The types of masculinity that are promoted in the film as positive mostly center around responsibility, independence, and unity. The film promotes most of these aspects by using Tre as a central model for these positive traits. Although doughboy does, to a degree, represent a positive aspect of the hood by his unity to family and friends. Tre portrays responsibility through what he has learned from his father, Furious Styles. He takes responsibility for his own life by working his way through high school, having a job, practicing safe sex, and helping Furious around the house. The firlm also portrays Tre as being independent by the fact that he left his mother at an early age to learn to become a man. The idea here is that he left his childhood with his mother, along with the restrictions of it, and moved with his father to learn how to perform his masculinity. With his father he is seen as another man and can come and go from the house as he pleases. Of course this ties into the idea of men as responsible since Tre must be responsible even when he is exercising his independence. Lastly the film shows that men build strong bonds between each other which are never broken, and which are protected if needed. An example of this is Doughboy as he goes on a mission to avenge his brother Ricky. The unity he felt for his brother was strong enough to move Doughboy to take action and avenge his brother. Although the end is violent the intention and meaning behind the action is that friendship and family are ties that are highly honored and protected by men.
The types of masculinity that are seen as dangerous are a short temper, assertion of strength through violence, and altercations to save face. The way that the film shows the danger behind a man's short temper is through Ricky's murder. Because Ricky had been pushed while at a street hangout Ricky reacted by cussing at a member of a gang. This sign of disrespect drove the gang member to murder Ricky. This example also ties into the idea that men must defend their honor through altercations and an exchange of possibly violent words. Ricky felt that he had disrespected, which he had, by the gang member so he reacted by cussing at him and making his masculinity known. The danger behind this is that it may start fights between two men. Each would be trying to prove his elevated masculinity and to put words into action they may attack each other to see who is the alpha male. The last view of masculinity that is portrayed as dangerous is the assertion of strength through violence. The best example of this is Ricky's murder. Because the altercation between Ricky and the gang member was left unresolved the gang member felt that he had to assert his power over Ricky and his small "gang." So in order to do this he violently murdered Ricky in cold blood. Men feel that they must outwardly portray their masculinity through actions, and more often than not it leads to violence.
The role that race has in depicting African American masculinity in the film is that since African American men live predominantly in the "ghetto" areas of cities it portrays their masculinity as one with a higher need to assert one's strength in order to survive. Because the poorer regions of cities have higher crime rates the people living in these areas must be on the defensive at all times. So masculinity is a necessity in order that one may left alone because they are seen as a threat to other males. This carries with it an inherent idea that because a man is black he is seen as tough and in this way race helps to depict African Americans' masculinity.
The women in the film do not play a large part in the events that take place througout the movie. They are not seen as "active" because of their lack of action in the movie. But they are also not passive because what affects the men also affects them. An example is the girlfriend of the gang member when she asks if there can be a night where there is no bloodshed. She takes a small action but it is shot down by Doughboy, a man. So women may try to be active agents but men take the lead. But the women are important factors in the development of characters such as Tre and Ricky. Ricky's mother always pushes him to succeed and tells Doughboy he is worthless. These self-fulfilling prophecies do come true as Ricky becomes a successful football player and Doughboy becomes a street thug. Tre's mother also pushes Tre to succeed and he does, also a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A character that can be seen as an "outsider-within" is Tre. Although he is accepted by his friends, who in majority, are thugs, Tre himself is a good kid who gets good grades. He hates the "hood" where he lives and desperately wants to escape it. Through this desire he is an outsider within the community and bubble of friends in which he lives.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Boyz N the Hood
One kind of masculinities being promoted as positive in the film Boyz in the Hood is Tre’s father, Furious Styles, educates Tre to be a responsible man. He says something like every man can have his children, but only a real man can raise his children. Furious acts as a role model: he works hard to raise Tre and always teaches Tre how to be a real and responsible man. Although Furious knows that they are black people, he teaches Tre to keep away from crime. His words give positive influences on Tre, and when Tre wants to take revenge for Ricky, he quits on the way.
Different from the positive one, there is a “dangerous” masculinity shown in the film. Doughboy, one of Tre’s friends, is promoted as a “typical” African American in South Central Los Angeles. In one scene which Tre, Ricky, Doughboy, and their friends hang out, someone hits Ricky, and they starts arguing. At that moment, Doughboy takes out his gun and shows it to those people in order to scare them away. In addition, after Ricky is being murdered, Doughboy takes revenge on the people who kill Ricky. It is dangerous masculinities, as they use violence to solve problems.
Races play an important role in the depiction of African American masculinities in the film. There are two scenes that police appears in the film. At the first time when Furious called the police that their house has being break by some people. The attitude between the white police and the black police acted differently. At the second time when Tre and Ricky drive, the police stop them. While the white police asks Rocky something, the black police put the gun on Tre’s neck. Therefore, Races play an important role in the depiction of African American masculinities in the film.
Most women in the film are passive agents, as they stay at home and raise children. Tre’s mother would be the outsider-within, as she decides to work outside instead of staying at home to take care Tre.
Different from the positive one, there is a “dangerous” masculinity shown in the film. Doughboy, one of Tre’s friends, is promoted as a “typical” African American in South Central Los Angeles. In one scene which Tre, Ricky, Doughboy, and their friends hang out, someone hits Ricky, and they starts arguing. At that moment, Doughboy takes out his gun and shows it to those people in order to scare them away. In addition, after Ricky is being murdered, Doughboy takes revenge on the people who kill Ricky. It is dangerous masculinities, as they use violence to solve problems.
Races play an important role in the depiction of African American masculinities in the film. There are two scenes that police appears in the film. At the first time when Furious called the police that their house has being break by some people. The attitude between the white police and the black police acted differently. At the second time when Tre and Ricky drive, the police stop them. While the white police asks Rocky something, the black police put the gun on Tre’s neck. Therefore, Races play an important role in the depiction of African American masculinities in the film.
Most women in the film are passive agents, as they stay at home and raise children. Tre’s mother would be the outsider-within, as she decides to work outside instead of staying at home to take care Tre.
Amit's Boyz n the Hood Blog Post
The three main characters in “Boyz n the Hood” represent positive, dangerous, and a mix of the two types of masculinities. When thinking of the positive masculinities that are depicted in the film, Tre’s journey to becoming a man comes to mind. His reluctance to be a violent gang member and the respect for women his father has instilled in him are shown as positive characteristics that make a man. In contrast to Tre’s character, is Doughboy’s struggle as a gang member. His reckless attitude and dependence on violence are seen as “dangerous” masculinities. Ricky, who seems to be a combination of the two, is the birth of the two mentalities. He is as determined as Tre is to be successful in a world without violence and gangs, yet he has the street knowledge his brother Doughboy taught him.
The role of race in depicting African American masculinities film is significant in that it helps describe how the masculinities came about--through the struggle and neglect African Americans face in south-central Los Angeles. The same types of personalities would not have been able to develop in a white family without the audience assuming some type of family disorientation or struggle, not the hardships of living in a ghetto as seen in Boyz n the Hood.
Surprisingly enough, Boyz n the Hood has some very strong notions about women in society buried underneath the masculinity of the film. The power both Tre and Ricky’s mothers have as the maternal figure goes along way in building their successful personality types. Yet at the same time, Boyz n the Hood shows how many women of south central are degraded at social events. Like at the barbecue, the women are seen as characters that only accompany the strength and support a man can support--almost seeming worthless on their own.
Similar to Don Sabo’s article “Doing Time, Doing Masculinity, Sports and Prison”, most of the character’s masculinities are revealed when they are around other men. For example, Tre’s natural extinct for revenge and being dangerous is something that is only unveiled by the end when Ricky falls to death. This notion is also related to Messner’s methodology of “doing gender” since he states that it can only be done at the expense of interacting with others, not as much as a biological instinct.
The role of race in depicting African American masculinities film is significant in that it helps describe how the masculinities came about--through the struggle and neglect African Americans face in south-central Los Angeles. The same types of personalities would not have been able to develop in a white family without the audience assuming some type of family disorientation or struggle, not the hardships of living in a ghetto as seen in Boyz n the Hood.
Surprisingly enough, Boyz n the Hood has some very strong notions about women in society buried underneath the masculinity of the film. The power both Tre and Ricky’s mothers have as the maternal figure goes along way in building their successful personality types. Yet at the same time, Boyz n the Hood shows how many women of south central are degraded at social events. Like at the barbecue, the women are seen as characters that only accompany the strength and support a man can support--almost seeming worthless on their own.
Similar to Don Sabo’s article “Doing Time, Doing Masculinity, Sports and Prison”, most of the character’s masculinities are revealed when they are around other men. For example, Tre’s natural extinct for revenge and being dangerous is something that is only unveiled by the end when Ricky falls to death. This notion is also related to Messner’s methodology of “doing gender” since he states that it can only be done at the expense of interacting with others, not as much as a biological instinct.
Boyz in DA hood
There are an array of masculine qualities that are promoted in a positive light in the film Boys in the Hood, although they aren’t shown too often in the film. These positive qualities include when the boys are audacious, strong, and caring, especially toward their friends. The audience does see a glimpse of Tre’s father being the supportive, caring father, but no other protective fatherly figure is shown in the movie. As far as the dangerous qualities go, many of the boys, like Dough Boy, are seen as “hard” and not frightened by anything. They are constantly trying to prove their worth. For example, in the scene where Ricky gets bumped into by another gang member, in front of Dough Boy's car, Dough Boy immediately pulls out his gun to show how strong and “hard,” proving that he can easily protect himself and his friends. Although some may see this as a positive quality, this action promotes further violence and does not benefit anyone in the group.
Race is a predominant theme throughout the movie because African Americans are only shown to inhabit the “ghetto” streets of South Central L.A. In terms of masculinity, African Americans are portrayed in an negative light. They are portrayed as the sole gang-bangers and thugs in L.A. They are all seen carrying weapons, drinking heavily, treating women badly, and having high rates of teen pregnancy. (As I mentioned above, the only positive male influence in the movie is Tre’s father.) African Americans, in addition, are portrayed to take their masculinity and reputation to great regard as they are always trying to prove their worth and toughness.
Women don’t have a significant role in the movie. Males occupy the dominant role in the movie because they are the ones who live adventurous lives on the tough streets in LA. Women, on the other hand, are seen studying, trying to get a better education, or as homemakers. With that said, I see them as passive characters in the movie – they are left in the background story of the movie. The only female that stands out as an example of an “outsider-within” is Tre’s mom. She is the active female in the movie because she has a well-paid job and continuously influences Tre. She is constantly trying to better her life and that of her son. Most of the other women, such as Dough-Boy’s mom is always seen in her robe smoking a cigarette on the front porch.
Race is a predominant theme throughout the movie because African Americans are only shown to inhabit the “ghetto” streets of South Central L.A. In terms of masculinity, African Americans are portrayed in an negative light. They are portrayed as the sole gang-bangers and thugs in L.A. They are all seen carrying weapons, drinking heavily, treating women badly, and having high rates of teen pregnancy. (As I mentioned above, the only positive male influence in the movie is Tre’s father.) African Americans, in addition, are portrayed to take their masculinity and reputation to great regard as they are always trying to prove their worth and toughness.
Women don’t have a significant role in the movie. Males occupy the dominant role in the movie because they are the ones who live adventurous lives on the tough streets in LA. Women, on the other hand, are seen studying, trying to get a better education, or as homemakers. With that said, I see them as passive characters in the movie – they are left in the background story of the movie. The only female that stands out as an example of an “outsider-within” is Tre’s mom. She is the active female in the movie because she has a well-paid job and continuously influences Tre. She is constantly trying to better her life and that of her son. Most of the other women, such as Dough-Boy’s mom is always seen in her robe smoking a cigarette on the front porch.
