Unit One Summary

The movie we watched this week was not only entertaining but covered all of the topics we discussed in class during the last five weeks. It showed characters who were sociologically mindful, a concept we spent a few days learning. The main character Calogero is definitely the most mindful throughout the movie. He is one of the few people who are against racism and do their best to see the other side of the situation (black perspectives) and at the end of the movie, even dates a black girl named Jane. He knew that when he was in the back seat of his friend's car, on their way to go beat up a black neighborhood that it was not the right thing to do and that set him apart from the rest of his friends.

Another thing we spent a few days discussing were the different groups many people are apart of. A big emphasis in class was put on the fact that everyone belongs to lots and lots of different groups throughout their day and life. We spent time thinking about all the different groups we were part of and wrote them down. I was surprised to see how many groups I fit into every day without even realizing it and the main character in the movie was no exception. He not only was part of his family's group and friend's group, but he also had a completely separate life with Sonny and all of the bar guys. To go even further Sonny and him had their own separate relationship from everyone else so they had a group as well as the main character and his father.  Another big theme in the movie was race and ethnicity which played into groups as well. Whites and blacks were highly segregated at the time so he was very much a part of a white group, as well as an Italian-American group and even more specifically, part of a Sicilian group.

Seeing the divide in black and white neighborhoods was very different because in the time I grew up in, racial diversity is much more accepted. At the same time though, I look at the cultural neighborhoods I have grown up around from living in Chicago and now feel that I have better insight into their worlds after seeing what it was like living in an Italian neighborhood in America. Each year in elementary school we would take field trips to China town and Pilson (a mexican neighborhood in Chicago) and go to their restaurants and experience their culture. My mom's house is in Greek Town where the greek letters that spell out Walgreens are written under the big Walgreens sign on the building. Each of these things I have seen in my life but never really thought much of them. After watching the movie in class, I feel like I can understand these different neighborhoods a little bit better.