Term Paper on "Richard Wright's Native Son and Spike Lee's Movie Do the Right Thing"

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Buggin' Out tells Mookie to "Stay Black!" In Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," he points to the film's central theme. Being Black in America entails struggle and occasionally the struggle against social and economic oppression manifests in unfortunate acts of violence. Like Mookie, Bigger in Richard Wright's novel Native Son is a victim of social, political and economic oppression directly related to the color of his skin. Being Black in America means sacrificing hopes and dreams as well as personal values and principles. When Spike Lee quotes both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King at the conclusion of "Do the Right Thing," the filmmaker who also plays Mookie in the movie makes a powerful statement about the dichotomy of race relations in America. On the one hand, American values idealize equality. Liberty and justice is supposed to be truly "for all." Reality, however, presents a rough blow to individuals like Mookie and Bigger who soon learn that the ideal of equality has yet to be fully realized in America. Both Mookie and Bigger break down in the end, succumbing to their anger and personal turmoil, to their frustration that life in America is not what it should be for people of color. Race relations in America shape Mookie and Bigger's responses to perceived social and economic oppression and although both characters are flawed they respond heroically to their respective situations. The similarities and differences between Mookie and Bigger are both directly due to the historical contexts in which they lives

One of the main reasons Mookie and Bigger react differently to social and economic oppression is because Mookie lives in post-Civil Rights era America whereas Bigger's story takes place just

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after the turn of the century. In other words, both men are victims of the times they live in, even more than they are victims of their own tragic flaws. The inclusion of quotes from two of the Civil Rights era's most notable and influential figures in Lee's "Do the Right Thing" underscores the ideological differences between his film and Wright's novel. Lee invokes a Civil Rights Era that had not even taken place when Wright wrote Native Son. Bigger does not have access to the social networks that existed for Mookie such as the idea of Black Power itself or Black Nationalism. The idea that "staying black" might be socially acceptable was a foreign concept for Bigger and therefore he deals with being politically disempowered with less finesse than Mookie does.

For Bigger, being black meant being systematically discriminated against via institutionalized racism. He cannot rent an apartment anywhere he wants because he is Black. He is systematically shut out and cut off from sources of wealth and political power to a degree that became outlawed by the 1980s. In Mookie's time, racism was still endemic in American society but was being eased out of official social and political institutions. Anti-discrimination legislation also meant that racism had become less socially acceptable by the 1980s. One of the main differences between "Do the Right Thing" and "Native Son" is the setting. In Mookie's world, racism was more palpable on the streets and in the daily lives of Americans. For Bigger, racism was far more pervasive, invading American institutions so that African-Americans had no legal recourse. Moreover, Mookie lives in a multicultural world in which Korean-Americans, Italian-Americans, and African-Americans coexist and must use any means possible to promote peace and public welfare without sacrificing the ideals of their community. Bigger's world is more monolithic. Whites are the main group in power and Bigger feels up against powers far bigger than himself.

Bigger and Mookie live in different times, determining differences in African-American self-consciousness. "Do the Right Thing" is permeated with emblems of Black culture and Black pride in America. Most notably, the film is accompanied by a hip-hop heavy soundtrack. Radio Raheem and other characters in "Do the Right Thing" show that African-American culture was blossoming in its own right regardless of how the dominant white culture perceived it. Mookie had the luxury of reflecting on what it means to be Black whereas for Bigger, being black automatically entailed an ingrained sense of hopelessness. On the other hand, hip-hop encapsulates the triumph of African-American culture over racial oppression. In Bigger's day, African-American culture was barely defined; it had yet to assert itself or define itself. Black artists and musicians were more often imitated or misappropriated by whites than they were legitimate successes on their own. Therefore, one of the main reasons why Bigger and Mookie react differently to their respective situations is because the latter had greater access to the social and cultural mainstream.

