We live in a world that is progressively becoming more and more tolerant of people who stray from what is considered “the norm”, whether the difference is race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. There is still much to be done in regards to how people treat others but it has certainly improved over the past century. The dictionary definition of discrimination is “the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” Only 50 years ago did the Civil Right Act get passed, in retrospect it was not very long ago that people were lynched in public by radical groups such as the KKK. Discrimination is a central theme in the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings authored
…show more content…
She dreams of having blonde hair and blue eyes so that she can be beautiful, instead of embracing her natural features. Maya even tries to compensate by having her Momma make her a purple easter dress, which she feels in turn will make her beautiful. Obviously, Maya was the same person before and after wearing the dress and that it would take a lot more than wearing a dress for her to understand her own self worth. The world that Maya group up made it devastatingly difficult to be successful if you were a woman, nevermind the fact that she was also African American. Momma dealt with racism by ignoring it and not letting herself be displaced, were on the other hand her son “Big Bailey” wore flashy clothing and drove fancy cars to show off how great he was. Each of Maya’s family members dealt with their personal situations differently and Maya initially chose to let her feel displaced in society. The strong African American women such as Vivian Baxter,her mother, in her life ultimately helped Maya to realize her own value. This lead Maya to accomplish becoming the first African American conductor aboard a San Francisco streetcar which is arguably her greatest achievement relayed in the novel. Maya often would reflect back to the strict yet meaningful teachings of Momma to help her get through tough
She dreams of having blonde hair and blue eyes so that she can be beautiful, instead of embracing her natural features. Maya even tries to compensate by having her Momma make her a purple easter dress, which she feels in turn will make her beautiful. Obviously, Maya was the same person before and after wearing the dress and that it would take a lot more than wearing a dress for her to understand her own self worth. The world that Maya group up made it devastatingly difficult to be successful if you were a woman, nevermind the fact that she was also African American. Momma dealt with racism by ignoring it and not letting herself be displaced, were on the other hand her son “Big Bailey” wore flashy clothing and drove fancy cars to show off how great he was. Each of Maya’s family members dealt with their personal situations differently and Maya initially chose to let her feel displaced in society. The strong African American women such as Vivian Baxter,her mother, in her life ultimately helped Maya to realize her own value. This lead Maya to accomplish becoming the first African American conductor aboard a San Francisco streetcar which is arguably her greatest achievement relayed in the novel. Maya often would reflect back to the strict yet meaningful teachings of Momma to help her get through tough