Race and Derek Vinyard Essay

Submitted By fish_nyk
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Pages: 4
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American History X is focused on Derek Vinyard: the world that he lives in, how he manages to escape it and attempting to guide his younger brother, Danny, from going down the same broken path. Derek is part of a neo-Nazi gang, led by Cameron and himself, who recruited young white frustrated teens to join him and his beliefs. Fueled by white supremacy, the gang felt superior against every other race besides the ‘white’ man. Derek was the leader and they followed his every order for they all were blinded by hatred. And his younger brother, Danny, was right behind him, idolizing his big brother in hopes to one day become just like him. Fortunately for Derek, he is sent to prison for three years and comes out a completely different man, one who sees the world with more compassion and equality. Now it is his job to remove himself from his previous life and help get his brother away from a life full of hate and bigotry. The film, in order to send the message it intends to send, displays a few scenes that show racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States of America. One critical example is when Derek rallies a group of white men to trash a local supermarket because a Korean man, who has hired Latinos who are not citizens of the United States, now owns it. The scene gets extremely intense as the ‘soldiers’ of the gang start thrashing the store, beat up the male Latinos and pour beans on them to classify them as ‘beaners’ and pour whip cream and milk on a females face so that she can now “get a white woman’s job”. While this horrendous act is underway there is Danny recording every second of it, almost as if they will be watching their accomplishment later than night. Danny looked up to Derek for he was the strong male figure in the household since their father had been murdered. He was with Derek wherever he went; even hoping to one day join the same gang Derek was in. Even after a heated discussion where Derek grabs his younger sister, Davina, by the hair, yelling at her to learn some manners, Danny is still there with him, trusts him in whatever decision he makes. In his eyes, Derek is the perfect role model, a strong male character who people listen too no matter what, a man who sticks to his beliefs and convictions. So after three years has passed, Danny cannot wait to see Derek again, however he begins to realize that Derek has changed. As soon as Danny shows Derek his tattoo on the symbol of the same gang he is in, he can slightly see the expression on Derek’s face that was not what he expected. Danny is drawn back, almost offended, that Derek no longer wants his old life back, the life which Derek, himself, was raising Danny in. Derek is now a changed man, someone who sees the world with open eyes and acceptance and from what he has learned in prison, he hopes to make sure his family, especially Danny, never goes through what he has
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