American History X and the Epidemic of Youth Violence Essay

American History X is clearly a film dealing with the social topic of racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is presented. 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 dummying 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 bright, although he clearly holds ideals that are terribly wrong. Finally, the film shows that it is not only the white, neo-nazi racists who are fools for being involved in this, but all those who hold hatred in

are left to cope with the loss of a life lived and to have a future overshadowed by the

Imagine being able to get your hands on a gun in your community with ease when you were younger. Sounds cool right? Well, to some it might and that’s how young children are living in our communities now-a-days. Kids are able to get guns as long as they have parents with guns or the money to buy one. There aren’t enough restrictions on guns & who can get a hold of them on the streets and parents aren’t doing a well enough job of hiding their guns from their children. Something needs to be done. Too many children and young adults are being injured and murdered by something that is supposed to protect them. The ease in which youths are able to possess guns needs to be stopped. The harder it is for kids to get guns, the safer

     Ever since the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School, there has been a numerous list of recent school shootings in America. Youth violence is a major issue in today’s society. Many people dread what causes adolescents to be so violent, committing horrible crimes.     

Teenage gun violence is on the rise. Gun violence has become a major problem for America. We have more privately owned guns than any other country. This could be one of the reasons that guns are being used by teens, because of the access they have to guns. The availability of guns to our youth is making the world unsafe. Although lawmakers are working on gun control laws, I wonder is the problem too far gone.

Dr. Garbarino (1999) proposes common factors that are trending when it comes to an increase in violence among young boys, but does not state that such trends are causes of violence. Risk factors, especially in inner-city neighborhoods, such as poor quality of education, low socioeconomic status, limited healthcare options, multiple family residences, lack of a father figure, and high crime may lead an increase in violent nature for male youth. In addition, the book mentions four specific problems that provide a foundation for violence. These four problems include, attachment, abandonment by mother, abandonment by father, and

Violence in America America is a violent nation. Many people think that America is full of freedom and democracy. Do these people actually see what happens in America? Do they see the violence in schools, the crime in our society? Most likely, no, these people have loosely seen our society, the violence and the frauds that plague America's history as well as the present.

On an unseasonably cold March morning in 1993, high school sophomore Edward Gillom exited his first period classroom and made his way through the crowded hallways of Harlem High School. After engaging in a heated argument, allegedly over a girl, with Ronricas “Pony” Gibson and Ricoh Lee, Gillom pulled out a .38-caliber gun and opened fire. Gillom’s shots fatally wounded Gibson and left Lee with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the neck (Washington Ceasefire, 2011 pg 1). The shooting in Harlem, Georgia sparked national attention as one of the first high school shootings and added to the alarmingly high rates of gun violence by adolescents during the 1990s. According to the Virginia Youth Violence Project, forty-two homicides took place in

As humans we strive to live in a utopian environment, free of elements of aggression, greed, and violence. Most of us try to live a healthy and satisfying life, gaining from opportunities that we have sought and worked hard for. We take life as it comes, and we accept the challenges and difficulties that life puts out as we continue on no matter how hard it gets. However, there are a multitude of people who tend to think that life is just too hard and that they should be handed everything on a silver platter. Greed and violence begin to factor into their life as they continue in their set ways. They think that the world should revolve around their every need and that life is unbearably hard and unjustly unfair. These

Frankie and Derek both grew up in Claredon Heights, a public housing with poor families. Frankie is one of the characters in the book that actually turned into a changed man. Frankie is associated with the Hallway Hangers, a group of white teenagers who reject the values of society. The mindset of hallway hangers is “to make a quick buck.” However, the hallway hangers hold a strong bond with one another. They formed a brotherhood where they have each other’s backs. Frankie was considered the leader of the hallway hangers. Hallway hangers prioritize their life around drugs, violence, and crime. The attitudes towards the hallway hangers is somewhat depressive and negative. However, I do believe that race, class, and family influences had an effect towards the social reproduction of these teenagers.

Through his directing Kaye shows the viewer the link between Danny and Derek, highlighting the issue of racial traits being passed down through modern American families and warning the audience about the future. His use of camerawork and soundtrack in uncommon ways compared to how other films of this genre make this film stand out and provide a more visceral and realistic sense of how racism affects many Americans’ in modern times. Kaye’s use of close-ups provide the raw and gut wrenching emotions in every scene, be it the stomach turning sense of teeth touching the curb or to highlight the emotion on a character’s face. His use of soundtrack further enhances every scene seamlessly building tension and then bringing it all crashing down in a high pitched threnody. Through studying this film it is clear to see that Tony Kaye’s masterful use of camerawork and soundtrack in these two scenes successfully pushes the message of the film home, which is that even though we may not be able to see it, racist traits are still passed down through families in today’s world.

Popular Culture and Violent Behavior Introduction In 1871 E.B. Taylor defined culture as 'that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and many other capabilities and habits acquired by... [members] of society. '[1] Taylor was talking about 'high' culture, an aristocratic view of the past-times such as ballet, theatre and art.

In the movie, “American History X”, the plot surrounds the life of two brothers who are involved with the D.O.C. a well-known white supremacist group in Venice Beach. Danny Vinyard is a high school student who admires his older brother, Derek, a former skinhead. Through the incarceration of his brother Derek, Danny becomes more affiliated with the skinheads and is mentioned at times as being the resemblance of his elder brother. The movie begins with flashbacks of Derek’s incarceration, and everything that leads him into being a prominent member of the skinheads. Throughout the movie, the audience witnesses the murder of two African-American men by the hands of Derek; while Danny watches in fear and in disbelief. After the murders, Derek is immediately arrested and is sentenced to three years for voluntary manslaughter. Throughout the three years of Derek’s imprisonment, Danny has become more involved in the white supremacist groups and begins following in the same dogma; which is that whites should hate all that are not part of the superior race. Due to his growing belief, Danny is sent to the principle’s office for writing a paper on Adolph Hitler’s book, “Mein Kampf”; which ultimately leads to principal Sweeney becoming his new history teacher and assigning him his first assignment. Danny is instructed to write a paper surrounding events that would ultimately lead to Derek’s imprisonment and how his imprisonment affected Danny’s perception of all the people around him.

level. The film,American History X, tells the story of two brothers who are both involved with a

The brutal 1998 movie American History X, directed by Tony Kaye, follows former skinhead Derek Vinyard while he is trying to prevent his younger brother, Danny, from going down the same path Derek was led down. While leading a violent white supremacist cult and being a large part of many racial crimes throughout the L.A. area, Derek was sentenced to three years in prison for killing two black men who attempted to break into his truck. Throughout the three years, Derek learns that there are good and bad people in every race and becomes more open and friendly to those he believed he was superior to. After getting help in prison, Derek is released on parole and tries to cut ties with his old “brothers,” it is then that Derek realizes how much