Jackie Robinson once said,“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me…. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” What Robinson is trying to say, is that he is not interested whether someone is contemptuous towards him or not, he just wants people to treat him like every other human being. This quote can apply to two pieces of literature. Both the poem “Frankenstein,” by Edward Field and the article “Tanzania’s Albinos Face Constant Threat of Attack,” by John Burnett, explore the issue of discrimination. In the poem, Frankenstein has been stitched up together made by other body parts of corpses, escapes his dungeon where he is held captive. He is chased by violent mobs and hides in a cottage which is owned by an old blind …show more content…
For one thing, some people view them as any other humans and attempt to help them as best as they can. The monster is being pursued after he escapes the dungeon from his captor and is chased by savage and ignorant villagers. Although, he finds an escape and enters a straw cottage, and suddenly is greeted by an old blind man. “Hearing him approach, the blind man welcomes him: ‘Come in, my friend,’ and takes him by the arm. ‘You must be weary,’ and sits him down inside the house. For the blind man has long dreamed of having a friend to share his lonely life,” (Field, Stanza 3). The monster is being tracked and runs for his life to instantly is thrown into the definition of true friendship. The villagers hate him because he is ugly and makes strange noises, therefore he is not like the villagers. Also, the old blind man is different because he is blind, so no one likes him. They share something in common because they are outsiders, they are not like the rest; they are discriminated because they are different. The old blind man welcomes the monster right away not knowing who he is and what he looks like. He can not judge the monster by his looks like everyone else has so that makes him more open to starting a new friendship, and he has been closed off to the rest of the villagers so he has no friends, so this is a great opportunity to make one. The blind man helps the monster by showing the basics …show more content…
The monster finally escapes the dungeon, however, he is driven away by villagers with threatening weapons. “He is pursued by the ignorant villagers, who think he is evil and dangerous because he is ugly and makes ugly noises. They wave firebrands at him and cudgels and rakes,” (Field, lines 7-10). The monster does not do anything towards the villagers, yet he still is threatened with deadly weapons. No one knows who he really is, but once they see what the monster looks like, they automatically assume he is evil and attempts to eradicate him. They attack him because he is different and does not belong in the village with the rest of the villagers. As well as Frankenstein, albinos also are hunted. However, unlike Frankenstein, albinos are seen as valuable when they are hunted while Frankenstein is seen as a threat. Isaac Timothy explains how albinos are seen as valuable. “In society there are people such as witch doctors who look for body parts; people will kill albinos to make magic,” (Burnett, 1). Timothy also says, “When you bring [a witch doctor] a body part, such as an arm, a leg or a finger, the witch doctor will make a potion with it,” (Burnett 1). Timothy is trying to say is that albinos are the center of attention in Tanzania because their body is a prized possession that can be useful for magic potions. This can cause them to feel formidable because they do not anyone trying to hunt for them.
The trait of discrimination is the basis for the stories, Harrison Bergeron, after you my dear Alphonse, and Lottery. Discrimination is when someone is hated or acted upon negatively for the reason of race, sex, or nationality. In the short stories the author's feelings of discrimination are expressed through the characters differently. In these stories the author has his own feelings and thought depicted through the characters. By the popular theme of discrimination and racism it suggests that these stories were written in the late sixties early seventies.
Barbara Jordan, who is a leader of the Civil Rights movement, once believed “we, as human beings must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” Discrimination is a topic often found in the literature and is discussed in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a documentary trailer My So-Called Enemy directed by Lisa Gossels and a short-story “What of this Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret. Those who believe that accepting others from different racial backgrounds will make the world a better place; meanwhile, there are others who refuse to accept others or being disagreed with the quotes of Barbara Jordan, they think the opposite direction of the people who are agreed with the quotes. I agree with Barbara Jordan that we, as a human beings, can accept others who are different than ourselves because we are sharing a common root of the Mother Earth; thus, we can learn to treat others with kindness and respect, and be more understanding of the differences in others.
