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Identity In American History X

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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 …show more content…
His father’s advices would take him down the path to failure and ruin his life. Derek believed that the white race was “loosing its rights to pursuit their destiny”. Derek’s ethnic hatred increases when his father gets shot killed by a drug den of black individuals. He says that the country is “becoming a haven for criminals”, of “social parasites”. For Derek, “every problem in this country is race-related” and “immigration, AIDS, welfare are problems of the black community, the Hispanic community and the Asian community, but not white problems”. Although members of the black community killed his father, he becomes intolerant of all non-white individuals. Derek’s experience influence how he thinks and views other minorities and his hates grows even more. Derek is trying to make sense of his life and his behaviors by taking racists …show more content…
Derek’s identity began his change when he is sent to prison for a hate-driven murder. His experiences made him re-construct his personality. In prison, he discovers that white supremacy was not authentic, the “skinheads” were making deals secretly with black prisoners, he even gets sexually attacked them. After all he has gone trough he admits he does not want his life to be dominated by hatred, he rejects his mistakes and feels ashamed of all the bad things he had done. He re-learns what the right values and beliefs are and he fully matures and changes. In prison, he becomes really good friends with a black inmate who helped him get trough while in prison and no longer holds his racist attitudes. He focuses on his family and on his responsibilities as a big brother and a son; he wants to prevent his brother Danny from suffering a similar fate. Danny is very similar to Derek, and is always loyal and wants to look up to him. Danny’s identity and personality reflects everything of Derek. He is smart like his brother, and due to the reputation of his brother, everyone associated Danny with his brother assuming he was trouble and dangerous. Danny was asked by Sweeney to write a paper on his brother and everything he thought of him. Sweeney never gives up and he is determined to help and change Danny and Derek. He said

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