Documentary Short Analysis on “Streetwise”:
Description:
Documentary Analysis Short Essay ~ Streetwise (1984)
2 pages, double-spaced, typed.
Please write a two-page-long essay that analyzes the documentary Streetwise in response to one or more of the following questions. You must use examples from the documentary in your essay.
1) “I love to fly. It’s just you’re alone, there’s peace and quiet, nothing around you but clear blue sky. No one to hassle you. No one to tell you where to go or what to do. The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fuckin’ world.” ~ Rat
Use the above quote to analyze Rat’s, or any of the other street community members’ reasons for joining this community. Are they valid reasons? Do the intentions revealed in this quote indicate that this family or community is sustainable or unsustainable? Why or why not?
2) How is age/youth and innocence/experience represented in this film? What does it mean to have experience in terms of being part of this community? Do age and experience mean the same thing? How about youth and innocence? If it doesn’t take age to gain seniority within this group then what does it take? Be sure to use examples from the film to enhance and develop your analysis.
3) How is knowledge passed in this community? What kinds of tools are used to pass information from one person to another? How does this sharing of knowledge create a sense of family or community?
4) Discuss examples of lingo or uncommon language that you noticed member of this group using. What do these words mean and why are they specific to this group. How does language operate as a means of access to “group membership”?
5) Conduct some research on one of the Streetwise cast members. Start with IMDB so you get their correct name then learn what you can about them through an internet search. How did this community impact their life in the long run? Did they remain a part of this subculture or did they eventually return to the dominant culture? What does their biography tell you about subculture and being part of a radical group? What this group sustainable? Why or why not?