Boyz In The Hood
The film Boyz in the Hood addresses the issue of "becoming a man." By juxtaposing the ways that a true man should act with "dangerous" expressions of masculinity, the film promotes a clean-cut view of proper masculinities. When Tre and his friends are children, their different upbringings are emphasized. Tre's father is an extremely strict disciplinarian who emphasizes devotion to schoolwork, housework, and other mental and physical labors in order to keep his son on the right path. As discussed in Karin A. Martin's article "I couldn't ever picture myself having sex...," men having sex is a sign of masculinity. However, when Tre lies and pretends that he had lost his virginity, he receives a strict lecture from his father. Though sex equals masculinity, a true man is responsible and conscientious in his actions. Ricky receives compassion and love from his mother; Doughboy and Chris do not receive parenting but are instead insulted and left without a father figure to guide them. Even at their young age, it is Tre and Ricky who are succeeding - Doughboy and Chris are arrested for shoplifting. Seven years later, the full affects of each character's masculinity is exposed. Tre, who had been taught ethics and the value of working hard, is college-bound. He is intelligent and inspiring; he appears to be the only one who knows the career path he will choose to follow. Ricky is an All-American football player and has a future. However, as the good masculine ideals of power through knowledge had not been instilled in him, he also has a girlfriend and child to support. His portrayal remains positive, though he is made out to be less successful than Tre. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Doughboy, Chris, and their friends are now drug dealing thugs. They had represent the negative, "dangerous" masculinities. Whereas Tre portrays masculine strength and power through his intelligence, these men present masculine ferocity and aggression through physical force. The characters who die by the end of the movie are the ones who have been exposed to this negative masculinity. Ricky only dapples in aggression, but it soon after leads to his death.
Tre's father often emphasizes the role of a Black man. He says that there is no place for a Black man in the army and other governmental institutions. Thus, African Americans need to form their own masculinities by making their own. They need to protect their own communities and emphasize improvements within themselves. Black men have suffered for centuries, and it is up to them to defy this repression and become successful members of society. Thus, Black men have to be even stronger, mentally and physically, to break through the wall of oppression that they face.
Women characters are portrayed as supplements to the males' development of their masculinity. Tre's girlfriend mirrors Tre's success and his focused mentality. She holds true to her Christian morals and values, regardless of peer pressure or what others are doing. Karin A. Martin's article "I couldn't ever picture myself having sex..." discusses how many girls were pressured into having sex and then later regretted it. Girls having sex is often regarded as promiscuous, resulting in the female being labeled as a "slut" or "ho." Tre's girlfriend stuck to her beliefs and did not succumb to any peer pressure from Tre. She seems to be an example of an "outsider-within." Tre's girlfriend lives a stable life, supported by her family and her faith in religion. Unlike the other women in the movie, she is not promiscuous nor drug-addicted and seems to actually desire having a future. Ricky's girlfriend, though completely supportive of his endeavors, reflects his directed yet still slightly irresponsible lifestyle. At about the age of seventeen, she already has a child. However, she accepted responsibility and takes complete care of the child. Some of the mothers are wrecks, including the druggie mother who lets her child run into the street. As a whole, the women characters are passive agents in the film. None of them really further the storyline; some augment the plot but could be disposable characters if necessary.
Tre's father often emphasizes the role of a Black man. He says that there is no place for a Black man in the army and other governmental institutions. Thus, African Americans need to form their own masculinities by making their own. They need to protect their own communities and emphasize improvements within themselves. Black men have suffered for centuries, and it is up to them to defy this repression and become successful members of society. Thus, Black men have to be even stronger, mentally and physically, to break through the wall of oppression that they face.
Women characters are portrayed as supplements to the males' development of their masculinity. Tre's girlfriend mirrors Tre's success and his focused mentality. She holds true to her Christian morals and values, regardless of peer pressure or what others are doing. Karin A. Martin's article "I couldn't ever picture myself having sex..." discusses how many girls were pressured into having sex and then later regretted it. Girls having sex is often regarded as promiscuous, resulting in the female being labeled as a "slut" or "ho." Tre's girlfriend stuck to her beliefs and did not succumb to any peer pressure from Tre. She seems to be an example of an "outsider-within." Tre's girlfriend lives a stable life, supported by her family and her faith in religion. Unlike the other women in the movie, she is not promiscuous nor drug-addicted and seems to actually desire having a future. Ricky's girlfriend, though completely supportive of his endeavors, reflects his directed yet still slightly irresponsible lifestyle. At about the age of seventeen, she already has a child. However, she accepted responsibility and takes complete care of the child. Some of the mothers are wrecks, including the druggie mother who lets her child run into the street. As a whole, the women characters are passive agents in the film. None of them really further the storyline; some augment the plot but could be disposable characters if necessary.
Boyz N the Hood
The movie “Boyz N the Hood” offers a realistic depiction of the male gender norms in the south central, African-American society. It gives outsiders that may not have experienced a neighborhood like this a new perspective on the people that live there and their values. Two of the characters, Tre and Doughboy, represent two very different forms of masculinities evident in this society. Tre, though in a tough neighborhood, stays busy by keeping a job, staying in school, and playing sports. His father is a great role model, keeping Tre out of trouble and leading him to become an educated, supportive and respectful man. Doughboy on the other hand, represents the “dangerous” masculinities in this society by dealing drugs, not keeping up in school, and acting out violently. Such characteristics are not foreign in the neighborhood, and often lead many of these young men to rough situations in life. The movie really promotes the idea of a guiding fatherly figure; without one, many of these boys become troublesome figures in society. A lot of people tend to characterize African American young men to be like Doughboy, because of the neighborhoods they live in and the lives they end up living. A lot of the boys that don’t have a male figure to look up to find themselves tangled up in violent habits and behaviors. The women characters in the film are portrayed as objects that the men use for their entertainment. Many of the boys’ mother’s are single since the father’s left them once they were pregnant. This also reinforces the idea that a fatherly figure is essential in creating a successful lifestyle for these boys.
Boyz N the Hood
In the movie “Boyz in the Hood,” many different types of masculinities are portrayed. The main character, Tre, is seen as the man with morals. He goes to college, does not get into fights, and even respects his girlfriend’s wishes not to have sex until she is ready. He grew up with a strong father figure, illustrating that men need a disciplinary father to allow them to grow into good-willed, successful men, which is an important theme of the film. Tre’s friends Doughboy and Ricky did not have a father throughout their childhoods, and the movie shows how this truly affected the way their lives progressed. Ricky had goals to go to college and play football, but he still somehow lost these dreams in the midst of getting his girlfriend pregnant, raising a child, and then getting into so much violence that he is shot and killed at the end. Finally, Doughboy shows the most extreme type of dangerous masculinity. When he is a young boy, he steals and gets sent to juvenile hall and is in and out of prison for seven years after that. He has so much rage and is always drinking and getting into fights. After Ricky is killed, Doughboy takes revenge and kills the men who murdered his brother, but is then killed himself two weeks later. He is shown as the opposite of Tre because Tre’s father tells him not to take revenge and Tre makes the right decision, while Doughboy’s violence gets the best of him and only makes the situation worse. Race is also important in the film because a lot of it has to do with the gangs and the area the characters live in, which is predominantly African-American. The violence involved with the race and groups of dominant males shows the issues that arise within the ethnic group. Also, race is important because many African American fathers leave their children and that is a main theme of the film. Women do not play a very important role in the film, but when they are shown it is just to prove that a father figure is needed to create a successful man. At first Tre’s mother is dominant and shows Tre strong morals, but then gives her son to his father feeling that he could do a better job while she was in school. Also the film shows the differences of males and females because Tre’s girlfriend is scared of violence and is taught not to be around boys when she is young. This film strongly portrays the violence in masculinity, but also juxtaposes that image with one of success and morals.
Carmen blog #4 (Boyz in the Hood)
The movie, Boyz n the Hood masculinity is portrayed as being physically strong and being able to defend oneself against others, even to the death. This definition of masculinity is true in many other contexts, but particularly in that of the "ghetto." Here there is constant violence and in order to survive one must at all times be able to defend themselves. There are gun shootings, fights, and robberies all the time "on the streets." In order to be masculine, and respected by others in the community, men are expected to be strong and stand up for themselves. This is the idea of masculinity that is promoted in these areas because of their particular circumstances, but this also promotes danger and violence further. While these men are viewed as strong and masculine in the community, they are also seen as dangerous, within the community and even more so by those outside the communities. Because they are expected to defend themselves they sometimes do so mora than is necessary, frequently to the point of killing someone else or getting themselves killed. Expecations are placed on these men because of where they live, but they are also based on their ethnicity. African-American men are expected, even more than white men, to be physically larger and stronger, more violent, and to stand their ground. They appear to be rougher and more violent. The African-American men portrayed in the movie follow these stereotypes, even though Tre and Furious are not characteristically as violent as the others they are still tempted to be.
The women in the film are not depicted as main characters in the film, making them appear passive, but their personalities are anything but that. The woman are portrayed as strong, spunky, and energetic. They are vocal about themselves and their opinions. Though the men shrug them off when they voice themselves. The women's energy and personalities are portrayed as a little crazy and over dramatic. In other films women are passive and this not respected, but in this one they are not; they are vocal. However, this non passivity is depicted as crazy and excessive. Women can do nothing right, according to the media. Either they are stupid for being passive or crazy for being vocal.
The characters who appear to be the "outsiders within" are Tre and his father Furious. Though they live in the ghetto and are still seen as masculine because they are strong and protective, they are seen as "too good" or upper-class by the rest of the community members because they are educated, non-violent, not involved in petty crimes, and responsible. They try to raise themselves out of the stereotypes of African-American people living in ghetto's.
The women in the film are not depicted as main characters in the film, making them appear passive, but their personalities are anything but that. The woman are portrayed as strong, spunky, and energetic. They are vocal about themselves and their opinions. Though the men shrug them off when they voice themselves. The women's energy and personalities are portrayed as a little crazy and over dramatic. In other films women are passive and this not respected, but in this one they are not; they are vocal. However, this non passivity is depicted as crazy and excessive. Women can do nothing right, according to the media. Either they are stupid for being passive or crazy for being vocal.
The characters who appear to be the "outsiders within" are Tre and his father Furious. Though they live in the ghetto and are still seen as masculine because they are strong and protective, they are seen as "too good" or upper-class by the rest of the community members because they are educated, non-violent, not involved in petty crimes, and responsible. They try to raise themselves out of the stereotypes of African-American people living in ghetto's.
Boyz in the Hood
In the movie Boyz in the Hood, there are several different tyes of masculinities being portrayed. The first one is of Tre's father who takes responsibility for having a child at such a young age. He makes sure that his son is raised with correct morals and understands what is right from wrong. The second type of masculinity is portrayed by Tre's best friend, Ricky, who is the athlete that is looking for a college scholarship from USC. Typically, sports is seen as a masculine activity, especially football. The last type of masculinity portrayed is that of the "gangster" shown by Doughboy. He was sent to juvenile detention as a young boy, and when he got out, he was a member of a gang, and all they did all day was sit on the porch steps with their guns looking menacing. The masculinity that is seen as dangerous was the character Doughboy who was considered the "gangster".
Race is plays a major role in African American masculinity. Doughboy and his gang were not expected to do anything else with their lives when they came out of juvenile detention, especially since they were black, and so they did not feel the need to change anyone's opinions of them. They did not go to school, and drank mass amounts of alcohol.
