«GreetingLine» - Strasbourg
American history X
SUPPORTS
• Extraits du film American History X
OBJECTIFS
 Au plan lexical:
-opposition, révolte, influence…
-racisme, intolerance…

Au plan notionnel / fonctionnel :
-present perfect

Au plan culturel :
-le racisme aux USA

Au plan méthodologique:
-étude d'extraits vidéo
MISE EN OEUVRE
Scene d’introduction au film: A new drill (DVD sc4 7:40-10:35)
Summary: After the death of his fireman father, Derek becomes obsessed with neonazi propaganda and hatred, leading
to his incarceration for murder. Three years later, Derek is freed, hoping to make a clean start. However, while he was
in prison, his younger brother Danny has followed his brother's path and is now an active member of the skinhead
group Derek used to belong to. Can Derek stop his brother from following the same path of destruction?
1er visonnage
Watch the extract and be ready to present the situation
In this extract we can see Danny in the principal's office (Dr Sweeney). He was summoned because he wrote a paper
on Mein Kampf for a history class, bearing border-line / offensive remarks. Sweeney asks him to write another essay,
on his brother this time, for the day after, or he will be expelled. Danny is reluctant at first, but he has no choice and
accepts/complies.
2e visionnage: fill in the blanks (voir document Word)
Script complet:
Sweeney:
Shut the door! What's it gonna be?
Danny:
What's what gonna be?
Sweeney:
This petty crap you're pulling!
Danny:
I don't know…
Sweeney:
Have a seat. How are you doing?
Danny:
Fine.
Sweeney:
Things at home OK?
Danny:
Yeah…
Sweeney:
Derek got out this morning, did he not?
Danny:
Yeah, he did.
Sweeney:
He was one of my students, you knew that, right? Honours English! He was a brilliant student, like
you, but he hung out with simple-minded fool, also like you…
Danny:
Did you bring me here to talk about Derek? Because what happened to him has nothing to do with me!
Sweeney:
Everything you do right now has something to do with Derek!
Danny:
Look! I followed directions, I wrote an A paper…
Sweeney:
Mein Kampf!! I should expel you!
Danny:
Go ahead! You don't think I could handle it?
Sweeney:
No, I think the street would kill you! Your rhetoric and your propaganda aren't going to save you out
there. So here's the drill: I'm your history teacher from now on. We will discuss current events. We
will call this class…American history X. We meet once a day. All right? Your first assignment is to
prepare for me a new paper due tomorrow.
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«GreetingLine» - Strasbourg
Danny:
Sweeney:
Danny:
Sweeney:
Danny:
Oh come on Sweeney! It took me a week to read Mein Kampf, that isn't fair!... Well, what do you
want me to do it on?
Your brother.
Oh God, man! Please tell me you're joking!
No, no, no. I am not kidding. I want you to analyse and interpret all the events surrounding Derek's
incarceration. How these events helped shape your present perspective concerning life in
contemporary America. The impact on your life, your family's. Whatever you want to say, Danny. I'll
be the only one reading it. But if it's not on my desk tomorrow morning, you're a ghost at Venice
Beach High! You clear?
Yeah, I'm clear.
Comprehension détaillée
Watch the extract again and concentrate on Danny's behaviour. (how he's sitting, what he is doing)
Danny is sprawling, slouching, and chewing the stick of a small American flag, which may mean that he wants to show
he's the real American, show his nationalist feelings. His attitude is provocative. He acts as if he didn't care, he
pretends he's relaxed and comfy to give an impression of composure, maybe to hide indeed his lack of composure and
self confidence.
What about Sweeney?
At first he's shouting but then smoothes and calms down but at the same time remains inflexible. He's angry at Danny
because he disapproves of his ideas but at the same time, he knows he's no more than a kid who is only influenced by
his brother. Moreover he knows he's following the same path: "like you"
How can you say Danny is influenced by his brother?
"Everything you do right now has something to do with Derek!" He puts his brother on a pedestal, he considers him as
a hero, a model, whereas he actually killed someone. Danny's in need for recognition from his brother.
What shows that he's following the same path as his brother?
First, he's got his hair shaved, which proves that he's a skinhead. Then he wrote this paper on mein Kampf, which
implies that he shares those ideas. Finally, Sweeney talks about Danny's friends.
"simple-minded fools": what does it refer to?
This refers to Danny's friends who share racist ideas.
Do you agree with Sweeney's decision? Would you have expelled Danny?
Sweeney's decision is quite sensible: he understands that danny is influenced and that he's basically a good boy. It
