Racial discrimination is a heavy topic for most people. It is an issue that affects many households across the world. Discrimination against immigrants is a particularly important issue in the story of racism. This type of discrimination is present in the biggest, smallest, richest, poorest, most powerful, and least powerful places. It is even present in stories, and verbal communications. Even if discrimination can be a hard topic to discuss, it needs to be talked about so that our society will never have to worry about racism again. In the story “Invasion from Outer Space” by Steven Millhauser, I believe that the yellow dust represents racial discrimination towards immigrants.
The peacefulness of the yellow dust conveys the fact that immigrants are peaceful as well. In the story after the climax has ended, the narrator states the the yellow dust “...is really quite peaceful, in its way.(4)” The text itself states that the yellow dust is peaceful and because there was nowhere in the story that specifically said the yellow dust was causing harm, it shows that the yellow dust really is not hostile. This relates to immigration because at the end, when you have researched the immigrants, and have looked at their background, you will find that they are actually peaceful beings and do not mean any harm.
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The harmlessness of the yellow dust portrays the fact that immigrants are harmless as well.
After the yellow dust has been researched, and been proven non-toxic, the people of the town were “reminded of waking in the morning after the first snow.(2)” Usually, when someone wakes to find snow outside, it is a pleasant and happy experience. This means that the yellow dust is not only being symbolized as harmless, but is also being symbolized as happiness as well. Immigrants are also like this because they are harmless, but they also bring happiness as well to people who are open to bringing them into the
country. The expectations and prior beliefs of the townspeople shows that some people have the wrong belief that immigrants are bad. After the yellow dust had come into the town, and after it had been analyzed, the townspeople “could sense the swell of our disappointment.(2)” The townspeople were disappointed that the yellow dust had not been big, mean, and angry. They wanted a huge beast, but they only got some yellow dust. People who are against immigrants are also like this. They expect the immigrants to be very bad people, while all they get are harmless and peaceful people who just want to help society. The immigration portion of this story is very similar to what is now happening today. Some people-as powerful as the president-believe that immigrants are all very bad people, they are coming from everywhere, they only want to cause us harm, and they are stealing all of our jobs. The truth is that some of immigrants are bad people, but you can’t brand an entire nationality based upon just a few people. Even in the country the immigrants are coming into have some bad people as well, but that doesn’t mean everyone is evil. The majority of the immigrants are normal people. They don’t want to cause any specific harm to anyone. Also, the jobs the immigrants are taking are not that important to the welfare of society, so it shouldn’t be frowned upon if immigrants are taking jobs only involving manual labor. Our society can find more sophisticated jobs, and leave the menial ones to the immigrants. The immigrants should also be treated with respect and kindness, so that they do not turn into the monster which we believe them to actually be.
The migrants did not want to become the bum due to their own prejudices. They did not want to consider that those “bums” were down on their luck or contributed to not wanting to work, rather than not being able to locate a job. Yet other assumptions, labeled the farmer as contributing to the events of the Dust Bowl by over plowing their lands. Having a support system when relocating (i.e., other family members support) furthered the success of these individuals. Misconceptions occurred. Other factors were not contributing to the migrant crisis. Prejudices labeled both of these classes of individuals and put the blame elsewhere. Some blamed the banks, while others blamed the invention of the tractor replacing migrant workers.
Skin colour means nothing but identity. Many people use it to discriminate against others whereas they have equal intelligence and sometimes the person being discriminated upon could be having sharper brains. This book is also written for kids and immigrants to learn more about the past of where they live. I recommend that every person should see the other as a partner but not as superior to the other and that there will not be any discrimination in our society.
For some time colored people have been missed judged because of their genetic makeup; and because of it they had to live under different circumstances. While white people had the right to live where they want and get any job they wanted. That is still true today and because of it we have colorism “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone”. In, the novel “The House Behind The Cedars” by Charles W. Chesnutt points out how the mulattos struggle dramatically in racial society and even their own. Compare to mulattos and blacks, white people were privileged and respected, which is Charles W. Chesnutt primary message about race relation.
At one point the author recalls a soldier kicking a dead enemy's head and questioning “what the moral was” in doing so (O’Brien 1183). This sense of remorse towards senselessness and actions that took place in the war show the discontent with events that take place. Contrarily, the author of “The Yellow Wallpaper” questions the reasoning behind the wallpaper and begins to curiously infer why it may be in her room. The protagonist infers that the wallpaper “looks as if a boys’ school had used it” and destroyed it because it was “stripped off” (Gilman 549). The narrator begins to look for answers from a wall with none, which leaves it her tainted imagination to guess what the answers might be.
During the 1930’s, life in America was less than ideal. The stock market had just crashed, which resulted in the unemployment of millions of Americans. Not to mention the brimming conflict that was happening on the other side of the globe. Moreover there was still a large amount of animosity towards people with distinct ethnic backgrounds. Even the west coast which was known for its acceptance of all people was filled with racism, especially towards the large amount of Latin Americans that encompassed Southern California. Author John Fante depicts the struggle of an Italian American writer during 1930’s Los Angeles in his novel, Ask the Dust. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Arturo Bandini, Fante demonstrates the struggle of attempting
...l change how we envision them and us. When Aliens are no longer popular and there isn’t a continued paradigm of fear, the integration of the different peoples will no longer be a hot topic and this need to write about the segregation of American society will no longer be necessary and this essay can be thrown out.