Women were not a large factor in this film. The women were portrayed as meek and not being able to control the men in their lives. The mother of Tre sent him to live with his father because she could not keep him from fighting in school. Ricky and Doughboy's mother could not keep Doughboy from being a thief, and favored Ricky because he was the good child. They play very passive roles. A character that is an outsider within could be Tre because he was raised so differently than his friends who lived right across the street. He seems to live in a bubble like world because he was raised with morals and had goals to aspire to, and a strong father figure to look up to.
boyz n the hood
It's rather upsetting to me that gender issues often lead to women's rights issues, as if men don't have their own struggles with creating identities or places for themselves in society. In the film, we definitely see our main characters - Tre, Doughboy, and Ricky - trying to find their own identities and places as they deal with the everyday troubles of living in 'the hood'. A lot of their growing up deals with 'being a man' and learning to cope with their lives as the tough black men of the neighborhood. There are two examples for the boys to look to, and these two extremes portray the positive masculinity or the more dangerous, cool masculinity that they can follow. Tre's father is definitely the much more positive influence: he is a working businessman who sets up his own real estate. He reads books, and continuously reminds the boys of the mistakes he's made in order for them to learn from him. From the point of view of a person not in their situation, Tre's dad is the positive masculinity who is working to separate himself from the stereotypes, dangers, and disappointments of 'the hood' - his toughness is more mental than physical. On the flip side of the spectrum, Doughboy and his gang represent the more dangerous side of masculinity in the neighborhood: they drink, chase girls, get into fights, and visually and audibly represent the stereotypes that Tre's father tries to avoid and keep his son away from. They emote a more physical masculinity: a toughness that they cling to in order to survive in their neighborhood. In the middle are Ricky and Tre, who can see the fun wild side of being a dangerous hoodlum, but are also swayed by the deep words of Tre's father and the idea of being able to get away from the dangers of their home. Ironically, the masculinity that they try to portray is very stereotypically African American: they are either completely fitting in with the dangerous hood or doing everything in their power to get out. These stereotypes, though probably created based on experience adn observations, are stereotypes created by other races to generalize the African American adolescents in the neighborhood. Race, then, defines the stereotypes because it only uses African American stereotypes to create a good and a bad type of boy in the movie - the dichotomy is directly based off a racial stereotype. Ricky and Tre are anomalies in that their sports skills or their academic success allow them to even dream of escaping the hood that has made them into men.
While the men are actively attempting to find their places, the women are given much more passive roles in the movie. One of the most independent women, Tre's mom, is important because of her strong belief in education. However, she quickly disappears from the storyline after handing Tre over to his dad, showing the emphasis on men teaching other men how to be men. Masculinity and being tough, a major theme of the movie and surviving the hood, is something that women can only be a part of in that they must be taken advantage of. We see this between Tre and his girlfriend, when he is overly eager to have sex with her, especially when teased by his friends. Though she uses religion as a pretext for keeping him off her, her much calmer family life and attachment to religion make her an outsider-within in the hood. She has family and religious values that keep her stable, but also make her very different from the drug addicted or rather promiscuous other women portrayed in the movie. All of the other girls and women show no signs of interest in education or getting out of the hood in actual actions, though they may voice hope - like Ricky's mom - for their friends or family getting out of the hood. In that sense, Brandi is a very active agent simply because she is the only woman making an effort to leave the hood.
While the men are actively attempting to find their places, the women are given much more passive roles in the movie. One of the most independent women, Tre's mom, is important because of her strong belief in education. However, she quickly disappears from the storyline after handing Tre over to his dad, showing the emphasis on men teaching other men how to be men. Masculinity and being tough, a major theme of the movie and surviving the hood, is something that women can only be a part of in that they must be taken advantage of. We see this between Tre and his girlfriend, when he is overly eager to have sex with her, especially when teased by his friends. Though she uses religion as a pretext for keeping him off her, her much calmer family life and attachment to religion make her an outsider-within in the hood. She has family and religious values that keep her stable, but also make her very different from the drug addicted or rather promiscuous other women portrayed in the movie. All of the other girls and women show no signs of interest in education or getting out of the hood in actual actions, though they may voice hope - like Ricky's mom - for their friends or family getting out of the hood. In that sense, Brandi is a very active agent simply because she is the only woman making an effort to leave the hood.
Blog #4 Boyz in the Hood
Blog #4
In the movie, Boyz in the Hood, there were many masculinities being promoted with some being a part of the black community while others were for males in general. Throughout the movie, the male parents were always the ones being authoritative towards their children, while the women were more passive. This was a positive quality because especially the main father was very influential towards his son and raised him very well. In the end of the movie, the son decides to skip out on getting revenge for his dead friend, assumingly because of how his father brought him up. Another positive masculinity portrayed in the movie is male loyalty towards male friends, such as in the gangs. In the neighborhood, too, the group of friends grew up together and was especially loyal when one of them died. They were willing to risk their lives to avenge him.
The masculinities seen as dangerous were the boys’ aggressiveness and anger that was prevalent throughout the movie. An example is when there was a street party and one of the main characters made a rude remark, causing the antagonist to become extremely angry and pull out a gun. In the end, the antagonist ended up killing him. There were constant fights and violence, causing aggressiveness and anger to seem like a normal part of masculinity. In the movie, this aggressiveness and anger seemed like it was portrayed more towards the African American characters. Also, the African American community, especially the men, were degraded and put down just because of their color.
The women, on the other hand, were very passive characters. They never had anything to do with the violence going on. Also, they were the ones taking care of the little kids and cleaning the house. Their lifestyle was definitely very domestic. The main character’s girlfriend was also passive in that she was always studying or sitting somewhere in the neighborhood or on the front porch of the house. The women were always waiting at home for the men to arrive. In Karen A Martin’s “I Couldn’t Ever Picture Myself Having Sex,” she talked about how boys just have sex to have higher status among their peers and to experience it. Women have sex a lot of times because they are convinced to have it, and they’re much more emotional about it. This was shown in the movie, adding to the fact that the women were portrayed as passive characters.
In the movie, Boyz in the Hood, there were many masculinities being promoted with some being a part of the black community while others were for males in general. Throughout the movie, the male parents were always the ones being authoritative towards their children, while the women were more passive. This was a positive quality because especially the main father was very influential towards his son and raised him very well. In the end of the movie, the son decides to skip out on getting revenge for his dead friend, assumingly because of how his father brought him up. Another positive masculinity portrayed in the movie is male loyalty towards male friends, such as in the gangs. In the neighborhood, too, the group of friends grew up together and was especially loyal when one of them died. They were willing to risk their lives to avenge him.
The masculinities seen as dangerous were the boys’ aggressiveness and anger that was prevalent throughout the movie. An example is when there was a street party and one of the main characters made a rude remark, causing the antagonist to become extremely angry and pull out a gun. In the end, the antagonist ended up killing him. There were constant fights and violence, causing aggressiveness and anger to seem like a normal part of masculinity. In the movie, this aggressiveness and anger seemed like it was portrayed more towards the African American characters. Also, the African American community, especially the men, were degraded and put down just because of their color.
The women, on the other hand, were very passive characters. They never had anything to do with the violence going on. Also, they were the ones taking care of the little kids and cleaning the house. Their lifestyle was definitely very domestic. The main character’s girlfriend was also passive in that she was always studying or sitting somewhere in the neighborhood or on the front porch of the house. The women were always waiting at home for the men to arrive. In Karen A Martin’s “I Couldn’t Ever Picture Myself Having Sex,” she talked about how boys just have sex to have higher status among their peers and to experience it. Women have sex a lot of times because they are convinced to have it, and they’re much more emotional about it. This was shown in the movie, adding to the fact that the women were portrayed as passive characters.
Gender and Masculinity in Boyz N' the Hood (by Schyler)
Although I commonly associate the issue of gender in terms of the experiences of women and their expression of femininity, gender plays a pivotal role in the lives of men as well. In examining gender and masculinity in Boyz N’ the Hood, I have found that historical events such as the Civil Rights Movement fostered a heightened sense of oppression among the black community. In turn, future generations of black men and women exhibited a struggle for freedom that permeated well into 1990s gang life. During such a time and within such a place as South Central Los Angeles, individuals were often faced with economic challenges and continued racial oppression. In Doing Time, Doing Masculinity, Sports and Prison, Don Sabo notes the performance of masculinity within a predominantly male environment. As there are limited women, men convey a physical and emotional aura due to a dangerous setting. Likewise, men are confronted with the dangerous influences of violence, sex, and drugs that seem to separate their personalities and characteristics from the women in the film.
However, such negativity is influenced and counteracted by positive feelings of hope and ambition to excel within their community. For example, one of the main characters, Ricky, strives to attain an athletic scholarship at USC as Dough maintains a sense of courage amidst violence, crime, and drugs. Although the women take on comparably minor roles, they act as active agents, even “outsiders-within,” because of their effect on the men. For instance, after Tre is faced with police brutality, Brandi, his girlfriend of immense maturity, consoles him and enables him to shed away his tough and hardened masculine exterior in a positive light.
In his article, Barbie Girls Versus Sea Monsters: Children Constructing Gender, Professor Messner discusses the ways in which boys and girls perform their gender in sync with their peers. The gendered social structure of the AYSO teams is impacted as a result of cultural symbols, such as the distinct colors and team names (that sets the boys and girls’ teams apart). Similarly, the gang life that is depicted in Boyz N’ the Hood, arguably a social structure, is created and reinforced by the cultural symbols such as the violence, drugs, and crime popular among the male subjects. But, like the Barbies and the Sea Monsters, the men and women are able to come closer to a gendered symbiosis.
However, such negativity is influenced and counteracted by positive feelings of hope and ambition to excel within their community. For example, one of the main characters, Ricky, strives to attain an athletic scholarship at USC as Dough maintains a sense of courage amidst violence, crime, and drugs. Although the women take on comparably minor roles, they act as active agents, even “outsiders-within,” because of their effect on the men. For instance, after Tre is faced with police brutality, Brandi, his girlfriend of immense maturity, consoles him and enables him to shed away his tough and hardened masculine exterior in a positive light.
In his article, Barbie Girls Versus Sea Monsters: Children Constructing Gender, Professor Messner discusses the ways in which boys and girls perform their gender in sync with their peers. The gendered social structure of the AYSO teams is impacted as a result of cultural symbols, such as the distinct colors and team names (that sets the boys and girls’ teams apart). Similarly, the gang life that is depicted in Boyz N’ the Hood, arguably a social structure, is created and reinforced by the cultural symbols such as the violence, drugs, and crime popular among the male subjects. But, like the Barbies and the Sea Monsters, the men and women are able to come closer to a gendered symbiosis.
Boyz N The Hood
The film is portraying the childhood of three African Americans. Their parents’ treatment on them has huge influence on them. At first it displays the racial problem in American. Those black people get no opportunity and respect.Tre’s luckier than other black American children because he has a responsible and thoughtful, whose personality is so previous among others who live in the poor hood. Tre’s father teaches his child to grow like a man not through violation but spiritual maturity. That significantly break the stereotype in black Americans’ mind as most of them worthship physical masculinity. In the film, people attack and not respect each other , girls are called whores , boys are called niggers. Women are passive in the film. In terms of sex, there is a scenario that Tre does not want to be thought of as a virgin, therefore he even lie to his father about his sexual experience. Karin A. Martin’s article about “sex and sexual subjectivity” explained this to us. “ Boys feel grown up and more masculine as a result of having sex. Sex has often been seen as the test of masculinity for men, as a “mainstay of identity”.
Masculinities Promoted in "Boyz n the Hood"
In the movie “Boyz in the Hood” it’s clear that violence is depicted as extremely masculine. Throughout the film, the women worry about the boys at home, while the men walk through the dangerous streets seemingly looking for trouble. Men not characterized as “hard” or “tough” are not respected by anyone else in the movie. “Doughboy” is seen as extremely tough, and is relatively well known and respected in the hood. On the other hand you have a character like “Little Chris” who is confined to his wheelchair, making him seem vulnerable and weak. Simply the names of the characters shows you how men are supposed to act in “the hood.” “Mad Dog,” “Doughboy,” all of these show masculinity as being a tough, wealthy man.