would be no use expelling him, it's more clever / wiser to make him realize by himself that his ideas are stupid by
asking to write about his brother.
Etude des scenes clés du film
Part 1
Part 2
Sc5 (13:40-15:12)
Sc20 (8:58-10:22)
Sc12 (39:15-46:30)
Sc23 (18:53-21:00)
Sc14 (52:00-53:45)
Sc25 (29:15-30:30)
Part 3
Sc15 (56:45-58:30)
Sc26 (33:10-33:50)
Sc31 (47:00-end)
American History X
Part 1: Derek's downfall
Scene 5: TV interview
- Sum up the situation.
Derek's father has been killed by a black man and a journalist asks Derek about his reaction.
He's devastated and holds racist remarks against black people. His speech is full of hatred and rage.
Scene 12: family lunch
- What are they speaking about?
They're speaking about Rodney King (rappeler les faits)
-
Derek: comment on his appearance and tone. Any evolution from first scene?
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He's shaved his hair, looks like a skinhead. His tone is aggressive and full of hatred.
- His family: how do they react? (Murray? Sister? Danny?)
Murray tries to make him see sense, to soothe him, reason him
His sister is appalled, shocked, flabbergasted!!
Danny is looking up to him, admires him (he's influenced by him)
- How is this passage foretelling the future?
Derek's ideas will tear the family apart + Derek is getting mad (will kill a man)
Scene 14: murder
- What has just happened?
Derek has just killed a black man who was stealing in his car and is arrested by the police.
- Comment on Derek's attitude
He's standing upright, with eyes full of contentment and pride
- Comment on danny
On the contrary, danny looks appalled, taken aback, shocked, he can't believe his own eyes.
Part 2: Prison
Scene 20: encounter with Lamont
- Where does the scene take place?
In the laundry room of the prison
- What are they doing?
They're sorting the laundry
- Derek's attitude?
He's mute / silent: he still hates blacks. Doesn't want to talk with a black man.
- What does lamont say in the end? What does it mean?
"You're the nigger, not me"roles are inverted, Derek is the weak guy here.
Scene 23: prison routine
- what are they talking about?
Basket-ball teams
- Compare with the preceding scene.
Here they are relaxed, even joking. We can see that they have become friendly with each other
- What was Lamont's crime?
He stole a TV set, but as he was going out of the shop, policemen were there. He inadvertedly let the TV drop on
the policeman's foot. He was condemned for assault to a 6-year sentence.
- What's Derek's reaction?
He's surprised and doesn't believe him at first ("it doesn't make sense"): maybe he's starting to realize that there
are some flaws in the system as Lamont may have been the victim of racism/discrimination.
Scene 25
- Why does Derek come and speak to Lamont?
He's going out of prison today and want to thank him because he's convinced that he's still alive, thanks to him. He
owes him his own life.
-
What's Lamont's reaction?
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He pretends he doesn't understand, but we understand (thanks to their look) that it's true. They finally made
friends and got along well, but we can see that they don't want to show their feelings because in prison it's not
acceptable for a black man to befriends with a white man.
Derek has changed a lot in prison. He came full of hatred and rage and finally understood that it was wrong
(maybe thanks to Lamont). He looks more peaceful and relaxed in the end.
Part 3: the end
Scene 15: back to the premises
- How is the girl looking at him?
She's fascinated by him, she's mesmerised. We can see that she admires him, she thinks the world of him.
- How do other skinheads consider him?
He's considered as a god, a hero. The others don't realize that what he did was wrong.
- Sum up what he says to the girl
He explains to her that he has changed, and that he doesn't want to belong to the group anymore, he's had
enough. He's given up all this, doesn't want to be a part of it anymore.
Scene 26: it's over
- What are Derek and Danny doing?
They rip their Nazi posters off the wall, which means that it's all over, they want to make a fresh start.
Scene 31: final scene
- Sum up the scene
the scene takes place at school, danny is in the toilet when a black teenager enters and kills him. Derek arrives
and screams. Conclusion: it was too late anyway, Derek tried his best to make things back to normal but in vain.
He feels responsible. Indeed, Danny is now dead because he wanted to do like his brother and got into trouble.
Vicous circle, it's all ruined.
- What's the moral of the film?
Life is too short to allow hatred some room. We have to grow up and go beyond differences and problems.
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