Green Book is a movie about an Italian driver and a black pianist placed in the southern 1960s where there was animosity between white people and black people. These two originally seem to have different interests and don’t get along well originally. The Black pianist is named Don Shirly and the white Italian driver is named Tony Lip. Don Shirly is a quiet formal pianist who is very neat and put together while Tony Lip is a fun outgoing guy. The two go on a road trip together because Don has performances across the country. Tony sees Don as a genius who has a talent for the piano. Instances of racism are when Tony requests for Don to play a better piano and gets denied because of his race. Tony forces them to get a better piano because he doesn’t …show more content…
We also see Don learning from Tony when Tony gets KFC in Kentucky. Tony originally asks Don if he wants chicken, to which Don denies. Tony’s mindset from stereotypes is that Don’s “people” like fried chicken. Don reassures Tony that it is a stereotype because being black doesn’t mean you automatically have a strong connection to fried chicken. Don explains by stating, “Just because other [Black people] enjoy certain types of music doesn’t mean I have to” (Green Book 51:53). Don ends up enjoying the fried chicken, just like most of the population would, regardless of race. Don finds eating the greasy chicken unsanitary. In retaliation, Tony quotes his dad. “Whatever you do, do it 100%. When you work, work. When you laugh, laugh. When you eat, eat like it’s your last meal (Green Book 53:20). This is inspiring because of Tony’s character. He likes saying what’s on his mind, even if he gets in trouble for it. They later arrive at a Colored Only motel, and Tony thinks that it’s run down. Don is used to it because of his race. Systemic Racism created the Jim Crow era which was historical for black prejudice. Tony realized that