It’s interesting to see how much the women in the film contrast. It’s always the boys getting in trouble and putting their lives in jeopardy. The women worry and show restrain, where the men are shown as reckless, and at times- just plain stupid! Truly, the roles of men and women in “the hood” are extremely different.
It’s interesting to see how much the women in the film contrast. It’s always the boys getting in trouble and putting their lives in jeopardy. The women worry and show restrain, where the men are shown as reckless, and at times- just plain stupid! Truly, the roles of men and women in “the hood” are extremely different.
Boyz In Da Hood Blog
The film "Boyz in Da Hood" demonstrates several different types of masculinities. On the one hand, males are expected to be tough, and the father-son relationship involves the father teaching the son to be a man and often providing him with a gun. However, boys are also encouraged to be somewhat reserved. At the beginning of the film, Tre's mom sends him to live with his dad because he is causing trouble at school. His dad represents the positive masculine qualities of being tough and being a disciplinarian, but also understanding the danger of calling forth trouble in South Central L.A. Tre's dad also expects Tre to be irresponsible involving sex, and tries to teach him that a man is responsible for the consequences of his actions.
Some of the masculinities depicted in the film correspond with racial norms of African Americans. There gender norm of the Black woman raising the family of the absent Black father (not necessarily her husband) is subtly repeated throughout the film. As a result, there is an emphasis on how a true man raises his children regardless of whether the family functions as a typical family. This gender norm is reminiscent of the gender norm of Mexican males and "la casa chicas." Gutmann's article demonstrates how gender/racial generalizations such as these are innacurate. "La casa chica" meant a variety of things to the people he interviewed, and although it generally referred to relations outside the marriage, it did not necessarily correspond with either being Mexican or being male (males and females of all races are guilty of extramarital affairs). The male characters in "Boyz in Da Hood" also demonstrated the inaccuracy of certain ideas of Black males, and the range of masculinities that exist within a culture and neighborhood.
Throughout the film, the women are represented as the most responsible characters. They also tend to represent extremes, and the female characters who are not main characters are often referred negatively to as "bitches" and "hoochies." The female characters with the largest roles are Tre's mother and his girlfriend. His mother is only portrayed in relation to Tre; her life independent of him is never shown. Also, the main character trait of his girlfriend is that she does not want to have sex with him because it is against her religion. Both of these women are passive agents because their roles in the film are completely determined by the actions of the males around them.
Some examples of "outsiders within" in this film are the white people who are referred to as trying to buy homes in the South Central area. Some of the African American characters refer to wanting to keep the land to "their people," and not letting in "people from the outside." Also, Tre's dad refers to Black men in the army as outsiders within. Although they are able to enlist, he does not think they have a place in the army.
There are also outsiders within in the neighborhood the movie is located in, mainly the characters who rebel against the norms of African American people from South Central. These outsiders within are similar to some of the outsiders within gay fraternies that are referred to in the Yeung Stombler article. Many of the members of gay fraternities feel that they are being mainstreamed, and feel that they are taught to downplay their sexuality in public.
Some of the masculinities depicted in the film correspond with racial norms of African Americans. There gender norm of the Black woman raising the family of the absent Black father (not necessarily her husband) is subtly repeated throughout the film. As a result, there is an emphasis on how a true man raises his children regardless of whether the family functions as a typical family. This gender norm is reminiscent of the gender norm of Mexican males and "la casa chicas." Gutmann's article demonstrates how gender/racial generalizations such as these are innacurate. "La casa chica" meant a variety of things to the people he interviewed, and although it generally referred to relations outside the marriage, it did not necessarily correspond with either being Mexican or being male (males and females of all races are guilty of extramarital affairs). The male characters in "Boyz in Da Hood" also demonstrated the inaccuracy of certain ideas of Black males, and the range of masculinities that exist within a culture and neighborhood.
Throughout the film, the women are represented as the most responsible characters. They also tend to represent extremes, and the female characters who are not main characters are often referred negatively to as "bitches" and "hoochies." The female characters with the largest roles are Tre's mother and his girlfriend. His mother is only portrayed in relation to Tre; her life independent of him is never shown. Also, the main character trait of his girlfriend is that she does not want to have sex with him because it is against her religion. Both of these women are passive agents because their roles in the film are completely determined by the actions of the males around them.
Some examples of "outsiders within" in this film are the white people who are referred to as trying to buy homes in the South Central area. Some of the African American characters refer to wanting to keep the land to "their people," and not letting in "people from the outside." Also, Tre's dad refers to Black men in the army as outsiders within. Although they are able to enlist, he does not think they have a place in the army.
There are also outsiders within in the neighborhood the movie is located in, mainly the characters who rebel against the norms of African American people from South Central. These outsiders within are similar to some of the outsiders within gay fraternies that are referred to in the Yeung Stombler article. Many of the members of gay fraternities feel that they are being mainstreamed, and feel that they are taught to downplay their sexuality in public.
Boyz n the hood Assignment
I had never seen a movie like Boyz n the hood, but I grew up in Dallas and I have a pretty good idea of the outlook for children growing up in an urban area. Although I was raised in the suburbs, I had some friends from the downtown area and my school even had a large number of people in gangs, a high rate of pregnancy, and a drug use problem. The movie was very good at showing multiple perspectives and sides to the situation that is prevalent in more than one urban area while at the same time relating it back to our lives specifically as we live and go to school at the University of Southern California. Ricky was an example of positive masculinity being promoted, he was athletic and very well mannered. Most importantly, Ricky was an example of of someone who had the opportunity and the drive to escape his situation his family's poverty cycle. Although he was the father of a child born out of wedlock and was a teenager, two things that do not have high success rates, Ricky had the structural support of his family and friends to help him deal with the stresses of being a teenage parent trying to go to school. Tre and his father Furious also had positive masculine qualities. They were both perceived as good looking and able to provide for their families, as Furious owned a business and Tre was very intelligent and college-bound. Doughboy on the other hand was seen as "dangerous" because he had been in jail multiple times and did not take his studies seriously enough to get into college or a trade school to improve his situation. He was also an avid drinker and very aggressive towards others, qualities that can be seen as dangerous. Race was predominately showcased by the fact that all the characters were African American, therefore showing the dominance that the African American culture had over southern Los Angeles.
Women seen to also only have a few options for lifestyles in the movie. Ricky's girlfriend, although a teenage mom, had a pretty good outlook because she had Ricky and his family to rely on, and Tre's girlfriend was doing well in studies and ended up in college, where she had the opportunity to succeed and escape her situation. There were plenty of examples of girls however, who did not spend their time on studies and instead spent their time drinking and with boys; their futures did not seem so right, and were also demonstrated by the lifestyle of the mother of Ricky and Doughboy, and the mother who was on drugs. Tre's girlfriend seems to be an active agent in her own life, but the film did not focus on her struggle and other women in the movie can be seen as passive.
Kristine's blog about the movie
In the movie “Boyz N the Hood” there are shown different kinds of masculinities. The positive ones are: a man care of family, going to army and respect to friends, but the negative ones are: men are being too brave, aggressive, strong ready to fight at any moment. These characteristics fill the men’s characters as movie continues; moreover, a man taking care of family and children separately is seen in the scene where Tre’s father talks to him about being bad, when Tre wants to go and shoot people who killed his friend. Another example of males being aggressive is presented in essay written by Michael A. Messner “Becoming 100% Straight” when he talks how boy friends spending a lot of time together are becoming too close and as a result one of the boys aggressively rejected the other one and began making fun of him because he does not want to be rejected by the other boys. Besides, the negative characteristics are shown in men’s everyday life because even when they go out with friends men need to be masculine to protect their prides. Although in the movie there are such scene where a man cries, that moment shows his masculinity because he is not a shame to do it in front of the women. The part of the males masculinity can cause problems because men often time do not think about solution caused by that kind of the action.
The race plays great examples in this movie explaining the life of the African-American. Furthermore, it most of the time show the attitude for life from different people; like the African-American usually would decide more emotional decisions instead white person would take different approach to solve the problems wordy. The life of the hood is represented highly negative and that is the reason even community thinks that society wants that black people kill each other by putting more liquor and gun stores around the region. Race usually have different culture experiences as it is similarly with unlike countries.
Women is presented as a second plan character in the movie as to support first plan characters males. The gender roles presented in the movie regarding to the females show that women is not the dominant because when a female intervenes in the men talk, she is called a bitch. The sexual settings that are represented in the movie show the identities of each character’s role; similar self finding are represented in the essay of Mimi Schippers in the quote: “ …, sexuality not only defines and organizes identities, but is also an organizing feature of face-to-face interaction and of larger institutional and cultural setting”. Ladies in the movie are shown very feminine because they do all women’s job; for example, cook for a man, take care of the children and are precious to men. It is seen in the scene when Tre comes back home and starts to cry, but his girlfriend gives him a hag and takes care of him as lady should do in that kind of the moment. Women are suppose to be careful and understandable like it is in the movie and it tells that the more females take care of their second halves the more respect and attentions they will get from males.
The race plays great examples in this movie explaining the life of the African-American. Furthermore, it most of the time show the attitude for life from different people; like the African-American usually would decide more emotional decisions instead white person would take different approach to solve the problems wordy. The life of the hood is represented highly negative and that is the reason even community thinks that society wants that black people kill each other by putting more liquor and gun stores around the region. Race usually have different culture experiences as it is similarly with unlike countries.
Women is presented as a second plan character in the movie as to support first plan characters males. The gender roles presented in the movie regarding to the females show that women is not the dominant because when a female intervenes in the men talk, she is called a bitch. The sexual settings that are represented in the movie show the identities of each character’s role; similar self finding are represented in the essay of Mimi Schippers in the quote: “ …, sexuality not only defines and organizes identities, but is also an organizing feature of face-to-face interaction and of larger institutional and cultural setting”. Ladies in the movie are shown very feminine because they do all women’s job; for example, cook for a man, take care of the children and are precious to men. It is seen in the scene when Tre comes back home and starts to cry, but his girlfriend gives him a hag and takes care of him as lady should do in that kind of the moment. Women are suppose to be careful and understandable like it is in the movie and it tells that the more females take care of their second halves the more respect and attentions they will get from males.
Boyz n the Hood Blog Assignment
In the film “Boyz n the Hood,” positive masculine images are portrayed through the characters Tre, Ricky, and Furious Styles. Tre embodies the “thinking man” who can rise above the constricting circumstances in the hood. Tre studies hard in school and has a job in order to prevent himself from succumbing to his destructive environment. This is the kind of positive masculinity that the movie would like to promote children in the hood to aspire to. An alternative to this positive masculine image is Ricky, who harnesses his athletic abilities in order to be awarded a scholarship to a university. This image is positive because it depicts Ricky as someone who should go to college not only to play football, but also receive a good education in order to provide for his family. The character Furious Styles also promotes a positive image by being a good father and provider, while also raising his son to be a man. Furious also acts as a good citizen in his neighborhood such as when he tries to get the neighborhood kids to sweep up his lawn, or when he goes to Compton with Tre and Ricky to inform them of gentrification. Some of the “dangerous” images kinds of masculinities are portrayed the by the random “neighborhood thugs” seen throughout the film. The characters like Doughboy and his friends promote the negative images associated with the hood that should be avoided. These characters are seen to be drinking alcohol and dealing drugs on the street corners. Furthermore, they carry guns and at the end of the movie are shown to be murderers who gun down others for offending them in some way.
The African American masculinity is portrayed in a negative way throughout the film because the majority of the characters are seen to be “dangerous” type. Even though Tre, Ricky and Furious are some of the main characters in the film, the are portrayed as an obvious minority in the hood. Throughout the movie, African American masculinity is often negatively associated with carrying guns, dealing drugs, and treating women as nothing more than sexual objects. Women are portrayed in the film as passive characters who only make appearances to show their submissiveness or as objects of sexual desire. The only appearances or mentions of Tre’s girlfriend are when Tre is trying to have sex with her. This leads to a very negative view of women throughout the film. Doughboy’s girlfriend is portrayed as an “outsider within” in the film because she is often seen to be present when the boys hang out, but she is not a part of the negative views of masculinity (such as killing and dealing drugs). Furthermore, when she questions why Doughboy always refers to women as “bitches” and “hoes,” she is given no other reason than, “Because you are.”
