As human beings we are constantly changing, always evolving, and our time here on earth is spent learning how to live with these shifts. Literature often reflects on this theme, and many famous novels communicate this message in one way or another. In To Kill a Mockingbird, one town struggles with changes in their social views, John Griffin of Black Like Me shares his experiences as he grows to understand raw racism, and in I Heard the Owl Call My Name, a young vicar deals with changes in his environment. Sometimes the changes in our lives are the product of our own actions, or the evidence of perseverance through trials, however most often life moves along even if we are not quite ready to go. It is as fierce and unpredictable as a hurricane,
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In this all too real novel, Griffin takes the ultimate step to discover what racism really was in the southern United States. He was subjected to blatant discrimination and injustice among other things simply for the colour of his skin. Griffin wrote that "When all the talk, all the propaganda has been cut away, the criterion is nothing but the color of skin. My experience proved that. They judged me by no quality. My skin was dark." (Griffin, p.115) His work revealed the truth behind racism to millions of people, but at quite a price. Although it was his own decision to take the actions he did, he couldn’t possibly have known to what extent his life would be changed. Later in the journal, after weeks of continued hate and prejudice targeted towards him, he wrote that "Suddenly I had had enough. Suddenly I could stomach no more of this degradation- not of myself but of all men who were black like me” (Griffin, p.132). Griffin’s choices came with a cost, but for one to grow, one must make …show more content…
There are countless works to illustrate the idea that change is necessary in our lives. In To Kill a Mockingbird, change slowly gnaws away at prejudice, Black Like Me shows that some changes are irreversible, and in I Heard the Owl Call My Name, we see how drastically environment can affect people. If our lives are thought of like a story, the aim is to become the hero. However no one person is born this way, only through the certain changes of life are we transformed into such heroes. John Griffin is one such person who becomes the hero of his story. Griffin
In this all too real novel, Griffin takes the ultimate step to discover what racism really was in the southern United States. He was subjected to blatant discrimination and injustice among other things simply for the colour of his skin. Griffin wrote that "When all the talk, all the propaganda has been cut away, the criterion is nothing but the color of skin. My experience proved that. They judged me by no quality. My skin was dark." (Griffin, p.115) His work revealed the truth behind racism to millions of people, but at quite a price. Although it was his own decision to take the actions he did, he couldn’t possibly have known to what extent his life would be changed. Later in the journal, after weeks of continued hate and prejudice targeted towards him, he wrote that "Suddenly I had had enough. Suddenly I could stomach no more of this degradation- not of myself but of all men who were black like me” (Griffin, p.132). Griffin’s choices came with a cost, but for one to grow, one must make …show more content…
There are countless works to illustrate the idea that change is necessary in our lives. In To Kill a Mockingbird, change slowly gnaws away at prejudice, Black Like Me shows that some changes are irreversible, and in I Heard the Owl Call My Name, we see how drastically environment can affect people. If our lives are thought of like a story, the aim is to become the hero. However no one person is born this way, only through the certain changes of life are we transformed into such heroes. John Griffin is one such person who becomes the hero of his story. Griffin