Social inequalities have shaped and defined the culture of the modern american history. Social inequalities were the breakpoints that drove movements such as the harlem renaissance and many more african american fronts all striving for equality. This idea is dominant in both the poems of “langston hughes” and “The Blind Side” directed by John lee hancock. The adversities that are raised between the two play a major role in the struggle for equality. “The blind side” establishes this with michael oher’s hardships and Langston Hughes displays this with “mother to son”.
Overcoming obstacles is evident in the poem “mother to son” as it is centered on a Mother giving reassurance to her son through her past experiences and encouragements. The mother gives a narrative on her struggles as she hints out the past having been “no crystal stair” and having “places with no carpet on the floor”. “No crystal stair” provides a further understanding of an individual who inspires as it a metaphor for the reality of life not being perfect.
The mother forewarns her son of these obstacles but also motivates him not to give up with “Don’t you fall now” and “don’t you set down on the steps”. These quotes link back to the theme of individuals who inspire as they are statements of consolation and moral support. The poem in whole is a symbol for a mother tell her son to have faith and keep headstrong no matter what adversity he faces. overcoming obstacles plays a factor in social inequalities as it is the struggle in order to achieve equality in the african american social context.
The blind side” also prominently conveys the theme of an individual who inspires. Michael oher and the Tuohy family are the embodiment of this theme as they are pited with multiple obstacles that are resolved through inspiration. Michael’s day to day life had major adversities as seen in the full body shot of michael making his way to the gym. This shot is a comparison the luxury life of the tuohys and the deprived life Michael. Leigh anne realises the struggle through the leaden colour of the night and invites him into her car.
This invitation is symbolic as it is the first steps to overcome the obstacle that is the rough poverty stricken life of michael oher. Leigh anne correspondingly manifests the theme of an individual who inspires to that of the mother in “mother to son”. Langston hughes challenged segregation in the harlem renaissance by incorporating the theme of taking action in his work “let america be america again”. The premise of the poem was to reshape the social context of the 1930s through the use of literary and structural techniques.
In the poem Langston creates the theme of taking action with “The land where every man is free. The land that’s mine- the poor man’s, indian’s, negro’s, me who made america”. Langston not only refers to the african american community but to every low class citizen in america thus further proving his primary theme of taking action as the african community cannot create change themselves. Langston captivates the audience by creating a unity of all races through the quote and links back to taking action through wanting to “bring back our mighty dream again”.
The dream that Langston alludes to is the american dream. The ideology that is the american dream is what langston believes in as it means equality for all people no matter what race. Though the poem is riddled with a harsh dark tone langston still convey his point of making america be what it once was. “The blind side” correspondingly introduces the theme of taking action similar to that of “Let america be america again”.
Taking action is a keypoint in the film as the Tuohy family aid Michael in his endeavour of education and a clean standard of life. The film provides a deep understanding of the struggles that michael tackled in in his life. Michaels football career acts as symbol of racial inequality. The scene in which a referee flags coach Cotton for unsportsmanlike conduct reveals the theme within of taking action. Cotton defends michael with “this young man plays for my team and i will defend him like he’s my own son”.
The quote alone links to the theme of taking action as it is standing up against the racial stereotypes of the social context similarly to that of langston’s social context. In the final scene michael can be seen to take his own initiative when it comes to affairs. Michael attains this through the final interview he attends where he states the reason why he wants to go to ole miss. This act of initiative is linked to the theme of taking action as it is an effort taken to achieve the goal break racial stereotypes. Taking action drives social context as it