The African American masculinity is portrayed in a negative way throughout the film because the majority of the characters are seen to be “dangerous” type. Even though Tre, Ricky and Furious are some of the main characters in the film, the are portrayed as an obvious minority in the hood. Throughout the movie, African American masculinity is often negatively associated with carrying guns, dealing drugs, and treating women as nothing more than sexual objects. Women are portrayed in the film as passive characters who only make appearances to show their submissiveness or as objects of sexual desire. The only appearances or mentions of Tre’s girlfriend are when Tre is trying to have sex with her. This leads to a very negative view of women throughout the film. Doughboy’s girlfriend is portrayed as an “outsider within” in the film because she is often seen to be present when the boys hang out, but she is not a part of the negative views of masculinity (such as killing and dealing drugs). Furthermore, when she questions why Doughboy always refers to women as “bitches” and “hoes,” she is given no other reason than, “Because you are.”
Boys N the Hood
Boys N the Hood portrays two conflicting views of masculinity. The first, as demonstrated by Tre's Father, outlines masculinity as being a responsible adult who is educated and takes care of his family. His father tries his best to check Tre before he acts out of line. The most poignant example is when Tre's father takes away his gun and comes down hard about how that is not the right path. Tre is lucky in having a father figure who takes control and does not let him stray into the dangerous lifestyle that his friends lead. The second view of masculinity is best shown by the character Doughboy, a drug-dealing, ex-con whom Don Sabo might describe as "hard," who does nothing during the movie but try to prove his masculinity through violence, ignorance, and objectifying women. This is considered dangerous because it leads towards a life of crime, failed education, and very often death. These two characters are juxtaposed as psychomachia, a devil on one of Tre's shoulders, an angel on the other, influencing Tre in both directions. Masculinity in the african american community, as portrayed in the film, seems to lean towards that demonstrated by Doughboy. I think this speaks to the vicious cycle created by low socioeconomic standing as well as the lack of positive male influences. Women are portrayed in this film as not having any control over their lives or how they are treated. They are for the most part passive and weak. Tre's mother is an example of an "outsider-within." She is the only positive female influence in the movie and she is only on screen for a total of thirty seconds. She made sure to get an education in order to support herself and provide for Tre in ways that the other women in the film would not be able to.
"Boyz N The Hood"--Assignment #4
In the 1991 film "Boyz N The Hood," the positive aspects of masculinity are depicted through Cuba Gooding's character, Tre Styles. Tre is considered lucky because he not only knows who his father is, but actually spends time with him and resides with him after an altercation with another boy at school. Tre is a very intelligent boy whose parents are both educated and involved in his life. He grows up to be a respectable young man who doesn't get into any trouble, and wishes to attend college one day. He wants to live up to his father's expectations, but is torn because he also wants to fit in with his friends. His father encourages him to be a "real" man and get educated and a well paying job; to not end up a deadbeat like the rest of the neighborhood kids who don't have a father to guide them. He has strict rules to follow, and does so. He spends most of his free time with his best friends, Ricky and "Doughboy," and his girlfriend, Brandi.
Ricky and Doughboy are half brothers and live across the street from Tre. Ricky aspires to be a football player, he has his entire life. He wants to play for USC, but has doubts about his academic success, or lack thereof, because he has to pass his SAT with a minimum score of 700. He is a father already and lives with girlfriend in his mom's house. Doughboy, on the other hand, just got out of jail because he's a drug dealer and a gangster. He takes on his issues in an aggressive manner. He carries guns around like it's no big deal, does drugs, and drinks excessively. Doughboy is portrayed as a very angry character; he's angry at his brother, for being the favorite, angry at his mother, for not knowing who his father is and just not being affectionate, and angry at women in general. He addresses women as either "a ho, a hootchie, or a bitch" and has no close relationship with any female characters. Since neither Ricky, not Doughboy are raised with their father, they have to learn how to become "real men" from their peers on the streets.
Not only were these young men dealing with issues about masculinity, but also issues of race. "Furious" Styles, Tre's father, has many talks with Tre about how to deal with oppression. He advises them to not worry about the SATs because they are racist exams, purposely created to test knowledge of privileged white people. In another scene, after they take the exam, he takes them up to a hill to show them a billboard. There, he makes them realize that "They" (White Oppressors) want black people to kill each other. That's why there are liquor stores on every corner, and on every other corner there are gun shops. He tells them that the whole "gang" scene is created by the white people trying to get rid of all the blacks in the city. That in Beverly Hills, you don't see shootings, liquor stores, gun shops, or crooked cops.
Brandi, Tre's girlfriend, is a devout Catholic and refuses to have sex before marriage. He truly loves her, but is constantly insisting on having sex. She is a key character in Tre's life because having had sex with her, made Tre a real man in his peer's eyes. Her only role in the film, is as his sex partner, which to me, further depicts the degree of sexism at the time. The only other women portrayed in the film are the mother's and the "hootchies" who also do not have primary roles.
All in all, this film depicts many negative aspects of life in South Central Los Angeles in the 1980s. Black men are viewed as "bad" men who sometimes try to better themselves. Women are seen as sex objects who end up alone and do not even take care of their children, and maybe even resent them and blame them for their failures in life.
Ricky and Doughboy are half brothers and live across the street from Tre. Ricky aspires to be a football player, he has his entire life. He wants to play for USC, but has doubts about his academic success, or lack thereof, because he has to pass his SAT with a minimum score of 700. He is a father already and lives with girlfriend in his mom's house. Doughboy, on the other hand, just got out of jail because he's a drug dealer and a gangster. He takes on his issues in an aggressive manner. He carries guns around like it's no big deal, does drugs, and drinks excessively. Doughboy is portrayed as a very angry character; he's angry at his brother, for being the favorite, angry at his mother, for not knowing who his father is and just not being affectionate, and angry at women in general. He addresses women as either "a ho, a hootchie, or a bitch" and has no close relationship with any female characters. Since neither Ricky, not Doughboy are raised with their father, they have to learn how to become "real men" from their peers on the streets.
Not only were these young men dealing with issues about masculinity, but also issues of race. "Furious" Styles, Tre's father, has many talks with Tre about how to deal with oppression. He advises them to not worry about the SATs because they are racist exams, purposely created to test knowledge of privileged white people. In another scene, after they take the exam, he takes them up to a hill to show them a billboard. There, he makes them realize that "They" (White Oppressors) want black people to kill each other. That's why there are liquor stores on every corner, and on every other corner there are gun shops. He tells them that the whole "gang" scene is created by the white people trying to get rid of all the blacks in the city. That in Beverly Hills, you don't see shootings, liquor stores, gun shops, or crooked cops.
Brandi, Tre's girlfriend, is a devout Catholic and refuses to have sex before marriage. He truly loves her, but is constantly insisting on having sex. She is a key character in Tre's life because having had sex with her, made Tre a real man in his peer's eyes. Her only role in the film, is as his sex partner, which to me, further depicts the degree of sexism at the time. The only other women portrayed in the film are the mother's and the "hootchies" who also do not have primary roles.
All in all, this film depicts many negative aspects of life in South Central Los Angeles in the 1980s. Black men are viewed as "bad" men who sometimes try to better themselves. Women are seen as sex objects who end up alone and do not even take care of their children, and maybe even resent them and blame them for their failures in life.
Blog Assignment #4
The film Boys N The Hood portrayed two kinds of masculinity, one positive and the other dangerous. Positive masculinity is seen through the character of Tre’s father, who is responsible for his child, strong, and not temperamental. Tre’s father taught Tre that in order to ‘be a man’ one must be able to be responsible of the family and do his roles as man, or in other words support his family. This is reflected in what Tre’s father said at the beach, “Any fool can make a baby but only a real man can raise his children”. This is positive masculinity, especially in the culture and times when many men refuse to take care of their families, such as in the article “Male Discretion and Sexual Indescretion in Working Class Mexico City” by Gutmann, where many men view fathering a child is just ‘to provide the sperm which fertilizes the ovum’, instead of raising the child and taking care of the family. This kind of masculinity is similar to that in the society of South Central, yet contrary to Tre’s father’s view of positive masculinity. On the other hand, the film also portrays negative kinds of masculinities as seen through the character of Doughboy, who is ‘hard’, muscular, good in fights, but has low self control. This kind of masculinity is dangerous because in order to achieve this kind of masculinity men would have to prove their power through engaging in fights and violent activities. In this case the race of African American people in low-income neighborhood is depicted as stereotypically aggressive and irresponsible, reinforcing the dangerous kinds of masculinity.
Alternatively, women are mostly portrayed as passive agents who are subordinate to the men. They are often depicted as objects of men’s mock assaults, with men referring to them as bitches, hos or hoochies. They also tend to be depicted as vulnerable having less power over any situation, for example one woman appears to be helpless when mocked by Doughboy, and Tre’s girlfriend could only cry and whine when Ricky died and Tre left the house to take revenge. However, Tre’s mother and girlfriend appeared to be the outsiders within, since they did not fall in the stereotype because they and pursued their education. Tre’s mother was able to raise Tre independently and his girlfriend still stayed true to her values of prioritizing education. They seem to be the only female active agents who decided to take control of the situation, although still depicted as being less powerful compared to the male characters.
In the film Boyz in the Hood, there are several depictions of masculinity that varied among the different characters. The gender norms of masculinity within the African American community were portrayed as either a man who was tough, uneducated, and resorted to violence to solve issues or a man who was stable, educated, and thought before he acted. The latter image of masculinity was promoted as positive and the easiest example of this image is Tre's father. He was often the voice of reason when his son, Tre, and his friends were in trouble and he guided his son and his friends' through their problems without forcefully telling them what to do. On the other hand, the masculinities that were seen as "dangerous" were the men who were tough, uneducated, and resorted to violence to solve issues. The easiest example of this image would be Doughboy. Doughboy recently got out of jail for dealing drugs and later on in the movie, his brother, Ricky, was murdered by local Bloods, a gang in their town. After Ricky was murdered, Doughboy wanted to avenge his death and did so with two of his friends. An interesting contrast in the movie is between Doughboy and Tre. Since Doughboy, Ricky, and Tre were good friends and after Ricky was murdered, Tre wanted to avenge Ricky's death as well, Tre decided to back out of this violent act. This could be because Tre had a father that helped him understand the important things about life and because Tre was a high school senior aspiring to obtain a college career. On the other hand, Doughboy did not have a fatherly image to follow and became rather independent and involved with the gang culture. Although at first, Tre took on the "dangerous masculine image" at first when he decided to avenge Ricky's death, he took upon a more positive image the moment he asked to be let out of the car on the way to avenge Ricky's death.
Race plays a great role in the depiction of African American masculinities in the film because the film focuses on the culture of this one neighborhood with an African American population. The happenings and murders that happen in this neighborhood are kept within the neighborhood and even neighboring cities do not know about it. The fact that neighborhood is so separated from the rest of the cities may be because the African American culture seems so fixed that it is hard to change. Furthermore, the woman characters in the film plays passive roles in the film. Tre's girlfriend and Ricky's mother both were supporting roles to Tre and Ricky's life but did not actively change it. Tre's girlfriend was there to support him and Tre even mentioned that he "couldn't believe he was crying in front of a female". Ricky's mother, on the other hand, believed that Ricky could obtain the SAT score that would allow him to go to the University of Southern California, and thus, became a support for Ricky.
