Everyone has ambitions, whether they are as small as walking a block each day or as big as becoming president, everyone has them. In the movie Hidden Figures based in 1961, one of the biggest problems is racism, people fighting in the streets or people getting angry at work because of this inequality, for Dorothy, Mary and Katherine, it is at work. Work for Dorothy is having the job of a supervisor and she does not get paid the same as a supervisor. Dorothy’s self interest does not stop her from doing what she wants. Dorothy’s self interest influences her choices by making her take risks for equality and for her survival at NASA like when she steals the book from the library. Or when Dorothy sneaks into the IBM room so she can make it work …show more content…
Dorothy is a very motherly figure to the two other girls, Katherine and Mary, but she is also a very motherly figure to the whole west wing computing group. The director shows us the many obstacles that Dorothy must overcome to reach her goal which is to become supervisor and have the same pay as one. One of the main obstacles for Dorothy to overcome is racism. As Dorothy, the very determined woman she is, she does not care about what other people think and just wants to have a good paying job. In the library scene in Hidden Figures, Dorothy is looking for books with her two sons and she happened to be in the “White section” whilst looking for a book on computers, she runs into a white lady, and the first thing the lady says is “We don’t want any trouble here.” This is a perfect example of the racism Dorothy must overcome and how her self interest is pushing her through all this racism she is receiving for no reason. In this scene the director uses lighting to make us further our understanding about the time. The lighting on the side of the bookshelf that Dorothy is on, is a very bright and welcoming type representing good and the kind heartedness of Dorothy. On the other side where the white woman is, it is very dark and shady as if the director is trying to convey evil and how the white woman is very closed minded and doesn't see that Dorothy is just a regular human being. …show more content…
We see Dorothy taking risks when she sneaks into the IBM room after stealing the book from the library, and tries to fix the IBM work because none of the other employees at NASA can figure it out. She gets caught in there fiddling with the IBM and two men come in confused at her because she is not authorized to be in there, after they see that it is working they are astonished. Dorothy’s self interest made her determined to stay in there after they enter and tell her she can't be touching that, but her determination and self interest influenced her choice to stay there even after they entered. After this scene we have Ms. Mitchell handing over a document saying she has been promoted to be the supervisor for the IBM. This scene is like many other scenes, like the scene where Katherine's professor hands her the chalk to solve a math equation and also when Mr. Harrison hands Katherine the chalk to show the spacemen the numbers for reentry. The passing of many objects signifies responsibility and trust being passed on because the person is giving them responsibility for the situation and they are entrusting them with the task. After that, it goes to Dorothy leading the west wing computing group down the hall and to the main area of work. There is a part within these scenes where the camera points down at the lady’s shoes, the camera looking at the shoes manifest taking a step forward, meaning the ladies are moving forward
She alludes to the idea that as people we must look deeper into our lives and see were we may have been given unearned privilege whether is be from race, gender, or sexuality.
Anne Moody's story is one of success filled with setbacks and depression. Her life had a great importance because without her, and many others, involvement in the civil rights movement it would have not occurred with such power and force. An issue that is suppressing so many people needs to be addressed with strength, dedication, and determination, all qualities that Anne Moody strived in. With her exhaustion illustrated at the end of her book, the reader understands her doubt of all of her hard work. Yet the reader has an outside perspective and knows that Anne tells a story of success. It is all her struggles and depression that makes her story that much more powerful and ending with the greatest results of Civil Rights and Voting Rights for her and all African Americans.
Although there were numerous efforts to attain full equality between blacks and whites during the Civil Rights Movement, many of them were in vain because of racial distinctions, white oppression, and prejudice. Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi recounts her experiences as a child growing up in Centreville, Mississippi. She describes how growing up in Mississippi in a poor black family changed her views of race and equality, and the events that took place that changed her life forever. She begins her story at the tender age of 4, and describes how her home life changed drastically with the divorce of her parents, the loss of her home, and the constant shuffle from shack to shack as her mother tried to keep food on the table with the meager pay she earned from the numerous, mostly domestic, jobs she took. On most days, life was hard for Anne, and as she got older she struggled to understand why they were living in such poverty when the white people her mother worked for had so many nice things, and could eat more than bread and beans for dinner. It was because of this excessive poverty that Anne had to go into the workforce at such an early age, and learn what it meant to have and hold a job in order to provide her family. Anne learned very young that survival was all about working hard, though she didn’t understand the imbalance between the work she was doing and the compensation she received in return.
Scene: This scene in the film comes just after the house has been picked up in the twister. Dorothy's house has been lifted up into the sky and suddenly dropped back down to earth in the middle of the Land of Oz. In the scene itself, Dorothy leaves her home to see that she is "Not in Kansas anymore," and finds the new and amazing world of the munchkin city in front of her. She also meets Gwendela the good witch as her journey in Oz begins.
The allegory behind of Dorothy and her background relates perfectly to the political issues that took place in real life during the time the book was written. Dorothy, the main character of the story, represents the common good hearted citizen; she is essentially who every American strives to be. Dorothy embodies positive characteristics and is viewed as the girl next door. She lives in Kansas where everything from the landscape to the lifestyle is portrayed as being lifeless and lackluster during the beginning of the book. The unfavorable depiction of Kansas relates to the condition is was in during the late1880’s when it was plagued by sweltering droughts, harsh winters, and invasions of insects leaving it a wasteland. The angry people of Kansas combated the politicians who did not care for the predicament they were in, this is when the Populist Party arose to become the people’s party and fight for their rights. Populism spread like a wildfire throughout the Midwest and the south. Kansas was chosen as the
Eventually she decided to go to work. She had her mind set on becoming a streetcar driver. Even though her mother warned her that they didn’t hire coloreds, she was determined just as well. When she went to apply for the job, the white receptionist put great effort into discouraging her, mainly because she was black. However, this did not discourage Maya. She was even more determined to get the job, and swore “I would have the job. I would a conductorette and sling a full money changer from my belt.'; (pg 268, line 3)
Overall, Clarke explains that a class advantage does not necessarily lead to social power. Moreover, it is for black women who cannot separate themselves from the symbolism that is associated with their bodies as well as, gender inequities in the pursuit of love. In addition, she goes on in explaining that Class is not only gained through productivity but in addition to love marriage and family.
