Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
All this stuff about making everything "equal..." it's not that simple. Now you've
got this book "Native Son." What happened to the other books in the course?
They're not good anymore because Mr. Two Ph.Ds says so? Now you got to trade
great books for black books? Does that make sense? You gotta question these
things, Der. You gotta look at the whole picture. We're talking about books...but
we're also talking about my job. I've got two black guys on my squad now who
got their job over a couple of white guys who actually scored higher on the test.
Does that make sense? Everything's "equal" now, but I've got two guys watching
my back...responsible for my life...who aren't as good. They only got the job
because they were black, not because they were the best. His father made his
views on blacks very clear and I believe that is where Dereks racism originated
from due to the tremendous impact his father had on him (MOVIE Quote DB,
2008).
From this one and only scene of Denis Vineyard, anyone can depict his views on black
people and how his views would influence his sons to believe in the same. (Need
research how parents views are passed to children)
prison by taking off his t-shirt to show his swastika tattoo to the other inmates. He was
accepted and resided with a white racist group that took him into their group. He
experienced hypocrisy when he saw one member of his group doing business with
someone from a different group/gang that no one in their gang associated with. He stood
up for himself because he could no longer deal with keeping his mouth shut and letting
him get away it. He was tortured and brutally raped by the group of white gang members
he once resides in and was no longer wanted in the group because he dissed them in
front of the other inmates. In most cases of male sexual abuse in prisons, the abuse is
between white and black but can still happen between white and white (No Escape,
2001). According to a website on Male Rape in US Prisons, "The perpetrator may
initially appear to be a friend, even an apparent protector, but will take advantage of his
acquaintance with the victim to intimidate and coerce him into sexual contact" (2001).
After Derek was raped, his whole outlook on life began to take a turn, maybe not for the
best while in jail but for the best for whatever future he had to look forward to.
Derek worked with a young black male that ended up being the only person he
got along with in the prison, and was the only reason he made it out of prison alive. When
Derek was released, he explained to Danny the reason for his sudden change in racist
views was because of that black man and in turn, Danny and Derek took down all the
Nazi flags/posters in their bedroom because they no longer want to be associated with
that type of lifestyle.
Conclusion
Derek Vineyard experienced several obstacles and battles throughout his life. He
looked up to his father and took a walk in his racial footsteps for many years. He could
not bare to handle his fathers murder and built up a chest full of anger towards black
people after his father was killed. Derek was not afraid to stand up for what he believed
in and was proud to be a neo nazi until he served his three and a half year sentence in jail.
After being raped in jail, his whole outlook on life changed for the better. He wanted to
create a better life for himself and his family and would do whatever that entailed.
Works Cited
"MOVIE Quote DB."American History X ... Movie Quotes Database. N.p., 2008. Web.
26 Apr. 2015.
"Predators and Victims." No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons. N.p., 2001. Web. 26
Apr. 2015.
Steele, Paul D. "Rotten Outcomes: How Impoverished Neighborhoods Influence The Life
Trajectories Of Children In The United States." Forum On Public Policy
Online 2010.4 (2010): ERIC. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.