One of the characters that seems to be an "outsider-within" is Tre and Ricky. Tre, a high school senior aspiring to obtain a college career, and Ricky, an all-star football star that had a chance to attend the University of Southern California, did not seem to be like all the other boys involved in gangs, violence, and drugs in the neighborhood. They had goals that were realistic and attainable while being surrounded by people who were not. One of their close friends, Doughboy, was the exact opposite of them, just getting out of jail for drug dealing and being involved with the gang culture. Furthermore, seeing the neighborhood that was mostly uneducated and resorted to violence to solve issues because most of the teenage boys thought that having a gun meant power and control, Tre and Ricky were socially pressured by their peers and their environment. In the end, Ricky folded under the pressure and gave into the violence which costed him his life while Tre realized that he did not want to get involved and changed his mind before he made the wrong decision.
Race plays a great role in the depiction of African American masculinities in the film because the film focuses on the culture of this one neighborhood with an African American population. The happenings and murders that happen in this neighborhood are kept within the neighborhood and even neighboring cities do not know about it. The fact that neighborhood is so separated from the rest of the cities may be because the African American culture seems so fixed that it is hard to change. Furthermore, the woman characters in the film plays passive roles in the film. Tre's girlfriend and Ricky's mother both were supporting roles to Tre and Ricky's life but did not actively change it. Tre's girlfriend was there to support him and Tre even mentioned that he "couldn't believe he was crying in front of a female". Ricky's mother, on the other hand, believed that Ricky could obtain the SAT score that would allow him to go to the University of Southern California, and thus, became a support for Ricky.
One of the characters that seems to be an "outsider-within" is Tre and Ricky. Tre, a high school senior aspiring to obtain a college career, and Ricky, an all-star football star that had a chance to attend the University of Southern California, did not seem to be like all the other boys involved in gangs, violence, and drugs in the neighborhood. They had goals that were realistic and attainable while being surrounded by people who were not. One of their close friends, Doughboy, was the exact opposite of them, just getting out of jail for drug dealing and being involved with the gang culture. Furthermore, seeing the neighborhood that was mostly uneducated and resorted to violence to solve issues because most of the teenage boys thought that having a gun meant power and control, Tre and Ricky were socially pressured by their peers and their environment. In the end, Ricky folded under the pressure and gave into the violence which costed him his life while Tre realized that he did not want to get involved and changed his mind before he made the wrong decision.
Blog Assignment #4
Boys n the Hood shows us a glimpse of black people’s life in Los Angeles during that period and how to define a man. In the movie, a man is defined as a person who can take his responsibility to support families. At first, when Tri lives with his mother, he was taken care of by his mother. He did not do much chores in families and had more involvements at school. However, Tri’s masculinities were not defined in that way until he lives with his father. I think Tri’s father is a good father compared to other black’s parents. he teaches Tri to be a man in his perspectives and helps Tri grow a lot from a boy to a man. Tri understands the importance of supporting families and standing on his own rather than robbing, smoking, drinking, dropping out school, sex and so forth. His father does not want him to be those inferior blacks. They are looking for respect, equalities and justice in the society especially for Tri. According to the movie, blacks people always show their masculinities by building muscle, dealing with women and drinking while involvement in violence which I did not agree with. Fortunately, the movie tells us that people who involves with illegal violence will bring no good to all of them. It also indicates the importance of education and how education can change a person’s life such as Tri’s mother, girlfriend and himself.
However, we can also have a glimpse of women’s week power and low status in society. First, there was discrimination in blacks especially for black women. When Tri had argument in class, his teacher called his mother about that. Being a white teacher, she assumed that few blacks are educated. They thought they could not understand each other since white women are educated. Secondly, women are weak and easily taken advantage by men. Men intend to have sex with black women. Sometimes, the movie shows us that black women were used to that kind of life. They were used to have relationship with men early, to set up family early, and easy to quit school. Thirdly, women who pursue education is not encouraged. For example, when Tri’s mother worked successfully through education, Tri’s father does not think it proud. He doesn’t even encourage his son to go to school.
However, we can also have a glimpse of women’s week power and low status in society. First, there was discrimination in blacks especially for black women. When Tri had argument in class, his teacher called his mother about that. Being a white teacher, she assumed that few blacks are educated. They thought they could not understand each other since white women are educated. Secondly, women are weak and easily taken advantage by men. Men intend to have sex with black women. Sometimes, the movie shows us that black women were used to that kind of life. They were used to have relationship with men early, to set up family early, and easy to quit school. Thirdly, women who pursue education is not encouraged. For example, when Tri’s mother worked successfully through education, Tri’s father does not think it proud. He doesn’t even encourage his son to go to school.
Boyz N The Hood blog
In the film Boyz n The Hood, the protagonist, Tre, learns how to become a man. Tre's father gives him avice throughout the film, such as "any fool...can make a baby but only a real man can raise his child." In the film, the image of masculinity that portrays men as intelligent, hardworking, and independent is promoted as a positive image. Men like Tre's father who strive to make something of themselves serve as role models for the men in their communities. They do not let their surroundings and circumstances define them or keep them from reaching their fullest potential. On the opposite side, men who become caught in the cycle of drug abuse and gang activity are portraying a dangerous image of masculinity. These men often go in and out of jail, like Doughboy, and live lives centered on violence and crime. It is hard for these men to believe that they too can be successful if they do not let their circumstances belittle them.
Race is especially important in portraying African American men in this film. I believe that the film would not have had the same perspective if it had been filmed and been told through the eyes of a member of the mythical norm. Racial stereotypes are evident in the film, such as in the scene where Doughboy is having a welcome back barbecue, and "soul food" is served. There is also racial tension inside the African-American community, evident in the scene where Tre's father calls the police to report a break in in his home. The Caucasian police officer is patient and tries to get to the root of the problem while the African-American police officer uses a degrading tone towards Tre and his father, making him seem like he is better than them because he isn't "out in the street," as he tells them. The police officer assumes that all men who live in the hood are not doing anything useful with the lives they have been given.
The women in the film are generally not portrayed in a positive light. Many of the young women are portrayed as objects to the men, mostly because of the way they dress and act, and because the story is predominantly focused upon males. Besides Tre's mother and Doughboy and Ricky's mother, the older woman in the film is portrayed as a drug addict who does not even look after her children because she lets them wander in the street. In contrast, Brandi, Tre's girlfriend, is shown in a positive light because she aspires to make something of herself. While she is doing her homework, she comments on the fact that she wishes there wouldn't be gunshots outside. She represents someone who is an "outsider within." Eventually, she does leave her community to go to college at Spelman. Also, in the film one girl asks Doughboy why he calls females "bitches" and "hoes" because it offends them. As Audre Lorde stated "violence against Black women...often becomes a standard within our communities, one by which manliness can be measured" (Messner 248). The women in the film are passive agents, and the men derive their manliness from their influence over women. Tre's mother is a more active agent, though, because she worked hard and lives in a middle to upper class area. She takes a stand against Furious' viewpoints when she has coffee with him. Overall, I thought that the film accurately depicted the struggles of life in South Central Los Angeles, and it had an impact on me.
Race is especially important in portraying African American men in this film. I believe that the film would not have had the same perspective if it had been filmed and been told through the eyes of a member of the mythical norm. Racial stereotypes are evident in the film, such as in the scene where Doughboy is having a welcome back barbecue, and "soul food" is served. There is also racial tension inside the African-American community, evident in the scene where Tre's father calls the police to report a break in in his home. The Caucasian police officer is patient and tries to get to the root of the problem while the African-American police officer uses a degrading tone towards Tre and his father, making him seem like he is better than them because he isn't "out in the street," as he tells them. The police officer assumes that all men who live in the hood are not doing anything useful with the lives they have been given.
The women in the film are generally not portrayed in a positive light. Many of the young women are portrayed as objects to the men, mostly because of the way they dress and act, and because the story is predominantly focused upon males. Besides Tre's mother and Doughboy and Ricky's mother, the older woman in the film is portrayed as a drug addict who does not even look after her children because she lets them wander in the street. In contrast, Brandi, Tre's girlfriend, is shown in a positive light because she aspires to make something of herself. While she is doing her homework, she comments on the fact that she wishes there wouldn't be gunshots outside. She represents someone who is an "outsider within." Eventually, she does leave her community to go to college at Spelman. Also, in the film one girl asks Doughboy why he calls females "bitches" and "hoes" because it offends them. As Audre Lorde stated "violence against Black women...often becomes a standard within our communities, one by which manliness can be measured" (Messner 248). The women in the film are passive agents, and the men derive their manliness from their influence over women. Tre's mother is a more active agent, though, because she worked hard and lives in a middle to upper class area. She takes a stand against Furious' viewpoints when she has coffee with him. Overall, I thought that the film accurately depicted the struggles of life in South Central Los Angeles, and it had an impact on me.
Boyz N The Hood
In the film "Boyz N The Hood" males were examined from childhood to young adulthood. The film starts by examining what makes a child in the ghetto able to "hold his own." A group of kids living in Los Angeles' South Central distract were the main focus of the film. Tre' Styles as a child was rebellious, but smart; he was able to find his masculinity as a child by hanging with other African Americans of his age that lived across the street. Darrin and Ricky Baker found masculinity as children in different ways despite being half-brothers. Darrin was the older brother and ended up committing crimes to get by and was eventually taken away to juvenile prison and Ricky found his masculinity by working on his football abilities. The two approached being a "man" in different ways and the two choices ended up affecting the next few years of their life. Furious is Tre's father and is trying to ensure that Tre grows up into a respectable young man. The film fast words to the kids young adulthood right after Darrin is released from juvenile prison. As young adults it is quite obvious how their traits as kids affected who they developed into as young adults. Tre' viewed being masculine as being a respectable citizen and he eventually went to college by the end of the movie. Ricky was offered a position as a football player for USC's team, but was tragically killed before he had the opportunity to play. Darrin became a criminal and killed Ricky's murder, but was also killed a few weeks later. All the boys had different approaches for becoming a man and it shows that masculinity is not strictly defined as being one thing or another.
Blog Assignment #4
Boys n the Hood shows us a glimpse of black people’s life in Los Angeles during that period and how to define a man. In the movie, a man is defined as a person who can take his responsibility to support families. At first, when Tri lives with his mother, he was taken care of by his mother. He did not do much chores in families and had more involvements at school. However, Tri’s masculinities were not defined in that way until he lives with his father. I think Tri’s father is a good father compared to other black’s parents. he teaches Tri to be a man in his perspectives and helps Tri grow a lot from a boy to a man. Tri understands the importance of supporting families and standing on his own rather than robbing, smoking, drinking, dropping out school, sex and so forth. His father does not want him to be those inferior blacks. They are looking for respect, equalities and justice in the society especially for Tri. According to the movie, blacks people always show their masculinities by building muscle, dealing with women and drinking while involvement in violence which I did not agree with. Fortunately, the movie tells us that people who involves with illegal violence will bring no good to all of them. It also indicates the importance of education and how education can change a person’s life such as Tri’s mother, girlfriend and himself.
However, we can also have a glimpse of women’s week power and low status in society. First, there was discrimination in blacks especially for black women. When Tri had argument in class, his teacher called his mother about that. Being a white teacher, she assumed that few blacks are educated. They thought they could not understand each other since white women are educated. Secondly, women are weak and easily taken advantage by men. Men intend to have sex with black women. Sometimes, the movie shows us that black women were used to that kind of life. They were used to have relationship with men early, to set up family early, and easy to quit school. Thirdly, women who pursue education is not encouraged. For example, when Tri’s mother worked successfully through education, Tri’s father does not think it proud. He doesn’t even encourage his son to go to school.
However, we can also have a glimpse of women’s week power and low status in society. First, there was discrimination in blacks especially for black women. When Tri had argument in class, his teacher called his mother about that. Being a white teacher, she assumed that few blacks are educated. They thought they could not understand each other since white women are educated. Secondly, women are weak and easily taken advantage by men. Men intend to have sex with black women. Sometimes, the movie shows us that black women were used to that kind of life. They were used to have relationship with men early, to set up family early, and easy to quit school. Thirdly, women who pursue education is not encouraged. For example, when Tri’s mother worked successfully through education, Tri’s father does not think it proud. He doesn’t even encourage his son to go to school.
