Lily Zheng
Mr. Bowne
AP English 3 Language and Composition Period 15
12 October 2015 #MigrantLivesMatter
According to US News, black men are three times more likely to be searched by a police officer at a traffic stop than white person. Also, black men are six times more likely to go to jail than a white person. Recently, the tragic deaths of Michael Brown, Freddie Grey, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner have stolen the headlines of national news. These are just a few of the thousands of names that file under victims of police brutality. Even during John Steinbeck’s time, police brutality was a controversial issue. In Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family’s experience at the Weedpatch camp and …show more content…
These men push back the Joads and tell the family that they are not allowed to pass because they are Okies, a derogatory term for migrants. Tom becomes furious and says to Ma, “I know, Ma. I’m a tryin’. But them deputies-- Did you ever see a deputy that didn’ have a fat ass? An they waggle their ass an’ flop their gun aroun’ Ma if it was the law they was workin’ with, why, we could take it. But it ain’t the law. They’re a-working’ away at our spirits. They’re a-trying to make us cringe an’ crawl like a whipped bitch. They’re tryin’ to break us. Why, Jesus Christ, Ma they comes a time when the on’y a fella can keep his decency is by takin’ a sock at a a cop. They’re working’ on our decency.” Clearly, Tom is upset that police turned away his family for unjust reasons. The only reason that they are not allowed to pass is that they are migrants; similarly, police target black people just because of their …show more content…
Citizens of Ferguson thought that police would spare them while they protested, but police heavily beat many. Police abuse has been evident, even since John Steinbeck’s life during the Great Depression. It has not stopped, and in actuality, it has become more prominent in modern times. The Grapes of Wrath reflects police abuse through the Joad family experience, and it involuntarily parallels the deaths of many black victims of today’s police brutality. According to a Huffington Post article by Joseph Erbentraut, a report by the We Charge Genocide coalition said, “ Behind these stories and numbers are real people- real people’s severe pain, humiliation, suffering, and death at the hands of those charged with the duty to ‘protect and serve’...”. Police, who are supposed to uphold justice, have wrongly abused innocent citizens, ranging from the Joads to members of the African American family. Those who are actually supposed to protect and serve are actually the source of danger for many people who are in desperate need of
Mr. Bowne
AP English 3 Language and Composition Period 15
12 October 2015 #MigrantLivesMatter
According to US News, black men are three times more likely to be searched by a police officer at a traffic stop than white person. Also, black men are six times more likely to go to jail than a white person. Recently, the tragic deaths of Michael Brown, Freddie Grey, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner have stolen the headlines of national news. These are just a few of the thousands of names that file under victims of police brutality. Even during John Steinbeck’s time, police brutality was a controversial issue. In Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family’s experience at the Weedpatch camp and …show more content…
These men push back the Joads and tell the family that they are not allowed to pass because they are Okies, a derogatory term for migrants. Tom becomes furious and says to Ma, “I know, Ma. I’m a tryin’. But them deputies-- Did you ever see a deputy that didn’ have a fat ass? An they waggle their ass an’ flop their gun aroun’ Ma if it was the law they was workin’ with, why, we could take it. But it ain’t the law. They’re a-working’ away at our spirits. They’re a-trying to make us cringe an’ crawl like a whipped bitch. They’re tryin’ to break us. Why, Jesus Christ, Ma they comes a time when the on’y a fella can keep his decency is by takin’ a sock at a a cop. They’re working’ on our decency.” Clearly, Tom is upset that police turned away his family for unjust reasons. The only reason that they are not allowed to pass is that they are migrants; similarly, police target black people just because of their …show more content…
Citizens of Ferguson thought that police would spare them while they protested, but police heavily beat many. Police abuse has been evident, even since John Steinbeck’s life during the Great Depression. It has not stopped, and in actuality, it has become more prominent in modern times. The Grapes of Wrath reflects police abuse through the Joad family experience, and it involuntarily parallels the deaths of many black victims of today’s police brutality. According to a Huffington Post article by Joseph Erbentraut, a report by the We Charge Genocide coalition said, “ Behind these stories and numbers are real people- real people’s severe pain, humiliation, suffering, and death at the hands of those charged with the duty to ‘protect and serve’...”. Police, who are supposed to uphold justice, have wrongly abused innocent citizens, ranging from the Joads to members of the African American family. Those who are actually supposed to protect and serve are actually the source of danger for many people who are in desperate need of