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Essays about power and privilege
Essays about power and privilege
Analysis Of Author Anton Chekhovs
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The short stories “The Ninny” by Anton Chekov and “Mrs. Bertha Flowers” by Maya Angelou both have similar themes that explore power and privilege. Both stories explore the theme of power and privilege because there are characters who have power and privilege and characters who do not, the benefit and usefulness of having power and privilege, and both stories teach a similar lesson. Firstly, both stores similarly explore the theme of power and privilege because in both stories there are characters who have power and privilege and those who do not. “the governess of my children” Page 1 from “The Ninny” This quote indicates the man inviting Yulia is rich enough to have a governess. In “The Ninny” the governor is first class and rich, having more power over his governess, who is a member of a lower class. “She (Mrs. Bertha Flowers) was our side’s answer to the richest white woman in town.” Page 1. This indicates that those who were wealthy and white had power, and that Mrs. Bertha Flowers was a character who had power as well. …show more content…
“It is possible that there is anyone in this who is so spineless? Why are you such a ninny?” Page 2. This quote from “The Ninny” displays how the governor can treat his governess disrespectfully because he has the power of controlling how much money the governess will receive. In “Mrs. Bertha Flowers” the black people are treated differently from the white people; except for Mrs. Bertha Flowers who has power for being striking in appearance and having a kind personality. “Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand, but…” Page 1. This indicates that the usual black women who be expected to care for herself whereas Mrs. Bertha Flowers has enough power and privilege to be treated slightly
Mrs. Turner is a mixed woman who dislikes and is racist towards darker black people. Mrs. Turner wants Janie to leave Tea Cake and go with her light-skinned brother. Janie isn’t interested, and Tea Cake despises Mrs. Turner. She views white people as some type of god whereas the black people are merely worshipers. Janie is also lighter skinned, so Mrs. Turner enjoys Janie’s company. Janie’s uninterested self feels that Mrs. Turner is racist but harmless. Tea Cake goes out of his way to get rid of Mrs. Turner with the fight in her restaurant.
and make fun of black elders. And would talk to them any kind of way.
Imagine for a moment it is your big sister's 17th birthday. She is out with her friends celebrating, and your parents are at the mall with your little brother doing some last minute birthday shopping, leaving you home alone. You then hear a knock on the front door. When you getthere, nobody is there, just an anonymous note taped to the door that says Happy Birthday, along with a hundred dollar bill. You've been dying to get that new video game, and your sister will never know. You are faced with a tough decision, but not a very uncommon one. In both Fences, by August Wilson, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury, tough decisions have to be made about getting money from someone else's misfortune. But money's that important right?
The setting of both stories reinforces the notion of women's dependence on men. The late 1800's were a turbulent time for women's roles. The turn of the century brought about revolution, fueled by the energy and freedom of a new horizon…but it was still just around the bend. In this era, during which both short stories were published, members of the weaker sex were blatantly disregarded as individuals, who had minds that could think, and reason, and form valid opinions.
In the stories “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin both women suffer through expectations brought on by society and the ideas of marriage. Emily loses her sanity trying to obtain love and live up to the expectations of society. Emily kills the man she loved so that he would never leave, and so that she could maintain her reputation. She was put on a pedestal, and that pedestal would end up being her destruction. Louise is a woman afflicted by heart problems, which could relate her unhappiness. After losing her husband she starts to feel free; however when her husband walks through the door she dies. Louise was a prisoner of societies making, she was never given a voice. She could never explain her unhappiness because women were expected to love and obey their husband’s without complaints. Marriage to these women meant different things, although the idea of marriage damaged both women. Louise and Emily were women damaged by the pressures of who they are expected to be.
Throughout life graduation, or the advancement to the next distinct level of growth, is sometimes acknowledged with the pomp and circumstance of the grand commencement ceremony, but many times the graduation is as whisper soft and natural as taking a breath. In the moving autobiographical essay, "The Graduation," Maya Angelou effectively applies three rhetorical strategies - an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences bursting with vivid simile and delightful imagery - to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination.
...ntly to her workers, "Idiots! You could never say anything intelligent to a nigger." Mrs. May in "Greenleaf" shows her disgust toward African Americans when she asks her son, "What nice girl wants to marry a nigger-insurance man?" She is appalled that her son sells insurance to African Americans for a living and is convinced that no decent woman would ever consider marrying him with this sort of career.
