Introduction
On the face of it, it may seem like Boyz n the Hood and Black Freedom Fighters in Steel may not give the impression of having much in common when it comes to the characters or the plot of the story. Nevertheless, the two stories are rather analogous and diverge one from another at the same time in many thought-provoking ways. These two works of art stand on opposite sides of the Civil Rights era. Regardless of that fact, they both narrate the story of subjugation and tyranny.
The themes of unity and optimism
Both Boyz n the Hood and Black Freedom Fighters in Steel describe the lives of people of color who are struggling to survive in a world that is aggressively opposed to them. Moreover, they live in a society that functions based on institutional and individual discrimination and detestation. Both Boyz n the Hood and Black Freedom Fighters in Steel trail these complications, and the works of art piece out an idea that is an ultimate way to escape the never-ending subjugation – unity and optimism.
The unity has many implications, from simple acquaintance to the practically pictorial solidarity of business unionism. In the first place, the idea of unity symbolizes the sensation of collective hope, harmony, and empowerment. This is how unity outlines the theme of camaraderie and solidarity in both Boyz n the Hood and Black Freedom Fighters in Steel.
On the other hand, everybody knows what the word “optimism” means. It generates a feeling that empowers the individual to go through the struggle and do whatever it takes (reasonable and positive) to achieve success. The absence of optimism, logically, adversely affects the individual. If the person loses hope, it will be rather hard to plant a seed of optimism within that individual. Consequently, it will be practically impossible to bring back the hope if the individual had lost his or her optimism. If one takes a close look, the central plot points of Boyz n the Hood and Black Freedom Fighters in Steel overtly expose how unity or its absence have an impact on the lives of people of color growing up in an inner-city setting.
There are several pivotal points in Black Freedom Fighters in Steel that similarly display the influence of unity and its impact on those individuals who try to do their best to provide for themselves and their families. To assess the extent to which these two works of art praise unity and optimism, one should realize the premises and the consequences of the Civil Rights movement and its impact on society.
Boyz n the Hood
The protagonist of this movie, Tre Styles, is portrayed as a young fellow who does not respect his friends and teachers. One day Tre gets involved in a fight and his mother decides to send Tre to his father in the hope that he will learn how to respect others and live a valuable life. Soon after that, Tre reunites with his childhood friends. The first example of unity is shown when the fellows are encountered by a group of gang members. One of the criminals frightened Ricky – one of the boys – and tried to take away his football.
The group tried to help Ricky and stand up for him but they failed, and one of them got beaten up. Another example of unity is portrayed with the use of a brotherly bond between the three friends who stand united in the face of diverse situations and the aftermath of their life choices. Either a college student or a gang member, they are still taking care of each other.
The whole movie is a vivid representation of the struggles that the people of color are going through and briefly explains the reasons for this kind of “misconduct” and recurrent bias. The key issues of the people of color and the depiction of their lives in the ghetto helped the director of the movie convey the optimistic mood of unity to the viewers.
Black Freedom Fighters in Steel
The plot of this book describes how numerous African-Americans went to the State of Indiana in the 1920s daydreaming of being paid, respected, and living a life without chain gangs and discrimination. Black Freedom Fighters in Steel determinedly expands the limits of the literature that is focused on racial and industrial issues. The book expressively narrates about five African-American men who went north to obtain one of the most unpleasant jobs.
Black Freedom Fighters in Steel tells the story of how these five men separately fought for impartiality and reasonableness. The author also describes how these men cooperatively assisted in creating commercial and union equality in the United States after the War. The oldest from these five was born and raised in Kentucky right near the house of the family whose members were the owners of his parents. He was one of the frontrunners in the battle with French troops in World War I and then decided to stay in a small city in the State of Indiana to work in steel. He became the first full-time African-American worker of the Steelworkers Organizing Committee at the end of the 1930s.
The youngest of those five African-American men was a cotton-picker on his father’s property in Alabama, fought the racial prejudice in the Army during WW II, and ultimately turned out to be the first African-American to be chief of an elementary steel resident union. Black Freedom Fighters in Steel is a book dwelling on the amalgamation of unions and the lives of the five outstanding persons. It thoroughly concentrates on the pivotal role of African-American to select few informing the interracial unionism.
The majority of the book chapters discuss the African-American fight for depiction, accentuating the significance of a self-determining black society inside the union. The book also presents a discussion between two revolutionary steelworkers and contemporary African-American union frontrunners about the ethnic policies of union engagement.
Black Freedom Fighters in Steel and Boys n the Hood comparison
In Black Freedom Fighters in Steel, five African-American men are sketched as the characters describing the complications connected to the work in Steel and inside the union. Originally, the story of these five African-Americans tells about how they were exposed to the numerous issues which included a poor working environment, poor salary, and an acute shortage of job prospects. In the end, they had to join the majority which included white people.
The book tells the story of how these African-Americans tried to change the vision of other people and let those people know that numerous stereotypes about African-American people are incorrect. This book also showed that many African-Americans had a feeling that the union was not the right place for them because they would be faced with discrimination and misunderstanding.
Boys n the Hood portrays a different story that is based more on the personal experiences of the African-American community. The movie displays the consequences of the Civil Rights movement and shows what it is like to live in a world of injustice, poverty, and unfulfilled dreams. Nonetheless, similar to the Black Freedom Fighters in Steel, Boys n the Hood operates the idea of unity and develops the theme of all-conquering optimism. The main character of the movie is a portrayal of a true leader who experienced the victory of reason over emotion. Regardless of the discrimination and disbelief, Tre manages to follow his dream and back up his family. The movie shows how the brotherly bond between the friends can turn into a unifying mood of optimism.
Conclusion
Both Black Freedom Fighters in Steel and Boys n the Hood show to the readers and viewers that there is an opportunity available to the society to unite and stay positive in the face of numerous modern calamities and personal or social struggles. The society should be aware of the fact that African-American society is a serious contributor to the social and cultural heritage of the US. The works of art that were reviewed in this paper represent two perfect examples of how contemporary society can fight the race-based misconceptions and maintain an optimistic approach to the problem of uniting diverse social and ethnic layers.