Hair by Milos Forman

1. What is the significance of Claude Bukowski’s father parting words with in Oklahoma?
Before Claude left Oklahoma for New York, his father said to him “it's just the smart people that have to worry. The Lord will take care of the ignorant ones”. This advice is significant because it foreshadows the tragic ending of the movie. Berger was the one with the smart idea to help Claude escape his army base but in the end he is forced to fight in Vietnam. Claude was completely ignorant of this plan but by luck all of this happened and saved his life.

2. What is the significance of the lyrics in the song “Colored Spade”? What information can you glean about the United States in the 1960s from this song?
Based on the lyrics of the song “Colored Spade”, one can infer that the United States in the 1960s was still not readily accepting of African-Americans. The song lists several derogatory terms for African-Americans such as “jungle bunny” and “jigaboo coon”. Furthermore, the only jobs they could get were menial labour such as “cotton pickin’” and “shoeshine boy”, however he refers to himself as the “president of the United States of love”. The song ends with a list of several stereotypical foods that African-Americans enjoy. The situation presented by this song is a place of harsh segregation, where the white upper-class of America looks down on the African-Americans by calling them names, giving them low paying jobs, and sharing false stereotypes. Unfortunately, this was a reality in the 60s and the racial tensions of the time were poignantly captured in the song.

3. The song “Ain’t Got No” is about feelings of disenfranchisement. What things do the tribe feel disenfranchised from according to its lyrics?
The Tribe feels disenfranchised about pretty much everything in the world. They complain that they are invisible to the government and it is because of their race and orientation. They do not have the necessities of life such as a home and warm clothing. Furthermore, they lack the proper schooling and do not have jobs to afford for the necessities. The song epitomizes the paradox of the hippie culture. They complain about not having anything yet they do not feel compelled to do something about it. Their nonchalant attitude about life means that they don’t care but they still try to find excuses for why they are in this situation.

4. Why is Sheila attracted to hanging out with the Tribe?
Sheila is attracted to hanging out with the Tribe because it gives her the opportunity to rebel against authority. Growing up in a high-class family, she has been raised to behave and obey the rules, however with the Tribe she is free to do whatever she wants. She also wanted to join the Tribe because she was flattered that they crashed her family’s party just to see her.

5. What do the following initials stand for? LBJ, IRT, LSD, CIA, FBI. What is the significance of including them all beside each other?
LBJ was the initials for the thirty-sixth president of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson. His term in office spanned a majority of the sixties, from 1963-1969. In the song “Initials”, he “took the IRT down to fourth street USA”. The IRT stands for the Interborough Rapid Transit, which is the name of a subway line in New York. LSD was a popular drug of the 60s and stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) are two government agencies based in America. The significance of including them beside each other is to emphasize the contrasts of the two sides of the 60s. On one end, there is the side of law and order with the President and government agency but on the other end is the people, who rode the IRT and endulged in LSD. There was such a disconnect between these sides, which led to the oppressed youth to rebel against authority.

6. What internal conflicts surface during Claude’s LSD “trip”? Based on the scene, what moral dilemmas does he seem to be facing?
Sheila offers Claude with an opportunity to evade the military draft by marrying her. In Claude LSD trip, he fantasizes that he is marrying Sheila while a group of hippies dance around them. His moral dilemma is whether he should drop out of the draft and stay with the group of hippies or continue with his current plans of fighting in Vietnam.

7. Explain the irony uncovered by the end of the movie. Connect the very beginning to the very end.
The irony at the end of the movie was that Berger, an advocate of the anti- war effort was killed fighting in the Vietnam War. This event is foreshadowed by Claude’s father’s advice that “it’s just the smart ones that have to worry”. Berger’s plan to get Claude out of the base but in the end he is hurt it. Claude who just ignorantly follows orders, whether from his superiors or from Berger, is saved from the war.

8. In this film, music plays a very prominent and very important role. How does this situation mirror the 1960s era? What function did the music serve for “hippies”?
In the film, the characters used music to express their thoughts and views. Similarly, the hippies of the 60s expressed themselves through their music, sharing their views with the rest of the world. Songs that represented what the widespread beliefs of the hippies became anthems that were sung across the country. In a time where the government would not listen to what the youth had to say, they could have their voices heard through the use of song. Music also served as an escape from the depressing reality. Mixed with the use of drugs, hippies were taken away into a fantasy dream world when listening to the psychedelic melodies of the music.