Besides the argument, Libby Montana inhabitants had their health highly affected in three, if not all four, of the components that measures health, by means that were beyond their control. An international company started a mining operation in the small city. At first, the inhabitants were happy with all the new jobs a major company moving to town would bring. Throughout the documentary a man said, “The good jobs were there.” Unfortunately, they did not know that in the long-term that mining was about to bring major consequences upon all Libby’s inhabitants. The mining operation generated an overwhelming amount of dust that was easily spread throughout the whole city. During the documentary, a man said, “You could not see it in the air, but you could see it in your coffee.” And his daughter said, “When he would get home I would get the car and drive to town and on the way the car would get all covered in dust. I would think, ‘It’s just dust, don’t worry about it.’” For those who worked inside the mining field, the consequences of working in a dusty environment started very soon with numerous employees being diagnosed with lung disorders leading to death. The exposure to asbestos started affecting not only the workers health, but also the city inhabitants, because asbestos is highly toxic even at very low exposure. Physically their lungs were affected, which leads to mental stress to the ill person and the whole family. The overwhelming amount of inhabitants being affected caused a major social problem within the city inhabitants, and a mistrust that was being built and conserved for generations. The health of Libby’s inhabitants was, and is, compromised and their enjoyment of life is reduced because of irresponsible decisions made by third party.
All through the story, the yellow wallpaper acts as an antagonist, causing her to become very annoyed and disturbed. There is nothing to do in the secluded room but stare at the wallpaper. The narrator tells of the haphazard pattern having no organization or symmetrical plot. Her constant examination of and reflection on the wallpaper caused her much distress.... ...
The novel suggests that the entire social structure we inhibit is affected by at least one social construction, race. Race is a social construct that is produced by people which divide them into groups with the categories such as ancestry, appearance, social power and social status. There are two groups of race that are strongly socially constructed within these categories and symbolize opposite images: Zantoroland citizens and Freedom States citizens. In Freedom States, they have more variation of ancestry and appearance such as skin colors and body shapes. A part of story when one of the main characters, Viola went to the harbour and saw refugees were arrested by immigration officers shows that Freedom States has both white and black ancestries,
The Dust Bowl is completely embedded in the minds of farmers who went through the harsh, grueling effects of the dust; the people of today still face effects because the world will face a Bowl again in things do not change. It is clear to see what exactly what led up to the occurrence: bad farming habits, migration, and drought. No matter the fact that no one can change the weather, there are still things the world can do to prevent this phenomenon. Dust, whipping around the trees and into the mouths of anyone who dares fight against it. Cattle, dying in the open plains from inhalation of so much dust and debris. “The fine particles swirl around in the air during the storm. The scary thing about a dust storm is that they can spread over hundreds
Immigration is the international movement of people into a country that they are not natives to. This topic is a common subject in many texts. Even though they might talk about the same topic, not all texts portray the subject of immigration the same way. The texts, “Red Umbrella”, and “Band-aid for 800 Children” both have immigration as the main subject and they portray the subject in both similar and different ways.
Looking at Intraracial we can begin to think about one race within itself, like the article “FOB’s V.S. Twinkies”. The article reads that the “Asian” race is divided into two different groups the FOB’s or the Twinkies (white washed) just because of the lifestyle that they choose to live, and or the clothing they wear. Both articles prove interesting points, and they intently draw our attention even more with each point they make . Not only because of how unfair things can be, but also, how discrimination really takes a toll on things.
Racism is based on the belief that one’s culture is superior to that of others, and this racial superiority provides justification for discrimination. Racism begins with categorising by race, and therefore stereotyping particular cultures. A simple definition of prejudice given by St Thomas Aquinas states prejudice as “thinking ill of others without sufficient cause” (1. pg 21). Racism is a major issue in today’s society, affecting a large number of the world’s population and causing political and social turmoil. To evaluate the true meaning, effects and views concerning racism in today’s world, a number of literature sources were researched including novel, films, short stories, poetry, song lyrics, textbooks and magazine articles.
Immigration definitely changes and challenges that characters in the novel House of Sand and Fog. Throughout the novel, the reader is given very descriptive pictures of how the socioeconomic status and class ranks present challenges for the individuals within the novel. As far as Behrani, he illustrates how back in Iran, he was a powerful colonel who was well respected and had great power in terms of social class. He and his wife lived in a beautiful home and had everything and anything one could wish for. However, after he moved to America, he realized immediately how people looked at him very differently when he was dressed in his blue collar uniform; compare this to how individuals bowed their heads at him when he wore dressier clothes.
The color of the bread itself is a distinction of race. It is believed that, “white is a moral color,” therefore it was believed to be moral to consume white bread (white bread 64). In addition, “White bread had long stood as a symbol of wealth and status - and in America, racial purity,” once again constructing societal pressures within races (white bread 64). If you were not white you were not believed to be as racially pure as those who were white. For this reason, white bread, “didn’t appear to be a matter merely of taste or culinary preference,” but as a racial distinction (white bread 64). The color white was a way to force, “immigrants to adopt higher standards of cleanliness” (white bread 65). If it was white than it was clean. A racial stigma is present within this idea because the idea that anything but white is not clean. Therefore, the color of an immigrants skin that is not white is perceived as dirty. White bread is clean and therefore preferred, if you didn’t eat bread that was white you were considered dirty among society, which introduces the idea of classes within society, the last