“Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” ~Rosa Parks.
The roots of racism have passed down through generations because parents force their children to follow racial traditions in order for them to continue those norms for future generations. In the novel, “The Help”, by Kathryn Stockett, racism and prejudice is a major theme. The plot of the novel follows a coloured maid and an educated white women in their journeys to reveal relations that the coloured maids build with their white employers, and to show the maltreatment that some coloured maids receive. The story mainly takes place in the homes of white housewives with coloured maids to explicitly …show more content…
In order for white people to maintain power in society, they convince their children that coloured people are ‘dirty’ and that they are inferior. People misconcep racism to be preserved in society due to the belief of white superiority, but rather white superiority was formed as a result of racist ideologies being passed down through generations of children by white teachers or parents. “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain 't a colour, disease ain 't the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming – and it come in every white child 's life – when they start to think that coloured folks are not as good as whites.” (7.80) Until white children have reached a certain point in their life, they are colour blind; they do not form any racial prejudices about the coloured maids who raise them. Aibileen has raised seventeen children and has seen that children start to see racial differences when either their parents or teacher start to enforce racist attitudes. This was evident when Mae Mobley began to act differently after her teacher enforced her racist opinions to her. "It is 1963. The Space Age they 're calling it. A man has circled the earth in a rocketship. They 've invented a pill so married women don 't have to get pregnant. A can of beer opens with a single finger …show more content…
Ironically, this divide based on colour of skin changed how individuals lived.as coloured people belong in a poor and environment, compared to white people who belong in a rich and luxurious city. This social divide has created false attributes towards both sides of town: coloured people are referred to as ‘dirty’ and white people are referred to as ‘normal’ people. In other words, white people are held even more superior and coloured people are treated and respected much worse. Coloured maids are not able to express their emotions, but rather obey every they are given by a white person, as if they are robots or slaves, not human beings.This social divide has driven the plot of this novel, as Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter eventually begin to take action against this racism, leading to next argument, hope.
With majority of people supporting social divide between coloured and whites, people who oppose it, have little to no voice in society. Although racism is portrayed in an extreme manner, the novel provides a spark of hope, by allowing individuals to be able to fight against it and create change.Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny brilliantly create a plot to write a book in a coloured person’s perspective for the purpose of changing the views on coloured people in the society they live in. Against all odds, these three
The roots of racism have passed down through generations because parents force their children to follow racial traditions in order for them to continue those norms for future generations. In the novel, “The Help”, by Kathryn Stockett, racism and prejudice is a major theme. The plot of the novel follows a coloured maid and an educated white women in their journeys to reveal relations that the coloured maids build with their white employers, and to show the maltreatment that some coloured maids receive. The story mainly takes place in the homes of white housewives with coloured maids to explicitly …show more content…
In order for white people to maintain power in society, they convince their children that coloured people are ‘dirty’ and that they are inferior. People misconcep racism to be preserved in society due to the belief of white superiority, but rather white superiority was formed as a result of racist ideologies being passed down through generations of children by white teachers or parents. “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain 't a colour, disease ain 't the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming – and it come in every white child 's life – when they start to think that coloured folks are not as good as whites.” (7.80) Until white children have reached a certain point in their life, they are colour blind; they do not form any racial prejudices about the coloured maids who raise them. Aibileen has raised seventeen children and has seen that children start to see racial differences when either their parents or teacher start to enforce racist attitudes. This was evident when Mae Mobley began to act differently after her teacher enforced her racist opinions to her. "It is 1963. The Space Age they 're calling it. A man has circled the earth in a rocketship. They 've invented a pill so married women don 't have to get pregnant. A can of beer opens with a single finger …show more content…
Ironically, this divide based on colour of skin changed how individuals lived.as coloured people belong in a poor and environment, compared to white people who belong in a rich and luxurious city. This social divide has created false attributes towards both sides of town: coloured people are referred to as ‘dirty’ and white people are referred to as ‘normal’ people. In other words, white people are held even more superior and coloured people are treated and respected much worse. Coloured maids are not able to express their emotions, but rather obey every they are given by a white person, as if they are robots or slaves, not human beings.This social divide has driven the plot of this novel, as Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter eventually begin to take action against this racism, leading to next argument, hope.
With majority of people supporting social divide between coloured and whites, people who oppose it, have little to no voice in society. Although racism is portrayed in an extreme manner, the novel provides a spark of hope, by allowing individuals to be able to fight against it and create change.Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny brilliantly create a plot to write a book in a coloured person’s perspective for the purpose of changing the views on coloured people in the society they live in. Against all odds, these three