Oppression and Racism what are they? The dictionary defines oppression as “A prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority”, and Racism as “A belief that a particular race or group of people is superior or inferior to another”. Both of these exist in many societies and take on many forms and have no respect of your gender, your race or your financial status. In the early 1900’s in many parts of the United States these forces affected the decisions of many and controlled many of the actions of the people in that era. These people were ignorant to the fact that all men were equal in the eyes of God.
The employment rate in Chicago was extremely low for African American males which made it extremely hard to find jobs and support their families. Walter says to his mom, “sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ’bout things … sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars … sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me” (Hansberry 62). Walter does not understand why so many guys around his age
So he usually hides some biscuit in his pocket. Just in case he wakes up the next day and discovers there is no food in the house. He had this belief because he had been brought up in a life filled with hunger and starvation. This is justified when he says “when I am with my mother, I wake up to hunger standing beside me” (p.62) Wright and other black characters are treated by the whites as or even worse than animals. Wright recounts how he lost his job on the basis that he called a white man by name without adding Mr. to his name.
Thus, the white government prevented black people from gaining any knowledgeable or philosophical power. Black people were restricted from owning property and were placed in inadequate poverty-stricken areas. “The logic behind white domination is to prepare the black man for the subservient role in this country. All in all the black man has become a shell, a shadow of man, completely defeated, drowning in his own misery, a slave, an ox bearing the yoke of oppression with sheepish timidity.” (Biko, 1978, pp. 30-31) The white government took things further by being able to oppress and control the mind of the black race by completely eliminating any spark of contentment they had left such as spiritual expression.
They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I 'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me” (68). As blacks were no longer enslaved, they were still an outcast in America at the time during the Great Depression. Treated unequally they couldn’t get the same jobs as what most white men could get but, if they do they were separated.
Tom Robinson’s case is a massive part of the story, Tom Robinson a black man living in a heavily white biased Maycomb County, is charged with allegedly raping Mayella Ewell. Being a lawyer Atticus was taught to, fight for people and to bring justice to the town and to make sure that the right person was convicted. However this proves to be a difficult case for Atticus and he is unsure whether to even take it on at first. He is fully aware that the town which he calls home is mainly populated with whites and at that time a black man’s word meant nothing compared to a white man’s word. “It couldn’t be worse, Jack.
The novel is based in the times when the white society creates havoc in the lives of the blacks living at the margins of the society by not just making them feel colored but by also looking them as rats living in poverty. In the novel, it shows how the Dalton family wants to help people like Bigger but he blames the white society for being poor and neglected as he wanted to be an aviator but he was not permitted in the school of the whites to educate himself. This was the reason he hates them and wants to harm them in any way possible. He thought of robbing the shop of Mr. Blum but failed as he very well knew the consequences of doing so. The book also shows how the life of Bigger is lost and he
That is what called as groups' stereotypes. When we look at a group of people that stand out from the norm, we put them into another category without identifying their merits. It always happen in society that is people stereotype people. We sometimes put a tag of superiority or inferiority onto a stereotype. We judge and criticize these stereotypes, and we do not even recognize the individuals in their groups.
Many of us must be a witness of racism. I have always wondered what differences are among the people with different religions and colors of the skins, why minorities are bullied. As-widely known, in even today’s century, racism is undoubtedly open to the international and social discussions, despite many attempts to break the stereotypes in society. The so-called “never-ending” fight has already broken out and burns up day to day. Many black people, representatives of Muslim or other religions suffer from the discrimination, in many developing or undeveloped countries minorities rights are not protected.
They don’t have ability to retain what they cherish, like Oscar, Junior’s dog also one of his best friends, when it got sick his parents cannot pay for the treatment in vet. These made Junior believe they “deserve” to be poor, and he felt “small and weak” (Sherman Alexie, Why Chicken Means So Much to Me, “Absolutely true…”). On the other hand, just white people study in Reardan and their family are wealthy, these students there are “the smartest and most athletic”, also school provide great facilities. In Wellpinit Junior didn’t afraid to be poor, because everyone there are the same. But in Reardan, he tried to be the normal kids