Always Do the Right Thing

In How Bigger Was Born, the author states that the character Bigger started out as racially ambiguous. He says, "I made the discovery that Bigger Thomas was not black at the time, he was white, too, and there were literally millions of him, everywhere" (441). While Bigger's race played a factor in the discrimination he received, any race can feel the same prejudices as he did depending on the neighborhood they live in. Normally, whites are portrayed as holding the power, but in Do the Right Thing, in this small neighborhood the Blacks held the power. Sal and his two sons, Pino and Vito, were the minority. So, they felt the discrimination and hate from those around them. Bigger character, to an extreme, is a feeling of emotion that many have felt before, trapped. In Do The Right Thing Sal feels trapped in the neighborhood his business is in. Pino states that their family does not belong there and that it would be smarter for them to move their business away from blacks because they're "crazy." But, Sal says even in a neighborhood full of whites, he still wouldn't receive as much business. He feels controlled by the majority, the blacks, to stay put because he will have better business. But, at the same time, he feels as though he must come across as flat, not racist at all, because he doesn't want to upset the business around him. Bigger felt trapped in the world he lived in. He felt that the Whites had freedoms that he couldn't ever achieve. He felt alienated and controlled in a world where he did not belong. Both characters, black or white, felt discrimination in a place that they did not belong. At the same time, these two pieces differ. In How Bigger Was Born Bigger was completely helpless. He never had the upper hand over whites, except for the murder of Mary. Violence was his answer to power. In Do the Right Thing, violence also brought power but the violence was somewhat reasonable. Bigger's murder of Bessie was completely unreasonable and irrational. The violence in Do the Right Thing was used as a tool to express the unfair treatment the citizens had been feeling.

The moment that struck me the most during the movie was when Radio Raheem was killed. Police officers are supposed to stop violence and enforce the law. But, these police created violence by killing Radio Raheem. I think the white cop felt that he had complete control over Raheem in the choke hold and used it to purposefully kill him. The other cop was constantly telling him to stop but he kept choking Raheem. This act was a way to prove his supremacy and show off his strength over Blacks. He wasn't just killing Raheem, but mentally hurting all the other Blacks. This act was an act of exposition, used almost as a nagging way to show control of the situation. It sickens and disgusts me that the cops could do that. If we can't trust our own law enforcement to do the right thing, who can we trust? I think of all the characters Mookie does the right thing by throwing the garbage can. I think the garbage can is symbolic of all of the hate, the "trash" talked about opposing races. He screams hate and throws it through the window breaking the glass. Mookie was throwing away all of the hate felt in the community to hopefully protect Sal and his sons. Glass symbolically could be a metaphor for protection. Glass is used to protect from the heat, the snow, bugs, and the cold. By breaking the glass Mookie is throwing all of the hate away and making the truth vulnerable and real. After Sal's is destroyed he realizes that he doesn't belong and should move to a place where he doesn't need that protection.

Document #1

In what ways did Stokes’s election represent a milestone for black power? What do you think his election meant for black citizens?

Carl Stokes, a lawyer who grew up in Cleveland, entered politics in the late 1950s. He became the first black American elected to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives. In 1967, Stokes decided to run for mayor in Cleveland and became the first black mayor of a major city in the United States.Stokes electrion represented a milestone for black power by showing that dedication and devotion can lead to success.

Stokes started out on the bottom of the political food chain as a lawyer, owning a firm with his brother. He had 120 dollars in his pocket and much prejudice ahead. He was able to slowly work his way up and gain black and white support throughout his city, winning him the title of mayor. Stokes showed that determination can lead to success, despite black prejudice. He was able to use his intelligence and to gain political power. This showed that Blacks can not only rule over Blacks but also Whites. By gaining the title of mayor he was able to show that courage, determination and devotion to the church can help ease black stereotypes. By becoming mayor Stokes helped lessen the black stereotype. He was able to gain white support and create relationships with White people. His election meant that Blacks could succeed, despite many rash stereotypes.