Fight The Power Theme

Fight the White Power “Our freedom of speech is freedom or death...fight the power” are lyrics from the song, “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy heard as a motif throughout the film Do the Right Thing. Directed by the renowned director, Spike Lee, this film addresses social injustices toward African Americans because of the epidemic of racism. The wide variety of complex characters encourage the idea of tackling the stereotypical black character. In addition, the film uses motifs to assist the viewer in comprehension. The theme of Do the Right Thing is about fighting the power which is shown when Mookie speaks to Pino about racism, Radio Raheem pays the ultimate price, and through the recurring ideas and songs played throughout to enforce the

Prior to his demise, Radio Raheem shows his “LOVE” and “HATE” knuckle rings. He uses them to show that one hand is always fighting the other hand and expresses that love should knock out hate. The underlying, frequently referenced theme of fighting the power, or fighting the hate, transparently conveys to the viewers that the outright narrow-mindedness in respect to race must be overthrown. The heat is another example of repetition throughout this film. Almost all of the characters mention the unbearable heat on the hottest day of the summer and how it takes a toll on each of them. They even use the fire hydrants to release water into the streets for children and adults alike to play in. This heat, or a metaphor for the pressure felt by blacks in Brooklyn, is combatted in different ways, but ultimately ends in the heat dominating the efforts of those who attempt to battle it. This is analogous to how the characters repeatedly try to conquer racism and are unsuccessful though they light Sal’s Pizzeria on fire which poetically “fights fire with fire.” Moreover, music, whether it be cultural, jazzy, or hip-hop, weaves its way in and out of the film often. The most memorable, however, is the “Fight the Power” song which regularly inspires the battle against oppression, racism, and prejudices. The pattern viewers hear when listening to the song throughout the film is that it is played whenever there is a major event, such as the beginning, the burning of Sal’s, and the end to name a few. The use of patterns and repetition help the viewer understand the complexity of the struggles as a result of systemic