A Movie Analysis: “American History X”
Introduction
“American History X” was directed by Tom Kaye and released 1998. It is a story “partly based on the life of reformed skinhead Frank Meeink, who served three years in prison for charges related to white supremacist beliefs; now an accomplished anti-skinhead author and lecturer.” (Sean Hutchinson; Mental Floss, 2015) The setting is Venice Beach near Los Angeles, California 1998, where a growing number of immigrants chose to reside after coming to the United States. Wikipedia has described it as a neighborhood “moderately diverse ethnically, but having a high percentage of white people. The breakdown was whites, 64.2%; Latinos, 21.7%; blacks, 5.4%; Asians, 4.1%, and others, 4.6%. Mexico (38.4%) and the United Kingdom (8.5%) were the most common places of birth for the 22.3% of the residents who were born abroad—considered a low figure for Los Angeles.” (Wikipedia) The film begins with Danny being tasked to write a class paper entitled “American History X,” in which he is to analyze and interpret the events surrounding his brother Derek’s incarceration, explaining how these events helped to shape his present perspective concerning life in contemporary America and the impact on his …show more content…
It appears that his family could not afford the ‘white flight’, because they lose their house and are forced to move their family of five into a two bedroom apartment. Feeling repressed and disregarded by the government, Derek starts the D.O.C justifying its necessity in order to defend white freedom. The neighborhood kids ‘ate it up’ when Derek says, “Don’t just be a punk, be a part of something, because whites should not have to walk around scared in their own neighborhood”. Dogmatic, “To accept beliefs one has been taught without questioning them.” (Koppelman, p.
Introduction
“American History X” was directed by Tom Kaye and released 1998. It is a story “partly based on the life of reformed skinhead Frank Meeink, who served three years in prison for charges related to white supremacist beliefs; now an accomplished anti-skinhead author and lecturer.” (Sean Hutchinson; Mental Floss, 2015) The setting is Venice Beach near Los Angeles, California 1998, where a growing number of immigrants chose to reside after coming to the United States. Wikipedia has described it as a neighborhood “moderately diverse ethnically, but having a high percentage of white people. The breakdown was whites, 64.2%; Latinos, 21.7%; blacks, 5.4%; Asians, 4.1%, and others, 4.6%. Mexico (38.4%) and the United Kingdom (8.5%) were the most common places of birth for the 22.3% of the residents who were born abroad—considered a low figure for Los Angeles.” (Wikipedia) The film begins with Danny being tasked to write a class paper entitled “American History X,” in which he is to analyze and interpret the events surrounding his brother Derek’s incarceration, explaining how these events helped to shape his present perspective concerning life in contemporary America and the impact on his …show more content…
It appears that his family could not afford the ‘white flight’, because they lose their house and are forced to move their family of five into a two bedroom apartment. Feeling repressed and disregarded by the government, Derek starts the D.O.C justifying its necessity in order to defend white freedom. The neighborhood kids ‘ate it up’ when Derek says, “Don’t just be a punk, be a part of something, because whites should not have to walk around scared in their own neighborhood”. Dogmatic, “To accept beliefs one has been taught without questioning them.” (Koppelman, p.