Boyz In the Hood
In the film "Boyz in the Hood" masculinity is portrayed in two main ways. The first way is by being a gangster, like Doe-boy and his crew. The second way is by being a responsible adult, like Tre's father. The way masculinity is portrayed by being a gangster goes hand in hand with what Don Sabo writes about in his article "Sports in Prison." The way to prove masculinity is to be "hard." In prison the only way to be hard is to be good at sports or even better yet be bigger and more intimidating than the others. Outside of prison, like in "Boy's in the Hood," There are more options on how to be hard because there is more available. Outside of prison, it doesn't matter too much how big you are because anyone can carry a gun. What matters is how willing you are to pull out that gun. This leads me to my next point, alcohol is something that defines masculinity. Not only because TV commercials are targeted towards men, but also because it gives you "liquid courage." When a gang member is drinking he is more likely to pull out his gun and pull the trigger, something considered a very masculine act in "Boyz in the Hood." Other things that go along with this gangster masculinity are lowriders, blunts, sagging, jerry-curls, blue or red, Crenshaw Ave. on a Friday night, and disrespect for women. I want to talk about the last point, disrespecting women. I believe that in this context disrespecting women serves to make a man more masculine because they are placing themselves above the women. On the other hand, respecting women makes you a real man. For example, Tre's father respects his X-wife even though they are not together anymore and disagree on many issues. He is a real man because he is responsible. He has a respectable job, plays the role of an active father, tries to instill valuable messages into the community, and thinks things through. In the movie there is two different ways masculinity is portrayed and the one which is dangerous is the thug masculinity. Everything that goes along with being a thug is dangerous, while everything that goes along with being a real man is positive for the community. It is interesting how these two polar opposites both define masculinity. Race plays a role in this film because these two groups of masculine men are most evident in the African American community. In white families it is expected that the father holds down a good job and takes care of the kids, so it doesn't really make them masculine. The reason that it is a real accomplishment in the African American community, especially during the early 90's in South Central, is because many of the fathers are gangsters and don't take care of their kids because they are dead, in jail, or are just out of the picture. Women characters in this film are portrayed as passive agents. They are in the film because of some relationship they have to a man in the film. The only two women that play active roles in my opinion are Tre's mother and Tre's girlfriend. I think the reason that Tre's mom is an active agent is because she was married to a real man. She was not someone who was going to get pushed around by the thugs, rather she was going to be with a man who listened and treated her like a real person. She makes decisions as to how to raise Tre and gives her opinion on what she thinks is best for Tre's future. Tre's girlfriend is also an active agent because the relationship between her and Tre mirrors the one of Tre's parents. We see Tre's girlfriend as an active agent because she makes decisions, such as when to have sex. The character that strikes me as the outsider-within is the cop. Like Tre's dad, the cop is fed-up with the gangs and violence in the community, but unlike Tre's dad he tries to remove himself from that community to create change. While Tre's dad tries to help them out, the cop tries to lock them all up and make their lives difficult.
Boys in the hood
In the film Boys in the Hood, Tre moves in with his father so that he learns how to “be a man.” The masculine qualities that Tre’s father values as “manly” are doing chores around the house, because his father only has to clothe, feed, and shelter him, Tre must take responsibility for everything else. His father hopes that this will instill a sense of responsibility in Tre. To be masculine is to be muscular, strong, able and to interact with other men and do “manly” activities such as fishing and mowing the lawn. While Tre’s father attempts to teach Tre to be responsible and educated, he also makes it clear that being able to protect your family is also very important. His father doesn’t hesitate to shoot an intruder in order to protect himself and his son. Living in the “dangerous” neighborhood that they did, there was a social sense of masculinity portrayed to Tre. His friends would talk back and act “tough” like they would fight anyone. In Tre’s neighborhood it was important to be “tough,” it was also very dangerous, as evident by the tragic deaths of many people due to pride. It was difficult for Tre to find and nice middle ground between being tough and being safe, being tough was dangerous and meant subjecting yourself to dangers such as gang fights and drive-bys.
In the film, everyone who lived in the neighborhood was primarily African American, this contributes a racial influence of masculine values. It is evident in the film that the “norm” was to either get a girl pregnant, become a bum at your mom’s house or a drug dealer, or drug addict, and to constantly try to get a lot of “ass.” While this is a stereotypical depiction of African Americans, it is also an accurate description of the “ghetto” or low income areas, where crime is high and justice low. Being born into this area breads the same characteristics in the young boys and girls because they learn how to be “men” socially in their community, and when your community is filled with violence and having to be “tough” you will likely mold to this form. Tre’s father makes a point about how the “blacks keep killing the black” and that is what the White people want, for all of them to kill themselves. He says that by perpetuating the violence and low value on education they are only hurting themselves.
Women in the film are portrayed as submissive backdrops to the men. They certainly aren’t the “active agents” in the film, they are the props and “property” to be had and knocked up. There are a few strong women, such as Tre’s mother, that portray advancement, but most of the women in the film are “huchies,” dressed in revealing clothing and getting pregnant at young ages. One woman is an ice addict who offers a blow job to any guy with drugs, while her baby roams the streets unsupervised. Tre’s mother, as well has his love interest seem to be “outsiders-within,” because Tre’s mother got out of the ghetto by becoming educated and successful, and his girlfriend is adamant about not getting pregnant and waiting till after she finishes college to get married.
Overall the film depicts a common community in America and depicts the gender roles present in this community and how it differs from higher income families/areas.
In the film, everyone who lived in the neighborhood was primarily African American, this contributes a racial influence of masculine values. It is evident in the film that the “norm” was to either get a girl pregnant, become a bum at your mom’s house or a drug dealer, or drug addict, and to constantly try to get a lot of “ass.” While this is a stereotypical depiction of African Americans, it is also an accurate description of the “ghetto” or low income areas, where crime is high and justice low. Being born into this area breads the same characteristics in the young boys and girls because they learn how to be “men” socially in their community, and when your community is filled with violence and having to be “tough” you will likely mold to this form. Tre’s father makes a point about how the “blacks keep killing the black” and that is what the White people want, for all of them to kill themselves. He says that by perpetuating the violence and low value on education they are only hurting themselves.
Women in the film are portrayed as submissive backdrops to the men. They certainly aren’t the “active agents” in the film, they are the props and “property” to be had and knocked up. There are a few strong women, such as Tre’s mother, that portray advancement, but most of the women in the film are “huchies,” dressed in revealing clothing and getting pregnant at young ages. One woman is an ice addict who offers a blow job to any guy with drugs, while her baby roams the streets unsupervised. Tre’s mother, as well has his love interest seem to be “outsiders-within,” because Tre’s mother got out of the ghetto by becoming educated and successful, and his girlfriend is adamant about not getting pregnant and waiting till after she finishes college to get married.
Overall the film depicts a common community in America and depicts the gender roles present in this community and how it differs from higher income families/areas.
blog assignment of boyz n the hood
In the movie boyz n the hood, several musculinities are considered positive. The first one is that men should have independence spirit and work for what they want to get. Just like Tre and Ricky, they fought for their independ and responsible life. Also, to be rational is another positive musculinity. Like Tre's dad, he was always able to guide the boys in the right track and tell them to distinguish the evil and the good. Moreover, boys all have good body shapes to show and it is positive to be strong physically. However, Dough's revenge action and his despise upon the female are considered "dangerous" masculine. The revenge action indirectly caused his death, which is so dangerous to think about. His disdain on female is pretty disgusting and rude, actually it is a reflection of extremely self- humiliation.The race is playing an fundamental role in this movie. First of all, the movie is mainly about African American and the race is unique. Also, race plays an stereotype to show the negative side of African American blocks. Also, men of African American are considered to be strong in body in gender norms.Women characters are not the dominant roles in the movie, and they go extreme. The Tre's girl friend was so hardworking and smart while others are kind of stupid and dependent. They are passive agents in the movie. In fact, they are just the affiliations of boys partly because the movie discussing about "boyz".There are four or five characters who are "outsiders-within". Obviously, Tre, Tre's girl friend, Ricky, Tre's dad are the "outsiders-within". The one who is a little vague to fit in the expression is Ricky's mother.
Boyz N the Hood
There are two types of masculinity depicted in the film. One is delineated through the characters Tre, Tre’s father, and Ricky. The other one is delineated through the characters Doughboy, and his enemies. The first masculinity is the positive masculinity, which is related to the ability to control oneself, to not give up to emotions, to do the right thing, to think through, the ability to raise a child, to operate a business, etc. In the film, Tre shows that he is masculine and he is a real man by his ability to control his emotion, attain a high education, respect his father, showed his maturity in thinking, and act in a proper way. He can be seen as higher and more masculine than the other men in the movie. Furthermore, Tre’s father also showed positive masculinity, through his success in raising Tre to be an accomplished individual, his ability to educate people and think maturely, and operating a business. Furthermore, positive masculinity is also showed from the character Ricky. Ricky was able to think about his future and know what he want to do with it. He did not give up to reach his dream of playing football and he is able to be persistent in achieving it.
The negative and dangerous masculinity depicted through the character Doughboy and his enemies is related to physical strength, violence, power, winning, engage in fights, etc. Doughboy and his enemies keep on fighting and shooting against each other to show their masculinity and power. The dangerous masculinity is the ability to win a fight and to eliminate the enemies.
All of the characters in the movie are African American which is very effective in depicting African American masculinities. Instead of the typical white vs. black movie, this movie present 2 different sides of African Americans, where each side portrayed different types of masculinity. I think this movie build the perception and generalization that African Americans are dangerous and violent, while in fact not all of them possess negative masculinity.
Women in the film are portrayed as passive agents and sexual objects. All of the main and important character in the story are male. Women in the picture are shown when they are carrying a baby, Ricky’s girlfriend, and walking in tight clothes. Women as sexual objects are also shown when a couple of girls were walking pass Doughboy and his friends and the men were shouting out sexual language and intentions to them. An example of the “outsiders-within” is Tre’s mother. Tre’s mother is different compared to all the other women in the community. She has her own job and she did not raise Tre until he become an adult. It can also be seen from the movie that she is wealthy compared to the other women.
From the article “I couldn’t ever picture myself having sex” by Karin A. Martin, it is stated that “Boys seem to be looking for a blend of friendship and sex in relationships” and “They are not looking for romance or ideal love.” Tre did not maintain a close relationship with his girlfriend, not returning her calls, and when they are together, they are always talking about Tre’s problem. This show that, as the article explained, boys “rarely express the feelings of romantic love”. They are only looking for a “good friend, someone to talk to a lot”. Boys also frequently complain about “commitment and the amount of time one has to spend with his girlfriend.” This is shown when Tre ignored his girlfriend when she complaint about him not calling and communicating with her for a long time. Furthermore, the article also say that boys have “positive expectations about sex ... pleasurable, they looked forward to it and curious about it.” This is subverted when Tre told Ricky that he is “scared” of having sex with his girlfriend.
Blog Assignment #4
The positive definition of masculinity in the movie “Boyz n the Hood” is depicted by Furious Styles (Fishburne). Styles was wise, responsible, caring, educative and not temperamental. Styles repeatedly stressed wise advices to the young children as well as the neighborhood people. He was depicted as responsibly taking care and educating his son, Tre (Gooding Jr.), even though initially the child was under the care of the mother. Last but not least, Styles was very patient in handling the black police officer who insulted him after the break-in. However, negative masculinities were also portrayed in the movie. The rivalry of the gangs as well as the constant shooting amongst these gangs were the most dangerous issues. These activities jeopardized the future and the lives of the children in the neighborhood. The role of race in the depiction of the African American masculinities is a stereotypical depiction of the irresponsible, hostile characteristics of the African American male in general. These men are depicted as not taking on the traditional role of being the head of the household. When compared to the Mexican men, they actually have something in common. The article “Male Discretion and Sexual Indiscretion in Working Class Mexico City” points out that a lot of Mexican men leave their first wives and start another family with another girl. Most of them do so without officially getting divorced first. In a way, this is really similar to the African American race in the movie who are simply not present in most of the women’s lives, and might have moved on to be with another woman.
