Black Freedom Fighters in Steel

        Through multiple themes between the book Black Freedom Fighters in Steel by Ruth Needleman and the movie "Boyz in the Hood" by John Singleton, the most prominent one found is unity through hardship. In "Boyz in the Hood," Trey Styles, Ricky, and Doughboy were all subjected to unite with each other and others around them to survive the violent environment around them. In the book Black Freedom Fighters in Steel, George, Curtis, and Johnathon were subjectecd to a different lifestyle than the movie, but also had to unite to survive the harsh and unfair workplace. Each chracter played a different role in the book and the movie to make all unite for the purpose of survival.

        Starting with the character Trey Styles in the movie "Boyz in the Hood," we see a different development for him than others in the movie. He was raised in a strict household around the age of ten with his dad. His dad taught him discipline and what is truly right and wrong in life. As for Trey, he was torn between being a successful person in life and the avoidance of gang relations, while also still being close with his friends in South Central Los Angeles.Trey experiences many different altercations that require a choice. Starting from a young age until he was late in high school, multiple examples are shown and, for Trey, each come back to the theme of unity through hardships. For eaxmple, in the beginning of the movie, Trey was with Ricky and Doughboy when they came across a group of older gentlemen that were depicted as a gang related group. Ricky was confronted by one of the guys to give him his football. As Ricky refused the younger group knew they couldn't fight this off and walk away, so they all stood their ground and, in result, Doughboy was beaten by the gang. Even though this may come as a loss to them, it brought them closer. By showing courage and strength from one another, it created unity which leads all throughout the movie. Trey knew these friends, regardless what path they take, will always stand with him through the thick and the thin. It shows late in the movie when Ricky gets shot by another gang during a trip to the store. Trey realizes his best friend is lost and his moral compass is blinded by rage. He quickly makes the decision to go with Doughboy and the others to retaliate on the gang who shot Ricky. He even lies to his father, which throughout the film it is clear that Trey is not a liar, let alone to his father Furious. That is how important this theme of unity is for these friends growing up in a violent neighborhood. Without unity for these friends their is nobody to protect them when danger, which is nearly inevitable, comes.

        Another character with an impactful role in unity is Doughboy. Doughboy, or Darren was Ricky's half-brother and was not given the same care as Ricky was in his family. Multiple times, their mother showed she cared for Ricky more than Doughboy because she knew quickly Ricky was going to be more successful. Ricky was given multiple opportunities to be a part of gang related activites, but because of his freindship with Trey and Furious, he was able to see a light outside of the violence and that light was football. Football was always on the mind of Ricky. Everywhere he went there was a football with him, which led to the first example of them running into a gang and resulting in a scuffle between them. Ricky was faced with a predicament with a group during the time when the teens had all their cars parked up along the street. One of the individuals ran into Ricky and showed no remorse. This led Doughboy to reveal a handgun and the group moving along after some words were exchanged. This example shows when one of them, in this case Ricky, are faced with a problem, sticking together is the solution. Always having each others back and never backing down when one is in trouble is the best way to survive in the streets of South Central Los Angeles.

        Another example of unity between these friends is when Ricky and Trey are taking the SAT's. Without Trey's constant motivation for succeeding, Ricky might've never finished let alone pass. Multiple times these two make eye contact during the test and Trey was always reminding him to focus on the exam. This shows these two coming together to pass this exam in hopes to become successful and make their dream come true. Though Darren and the others weren't involved in this test, Darren still cares about Ricky's future and hopes he will pass to make it into college for football.

        Throughout the movie, Doughboy was always one to stir up trouble and bring violence into action between them all. Though some may say violence is a problem between these friends, I am willing to argue against that. i believe Darren's grit brought the group closer together. The reason is because without Darren in the picture, the teens may have never had the same experiences they had. This makes Doughboy's character possibly the most crucial component in the unification between the group. For instance, in every altercation between another group, whether it being the fight for the football at a young age or Ricky's death, Doughboy was always ready for action. This brought the friendships closer, even though Doughboy chose the gang related lifestyle and the other two chose a more practical lifestyle. In the pivotal point in the movie, after Ricky's death, Doughboy searches for the killer. After hours of searching they go to a fast food resturant and find them coincidently. Doughboy and the others, not including Trey, come together and kill the three indiviudals responsible for Ricky's death. Though it is a crime and seen as a vice, i believe it shows how strong this friendship and family relationship was. To live on life with three deaths in your doing is not easy on the mind. He used Trey's will to commit murder and his bond with his brother and friends as a means to kill one murderer and two accomplists. Darren and his friends all felt a need to avenge Ricky's death regardless of the mental strain it may put on them. This shows how important it is to come together as friends and family to survive. Doughboy, Ricky, Trey, and the others united to protect themselves from other various groups.