Maria W. Stewart, a free African-American, gave a lecture in Boston, 1832 that explains the lack of rich or affluent black people in the United States. America has been independent from Britain for almost 60 years when this lecture was delivered, and would not fight the Civil War for another 30 years. This Antebellum era was when slavery and its profits made up the entirety of the Southern economy. Free blacks in the North and South were harshly discriminated against, as they could not vote, would not get the job opportunities, and could be forced back into slavery unless able to prove their freedom at any moment. Stewart uses the rhetorical strategies of allusions through similes and parallel structure to prove that the lack of rich or affluent black people in the US was not due to laziness and complacency, but rather oppression caused by white society.…
Diaz’s book OW helps explain the concepts of social, sex, and gender inequalities. We are told the story of a family who lives through a variety of injustices and discrimination. Microinequities refers to ways in which people are either singled out, overlooked, ignored or otherwise discounted on the basis of unchangeable characteristics (Reading E:104). A person is discriminated for attributes that are not in their power to decide or change like race, gender, and age. Basically one is abused for the features we were born with.…
In today’s multicultural society, individuals identify themselves and live within the context of their identity, race, class and culture. Social inequalities experienced by the African American race was due to the sign of hopelessness shown because of the social class they were born to, as well as, the way they were raised. Due to the lack of job opportunities and education, families in urban communities suffer because it creates tension. In Dorothy Allison’s essay, “A Question of Class,” she explores her identity by focusing on her experiences as what she refers to as “southern white trash”. The inescapable impact of Allison being born in a condition of poverty that this society finds shameful, contemptible and somehow deserved was something that she spent her whole life trying to overcome and deny.…
The text, Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan Johnson, is a 156-page detailed account of Johnson’s views on American society and how social class, race, sexual orientation, gender, disability status, and privilege causes a “difference” in the way we view each other. Johnson’s personal views on how these factors affect the way members of the minority live and survive in current day United States is aimed at raising social awareness. The text, written by Johnson, identifies the social principles that form the belief of privilege and entitlement, often making jest at the very serious issue of inequality. This was a quick and easy read, yet was packed with valuable information and valid arguments. Johnson delves into American history,…
While actions may speak louder than words, it doesn’t mean that they are more powerful when it comes to initiating change and connection. Words are used to express many feelings and bold messages; they can call people to action, bring them to tears, and even drive their adrenaline to act upon them. While words may only be a vibration of vocal chords, they ring out in a harmonious way that compels others to listen. Many historical people, such as Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy gave speeches to bring hope to their audience, while other figures such as Lori Arviso Alvord wrote about diversity and acceptance. All these voices had power in their words through confidence and passion.…
Cisneros, having grown up in America, often experienced rifts between her Mexican parents and their cultures as well, and this is reflected in her writing. In “Only Daughter” she writes, “Being only a daughter for my father meant my destiny would lead me to become someone’s wife. That’s what he believed.” Here, cultural values clash as Cisneros recounts the conflicts she has faced in her life due to different ideologies in within her household. Similarly, in “Woman Hollering Creek”, the main character feels isolated from both her father and husband due to the oppression she feels under the traditional Latino values that dictate a woman as property to the men in her life.…
One aspect of life that transcends ethnicity and nation is gender. Gender is at time thought to be innate and at others it is thought to be learned; so too Chicano and Asian American gender dynamics are learned, even though they may differ with some of the norms in American culture. Women are often seen as inferior to men and many times society embraces this inequality until it becomes a part of the structure of society. Sandra Cisneros and Amy Tan’s characters both represent the structural oppression of women and how they question and challenge gender roles through their relationship with men.…
Down The Mean Streets, published in 1967, is a memoir of Piri Thomas life experiences. Thomas is a Puerto Rican and Cuban Latino who was born into poverty with a father who immediately made Thomas feel like an outsider. He grew up in Spanish Harlem where kids would often mistake Thomas as a black man due to his darker skin color, which was the beginning of violence in his life. During the Civil Rights Movement, Thomas sought out to find his place in the world by moving down south with his friend Brew. Following his mother’s death, multiple fights, heroin addiction and shooting a police officer, Thomas finds himself in prison.…
Segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. Throughout history in multi-racial communities segregation has always existed. It can be found anywhere from in school to in the work place. In Jennifer Baszile’s “The Black Girl Next Door” we witness the difficulties Jen and her family have integrating into the white upper class neighbourhood in the year of 1975. This is shown through Jen’s anger, betrayal and naivety, her mom’s teacher-like approach vs. her dad’s business man like approach as well as the social and religious symbols displayed throughout the story.…
Racial Inequality is Everyone’s Problem “Only by being conscious of race can you be truly conscious of yourself and your world, and only by working to overcome racial injustice can you ensure that you are not complicit in it” (3). Jack Turner, a professor of political science at the University of Washington, makes a convincing point about the importance of understanding the way that race inevitably determines people’s social and economic standing in society and how it then benefits or disadvantages those people (2). He argues for a form of democratic individualism that acknowledges the way race molds and restricts individual opportunity in the United States and urges the American people to act against racial injustice (2). For Turner, white…
Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use” presents a pragmatic perspective of heritage and family. Taking place during the civil rights movement, while centering on the experiences of an African American family, the setting has great relevance in constructing underlying themes. This short story composes a theme which examines social structures part in shaping a person’s identity. Moreover, acknowledging family’s role as a social structure, as well as Walker’s background, will contribute to further analyzing this theme.…
However, Sanders does admit that if he had been more observant of the lives of women, he would have envied them less. Sanders also acknowledges the fact that there are women whose jobs are just as tedious and toiling as the men’s. Sanders admits that he could see “what a prison a house could be” and “how exhausting it was for a mother to cater all day to the needs of young children (240-1). Even so, Sanders asserts that as a child, if he had been given the choice to tend to a baby as opposed to tend to a machine, he would have chosen to tend to a baby. Sanders explains that because of his opinion on the duties and grievances of women, he was baffled when the college women accused men of having “cornered the world’s pleasures (241).”…
The Basics of Living In the short story “Everyday Uses” by Alice Walker she uses everyday objects or scenarios that people are faced with even in today’s society in her story. This story has everything in a nut shell , it mainly talks about cultural heritage ; however she also talks about race , tradition , family , education , and even how to stand up for one’s self . In this paper it will be shown how those 5 things can still be related in today’s society .Everybody has some experience or exposure to one of those themes. Race is one of society’s way of grouping humans into a large and distinct group according to their cultural, genetic, anatomical, historical, ethnic, religious, geographical, linguistic, and/or social association.…
In the book “Cry, The Beloved Country” there is a large amount of social issues that are within the book. However, one of the main social issues presented in the book is segregation. At the beginning of the book, on the train ride to Johannesburg, segregation is mentioned for the first time. Another example of segregation is when the author describes how the courtroom seats are divided by race. A big social issue in the book is the segregation of the black and white population.…
Introductory Paragraph A. The actuality is that our society wants to gender inequality. Our history has shown that men want to be in control of everything. We place gender specific roles on male and female because our long history of men dominating can’t be easily replaced. In many countries around the world, including the United States of America, we question and raised concerns about a women’s place in male dominated world whether it’s a work place, at home or in public.…