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Racial inequality the impact on society
Racial inequality the impact on society
Racial inequality the impact on society
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Race and Social Identity in On the Road and The Reivers
Whether around a group of friends or among total strangers, many people feel compelled to act in certain ways to please those around them; this part of our identity is labeled conveniently as social identity. A social identity can sometimes be very close to one's personal identity, but the differences between the two is caused by social pressures and obligations, and the extent to which it differs is based on many factors such as race, heritage, age, etc. Specifically, the pressures on minorities in a predominantly white society may cause them to behave in certain ways. Also, examining these pressures may help us further see the reasons for this behavior. Both The Reivers and On The Road are commentaries on how this social identity develops, and both novels state their stance on what role race should play in determining social identity quite clearly.
In On The Road, Jack Kerouac tries to sidestep the issue of racial interaction throughout by leaving out any conflicts therein. In doing so, Kerouac implies that race has little or nothing to do with social identity. The only substantial interactions either Dean or Sal have with members of another race are when Sal goes to the Denver ghetto to look for his friends and when Dean and Sal go to jazz bars in San Francisco. When Kerouac talks about the black people that Sal sees or interacts with, skin color is used only descriptively, and is never a social issue for Sal.
When Sal and Dean are in the jazz bars of San Francisco, the issue of race comes up very superficially; that is, race is used only as a method of description throughout the night. When they first enter the jazz bars, Sal sees "a bunch of colored...
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... an identity that cannot be defined strictly in social terms. So, instead of simply replacing negative stereotypes with positive ones, Faulkner closely examines the reasons for the existence of such stereotypes, and in his exploration, we find that such stereotypes may be seem valid on face, but are, in truth, utterly wrong. In conclusion, Faulkner's use of nuance and detail in developing the social interactions between Ned and a white society serve the ideas of racial equality much better than Kerouac's simplistic replacement of stereotypes.
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. The Reivers: A Reminiscence. New York: Vintage, 1962.
Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. New York: Penguin, 1955.
Taylor, Walter. "Faulkner's Reivers: How to Change the Joke without Slipping the Yoke." Faulkner and Race. Doreen Fowler and James Abadie, Ed. Jackson: UMSP, 1986.
Melton A. McLaurin is the author of the novel, Separate Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South. He was raised in Wade, and throughout his writing he developed different themes based on his experience as a young boy growing up. The theme that stuck out to me was that of racism and the classism that followed it. McLaurin discusses how segregation and racism is heavy in Wade, and I agree with this, but I found it interesting to understand how the African- Americans have classes within the lower class that the Whites already place them in.
Through the study of life and literature, one can tell that racism continues to be truly pervasive. In Nikky Finney’s “Dancing with Strom”, the reader can witness the tension that exists between the races in society today. Although the poem shows how as times progress, mentalites seem to change as well, it is evident that many African Americans, such as Nikky Finney, still live in fear of the racism that hides and lurks in the corners.
Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its impact in today’s society; therefore race still remaining to matter to this group in the U.S. People who place themselves in this category are constantly conflicted with more than one cultural backgrounds and often have difficulty to be accepted.
Prejudice is a cancer that spreads hate among its perpetrators and victims alike. In 1930 Langston Hughes penned the novel, Not Without Laughter. This powerful story, written from the perspective of an African-American boy named James “Sandy” Rodgers, begins in the early 1900’s in the small town of Stanton, Kansas. Through the eyes of young Sandy, we see the devastating impact of racism on his family and those they are close to. We also see how the generations of abuse by whites caused a divide within the black community. Among, and even within, black families there were several social classes that seemed to hinge on seeking equality through gaining the approval of whites. The class someone belonged to was determined by the color of their skin, the type of church one attended, their level of education, and where an individual was able to find work.
I think this play is a lot about what does race mean, and to what extent do we perform race either onstage or in life:
The author distinguishes white people as privileged and respectful compared to mulattos and blacks. In the racial society, white people have the right to get any high-class position in a job or live in any place. In the story, all white characters are noble such as Judge Straight lawyer, Doctor Green, business-man George, and former slaveholder Mrs. Tryon. Moreover, the author also states the racial distinction of whites on mulattos. For example, when Dr. Green talks to Tryon, “‘The niggers,’., ‘are getting mighty trifling since they’ve been freed.
him in a real world of chaos and disorder. In the South, race is one of the most important
I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To some people, being black and white is a contradiction in itself. People thought that I had to be one or the other, but not both. I thought that I was fine the way I was. But like myself, Shelby Steele was stuck in between two opposite forces of his double bind. He was black and middle class, both having significant roles in his life. "Race, he insisted, blurred class distinctions among blacks. If you were black, you were just black and that was that" (Steele 211).
In “Island in the Sun” we see the Caribbean in the 1950s, historically during this time there was ‘de jure’ racial segregation between the two diverse groups – blacks and whites. What black people could and could not do was very present in this film. Here we see the character David Boyhe a mixed-ra...
...nserted two different kinds of dialogism “great dialogue” and “microdialogue”. This plurality as claimed by some critics contributes to the looseness of the structure of the novel as characters seem divergent and events fragmented. However, this essay refutes this claim. Instead, dialogism seems to reinforce the unity and cohesion of the novel mainly through the symbolic dimension. Each character is in interaction with other characters even implicitly. That’s what gives this novel its strength. Dialogism is not only meant to convey the stylistic dimension of the novel, it also portrays the pluralistic dimension of the southern society at that era. The South, which frames the whole novel, is characterized by conflicting, juxtaposed, and multi voices. This reflects the crucial issues dealt with by Faulkner such as racism, gender issues, religious fanaticism,etc.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a fear of being overweight which results in becoming exceedingly thin. (guide) People with anorexia go to an extreme in abusing the way they diet, over exercise, and purge. When looking for symptoms in anorexia it is slightly hard to tell, for many times people keep their disorder a secret. Once someone starts undergoing this process, people sometimes gain weight rather than lose, which also initiates them to lose more weight. During the period of growth and maturation, anorexia leads to somatic and psychological development and which leads to serious health issues. (journal research) Although many don’t see what is happening, over time they are sev...
Many people in this story have different views on discrimination and racism. In the south where Josh lives, racism takes place in his daily life. Like Josh’s mother, who believes southern born Americans, whose bloodline can be traced back to the confederacy, are superior to Italians, African-Americans, Asians, and many other races. And since it is built into the colloquialism of the south, for some moments it is humorous; for instance when Josh playfully teases Paul and Lacy, ““What are you going to do with those big old ten-dollar bills?” [Josh] asked. “That is a lot of money for a couple of childish darkies.” Paul whooped and nearly dropped a cup” (5). The conversation may be playful banter between them, but some people may feel the communication is insulting. The truth is that many crimes, fights, and discrimination are deeply ro...
...f the shadows is sprinkled with the orange of the ground, and the blue-violet of the mountains is both mixed with and adjacent to the yellow of the sky. The brushstrokes that carry this out are inspired by the Impressionists, but are more abundant and blunter than those an Impressionist would use.
I believe that memory loss affects people in different ways. I believe the older a person gets, the more their functionality is affected by their forgetfulness.
Another example is when is at the rail road station with his mother, and as they are waiting for the train, he sees something he has never seen, "...for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line," (55). This excerpt is demonstrating how this scene of Jim Crow laws is keeping a certain group of people apart, which is also another form of societal oppression.