Boyz N The Hood Sociology

Boyz n the Hood directed by John Singleton is viewed as one of the most influential films of its time. The film has sparked a new genre of films such as Menace II Society, South Central, and Baby Boy. In each of these films, similar to Boyz n the Hood, is the portrayal of the struggles that African Americans in ghettos face, and how they deal with the thought in the back of their minds that there is no way out. The setting for Boyz n the Hood takes place in South Central Los Angeles in a neighborhood riddled with poverty and violence. Throughout the movie Singleton brings various elements seen in these real life neighborhoods to the big screen for people to observe. Robberies, shootings, and murder are some of the violent aspects shown in this film. Fredrickson’s “Racism: A Short History” touches on the idea of racism. Racism is portrayed often in the film. For example the police took a great deal of time to show up at the house of the main character when called for a robbery. When there one cop was seen stating how it was a shame he did not shoot the kid dead because he believes that all the African Americans in the neighborhood are worthless and the city itself is better off without them. Just as Fredrickson touched on, people often view inhabatants of the ghetto as having differences in ways that are permanent and
Tre is the smartest one which is shown in the movie as he takes the SAT’s. Tre takes his test and looks confident the entire time. Ricky, the character trying to use football as a way out, is seen as being flustered throughout the test and has problems reading easy material. Despite this he still has a chance to get out of the hood via his football talent. No steps are taken by Baha to attempt to better his situation, instead he involves himself in gang related groups and violent ways such as carrying a gun