... They feel that white and male privilege should be dealt with. There were also authors that would disagree, and mainly say that there are two sides to privileges. There are privileges for being male and there are also privileges for being female, this also applies to white privilege. Works Cited Black, Linda L., and David Stone.
scale to put her on as it compares her not only to a section of a
The author distinguishes white people as privileged and respectful compare to mulattos and blacks. In the racial society, white people have the right to get any high-class position in job or live any places. 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. Before the war, that boy would have been around there and back before you could say Jack Robinson; now, the lazy rascal takes his time just like a white man.’ ” (73) Additionally, in the old society, most white people often disdained and looked down on mulattos. Even though there were some whites respected colored people friendly, there were no way for colored people to stand parallel with whites’ high class positions. The story has demonstrations that Judge Straight accepted John as his assistant, Mrs. Tryon honor interviewed Rena, and George finally changed and decided to marry Rena; however, the discrimination is inevitable. For example, when Mrs. Tryon heard Rena was colored, she was disappointed. “The lady, who had been studying her as closely as good manners would permit, sighed regretfully.” (161) There, Mrs. Tryon might have a good plan for Rena, but the racial society would not accept; since Rena was a mulatto, Mrs. Tryon could not do anything to help Rena in white social life. The racial circumstance does not only apply on mulattos, but it also expresses the suffering of black people.
In southern place of Rural Georgia there were racial issues. Walker discuss stereotypes that Celie went through as the daughter of a successful store owner, which ran by a white man Celie did not have no right to. The black characters and community were stereotyped through their lives to have human rights (Walker 88-89). Walker engages the struggle between blacks and whites social class, blacks were poor and the whites were rich. This captures the deep roots of the south discrimination against blacks. African-American women went through misery, and pain of racism to be discriminated by the color of their skin. Another major racist issue Hurston represent in “The Color Purple” is when Sofia tells the mayors wife saying “hell no” about her children working for her, Sofia was beaten for striking back to a white man (Walker 87). Racism and discrimination in the black culture did not have basic rights as the whites instead they suffered from being mistreated to losing moral
In the stories “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, and “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, talk about how two women are experiencing the same emotional situations they have to endure. Both of these stories express the emotional and physical trials the characters have to endure on an everyday basis. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” it shows a woman who is oppressed and is suffering from depression and loneliness. In “A Rose for Emily” it is showing the struggle of maintaining a tradition and struggling with depression. Both of the stories resemble uncontrollable changes and the struggles of acceptance the characters face during those changes.
The segregation in the southern states is very prominent during that time period. For instance, Lily’s housekeeper Rosaleen could not live in the same house as Lily, nor could she worship in the same church. Lily finally had enough of her abusive father T.Ray and decided to run away along with their housekeeper Rosaleen who she broke out of jail. The only place she desired to go was the town written on one of her mother’s pictures. On the back of a photograph of a black version of Mary Lily’s mother had written the town Tiburon. Lily and Rosaleen arrive at the outskirts of Tiburon, after a combination of hitchhiking and walking, hungry and tired. As Lily shopped in a convenience store for lunch she noticed a jar of honey with the picture of the same black Mary as her mother’s picture. The store clerk points them in the right direction and they end up at the Botwright's house. As she is conversing with August Botwright Lily notices something peculiar. As she lies on her cot she thinks to herself; “T. Ray did not think colored women were smart. Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this.” (Kidd.78). Meeting and interacting with August depicts how much involuntary prejudice she had inside of her that she was not previously aware of. Lily used this experience to learn how you can’t judge a person based off their race and made herself rethink her thoughts on African-American people. Lily’s first meeting August contributes to the theme of not judging people based off of prejudice because August disproves Lily’s stereotype that African-Americans couldn’t be as smart as
She wrote in a time where race relations were very tense. We get a glimpse into the society of the south in which she lived. In the story we see that racism plays a role. When Mr. Head and Nelson are on the train and the black gentlemen get on with the two young black women that were behind him, Mr. Head grabs onto Nelson’s arm tightly. He was protecting Nelson from the huge “coffeed colored man” (TAN. p. 109). Then we see another example of society at that time during Mr. Head’s encounter with the black waiter on the train. Mr. Head tries to take Nelson into the kitchen and the waiter stops them and tells them that they cannot go back there. Mr. Head was upset and felt slightly disrespected and shouted a snappy comment “And there’s good reason for that… because the cockroaches would run the passengers out”! (TAN. p. 112). He intended to embarrass the black waiter and in a way show his superiority. This was something common of the time. As well this was meant to show Nelson how to deal with black people. Then the time spent in the black neighborhood reveal how rare it was to see blacks and whites in the same spaces. Mr. Head and Nelson did not feel comfortable until they were back in a predominantly white neighborhood. The fact that there were separate neighborhoods for the different races alluded to how the two races did not mix. Flannery O’Connor delivers a wonderful short story that made the reader uncomfortable
Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and the excerpt from Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser describes the dynamics between a husband and wife in a dysfunctional relationship, relating to the overarching theme that within a marriage, equal freedom and no confinement is necessary in order to fulfill a happy lifestyle. Both of these stories center around a marriage that simply is not working out, and both authors are implying to get out of relationships similar to these scenarios before it is too late.