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Do The Right Thing : Movie Analysis

Decent Essays

Throughout the film Do the Right Thing, we continuously observe racial conflict that builds up to such an extreme point that it leads to a fight for power. This movie portrays the struggles and realities of a neighborhood with white and black African American people. This can be seen in many instances for example when Buggin ' Out, Radio Raheem, and Smiley march into Sal 's and demand that Sal change the Wall of Fame. Another vital instance shows the height of power struggle. It is when the huge fight starts in the street and results in Raheem being killed by a white police officer.

The cause for all the tension in the movie can perhaps be attributed to the heat on this particular day, which ‘rises off the asphalt in quivering waves’. The temperatures were soaring high and the hottest day of the year, brought catastrophes with it. It was as if the tension was frozen and this heat let it all out. And thus all the emotions are opened wide and released.

Spike Lee the director creates character in such a way that they all have some sort of racist anger within them. Every interaction between the African American and the whites results in mounting tensions. Some openly threw out ethnic slurs, and barely suppressed the rage that festered within them waiting to come out at any moment. Lee does this in order to show that any small spark could result in a huge conflagration that could burn anything to the ground, be it relationships or friendships. This is the main focus of the

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