Racial discrimination has been an issue among different cultural groups, ethnic races and many religions. It is an issue that has stopped people from becoming well diversitized and embracing multiculturalism, especially during the olden days where slavery and wars were a huge part of the world. Racism has created a separation between people, causing many dilemmas’ to arise. This problem has been seen and touched upon throughout many works of literature and verbal presentations. A discourse on racial discrimination will be used to exemplify how individuals abuse their rights, categorize humans and ill treat others through an exploration of the texts in, Snow Falling On Cedars and The Book of Negroes. These novels have given an insight of the discrimination between different classes of people and the unfavorability of one’s kind.
Ellison’s narrator states that he has “been hurt to the point of abysmal pain, hurt to the point of invisibility. And [he defends] because in spite of all [he finds] find that [he loves]. ... [He’s] a desperate man – but too much of your life will be lost, its meaning lost, unless you approach it as much through love as through hate. So [he approaches] it through division” (Ellison 567). The narrator articulately uses paradoxes to enthrall the reader in this segment of his epilogue. Still, the contradiction apparent between the narrator’s emotions is entirely possible, as there is no reason that both love and hate cannot coexist in an individual. The speaker, a bona-fide invisible man, despite all the hardship he has faced, still describes his story with some love. The idea of balance is brought into the equation, something that Ellison has seldom told of in the story, a friendly contrast to the rest of the novel’s stark unfairness and disparity. In the end, our storyteller finds that despite the hate thrust upon him, he feels compelled to love just as equally if not more. This gives a positive light to human nature, while suggesting that the antagonistic race of the novel, Caucasians, will ultimately feel that emotion as well and reconcile with African Americans. That’s a message that finally found its way into the minds of the American
The world is a very different place than it was almost a century ago. Technology has developed farther than any would have believed, the human race has evolved into a stronger being, and beliefs and rights that once were thought of as sinful and different are now accepted. Racial discrimination is one of these beliefs. Equal rights have become an immense part of everyday society. Literature has been impacted greatly by equal rights. Today, many historical and iconic literary masterpieces are become censored books. A novel that exemplifies the discussion of censorship is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a novel that is most notable for its racial comments, adult themes, mature, scenes, and stereotypical representations of lifestyles in
Racial discrimination is a conviction within one’s self. No matter how long we fight against it, it will always remain present in our society. Too often people are quick to judge others based on physical appearances. Often, people base their judgments on the unknown; whether that is fear, curiosity or unfamiliarity. The quote in the novel, “A bill that requires every white home to have a separate bathroom for the coloured help. I’ve even notified the surgeon general of Mississippi to see if he’ll endorse the idea,” Hilly Holbrook, the novels “villain,” wants to legalize such discriminatory actions to separate blacks from whites. In another quote, she states that, “Everybody knows they carry different diseases than we do.” Holbrook re...
Do you wonder of all the people that changed and made an effect on discrimination and how they affected how we live today? Many common people such as Jackie Robinson, Gies and Ida B. Wells had many encounters with discrimination, but made a change. How Jackie Robinson changed Baseball, Women who helped Anne Frank died at 100, The story of Ida B. Wells were all texts on how these three powerful people made a change in discrimination. Although Jackie Robinson, Miep Gies and Ida B. Wells had many different experiences, when the time came, they all acted very heroically.
would have been an insult to them.” (47) The respect of race varied in the book, but at the end
Naturally the creature believes that if he is well educated, people will look beyond his hideous appearance and accept him. Through the inspiration the De Laceys give, “ The creature comes to view the De Laceys as superior beings, who would be the arbiters of [his] future destiny” (Shelley 90). Consequently the creature comes to the realization that the De Laceys are the only people who might be able to broaden his education. Hence he plans on visiting the old blind man because he will not be able to judge the creature by his appearance. In The creature will confront the old man when the rest of the De Laceys are out so he can create a friendship. The creature contemplates his future and he is “Longing to be accepted into the world he sees and romances through the crack in the De Laceys wall, the creature believes that literacy is the key” (Bugg 661). The creature knows that no one will be able to look past his appearance if he’s not e...
