Stereotypes And Racism In April Raintree By Beatrice Culleton

1175 Words3 Pages

April Raintree is the main character of the novel. In search of April Raintree written by Beatrice Culleton. April wished she could change her metis heritage or the spelling of her last name, Raintree. Why? Stereo-types and Racism, but most of all because of disrespectful people. As quoted in the novel, April mentions her experience being criticized with racism because she was metis. In the beginning April speaks about the start of her experience.

“There were two different groups of children that went to the park. One group was brown skinned children who looked like Cheryl in most ways. Some of them even come over to our house with their parents. Once I was up close to one as she was busily putting me down. I imagined they were very rich …show more content…

Sadly the racism didn’t stop, after a while the girls were taken by social services from their home because their parents were alcoholic’s that didn’t care for the both girls. Unfortunately when April was moved into her second foster home because her first foster mother got very ill, the racism went up to a whole different level when April arrived at the Derosier’s farm.

As April arrived and met Mrs. DeRosier, April had a feeling Mrs. DeRosier wasn’t the person she acted. When Mrs. Semple left Mrs. DeRosier was finally alone with April, she was given restricted orders.
“The school bus comes at eight. You will get up at six. Go to the hen house and bring back the eggs. While I prepare breakfast, you will wash the eggs. After breakfast, you will do the dishes. After school, you’ll have more chores to do, then you will help me prepare the supper. After you do the supper fishes, you will go to your room and stay there. You’ll also keep yourself and the room clean. I know you half breeds, you love to wallow in filth, “the boys” Ricky” said to Mrs. DeRosier, ‘Is that the new half-breed girl we’re getting? She doesn’t look like the last squaw we …show more content…

And you girls are headed in that direction. It starts out with the fighting, the running away, and the lies. Next come the accusations that everyone in the world is against you. There are the sullen incorporated silences, the feeling sorry for yourselves. And when you’re out on your own, you’ll get pregnant right away or can’t find or keep jobs. SI you’ll start with alcohol and drugs. From there, you get into shoplifting and prostitution and in and out of jails. You’ll live with men who abuse you. And on it goes. You’ll end up like your parents, living off society. In both your cases, it would be pity because Miss Turner and I knew you both when you were little. And you both were remarkable, well behaved youngsters, now you’re going the same route as many other native girls. IF you don’t smarten up, you’ll end up in the same place. Skid

Show More
Related

  • In Search Of April Raintree Analysis

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book “In Search of April Raintree” is a passionate adventure of two Metis sisters trying to find their true identity. April had difficulties throughout her life with her ethnicity, gender and her personal life. Wondering one day if she’ll ever find happiness being a Metis woman.

    Read More

  • Racism in Deadly Unna by Phillip Gwynne

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Deadly Unna" is the story of Garry Blacks realization of racism and discrimination in the port where he lives. When everyone else seems do nothing to prevent the discrimination Blacky a young boy steps up to the plate and has the guts to say no against racism towards the local Aborigines. Blacky is beginning to realize that the people he looks up to as role models might not be such good examples as most of them including his father his footy coach and even the pub custodian all accept racism as a normal way of life and Blacky begins to realize this and tries to make them aware.

    Read More

  • In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Culleton

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    April Raintree is the main protagonist in the book, In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Mosionier. Throughout her childhood she was embarrassed to be Metis, and because of her taking after her mother’s Irish pale skin, being able to blend into white society she would hide her native ancestry.

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...from Maycomb town that time. This happen a lot in real life, even nowadays, not only about racism but also about how you look, what appearance, rich or poor, pretty or not.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism In Toni Morrison's 'Recitatif'

    1632 Words  | 4 Pages

    This leaves it up to us to figure it out for ourselves. The next example of how race influences our characters is very telling. When Twyla’s mother and Roberta’s mother meet, we see not only race influencing the characters but, how the parents can pass it down to the next generation. This takes place when the mothers come to the orphanage for chapel and Twyla describes to the reader Roberta’s mother being “bigger than any man and on her chest was the biggest cross I’d ever seen” (205).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Native Girl Syndrome

