Desires are feelings that every human goes through. However, the desire to have power, once acquired is not easy to get rid of. This idea is explored by Kathryn Stockett, in her novel The Help which is a story about three women in Jackson, Mississippi and their efforts to challenge these desires of power. This idea is also present in the movie Mississippi Burning by Alan Parker. Mississippi Burning is about a pair of FBI agents who go to Jessup County to solve the murder case of three civil rights activists. During their investigations, they discover that the town is full of racism because of people’s desire to have power over others. Both Stockett and Parker demonstrate how the desire of power is passed on to the newer generation by their
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. . I done raised enough kids to know, they [first-grade teachers] matter.” This quotation shows how children can be influenced easily, to believe in something. Aibileen fears that all her lessons about equality, with Mae Mobley, will be ruined because her teacher is telling her that she is superior to blacks. Aibileen’s fear shows how the first few years of school have a big impact on a child’s mind. Because those years are crucial to a child’s understanding of the world, whites pass on the desire of power to their kids at an early age. Similarly, Mississippi Burning also shows how the early stages of a person’s life can be used to create the desire of power in them. Like the women in The Help, Mrs. Pell’s hatred for black people was also developed in her childhood. To explain the racism present in Mississippi, to Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Pell says, “Hatred isn’t something you’re born with, it gets taught. At school they said segregation was said in the Bible . . . Seven years of age, you get told enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred, live it, you breathe it.” This quotation shows how hatred is not in human nature but gets taught by the society. …show more content…
One of the children is a little girl who is clapping while Clayton is delivering the speech. Her facial expressions show that she admires Clayton and he is like a role-model to her. This shows how white people took their kids to racist political meetings to develop the desire of power in them. Even though children were not mature enough to understand the political messages, they still learned that they were better than blacks. This shows how the white community of Jessup County used schools and political meetings to convince their children that they should have more power than coloureds. Both The Help and Mississippi Burning show how pressure from societies can cause people to believe in certain things, however, in The Help, Skeeter and Mae Mobley choose to ignore these teaching and believe that segregation is wrong while Mrs. Pell succumbs to the pressure of the society and starts to believe that the society’s ways are right. Even though Skeeter and Mae Mobley are taught about the rules they have to follow around black people, they ignore them because they have important people in their lives to show them that the society’s ways are wrong.
. . I done raised enough kids to know, they [first-grade teachers] matter.” This quotation shows how children can be influenced easily, to believe in something. Aibileen fears that all her lessons about equality, with Mae Mobley, will be ruined because her teacher is telling her that she is superior to blacks. Aibileen’s fear shows how the first few years of school have a big impact on a child’s mind. Because those years are crucial to a child’s understanding of the world, whites pass on the desire of power to their kids at an early age. Similarly, Mississippi Burning also shows how the early stages of a person’s life can be used to create the desire of power in them. Like the women in The Help, Mrs. Pell’s hatred for black people was also developed in her childhood. To explain the racism present in Mississippi, to Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Pell says, “Hatred isn’t something you’re born with, it gets taught. At school they said segregation was said in the Bible . . . Seven years of age, you get told enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred, live it, you breathe it.” This quotation shows how hatred is not in human nature but gets taught by the society. …show more content…
One of the children is a little girl who is clapping while Clayton is delivering the speech. Her facial expressions show that she admires Clayton and he is like a role-model to her. This shows how white people took their kids to racist political meetings to develop the desire of power in them. Even though children were not mature enough to understand the political messages, they still learned that they were better than blacks. This shows how the white community of Jessup County used schools and political meetings to convince their children that they should have more power than coloureds. Both The Help and Mississippi Burning show how pressure from societies can cause people to believe in certain things, however, in The Help, Skeeter and Mae Mobley choose to ignore these teaching and believe that segregation is wrong while Mrs. Pell succumbs to the pressure of the society and starts to believe that the society’s ways are right. Even though Skeeter and Mae Mobley are taught about the rules they have to follow around black people, they ignore them because they have important people in their lives to show them that the society’s ways are wrong.