The Help Paper
Throughout the novel The Help, there are many instances of Dramatistic Criticism. The first principal of Dramatistic Criticism is hierarchy. Hierarchy is fundamental to human symbolism. This principle of hierarchy does not allow for rest. There is always something that we believe we need or want to make us better (Payne, p. 267-268). In order to be on top of the pyramid of hierarchy, you must be the richest, the best and the most beautiful. The Help reveals the inner workings of how segregated society is during the United States Civil Rights Movement. With the US rapidly growing, there are a vast variety of social and economic classes being formed. According to www.pbs.org, race was one of the largest determining factors of hierarchy in the 1960’s. Race determined how much access one had to educational, economical, as well as occupational opportunity. Many would do anything to keep the Civil Rights Movement from taking effect in their town. The racial pressures were so high that the whites use violence on those who would speak out against them. Whites could easily accuse blacks of doing things that they didn’t …show more content…
For instance, children are born with racial preconceptions. Older generations contaminate children’s minds, convincing them that blacks are not equal to whites. Aibileen works hard to help Mae Mobley recognize that these biases taught by whites are very untrue. Aibileen says, “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain’t a color, disease ain’t the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming-and it come in every white child’s life- when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites” (Stockett, p. 112). Racial discrimination is being encouraged during this era, and one way to reverse it is by encouraging equality beginning at a young
Throughout the novel The Help, there are many instances of Dramatistic Criticism. The first principal of Dramatistic Criticism is hierarchy. Hierarchy is fundamental to human symbolism. This principle of hierarchy does not allow for rest. There is always something that we believe we need or want to make us better (Payne, p. 267-268). In order to be on top of the pyramid of hierarchy, you must be the richest, the best and the most beautiful. The Help reveals the inner workings of how segregated society is during the United States Civil Rights Movement. With the US rapidly growing, there are a vast variety of social and economic classes being formed. According to www.pbs.org, race was one of the largest determining factors of hierarchy in the 1960’s. Race determined how much access one had to educational, economical, as well as occupational opportunity. Many would do anything to keep the Civil Rights Movement from taking effect in their town. The racial pressures were so high that the whites use violence on those who would speak out against them. Whites could easily accuse blacks of doing things that they didn’t …show more content…
For instance, children are born with racial preconceptions. Older generations contaminate children’s minds, convincing them that blacks are not equal to whites. Aibileen works hard to help Mae Mobley recognize that these biases taught by whites are very untrue. Aibileen says, “I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain’t a color, disease ain’t the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming-and it come in every white child’s life- when they start to think that colored folks are not as good as whites” (Stockett, p. 112). Racial discrimination is being encouraged during this era, and one way to reverse it is by encouraging equality beginning at a young