Alternatively, women characters are portrayed as the powerful race who support and take care of the children, They are definitely “active agents” controlling their children’s lives and educating them in the best way possible. Even though Tre’s mother kind of disappears in the middle, it is depicted that she still fights to regain custody of her child until the end. As for the other mothers in the movie, from the beginning they were depicted as the sole provider and caretaker of the children, in absence of men’s support in their lives. These behaviors elucidates that women are in fact “active agents”. Reva is also an example of “outsiders within” who defied the African American struggling women stereotype. She worked hard to educate herself and in the end, is depicted as highly successful.
Masculinity of Boyz in the Hood
It's clear from the very start of the movie that a man is only a man if he is capable of carrying the responsibilities of a family and providing for them. I believe Furious at one point tells his son that "any fool can make a child, but only a real man can raise one"... or something to that effect. Even Tre's mother acknowledges this view point simply by sending him off to live with his father, because, apparently, only his father can teach him how to be a real man. According to Furious, and by extension according to the movie, positive masculine roles center around knowledge, responsibility, and family values. Furious essentially trains his son by placing the weight of chores and other such tasks upon his shoulders so that he can learn how to be responsible, thus keeping his mind focused on important needs rather than having him gallivanting around the streets like his friend Doughboy. Further more, Furious is constantly warning him and lecturing him on the precautions one should take to prevent having a child when one is not ready. He speaks to him about sex and contraception in order to ensure these ideals into his son so that he won't have to shoulder the responsibility of a family until he is able to carry his own weight and support himself.
Of course, not all the positive masculine roles revolve around family. Tre's best friend, Ricky, takes a different path, one that involves a sort of american dream of sports and the success it brings. Because of Ricky's talent within football, his future seems bright and stable because it has a clear direct path, a path completely separate from that of his irresponsible brother. Ricky is somewhat the generic symbol of american culture and the success that things like sports or fame can bring and is thus shown as a positive route in direct opposition to the turbulent his brother chose. It's a direct juxtaposition of what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'.
In contrast, it's obvious that the negative masculine roles revolve around delinquency and criminal behavior. A lifestyle sorely lacking in responsibility and direction, and infused with overt sexual behavior and disregard for other human life. This in no way implies a carefree lifestyle, but instead, rather a careless one... one without regard for anything, even one's own self. Doughboy is the singular embodiment of all of these aspects within the film and it is clear that his life is not as acceptable as his brother's or Tre's. He's a criminal, one that is of no consequence and is completely disregarded in the grand scheme of life - especially the lives of his mother and his brother.
Obviously race factors into all of these depictions of masculinity. Sometimes in a subtle manner and sometimes extremely overt, but one major way that it plays a role is simply the viewpoint or the lens through which we are viewing all these depictions. It might not actually be so, but the way the movie depicts the life of african americans in south central LA makes their lifestyle, and perhaps their culture in general, to appear extremely aggressive and turbulent. The characters live in a neighborhood where people get shot at everyday and drugs are dealt around in the most overt of manners. Sure it may give the story a dynamic setting, but it also reflects upon the people being portrayed. It infuses their culture and lifestyle with this violent anti-social nature in the eyes of all it's viewers. In the case of masculinity it almost multiplies the aggressive nature of a man almost to the point of being hyperbolic and slightly unsettling.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Boyz n the Hood Response
After watching Boyz N the Hood, I noticed that the film depicted both masculinity and femininity in a number of different ways. For the most part, the movie revolves around the plight of black men in 1990s South Central LA, with the women not receiving nearly as much focus throughout the movie. As an aside, I'd like to point out that many of the depictions of gendered and racial behaviors in the movie ring true to a certain extent, but I feel they are also heavily colored by the time period focused on and are also a bit exaggerated, which makes drawing clear-cut conclusions based on the content of the movie alone difficult (and likely a bad idea, in my opinion). That's just something to note.
Masculinity was a central theme of the movie- with both good and bad traits being portrayed. As far as good traits go, Tre's father teaching him the principles of responsibility and independence are portrayed in a very positive light. These are traits that most people value and that a wide variety of people from different backgrounds can identify with. On the "bad" side, male aggression is shown to be the root of the cycle of violence that keeps the South Los Angeles community down. Violence, aggression and revenge are all traits exhibited by the gang members and also by Tre's friend, Doughboy. Although Doughboy eventually comes to realize the problems that aggression brings in the end, he still adds to the problem through his own violent and vengeful actions. I have heard in the past that within low income, financially depressed communities like South LA, gang life and the dangers associated with it can lead to the development of a culture of heightened masculinity- a culture that affects both men and women. Within such a culture, the need for men to live up to the expectations of "hardness" and "toughness" discussed in Don Sabo's article "Doing time, Doing Masculinity" increases. I believe that a drive to assert one's manhood combined with the effects of a culture of heightened masculinity both lead to the high violence level in South Central. Despite all of this, as discussed earlier, positive representations of masculinity still exist in the movie. Tre and his father represent the male "outsiders within", with his father taking responsibility for his son and Tre going on to get a college-level education.
Although many of the women depicted in the film appear to be very stereotypical both gender-wise and racially, several women- including Tre's mother, Reva, and girlfriend, Brandi- act uniquely, which sets them apart. Generally, the women in the movie are treated in a degrading manner by men- called obscene names and sexually objectified. A few of them protested to a degree and questioned their degradation, but these objections were never met with much respect by men. Reva, while pursuing her education, broke past the stereotypes and asserted herself when she was being blown off by Furious. Brandi also resists giving in to Tre's demands and refuses to have sex before she is ready. As "outsiders within", Brandi and Reva both exhibit characteristics that oppose common negative stereotypes of black women living in low-income neighborhoods.
Masculinity was a central theme of the movie- with both good and bad traits being portrayed. As far as good traits go, Tre's father teaching him the principles of responsibility and independence are portrayed in a very positive light. These are traits that most people value and that a wide variety of people from different backgrounds can identify with. On the "bad" side, male aggression is shown to be the root of the cycle of violence that keeps the South Los Angeles community down. Violence, aggression and revenge are all traits exhibited by the gang members and also by Tre's friend, Doughboy. Although Doughboy eventually comes to realize the problems that aggression brings in the end, he still adds to the problem through his own violent and vengeful actions. I have heard in the past that within low income, financially depressed communities like South LA, gang life and the dangers associated with it can lead to the development of a culture of heightened masculinity- a culture that affects both men and women. Within such a culture, the need for men to live up to the expectations of "hardness" and "toughness" discussed in Don Sabo's article "Doing time, Doing Masculinity" increases. I believe that a drive to assert one's manhood combined with the effects of a culture of heightened masculinity both lead to the high violence level in South Central. Despite all of this, as discussed earlier, positive representations of masculinity still exist in the movie. Tre and his father represent the male "outsiders within", with his father taking responsibility for his son and Tre going on to get a college-level education.
Although many of the women depicted in the film appear to be very stereotypical both gender-wise and racially, several women- including Tre's mother, Reva, and girlfriend, Brandi- act uniquely, which sets them apart. Generally, the women in the movie are treated in a degrading manner by men- called obscene names and sexually objectified. A few of them protested to a degree and questioned their degradation, but these objections were never met with much respect by men. Reva, while pursuing her education, broke past the stereotypes and asserted herself when she was being blown off by Furious. Brandi also resists giving in to Tre's demands and refuses to have sex before she is ready. As "outsiders within", Brandi and Reva both exhibit characteristics that oppose common negative stereotypes of black women living in low-income neighborhoods.
Boyz in the Hood Blog Allison O'Callaghan
Throughout Boyz in the Hood, it constantly showed me the stereotypes involved in this harsh world. Everyone in the movie simply understood that if you were of the black race or you lived in there area of town, then you were like them. However, some of them were not and were actually good people. They would show the typical homeless people begging for money and everyone begging for drugs. What was te most extreme to me was when they showed the dead male body and all the gang members were saying to leave him alone. The masculinities that are portrayed as dangerous include: guns, drugs, low riding cars, being rude to women and much more. It was very accepted in this movie that every man would be extremely rude to every single girl. They would say degrading thing and the women would simply listen and take it. This was very much pointed towards African American stereotypes. The gangs and guns and alcohol and drugs is very much a black characteristic. Also, the way they spoke. Our culture classifies black people like this and this is wrong. They don't see that everyone talks and acts this way when they want to. These symbols are all active agents in the film.. Young boys would see there older role models acting like they do and then they would act that way as well. They would grow up seeing nothing more then this region and they would adapt to this region as well so that they would fit in. Also, not having any women as main characters showed me something as well. It shows that they did not treat women equal and that hopefully this is adapting. This reminds me of "Working Class Chicas Get Working Class Jobs" because throughout the movie they would constantly talk about how they couldn't get certain jobs because of who they are and how they were raised. Especially when Ricky was going to go to college and his mother is so happy because he is breaking the "norm." Also, the article about "Race, Class, and Gender." Each individual feels as though they must fit into their classifications and become who others see them to be. In this movie it showed that when someone tried to break away from what they were supposed to be they would not succeed, until Trey. Trey proved that you could break free however, in the end, Trey still lost his best friend and the stereotypes still existed. Lastly, the African American cop stood out to me. He showed the huge contrast to the typical African American stereotype. He did not accept his people and acted rude to them instead of conforming and being friendly. This could show that it is not acceptable for you to break out of the "norm" and that if you do so you will not be one with your brothers.
Boyz in the Hood Blog Allison O'Callaghan
Throughout Boyz in the Hood, it constantly showed me the stereotypes involved in this harsh world. Everyone in the movie simply understood that if you were of the black race or you lived in there area of town, then you were like them. However, some of them were not and were actually good people. They would show the typical homeless people begging for money and everyone begging for drugs. What was te most extreme to me was when they showed the dead male body and all the gang members were saying to leave him alone. The masculinities that are portrayed as dangerous include: guns, drugs, low riding cars, being rude to women and much more. It was very accepted in this movie that every man would be extremely rude to every single girl. They would say degrading thing and the women would simply listen and take it. This was very much pointed towards African American stereotypes. The gangs and guns and alcohol and drugs is very much a black characteristic. Also, the way they spoke. Our culture classifies black people like this and this is wrong. They don't see that everyone talks and acts this way when they want to. These symbols are all active agents in the film.. Young boys would see there older role models acting like they do and then they would act that way as well. They would grow up seeing nothing more then this region and they would adapt to this region as well so that they would fit in. Also, not having any women as main characters showed me something as well. It shows that they did not treat women equal and that hopefully this is adapting. This reminds me of "Working Class Chicas Get Working Class Jobs" because throughout the movie they would constantly talk about how they couldn't get certain jobs because of who they are and how they were raised. Especially when Ricky was going to go to college and his mother is so happy because he is breaking the "norm." Also, the article about "Race, Class, and Gender." Each individual feels as though they must fit into their classifications and become who others see them to be. In this movie it showed that when someone tried to break away from what they were supposed to be they would not succeed, until Trey. Trey proved that you could break free however, in the end, Trey still lost his best friend and the stereotypes still existed. Lastly, the African American cop stood out to me. He showed the huge contrast to the typical African American stereotype. He did not accept his people and acted rude to them instead of conforming and being friendly. This could show that it is not acceptable for you to break out of the "norm" and that if you do so you will not be one with your brothers.
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