a firefighter, as well as the leader of a neo-Nazi gang who is the main reason as to why these boys are the way they were. The film’s story is defined by racism the embracement of Nazi antics of the lives of two brothers Derek and Danny who grow up in Venice, California. Their firefighter father (who was a skinhead) was killed trying to fight a fire in a black neighborhood. This is where Derek’s life started to head down the wrong path and Derek became the leader of the neo-Nazi gang after his father. One night Derek spots two black men breaking into his car; he shoots them killing them both, and is sentenced to three years in prison leaving Danny to follow his brother’s footsteps. Derek was faced with many obstacles while in prison. The fact was no matter what race you are everyone...
Words: 1342 - Pages: 6
