The Civil Rights Movement was a time of utter chaos in American history. It was a period of protests and demonstrations against the racist policies that were governing the lives of African Americans. Alice Walker does a wonderful job of providing an up-close view of just how difficult this period was in her novel Meridian. This book shows the amount of unnecessary violence, segregation, and denial of rights towards African Americans that existed during that time. Meridian truly helps us to understand the seriousness of the struggle of African Americans for equality and Civil Rights.
Meridian by Alice Walker is a novel that centers on a young woman by the name of Meridian Hill. Meridian is a troubled young woman who becomes pregnant as a teenager …show more content…
After registering to vote, Hamer was thrown into jail and aggressively beaten during her stay. She stated, “And I was beat by the first Negro until he was exhausted. I was holding my hands behind me at that time on my left side, because I suffered from polio when I was six years old. After the first Negro had beat until he was exhausted, the State Highway Patrolman ordered the second Negro to take the blackjack” (Hamer). It is amazing that someone who endured this amount of brutality could even survive, and the fact that she turned it into an inspirational speech to make a difference is beyond admirable. The idea that these were actual occurrences of that time is absolutely horrifying. The amount of violence faced by African Americans at that time is unfathomable.
In conclusion, the struggle of African Americans for equality and Civil Rights has been an incredibly long and hard one. Details of these struggles can be seen in Meridian by Alice Walker, as well as an abundance of other works from actual people who endured these challenges. As hard many fought for this cause, they were still faced with extreme instances of denials of their rights, segregation, and unnecessary violence. Though the vast majority of these issues have been solved, there is still an existence of racial issues in society
Meridian by Alice Walker is a novel that centers on a young woman by the name of Meridian Hill. Meridian is a troubled young woman who becomes pregnant as a teenager …show more content…
After registering to vote, Hamer was thrown into jail and aggressively beaten during her stay. She stated, “And I was beat by the first Negro until he was exhausted. I was holding my hands behind me at that time on my left side, because I suffered from polio when I was six years old. After the first Negro had beat until he was exhausted, the State Highway Patrolman ordered the second Negro to take the blackjack” (Hamer). It is amazing that someone who endured this amount of brutality could even survive, and the fact that she turned it into an inspirational speech to make a difference is beyond admirable. The idea that these were actual occurrences of that time is absolutely horrifying. The amount of violence faced by African Americans at that time is unfathomable.
In conclusion, the struggle of African Americans for equality and Civil Rights has been an incredibly long and hard one. Details of these struggles can be seen in Meridian by Alice Walker, as well as an abundance of other works from actual people who endured these challenges. As hard many fought for this cause, they were still faced with extreme instances of denials of their rights, segregation, and unnecessary violence. Though the vast majority of these issues have been solved, there is still an existence of racial issues in society