Jim Wong Chu Equal Opportunity Poem

The Value of Racism in Society One of the major reasons behind the Holocaust was racism. Racist beliefs and ideals of one man led to the horrific industrial genocide which killed over 6 million Jews proves that racism has no good outcome. In Jim Wong Chu’s poem “Equal Opportunity”, aspects of character and location are used to prove the insignificance of racism. Racism is an inhumane characteristic of society that people do not need to harbor because it acts as a double-edge sword which can hurt others as well as oneself. If the idea of racism is forgotten, equality and peace can finally settle in the world. When the author sets the time to early Canada when the main transportation were trains, the author mentions how racism is unnecessary when he talks about the accidents that took place within the story. …show more content…
It has been in this world for many centuries affecting people’s minds. One example of its presence is “in early Canada […] there was a rule, the Chinese could only ride the last two cars of the trains that is until a train derailed killing all those in front”. The author set the location to early Canada to direct readers to a time when racism and discrimination against Chinese was high. The author is trying to explain that racism will not only hurt others but also oneself. The accidents referred in the poem represents how racist ideas will also hurt people who started it because the Canadians who created the rules against Chinese in the poem were the ones who faced their demise. Therefore, racism should not be harbored by human beings because racism holds the key to severe destruction which will hurt everyone. Conversely, equality is the total opposite of racism and can only work if people accept each other no matter what the person skin color might be or what race and religion the person is from. The Canadian settlers finally forget the idea of racism when “after much debate, common sense prevailed. The Chinese are now