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American History X and Racism

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Julie Moore, Yahoo! Contributor Network Jul 1, 2008 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here." Racism American History X 32 Print Flag Post a comment

Neo-Nazi Group Protests at Tulsa Area Church Original Collection of African American History Poems Celebrating Black History Month with 10 Great African American History Books Lesson Plans for African American History Adaptable for Elementary, Middle and Hig... Top Ten Books on African American History American History X: a Critical View of the Movie

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American History X is truly one of the most powerful films out there about the lasting effects of racism. Screenwriter David McKenna hit the nail on the head depicting the subtle ways in which Searching for depiction of racism in american history x movie? Watch American History X
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racism is transferred across generations and the reasons why some people turn to hate groups. As Production President Michael De Luca states, "What this film says is what is learned and passed down in your family can get unlearned" (Welkos). Cleary the main characters Derek (Edward Norton) and Danny (Edward Furlong) show the viewer that hate is learned. At first, it seems like their family life was okay before their father was killed, but we quickly learn that their father (William Russ) was a likeable but very racist man. The dinner conversation that takes place

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shocks the viewer into understanding exactly how such racist people are made. While their mother (Beverly D'Angelo) is much more moderate, both boys idolize their father and pay heed to his racist views. When he is killed and the family begins a slow spiral downhill, it becomes easy for the boys to blame all black people for his death. They join a Neo-Nazi group and the whole family plummets. The climax is Derek killing a man in a horribly brutal and dehumanized way. At this point in the movie, the music is almost religious and the imagery is straight from the Bible. Derek is the Christ-figure with the twisted cross (swastika) on his chest. He is all-powerful and unrepentant for what he has done. He goes to prison and is changed there by a few things-being victim to a brutal crime by a white man and becoming friends with a very decent black man. When he finally gets out of prison, his family is completely in a state of decline financially, and he attempts to turn his life around. The most powerful image is he and Danny dismantling their bedroom of all the Neo-Nazi paraphernalia. Derek is "reborn" in a sense and the movie itself turns to color from black and white, just as Derek's world turns to color. He realizes that what he believed was wrong and doesn't see things quite so clearly anymore. In a final heart wrenching scene, Danny is killed to pay for his brother quitting the Neo-Nazi group. Derek arrives on the scene right after this has happened and cradles his brother's bloody and lifeless body. While Derek has attempted to change his life, he has lost his brother. In the wake of this tragedy, the viewer knows that Derek will not return to his old ways of violence begetting violence. He will find a way to pack his family up and move them away in an attempt to lead a more normal life. This movie provides the viewer an inside look at the activities of Neo-Nazi groups, which is downright scary. And even in the face of this tragedy, the viewer has hope that racism can indeed be turned around and "unlearned" so to speak. While Danny Kaye (director) did not see the project to completion, the movie provides a haunting look at racism and does not come off as too preachy.

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American History X and Racism - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

http://voices.yahoo.com/american-history-x-racism-1609801.html

Works Cited Welkos. R. (1998). The Thin Line Between Fear and Hate. The Lost Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2007 at Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/3036/analyse1.html

Published by Julie Moore

I am a high school English teacher of 15 years who has recently moved to the field of Educational Adminstration. I am a Curriculum Coordinator and a Gifted and Talented Coordinator. I am highly literate a... View profile

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white brothers of america3/24/2010

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white brothers of america3/24/2010

The white race is hated more than any race out there. Why? They hated us back to when slavery ws active. There was nothing wrong with slavery. It was legal all over the world. In parts of the world it is still legal today. Slavery went on as far as the bible time (even though i am one that is not religious). We free them on are own good will, then gave them rights. We had no reason to free them or give them rights. They were slaves and should of been sent back to there country. However, we allowed a bunch of people to stay in America that never belong here. They should be thanking us for what we did. If it was not up to us to free them, slavery will still be going on. The papers were never actualy sign to free them and when they did free them the idea was to ship them to another country. Instead we breed them with every race to create more color and slaves. It was a stupid act to give rights to a race that we breed. It only made more of them. Did anyone think they would get us back for

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American History X and Racism - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

http://voices.yahoo.com/american-history-x-racism-1609801.html

Wayneious 2/8/2009

The younger brother was not killed due to Edward Norton's character removing himself and his family from the Neo-Nazi movement that he had himself into after his father's death. The younger brother was killed due to an altercation which transpired earlier in the movie between the younger brother and some other youths who feel and dispatch power from the end of a gun. I feel some points are in place from this writer but as far as the brother being killed for Norton leaving the neo-Nazi movement is off from the premise of the story. The movie is a very good movie with some minor flaws as far as construction of the movie goes (anyone here have a home where the front door opens out? I don't know a single person...but this was done for story line none the less.) . I think the writer here should have another go at the movie.
Ben Kenber7/2/2008

Great movie. Edward Norton was brilliant here, and that last scene is a heart wrencher if there ever was one. Displaying Comments

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