Thesis statement
Spike Lee’s movie reflects the problem of ethnic stereotypes by depicting the way in which Afro-Americans defend their right to equality, showing how biases can be confronted, and exemplifying how the political sensibilities can be transformed under the impact of people and the surroundings.
Scenes from the film in support of the thesis statement
Scene 1
In the pizzeria owned by American Italians, there are many photographs of famous people on the walls. They are all photos of white people. While the owner, Sal, considers it his right to decorate his pizzeria in the way he wants it, the visitors do not agree. Since they are mostly Afro-American youngsters, they insist that Sal should put pictures of the Afro-American celebrities in his place as well. In this way, they defend their right to justice. They want the representatives of their race to be included in the “Hall of Fame” on the ground that they frequently visit the place and give it profit.
Scene 2
Although at the beginning of the movie Sal seems non-racist, there are numerous facts in the course of the film which make the viewers change this opinion. He calls Radio Raheem’s music “jungle music,” he uses offensive words against the Afro-American youngsters who visit his place. While he treats Mookie and his sister with amiability, he is quite biased towards other minority teenagers.
Scene 3
Several scenes are depicting the minorities’ support of one another when confronted with the majority. While Latin guys argue with Radio Raheem over the music in the morning, they support the boycott and condemn Raheem’s murder later in the evening. Another example is shown through the reaction of the Koreans from the nearby store. When they see the confrontation growing severe, the Korean says that he is not white. By this, he emphasizes that he, too, belongs to the minority and that he does not want a fight with Afro-Americans.
Conclusion
Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989) depicts the disuniting, detrimental impact of embedded biases and mistreated antagonism. However impoverished, unschooled, impulsive, and unemployed the characters are, they do not lack self-respect, wittiness, and their opinion on what it is to “do the right thing” (Do the Right Thing). The film emphasizes the racial prejudices in a community in order to manifest the issue to society. Spike Lee’s movie reflects the problem of ethnic stereotypes by depicting the way in which Afro-Americans defend their right to equality, showing how biases can be confronted, and exemplifying how the political sensibilities can be transformed under the impact of people and the surroundings.
Work Cited
Do the Right Thing. Directed by Spike Lee, performances by Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and Rosie Perez, Universal Pictures, 1989.