Do The Right Thing

In the film Do the Right Thing Violence and hate was an issue amongst the varius races.  Rarely did anyone ever express their feelings to other races.  they would try to make them suffer and humiliate the others, allowing themselves to have the upper hand in the situation.  Violence was used more than verbal explanations, and in the end death for some was a result.  Bigger also did not express himself verbally.  If people expressed themselves verbally, there is more of a chance of them coming to an aggreement or a mutual understanding.  Bigger was a man of action, "Bigger did not offer in his life any articulate verbal explanations (452)."  Bigger often acted with violence and didn't think before acting "Bigger had impulses (452)."  Native Son and Do the Right Thing both show rivalries and conflict between different minorities.  People become selfish when they do not get along.  People don't bother to understand others they simply think, "God, I wish I had a flag and a country of my own (440)."  The United States is not big enough for everyone when we are not united or loving.

A coincidence that I found to be interesting was Radio Raheem's hand jewelry.  'Love' was on his right hand and 'hate' on the left.  In the end violence and hate led to deaths and heartache.  Fighting is never justifiied when used in the wrong way.  This correstpond to the title of the movie, Do the Right Thing.  I think there is a hidden message saying to do the "right" thing, as in Love.  At the end of Native Son Bigger learns to accept people, places and things for who/what they are and for the most part to love.  I think no person is perfect and everyone makes mistakes and has their flaws.  All have good intentions, but sometimes act in the wrong ways.  Radio Raheem often spoke of love, but then why did he pull Sal across the counter and beat him?  Impulses can get in the way of our logic and we make irrational decisions.  Every person is reedemed at a point.  At the end of the film when Mookie tries to turn down the bonus salary and Sal insists on him accepting.  I do sence bitterness between the two characters, but there is love too.  They respectfully talk to eachother without using violence.  I think they all finally learned their lessons after the violent, tramatic night before.  The messege that I received was violence solves nothing.

The Chicago Plan Responce

Two Societies:

Response to Document 2; “The Chicago Plan”

                Blacks were finally considered free.  They obtained the right to own property, attend school, and were expected to pay taxes as well.  Blacks faced struggles along the lines of finding a nice home in a safe area.  Baldwin recalled being asked the question, “Why don’t all negroes just move south?” People assume just because the north fought for equality among everyone that living conditions would be better and well suited in the north.  These assumptions were proved to be very wrong.  Blacks could not escape the Jim Crow laws anywhere they turned.  Racism was still an issue.  In the city of Chicago blacks were confined to specific areas.  They were not allowed to live just anywhere.  Blacks had to live among themselves, where they would not be considered the minority.  There were rules against them living in high class areas.  Blacks were confined to live in the ghettos.  In the ghettos houses were unreasonably priced, it was not necessarily safe, not sanitary, and taxes were often ten to twenty percent higher for black homeowners as opposed to white homeowners.  Even though they paid taxes treatment was not the same.  In the ghettos taxes were paid however, education lacked quality, and lack recreational and civic services.  Langston Hughes asked, “What happens to a dream deferred?”  Blacks had a dream to be equally, obtain freedoms, and be respected.  Blacks thought they finally had there shot as they were allowed to move as the pleased and were allowed to own property, but these were not up to expectations.  Their dreams were not deferred but in actuality denied, blacks were still being taken advantage of and their equality was denied.

Question

5. How did the Chicago Plan define a “slum”? How did slums embody the problems in Chicago and

other Northern cities?

Slums were defined as “any area which is exploited by the community at large or an area where free trade and exchange of culture and resources is not allowed to exist.”  The conditions in the slums seem to be very similar and almost exact to the problems and situations in the ghettos.  They do not receive any benefits from the money they pay with taxes.  Both slums and the ghettos in Chicago and other Northern cities are structured the same and consist of the same issues.