Common Elements Of Oppression Essay

According to (Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian); author of “Interrupting the Cycle of Oppression: The Role of Allies as Agents of Change”; many of us feel overwhelmed when we consider the many forms of systemic oppression that are so pervasive in American society today. We become immobilized, uncertain about what actions we can take to interrupt the cycle of oppression and violence that intrude on our everyday lives. According to (Merriam Webster); oppression, is treating someone unjustly; or cruelly exercising authority or power; weighing down body and mind (www.merriam-webster.com).

Integrating theory into social work practice is essential in defining why social work is needed and how to practice it effectively. This paper will discuss two theories; intersectionality and life course theory, as I believe that these two theories are collectively suitable and effective in interrupting the cycle of oppression. I will draw upon both my own experiences and literature to analyze the strengths and limitations of intersectionality and life course theory. This discussion will exemplify how intersectionality and life course theory enhance each other and can work synergistically to inform my social work practice.

Oppression can be defined as the systematic mistreatment of people within a social identity group. Frye uses a bird cage, to explain oppression, saying that one may not view the wires as harmful, but all together, they leave you imprisoned, sometimes without your knowledge. This means that, women may be oppressed without the understanding or realization of what is going on. With one wire or barrier alone, a bird can just fly around it and be free, but when

Barbara Perry borrows elements of Audrey Lorde’s conception of “the mythical norm” to receive a thorough understanding on why individuals who fall outside of the norm often feel oppressed. The mythical norm can be viewed as an ideology. It is a characteristic of society that maintains power, and creates oppression for others. Due to the power that the mythical norm contains, it also delivers a series of privileges that many whites may not realize that they have. When individuals comply with the mythical norm, they have the ability to enhance and maintain their social status. Contrast this to racial minorities such as Blacks or Latino’s who

When it came to civil rights, finding the right person to lead an entire population into freedom was a pretty important problem. The two most important leaders in the Civil Rights Movement were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and they were respected by a large portion of the black community in America. Although, when it came the troubling issues of segregation, both of schools and in everyday activities, and the violent approach to fight racism v.s. the non violent approach, Martin Luther King Jr. was a better person to lead black americans.

Speaker: Alice Walker writes in a first person point of view. The speaker is a single mother who “never had an education” (Walker 49). She is a minority, and accepts the lower status: “Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in in the eye?” (48). The mother refuses to challenge the people society deem as better than her.

A situation an individual will commonly find themselves in is their expectation to live up to a standard imposed. However, this individual is often faced with the dilemma of being unable to achieve said standard due to some circumstance that limits their ability to attain it. As a result, an individual traps themselves in a vicious cycle of trying to live up to an impossible standard, only inflicting anguish and despair upon themselves as they fail to attain it. However, in Toni Morrison’s The Song of Solomon, escape from this situation is shown to be possible. The Dead family falls into the exact same predicament Morrison symbolizes the constraints imposed on the characters by their societal expectations, ultimately resulting in the desire

In The Yellow Wallpaper written in 1894, Gilman portrays the protagonist as a victim of oppression. Oppression is defined as being heavily burdened mentally or physically by troubles or adverse conditions. Oppression is also a form of authority over someone who is in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. During the 1800’s women were subject to strict laws of society which prevented them from many civil rights and opportunities. The narrator feels oppressed by her relationship with her husband, her house, and the wallpaper.

Being an American is simply having equal rights, equal opportunities, freedom, and a safer, better life. There are countries that are so strict that if you are seen doing something you are not supposed to, you will be arrested and killed. That’s why we are so privileged to live in a country that allows us to do what we want to.

Economic privileges generally blind people to the unfavorable social conditions of their community, as wealth is commonly used as a method of physical escape. As a result, many of those belonging to this socio economic strata continue to live under the illusions of an idealistic identity, as they fear to uncover a past that may disrupt their supposed utopian lifestyle. The rare amount of people who defy and challenge the blindness evoked by economic privileges are usually awarded with a mental awakening in which they will uncover a social purpose beyond the pursuit of materialistic wealth. In the Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison explores the social transition of Milkman, a privileged individual, through the use of a spiritual awakening. Due to

America and its people have worked hard to create a home in which everyone is treated, and feels equal. We’ve fought wars, held protests, and lost many lives in situations where we were fighting for fair treatment. After all of these sacrifices, it's safe to say that Americans have the right to love, and cherish the equality that their home presents them with, but to an extent. Equality in society, government, and basic human interactions should always be kept, and held with great importance. However, we also need to keep in mind that we are not the same people. This is where the government in the story, ‘’Harrison Bergeron,’’ gets out of hand. They tried to make their citizens equal by making them the same which prevents

The Help is set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. Skeeter, a southern society girl, interviews the black women who have spent their lives being servants for wealthy white Southern families. There are various scenes throughout the film that show social stratification, racial inequalities, gender inequalities, and class inequalities.

Society has a unique way of viewing women and labeling them as “submissive”. Even though there is a typical view of women, imagine having to deal with stereotypes for being a black woman in the time of slavery. The picture changes for a woman. First, she is no longer a woman but instead she is property in a man’s eye. Next, she is not assumed to be “weak” or “submissive” but she was told and taught that she and has no power or say so to change it. That is how Harriet Jacobs’s life was depicted in “A Perilous Passage in the Slave Girl’s Life”. Harriet Jacobs was the first black slave woman to stand and prove that she is not weak, submissive, or property. Jacobs did not do it just for the black women but as a black person

Don’t let the movie title, Milk, fool you. The movie’s title has nothing to do with the milk beverage. Sorry milk enthusiast. On the other hand, for those who love politics then this is the movie for you. This movie is solely focused on American Democracy. The protagonist, Harvey Milk, is an openly gay politician who is a victim of the discrimination that occurs against the LGBTQ society. In efforts to create change, Harvey Milk decides to run for city supervisor. Throughout his candidacy, he is confronted by idealist who want unconstitutional ordinances to be passed. When Harvey Milk is finally elected he establishes ordinances that protect homosexual’s rights. Many people vote against him, but in the end he wins with plurality of votes.

Harvey Milk and the LGBTQ+ community were both oppressed by politicians and their fear of having someone “different” in the world. Both have been denied the basic human rights that are supposedly granted to you in America. America is suppose to be the land of the free, but the LGBTQ+ community and Harvey Milk were in a world where free was only given to you if those around you wanted to grant you freedom.