However, Mookie and Bigger react to racism with similar anger because of their frustration with how little American social and political institutions work to eliminate discrimination. Mookie resists violence more readily and more consciously because in the 1980s African-Americans had achieved some degree of social integration. His social and historical context differs significantly from those of the 1930s when Bigger was treated as a total social outcast. Yet in spite of the Civil Rights movement, African-Americans continued to experience discrimination. Racism persisted throughout the twentieth century and affected the relationships between America's various ethnic minority groups like Italians and Koreans. One of the reasons why Mookie and Bigger are similar heroes is because the social and historical contexts of their respective stories had changed only superficially. Racism remained a part of American culture in the 1980s nearly as much as in the 1930s. The main feature that distinguishes the 1980s from the 1930s is that the law disallowed institutionalized racism.

Lee shows that the ghosts of institutionalized racism still remain. For example, when Mookie realizes the extent to which law enforcement officials had succumbed to racist realities he breaks, and his outburst is understandable given the lack of nonviolent outlets he had to vent his pain. Moreover, Mookie had grown disillusioned after Sal demonstrated the bigotry ingrained in American public consciousness. Mookie's anger comes to a head after the police kill Radio Raheem, smashing and setting on fire Sal's pizzeria. The arson and vandalism symbolize race relations in America coming to a head and exploding. Bigger's transgressions prove more shocking because they include manslaughter. Yet both Mookie and Bigger resort to violence because of a lack of any legitimate acceptable restitution for the root cause of racism: slavery. After the end of the Civil War, the institution of slavery ended but the institution of racism did not. Even two decades after the Civil Rights era, racism continues to characterize social realities in America.

Mookie resists violence more systematically than Bigger does although both resort to physical aggression as a result of their frustration. Their use of physical aggression is testimony to the intensity of their respective social realities. In Bigger's world, white landowners are permitted to discriminate against non-white prospective tenants. Such blatantly discriminatory policies prevented even the possibility of upward social mobility for African-Americans like Bigger. In Mookie's world, anti-discrimination legislation had already become a part of the American legal scenario. Yet Lee's film shows that in spite of the changes that took place during the Civil Rights era, race and class remained tightly linked. For Bigger, nonviolence equalled submissiveness: being an Uncle Tom. For Mookie, nonviolence recalled Martin Luther King's Gandhi-like approach to civil disobedience. The fact that twenty years after King's assassination racism remained a part of American life shows that no matter how admirable the approach, nonviolence does not necessarily work all the time. When Spike Lee includes both King's quote and that of Malcolm X he underlines the tension between the ideal of nonviolent change and the hard realities of racism in America. If the goal of the Civil Rights movement was to eliminate discrimination and promote true social… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Richard Wright's Native Son and Spike Lee's Movie Do the Right Thing" Assignment:

“

Richard Wright*****s Native Son and Spike Lee*****s Do the Right Thing Film (1989)

By Richard Wright

And

By Spike Lee

Dear *****,

For this assignment, compare the issue of race relations in both Richard Wright*****s novel Native Son and Spike Lee*****s film Do the Right Thing.

More specifically the Thesis Statement of the essay should be something like this: analyze Bigger and Mookie's character & personalities (how they are different and similar) and how NO ONE (either Bigger or Mookie) does the right thing because of their race and society oppression; as the result either one should be held responsible for his crimes or troubles. You can also tie this to the thesis: Since Lee purposely chose to preface his script with a quote from Malcolm X, but at the very end of the movie he provides quotes form both Dr. ***** Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Base on this which philosophy do you think Lee is try to advocate? And which philosophy is Wright advocate? And how both Wright and Lee tell this through their novel/film using their characters Bigger and Mookie? This is just a little extra information that I would like to add into the paper in relation with race conflicts but if you think this won*****t help to make a strong thesis statement for this paper then you don*****t have to include them in there. However if you think you have another interested topic please feel free to write about but do let me know before you actually started. Again I want to ANALYZE AND COMPARE the two characters & personalities that somehow relate to race tension/relation/conflicts/discriminations from the novel and the film. Please assume that the readers have read the story and watched the movie; therefore, DO NOT SUMMARY AND REVIEW them. This is an English essay.If I confused you or you not understand my thesis statement please let me know.