In her travels Dorothy meets the green people of Emerald city, the yellow winkies, and the blue munchkins. Each of the three different types of people reacted to Dorothy and her people differently, the munchkins were warm and welcoming, the people of Emerald city were cautious and courteous and the yellow winkies were curious and helpful. The distinction in color was made because each color represented a defining characteristic, the people of Emerald city represented greed as they were not only green, the color of money, but they were also heavily isolated from the rest of the people of Oz; the people of Emerald city lived in the richest city as seen with the jewels that surrounded the houses as such they did not openly welcome strangers nor did they treat them kindly a sign of disdain for outsiders, they represented the higher class in society, or the richest class. The yellow winkies represented hard workers, and the working to lower class as they were not only very skilled at every craft but their enslavement to the much more powerful which represented the constant oppression of the less powerful, or poorer class in society. The blue munchkins represented the middle class, not necessarily know for wealth or for being poor, they are kind and strive to be successful as seen with Boq one of the richest munchkins. Each of the different people of Oz and
Dina faces more events that express how institutionalized racism is seen in the workforce. ZZ Packer states “there were usually only two lines of work for American gain-teaching or modeling. Modeling was out-she she was not the right race” (Packer 214). As a result of institutionalized racism, Dina struggles to find jobs which are dominated by the majority race. In this quote, Dina doesn’t fit into the standard ideal of getting jobs related to modeling. Because of her race, Dina is denied the experience to have a job in modeling. Like the article “African American Women in the Workplace: Relationships Between Job Conditions, Racial Bias at Work, and Perceived Job Quality” Dina is being restricted of the opportunity to work in the modeling industry. The modeling workforce is plagued with institutionalized racism, which therefore hinders Dina from finding a job. Since institutionalized racism is dominant when Dina tries to find a job this causes segregation amongst individuals of different races in the modeling workforce. In the case of Dina, institutionalized racism causes segregation between her American race and the majority race which in this case is
...al questions, an extended metaphor, and allusion, she persuades her audience to try and break down their insecurities in order to create a rich lifestyle for them. However, gender stereotypes have been and always will be prevalent in society. As she states in the essay, “Indeed it will be a long time still, I think, before a woman can sit down to write a book without finding a phantom to be slain, a rock to be dashed against.” It has been shown that she was correct, seeing as women are still discriminated against in a number of professions. If a woman states, for example, that she wishes to be a mechanic, or possibly even an electrician, many men and other women will likely snort at the idea and think of it as a ridiculous joke. Even though society has come a long way over the years, it will still be an even longer amount of time before women can finally feel equal.
America was never a system intended to help the blacks in it prosper. America throughout history and even present day has aspired to keep white people on top. Denying blacks bank loans, putting them in certain neighborhoods that were not as well kept up or safe, giving blacks unequal education that is not as advanced as whites, being denied certain jobs based on the color of your skin, and more. Institutional racism is so common that you almost cannot catch the discrimination. As Hansberry depicted in her play, racism and discrimination can come from anywhere, and the barriers set in blacks paths denying them their American Dream can be very tiny to very colossal. Structural inequalities, lack of cultural awareness and institutional racism are just a few challenges that affect blacks in the workplace (Dade et al.). As Beneatha became more culturally aware of African heritage through the direct influence of Asagai, she became more culturally aware of the cultural assimilation from Africans to African Americans, “integration was not to be equated with accommodationist, paradigms or cultural assimilation” (Saber 452). Due to white fear
First, racism still plays a big factor in today’s society as it did fifty years ago. Some might say that everyone has equal opportunity, but some people in America will never see that blacks and whites are equal. Humans have the tendency to judge what is on the outside before seeing who the person really is. The South is the main area where the darker colors mean there is less opportunity and lighter colors mean that there’s more. In today’s society the ability to attain the American Dream is heavily influenced by race. While it is still p...
Dorothy Gale, the protagonist of the story is a young, optimistic girl who lives on a farm in Kansas, which is a place in Midwest America that lacks colour and mainly consists of flat country land and has minimal trees. The films overall theme is illustrated by Dorothy’s famous line that ultimately
Through the course of history, women have accomplished many feats surpassing stereotypes of being only useful for their vanity. The scholar Chisholm-Burns states that “it is clear that gender bias remains a challenge for women in the workplace, particularly as they try to move up the career ladder” (312). Society has made it hard, but not impossible, for women to accomplish certain goals. Burns continues by giving an explanation of the term “glass ceiling”, which is another form of discrimination towards women. “Glass
...men to come into the industry. The 1960s and 70s, famous for their war and the forward thinking ‘hippies’ along side the ‘perfect housewives’, shattered the glass ceiling in many male dominated occupations (Gender Equality as Contingent, Modernities as Multiple). The success of those decades, however, did not create total equality in the workforce for women. At the pace that the woman versus men pay rate has been equalizing it could still take another fifty years for total equality (Still A Man’s Labor Market).