    1604 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cheryl has a very strong native pride and she wants to help the native people by showing the community that they are not the stereotypes white people set them out to be (quote). In order to help, Cheryl volunteers at a Multicultural centre. Their she meets a lot of homeless native people that are there because they are into drinking and selling sex, just like they are imaged to be by the people in the community. Cheryl sees past all the problems they have and thinks she can help them get rid of their problems and make them break away from the stereotypes they have. While helping out Cheryl finds herself doing all things girls going down native syndrome path do. This is mostly because she is exposed to the problems every day by the people she is trying to help. April has a very different view of her culture. She disagrees with the multicultural centre saying there is no point in trying to help the people there. April says that no matter how many people you help there is always going to be natives going down the same path and white people are always going to see them the same (quote). April knows what she is talking about in this situation because she has been living with in non native houses all her life. The native lifestyle has been gone for a long time. April sees the way people look at them and know it is impossible to change there

    Read More

  • Sexism, Prejudice, and Racism in Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    2037 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird Lee discusses the effects of ignorance and the toll it takes on people such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Scout herself, and many more. Through her examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the populist of poverty stricken Southerners, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of ignorance are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story. A good example of this injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl and is found guilty. The book is from the point of view Scout, a child, who has an advantage over most kids due to her having a lawyer as a dad, to see the other side of the story. Her father tells her in the story, “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” (Lee 200).

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill A Mockingbird

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.

    Read More

  • Racial Discrimination in the books Snow Falling On Cedars and The Book of Negroes

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Racial Prejudice and Oppression in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    2110 Words  | 5 Pages

    'Democracy,' she said. 'Does anybody have a definition?' ... 'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none' (Lee 248).

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though racism seems to be a thing of the past, there is still room for progression in the United States. Having been a country that was widely accepting of the enslavement of African Americans over a century ago, many Americans have not evolved nor turned the page on the subject. Despite the many movements, trials, and acts developed by our society to ensure civil rights to all African Americans, America remains a principally racist country. The only effective way to defeat racism is to not practice or teach what was once taught one hundred years ago. Author Alex Haley is quoted, “Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics.” If we do not teach our youth of prejudice or hatred towards human beings for something as trivial as differing skin color I believe racism, not only concentrated in the United States, but globally, will diminish.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Recitatif Toni Morrison

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    The narrator, Twyla, begins by recalling the time she spent with her friend, Roberta, at the St. Bonaventure orphanage. From the beginning of the story, the only fact that is confirmed by the author is that Twyla and Roberta are of a different race, saying, “they looked like salt and pepper” (Morrison, 2254). They were eight-years old. In the beginning of the story, Twyla says, “My mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick.” This line sets the tone of the story from the start. This quote begins to separate the two girls i...

    Read More

  • Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sergio Sanchez English 10 Ms. Tran May 14, 2014 Dont Be Told How To Live Your Life, Choose And Stand Up For Your Freedom Being African American in the 1930’s, how free you were was determined by the half you lived in - the North or South. In that time period there was a significant amount of racism, segregation, and prejudice occurring. However, racism was on a whole different level in the South than it was in the North of the United States. In the North, colored people had rights like freedom of speech, but in the South they had no rights. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, did a wonderful job of vividly portraying how Negro’s lived in the South, particularly in the state of Mississippi in Maycomb County.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stereotypes are created in today’s society for people who are deemed as different, not dominant, or unprivileged. Those who do not fall into a stereotype are often seen as privileged. One of the largest, and longest lived stereotype is race, specifically those who are African American. It is seen as a privilege to be viewed and treated as a white person, while those who fall into any other race are viewed and treated as being different. Recently, I have become very aware of difficulties facing the minorities. Before I witnessed an incident, I had been blind to the fact that there are privileges and so many stereotypes in today’s society. This blindness that I was experiencing, however, “is an aspect of privilege itself, … ‘the luxury of obliviousness’”

    Read More

  • Racism in Children's Literature

    2373 Words  | 5 Pages

    For my research project I chose the topic of Racism in Children's Literature. I chose this area of study because it is something that bothers me and I know as a child in school I was very uncomfortable with assignments that dealt with racism. One day I would like to make a difference to all the people who are affected by racism. My hypothesis states that if educators are better trained to deal with the delicate subject of racism in children's literature, books would not be banned, yet actually teach the lesson the authors of these books intended for all of us to learn.

    Read More

More about Stereotypes And Racism In April Raintree By Beatrice Culleton

Open Document