When the monster dwells on the fact that he has no friends, money, and property because of the way he looks he claims, “I was besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man”(Shelley 102). With the monster’s emotion toward his first encounters, he struggles with accepting who he is because he feels the hatred from others. The words “deformed and loathsome” express the disgusted and discomfort that clouds the thoughts of each human during their first encounter. He recognizes his differences in comparison to others and begins to become self-conscious when he attempts to come out into the community. In the same aspect, humans today feel the same way when they look different than the ones around them.
For many year humans have been trying to fight against discrimination in their communities, but it's an uphill battle that doesn’t seem like it’s been fully wiped out yet in our society. Discrimination and Prejudice has been a key issue that has affected many people around the world. In the movie that we saw in class, “My Cousin Vinny” (1992) it focused on these key issues of prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes and even eye witness testimonies. In the movie it focuses on these key issues while bringing a little humor to the viewers. In this paper I will be going into more detail of how this movie really brought to light these key issues.
this story that causes controversy because of his skin color. Is the story’s relevance based on Mr. Robinson and his skin color? In my opinion yes, the book revolves all around his skin color and racism of the time. Tom Robinson is treated unfairly because he was black not because of what he supposedly did. The controversial subject matter in this book is immense in numbers, but out of all them, racism stands out the most. A question that has come to mind after reading this book is, today is racism still a hostile problem and as big as it was in the 1930s? Throughout this research paper I will gather information about racism from the 30s, and also today. Then I’ll compare and contrast the differences between the past and present and come to a conclusion.
...-to-form illustration of cultural feelings about how people should look and act in the context of what is normal. Anything outside of normal is perceived negatively, viewed with suspicion and capable of the worst actions towards others. In this case, it is no wonder the monster unleashes his violent wrath upon those that have shunned and disposed of him. He was just fulfilling his predetermined destiny thrust upon him at the moment he was conceived. I am being somewhat sarcastic here, but I do feel that historically the ideas of what is normal can change. Unfortunately, as Shelley has drastically illustrated with the monster character, the monster is judged by his outside appearance and actions as it relates to what is considered normal.
The creature was completely neglected by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, and was left on his own to fight off other villagers who were both scared and disgusted by the creature's appearance. The creature came across a house in the woods owned by the De Lacey family. De Lacey was a poor man but was also extraordinary in that he was blind in both eyes. This meant that the creature was not judged on his appearance for once, but for his true identity and character. This corresponds to society nowadays because we are all taught at a young age to not judge a book by its cover and to learn more about a person before we judge them harshly and reject them. Even though this is what we are taught, the creature was rejected by society time after time by everyone who looked at him until he met a man who could not see his face but sees the potential he holds. De Lacey goes on to teach the creature how to speak, read, and write so that he could hopefully fit into society one day. The creature was becoming more confident in himself until everything took a turn for the worst and De Lacey's son Felix, attacked the creature and the creature once again felt rejection and isolation. This causes him to seek revenge and he killed the De Lacey family. This is found in today's society when a person is so
The monster believes that he has an opportunity of being accepted into this family because as he assumes: “when they should become acquainted with my admiration of their virtues, they would compassionate me, and overlook my personal deformity.”(144) This means that he believes they will look beyond his physical appearance and see the good in him. He also admits: “As yet I looked upon crime as a distant evil; benevolence and generosity were ever present before me, inciting within me a desire to become an actor in the busy scene where so many admirable qualities were called forth and displayed”, meaning he would do anything to become someone with good and admirable qualities, such as them. But with his past experiences, he is afraid they might reject him: “I longed to join them, but dared not”.(127) When his cottagers turn against him, he looses something very dear to him, the only people he felt close to. Therefore, he also looses his hope of becoming part of