Do the right thing- The symbols and metaphors that potray global racism.

The film entitled “Do the right thing” is a very interesting film showing varying degrees of racism, hipocracy, and relationships.  The film has several ethnicities within a small area along a time line of one day.  The film has many, many, subtle methods in which it describes the mentality of all the characters within the movie.  There are black citizens, italian pizza owners, korean liquor store owners, mexican jockeys, and white cops.  Each character has a specific name which entails the perspective they potray.  For example “bugging” is a character that has a lot of energy that is always bothered about something, whether it be the dirt on his shoes or the  repression of black idols on a pizzeria.  His perspective represents the people in the african american community that always protest, but usually don’t work to improve the communtiy.  His counter is the sister of the main charactrer that actually wants to help the communtiy and tries to provide some sanity to “bugging” and people who act like him.   this Balance of characcters occurs throughout the entire film.  When the three old men are sitting on the corner, one is complaining that he is black and discriminated against, while the other complains that his buddy is always making excuses instead of taking action.  This balance is a very intircate part of the film.  It removes biases, instead of showing the racism of one race, it shows the racism of all races.  The white against the black man, the black man against the korean, the mexican angainst the korean, the korean against the black man, etc. etc. Along with the absence of racial bias, director spike lee also places several key symbols that serve as metaphors to the gobal scheme of racism.  The character of mother-sister, potrays the essence of God, and his/her ever wathcful eye, near the end of the film, she cries, very loudly, for her children are killing each other, similar to how God cires when violence and wars are commited around the world.  The character called “Da mayor” symbolizes the guardian angel, or conscience that always attempts to say and do the right thing, but not many people listen to him because it just doesn’t make sense.  Similar to how we don’t always listen to our conscience even though it is the proper thing to do, radio rayheem symbolizes the loud voices minority that are scoffed at and continually told to shut up.  Evenutually, they are killed, just as rayheem was by police at the end of the movie, yet, his voice, or his boom box, kept singing “fight the power”, similar to how several forerunners of equal rights were murdered but they kept marching and singing “we shall overcome.”  The list goes on and on about what symbols say what, and which metaphors potray which subject of racism, anything from, the climate, dialouge, position of objects, color of clothing, and actions taken by the characters.  The film intertwines all of these aspects to create a film that powerfully shows the situation of amercian and global racism.  According to Martin Luther King Jr. his dream is not yet lived, that no matter what skin color you are, you are treated equally.  This film shows, that only a few indivuals are living that dream, and until the world truly open their ears and closes their mouths, so that they can listen instead of opress their fellow man, MLK jr’s dream will never be lived.  While Sal in the movie seemed very progressive, he yelled the n word at his customers, while the korean trashed his customers, he stilled said they are the same at the end of film, while Sal’s son loved black entertainers, he hated his customers, so people might appear to be acceptable, they may simply repressing their hatred, theyr’e feelings are always fighting each other, just like rayheem’s hands were always fighting each ohter.  but even the smallest light of love can KO the strongest hate.

James Butters

~ by english131blog on November 14, 2007.