Please follow the below formats/instructions when write this paper

Essay Organization:

Introduction paragraph

It orderly should include:

Attention Getter (it could be a quote, question, *****¦)

Defines your topic- explain you issue, question, or problem, and explain why it matters

Provide Background of the novel and the film (in the middle of the intro)- give a little information that your reader needs to know in order to understand your essay

Finally, offer the Thesis statement that your paper will develop. It must and should be the last sentence/sentences of the paragraph.

I would like an introduction paragraph to be very good one and that it should starts with broad ideas to specific idea.

Body Paragraph(s):

For each body paragraph you should start with a transition sentence (so that the essay is well organize and flows from one paragraph to another or one idea to the next) then strong topic sentence. No quote or questions in topic sentence.

Conclusion:

A conclusion should do 3 things:

Offer judgment- offer a final commentary on the issue you*****ve been discussing

Explain why your topic matters and is important (the *****so what?***** question)

Provide culmination- try to pull your essay together by summarizing some of the key points you*****ve made

Provide a send-off- give you readers something to think about, but without introducing any completely different topics

Different ways to write conclusion include:

Suggest a new direction for further thought

Look to the future

Return to a restatement of your thesis

End with a provocative question

PS: The film is Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee, year 1989. The book I used is Richard Wright*****s Native Son (Perennial Classics***** Restored Text edition). This is NOT A RESEARCH PAPER BUT THIS IS AN ESSAY. AGAIN DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE NOVEL AND FILM. Essay must be type in Times New Roman font, 12 point. In addition, of course follow the Essay Organization especially for the introduction paragraph. I want a good and strong introduction paragraph. If you have question or unsure about something please email at ButterfliesN8@aol.com. I am sorry for had giving you too much instructions.

Please let me know if the ***** can complete this assignment or not as soon as possible.

======

Here is some thoughts about the essay when i thought about analyze the two character: Bigger and Mookie and how race relation affect them. Hope it help you to find a ***** for me:

Although Bigger and Mookie share some common characteristic traits such as the same black skin, poverty, and depression towards the black community. Mookie is able to make his own personal choices were as Bigger was never given any choices at all. In Native Son, Bigger*****s life was extremely influenced by fear, hatred and racial discrimination; in contrast, in Spike Lee*****s film, Do the Right Thing, Mookie*****s life is influenced more by his choices, independence, and freedom.

Having to repress his wants and desires creates a deep need to release those needs at any cost. Bigger is viewed as a violent person. He kills two girls, rapes one of them, and picks a fight with on of his friends during the novel. This violence is due to his repressed feelings combined with a feeling of hopelessness. The hopelessness is due to the lack of the opportunity, while the slim chance of success may be chosen it has to be chosen not of his terms forcing him to swallow his pride. The repression is bottled up inside of him and constantly reoccurring throughout his actions. One of the first times we encounter it is while he is talking to Jack about the Blum job: *****Bigger felt an urgent need to hide his growing and deepening feeling of hysteria; he had to get rid of it or else he would succumb to it***** (28). Combined with this repression is fear which is evident in the name of the first of three chapters and described well while Bigger is at home: *****He knew that the moment he allowed himself to feel to it*****s fullness how they lived, the shame and misery of their lives, he would be swept out of himself with fear and despair*****¦ so he denied himself and acted tough***** (10). Bigger*****s violence is a product of all these factors: that his future is constricted to what he can and can not do, that if he wants to succeed he has to do it on the white folks terms all the while dealing with a condescending attitude of those claiming a want to help him and even be his friend. If Bigger is so violent why would anyone want to help him in the first place?

