In the movie "Slam" directed by Marc Levin, we see another story about a young man named Ray Joshua who grows up in the ghetto. Ray makes his living through selling drugs in the neighborhood, as some kids often do when they live in urban areas. As Ray is receiving some marijuana from his friend, his friend is shot. When Ray hears the shots fired and the sirens of the cops he begins to run. He does not run for long because he is quickly caught by the cop, who searches him and sees the marijuana he has on him. He is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. Although Ray is imprisoned, he does not want to make himself a part of the gangs in the prison. At one point in the movie, two rival gangs approach him and Ray begins to say various rhymes. He catches the attention of both gangs and of a female who is watching him from the gate. Ray wants to show that he was different from the other prisoners, and he does that through his poetry.
The forces of living in the ghetto and being sent to prison try to define Ray. Although Ray is innocent of the crime he is being punished, the fact that he has grown up in an urban neighborhood full of drug dealers it makes him more of a suspect. When the rival gangs in the prison try to get Ray to be on their side he separates himself with his words. Right after Ray says, "I am the sun, and we are public enemy number one " (Slam), all the prisoners look around as if they do not know what just hit them. He catches all the prisoners off guard because they expect him to be just like any other kid from the ghetto, reckless and hardheaded. Through his poetry Ray is able to show the other prisoners that he is not the ordinary kid from the ghetto and that he does not need them to survive in prison; he can do that just fine on his own.
Even though many people enjoyed this movie I personally did not. I felt as if I was watching the story of another kid from the ghetto that is exposed to drugs and is quickly locked up. I see these things daily where I live, and I did not want to see it on screen. I cannot relate to Ray in the sense of being in prison or blamed from a crime I did not commit, but I can relate to him because of the surroundings he grew up in. I constantly see kids and friends go down these paths that lead them nowhere in life. Some people may argue that Ray "did what he had to do" by selling drugs, but I disagree. My parents work extremely hard to put food on the table, and that is what I consider doing what you have to do in order to survive. Ray could have separated himself from the drugs just as he separated himself from the other prisoners in the prison yard. Although I know it is not always easy to get away from the drugs and violence we see daily, we must try to not give in. Despite the fact that I was not into the movie, I would recommend it to others. I would recommend it to kids who think selling drugs is the easy way out, so that they can see that by selling drugs and being a kid from the ghetto, you are automatically looked at as a "suspect" by society.
The forces of living in the ghetto and being sent to prison try to define Ray. Although Ray is innocent of the crime he is being punished, the fact that he has grown up in an urban neighborhood full of drug dealers it makes him more of a suspect. When the rival gangs in the prison try to get Ray to be on their side he separates himself with his words. Right after Ray says, "I am the sun, and we are public enemy number one " (Slam), all the prisoners look around as if they do not know what just hit them. He catches all the prisoners off guard because they expect him to be just like any other kid from the ghetto, reckless and hardheaded. Through his poetry Ray is able to show the other prisoners that he is not the ordinary kid from the ghetto and that he does not need them to survive in prison; he can do that just fine on his own.
Even though many people enjoyed this movie I personally did not. I felt as if I was watching the story of another kid from the ghetto that is exposed to drugs and is quickly locked up. I see these things daily where I live, and I did not want to see it on screen. I cannot relate to Ray in the sense of being in prison or blamed from a crime I did not commit, but I can relate to him because of the surroundings he grew up in. I constantly see kids and friends go down these paths that lead them nowhere in life. Some people may argue that Ray "did what he had to do" by selling drugs, but I disagree. My parents work extremely hard to put food on the table, and that is what I consider doing what you have to do in order to survive. Ray could have separated himself from the drugs just as he separated himself from the other prisoners in the prison yard. Although I know it is not always easy to get away from the drugs and violence we see daily, we must try to not give in. Despite the fact that I was not into the movie, I would recommend it to others. I would recommend it to kids who think selling drugs is the easy way out, so that they can see that by selling drugs and being a kid from the ghetto, you are automatically looked at as a "suspect" by society.