Response to Boyz N the Hood
Response to Boyz N the Hood
Amad Elia
CIN 303 Response to Boyz N the Hood and Review by Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times
The more times I viewed this film, the more I became captivated by the poignant message Singleton is trying to convey in Boyz N the Hood. The poignant message is the impact that a father has on a young urban African American individual living in the ghetto and subsequently the impact of being fatherless in the ghetto.
In fact Boyz N the Hood includes, among many social topics, a fathers essential role in his sons healthy development and the disastrous effects a fathers absence has on children and society. For instance, the main character, Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), has a father who strongly influences and guides him. His fathers involvement in his life allows Tre to learn about responsibility, dedication and morality. As a result, Tre avoids the social problems that pervade his South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, such as selling drugs, gang involvement, addiction, and violence.
Additionally, Tres father Furious Style (Laurence Fishburn) teaches Tre to respect life and avoid violence (Another message of Singeltons conveyed through Furious Styles character). One scene that illustrates this, is when Tre is young, his father shoots at a burglar who attempts to rob their house. The burglar escapes unharmed, and Tre says “You should have blown [the robbers head off].” Tres father responds by saying “Dont say that. Just would have been contributing to killing another brother.”
Another scene that illustrates this (Singletons message of respecting life and avoiding violence conveyed through Tres character), is towards the end of the film when Tre initially accompanies Doughboy (Ice Cube) and his friends to avenge Rickeys (Morris Chestnut) death, but at the last second, he asks out of the car. Although extremely saddened and angered over the loss of his best friend, he does not want to take part in violence. With his fathers guidance, Tre realizes that killing the gang members responsible for Rickeys death will not solve anything. Violence will not bring Rickey back, and it will just result in more bloodshed.
Furthermore, Boyz N the Hood also offers an honest and realistic portrayal of a fathers absence in urban America. This is best exemplified by Tres boyhood friends, who lack a strong fatherly influence, end up involved in gang violence, selling drugs, and other societal traps. More specifically, a close friend, Doughboy, lacks a father in his life. And although Doughboys mother ties to lead him in the right direction, she favors Doughboys brother Ricky over him, and Doughboy ends up spending time in prison and dealing drugs. Doughboy experiences gang-related violence first-hand and ultimately becomes a neighborhood victim. Without a strong father figure, Doughboy never valued responsibility, dedication,