Bigger was born into an unforgiving, American, white culture that tortured, killed, and controlled the black community for over three hundred years. Even though he was born after the Civil War and black slavery was abolished. The white society continued to use fear to dehumanize and destroy black men and women everywhere. Because of being treated unfairly, Bigger was limited to the things that he could do. As Bigger and Gus were discussing the topic of wanting to fly a plane, Bigger say*****s *****It*****s funny how the white folks treat us ain*****t it?***** (17). He wished that he could change the way everything was but there was nothing he could do about it. *****They own the world,***** states Bigger (22). Bigger had this hate because he could not change the way the world operated. Bigger expressed his hate to his friends and ultimately to the city of Chicago. Bigger was ashamed and angry because of his family*****s poverty but there was nothing he could do to help them. According to Wright, *****Day in and day out there was nothing but shouts and bickering. But what could he do? Each time he asked himself that question his mind it a blank wall and he stopped thinking***** (12). All he wants to do is to treated like a human being. Unfortunately Bigger is never given the same opportunities as the white men. Even when Mr. Dalton generously gives Bigger his respect, a good pay, and ultimately a chance for an education. Mr. Dalton clearly states, *****You see, Bigger, I*****m a supporter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Did you ever hear of that organization?***** (53). Mr. Dalton was trying to make Bigger feel comfortable and talk to him as an equal. Bigger didn*****t know what the organization was, but Dalton probably presumed he did. So he told him that to let Bigger know there was no hate or racism within his family. He actually wants Bigger toknow this so he doesn*****t hold fear or prejudices against the Dalton family. Bigger has never talked or interacted with whites, and for the first time is treated with respect but still holds negative hatred in his heart. Bigger seems to be confused and inferior by the superior authority Mr. Dalton. Society has imposed this negative energy that will carry over multiple decades to the 1980*****s where Spike Lee expresses a mian charcter Mookie, who experiences a similar situation with the oppressiveness of black in the job force.

Wright intended for these character to have that quality just as he intended for Bigger*****s character to be difficult to like. Wrights world is simplified into black and white, rich and poor but not right and wrong, that he leaves open for interpretation. The setting in Lee*****s, Do the Right Thing has more racial tensions than just black and white, even though the tension between black and white is the most prominent. Rich and poor do not seem to be as much of an issue, but right and wrong, similarly to Wirght, are left to interpretation.

Block B: Spike Lee*****s film, Do The Right Thing, takes place on an excruciatingly hot summer day. The opening, as well as the duration of the film, powerfully sets a tone that lets the audience soak up the *****truth***** about race relations during this time period. The action of the film is centered in and around Sal*****s famous pizzeria, which symbolizes the heart of the community. Over the years, the community has become predominately black and Sal takes great pride and love for the neighborhood. Sal established great relations with his black customers, for they have given him great business and a name. Sal is seen as a sympathetic character, for he treats Mookie as well as the rest of the black population with the utmost respect and gives Mookie the opportunity to make money. Jobs aren*****t easy to find in this area of Brooklyn, for society inhibits the ability of the black culture to grow. Out of all the boys on the block, Mookie is the only one that has a job. Know can you see how this might pose a problem for the future? With nothing to do, racism in the air, violence is just creeping around the corner. In addition, you can see that Mookie hates his job, for he is forced to work by his sister, Jade, who tells him he needs to start taking responsible.

On the other hand, the hate that Mookie had was lying dormant. His character was a well rounded guy in that he could relate to others of a different race and to his won in one accord. For instance, in a scene in Do The Right Thing he talks with Pino about Pino*****s favorite sport athletes. They all turn out to be African-American. Mookie was a neighborhood person that dinn*****t have a problem with living in a diverse community. He even had a child that was bi-racial. His community consisted of Puerto Ricans, Koreans, and Blacks. However, we see a hint of hate in Mookie when his friend Buggin*****Out comes in Sal*****s Famous Pizzeria and demands that some blacks be put on the *****Wall of Fame*****. Mookie hates when his friends act up in the company of his boss because Mookie likes Sal. Mookie and Sal*****s relationship is built on trust. Sal trusts that Mookie will do as he is instructed which is to deliver pizzas and return in a reasonable amount of time. Mookie respects Sal because of leniency toward him. We also see a glint of hate in Mookie when his character is spitting out racial slurs at Pino. During this scene, various people in the community release racial slurs toward different people that live in the community. It is a venting session. We see the grand finale of his hate when he yells *****hate***** and throws a trash can through the front window of Sal*****s Famous.

