South Africa

Richard Wright lived in the 1930 's, a time when blacks and whites were rigidly separated, and, despite the struggle, the stereotypes of black people included a life of crime and destruction. Wright tells the story of Native Son mainly to raise social awareness to the rising problem of racial differences. Despite the strength of the overlying message of racial tension, intertwined within the story is a subliminal yet unmistakable message of sexism, specifically the discrimination of women and…

When skimming through the pages of Ernest J. Gaines’s literary masterpiece, “A Lesson Before Dying,” one will come across various themes throughout the course of the novel, the most prominent being worth. The dictionaries definition of worth is along the lines of value, this value being focused on a black man named Jefferson, a young man on trial for the murder of a white man, a murder which by no means did he commit. A man who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, his own life…

In the 1960’s racism was a huge problem. Race today is still an issue when it comes to white and black people. In today’s day and age the race problem has decreased a lot since the 60’s. In the 60’s the people that were not considered “white” were not considered as normal humans. If a white man did something that was not right or illegal they knew saying it was a black man was the easy way out. Not all white people were against black people. Bob Dylan is a man who was not racist at all…

“The law did not protect us” writes Coates in “Between the World and Me” pg. 12. Yet Socrates in discussion with Crito States that he is “victim of men, not of law” in pg. 54 of Plato’s “The Trial and Death of Socrates.” The contrast in these two quotes is indeed unfair. We are speaking of two very different historical periods and two very different circumstances but however, I believe it highlights the reality in which people of color live in today. Racism is alive, to deny its existence is to…

The black experience is a factor of life that every African-American person has to endure. Ta-Nehisi Coates, the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle, is one of those African-Americans. As a child, he mentions the moments in his life where the black experience was prominent. As long as an individual is black, they will encounter parts of the black experience. Before one can even be able to mention that Coates’ experience in his memoir related to the black experience in any way, one would…

Between the World and Me is a letter from the author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, to his son. Coates teaches his son many lessons that he learned throughout his own life. One lesson that Coates’s son learns is that the law doesn’t protect black people. Another lesson that Coates teaches is that blacks need to be educated. One lesson that Coates teaches his son is that the law doesn’t protect black people. Coates writes about the time he and his son went to see Howl’s Moving Castle. When they were leaving…

Being a victim of prejudice can make people feel unequal to others like in the story “Everyday Use.” Mama imagines herself on a show like Johnny Carson, and asks herself “Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the eye?” (Walker 149). Feeling like she is unequal to white people, Mama cannot imagine herself doing this because she feels that they are better than her since she presumably has had unpleasant experiences in her past. When this story was written, racism was common, so it…

The former, however, derives from the fact that their ancestors were forced into learning Anglo-Americans’ beliefs and ideals. One of these things, this author believes, happens to be “beauty” standards, as in the United States – especially in the South – White women were depicted as the purest and most innocent person, and thus made laws in order to protect them. While the “White gaze” focuses on the expectations that White people have on African-Americans, it seems that the African-Americans…

Written by Taiaiake Alfred, “Wasase: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom” expresses his perspective on the “warrior’s dance” of a non-violent spiritual revolution to free his people from colonial oppression. The author explores a history of war and corruption, reasons for rebellion, and approaches that will lead to a successful battle in favor of the indigenous people. Based on his presentation of both facts and opinions throughout his book, I believe he was able to capture and present the…

Nelson Mandela said, “...that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Greenberg). This perfectly describes one of the themes from Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Most of the characters sometime in the book have to find inner courage to face fear or opposition. However, one figure stands out from all the rest of the characters. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley is the most courageous of all…