BOYS N THE HOOD
BOYS N THE HOOD
What does leaving the nest mean? We often associate this figure of speech to young birds leaving their nest to learn to fly alone. However this motif can reoccur to represent the challenges one faces on their journey in maturation and experiences. Good morning class and students. The film boy in the hood directed by John Singleton encapsulates the theme of leaving the nest through the story of the challenging consequences of young African Americans surviving in the tough urban neighbourhoods in Los Angeles. The characters Tre, Doughboy and Furious Styles take on the violence and gun culture, responsibility and societal troubles throughout the plot. In comparison to Tupac Shakur ‘life goes on’ also demonstrates the theme of violence .
Violence and gun culture is a significant theme in the film ‘boy’s n the hood’ and is the backdrop for most of the action of the film. The context of the film is in central Los Angeles in the 1990s when racial tension, police brutality and gang warfare were a major concern. The film is central of the characters of Tre, Doughboy and Ricky who have been exposed in a negative environment of violence, drug use and gangs, causing a view that it is the societal ‘norm’ for them. The establishing shot in the opening of the film of a ‘stop’ sign on the neighbourhood streets represents danger through the colour red, and is a motif to reinforce and foreshadow the evident theme of violence and gun culture that will occur in the film and challenge the characters as they ‘leave their nest’ . The background audio of gun shots and yelling is an effective technique to reinforce the dangers of society one faces due to the violence and gun culture surrounding them.
The truculent persona of Doughboy as a street mart and his personal history of criminal records and jail experience, portray him as a character representation of the negative lifestyle influences of gang warfare and violence. Furious style’s concern...