For Lee, Mookie is the main character. Mookie is similar to Bigger in age and color, but not in aggression. Just like Bigger, Mookie is also constricted, but the why is not quite as evident. However, Mookie doen*****t go behind the counter of the pizzeria; this shows he is not quiet equal within the establishment. The fact that he is the only black person that works in the community and the fact that he works for a white family is also similar to Bigger*****s situation. It seems that the only way for Mookie to make money is to swallow his pride and go to work. Just like Bigger, Mookie has to be submissive but Mookie has to do more than that he also has to mediate. Mookie is thrown between his job and his friends. This is a very difficult position to be in if one wants to keep both their job and friends. Mookie does not have to deal with the same condescending attitude towards blacks that Bigger does. Lee makes it obvious that the world is not just black and white. Mookie tells his black neighbors to *****get a job*****; Coconut Sid complains about how the Asians have made the market a success, complaining about the lack of initiative within the black community. Mookie does get a small dose of this from Pino who constantly berates him, complaining to his Father, Sal that Mookie is *****no good*****.

The anger and fear experienced by Bigger is the greatest contrast in the two characters, for there is little anger or fear in Mookie. Ture, when Mookie throws the trashcan through the window of Sal*****s, he yells *****hate*****. But this is not driven by a fear, but rather more by a frustration. The fear conjured up by the white cops and the murder of Radio Raheem is real enough but affects the community is not any individual like it did Bigger. The frustrations that Mookie experiences are based more on a lack of communication within the community. The police are the only force within this movie that does ot deserve sympathy. Mookie does have the hopelessness that Bigger has. This became evident during the last confrontation between Mookie and Sal. After the money was thrown back and forth, Sal sincerely asks *****what are you going to do with yourself***** and Mookie responds *****get a job, get paid. Again, like Bigger, Mookie is not looking for a bright future, his only concern is now. After watching this scene, I was reminded of the opening scene where Mookie is counting his money. He only had four hundred dollars and Sal threw five hundred at him. Mookie returned the money that he had not earned. This showed that he was not willing to take a hand out, that he would not swallow his pride.

Or another topic would be Human and Diversity. However, if the ***** want to write his own topic then that is fine with me. As long as about the novel and movie dealing with race relation.

Human and Diversity

*****I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character***** said ***** Luther King Jr. In the context to the quote, we learned that segregation plays a major role throughout history among the African Americans, who had suffered a lot to gain their right to be treated equally. In today*****s society, we find ourselves living in a diverse background where as everyone are being treated equally and regardless of your race, skin coloration, and background, we are all created equally. However, in comparison to today*****s society versus the early 1940*****s society, there is a huge different in discrimination between the Whites and the Blacks. In such a society like back in the early 1940*****s, the African American were being treated badly by the Whites in the society and we can see the perfect examples demonstrated in Spike Lee*****s film Do The Right Thing, he showed us the perfect examples on how different races such as Asians, Italians, Puerto Ricans, and African Americans chooses to be isolated from other group but within their own race. In Lee*****s film, he mainly focused on the big picture of racism based on different ethnic group not just between the African Americans and the Caucasians. Lee constructed the ideas of racism was based varieties of ethnic group and more so on how people chooses to isolated by their own race in the community verses of Richard Wright*****s ideas on racism that he showed in his story Native Son, Wright constructed his ideas on racism was more based on segregation and suffer that the main character in the story, Biggie see within the society that he live in not based on how society with see on an individual with different. In contrast, both of the ***** gives us a perfect examples on how different ethnic groups interact with each other and also on how on it talks about the relations between the African-American and Caucasians.

In Lee*****s film, his ideas of racism was constructed based on bigotry and racial issues between a multi-ethnic groups isolated from other ethnic group in the community not so much between the African-Americans and Caucasians. Lee*****s mentioned a lot about the relationship between Mookie and Sal. In the film, Mookie who is the African-American work*****¦ We can see the multi-ethnic issue begin when Mookie*****s friend mentioned about the wall of fame having only pic of famous Italian but not the African-American on it.

Transition: We see that Lee*****s structure on racism was more based on the bigoty of multi-ethnic conflict in his film. However, Richard Wright*****s ideas on racism was slightly different from Lee*****s film. In Native Son*****¦.

Conclusion: By going into the deeper meaning of Racism and segregation, Lee*****s defined it as a bigotry between multi-ethnics, while Wright defining it as more between the African-Americans, both of these context constructed*****¦.

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