South Africa

I am a coward for being ignorant of the harsh realities that I support because I do not want to be conspicuous. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch takes on a case where he finds himself defending a colored man from the accusation that he raped a white woman. Moral Cowardice if found in 99.99% of the population were no one takes a stand to make a change. A person’s ignorance can lead them to a life they never wanted. The three most prominent themes in To Kill A…

Black lives matter, in these two films To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men we learn that we need to stand up for what we believe in and take action. Atticus is in To Kill a Mockingbird and Juror eight is in 12 angry men and they have the same personalities in their films. The comparison here is Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird and Juror 8 from 12 Angry Men. Juror eight was very determined and compassionate about the case. Juror 8 acted as if he knew he was correct but did not have much…

growing up in the South, whose family lives in poverty and experience constant hunger. The main character in the story is Richard Wright, who is born in 1908. Richard opens the book with a description of himself as a four-year-old boy in Natchez Mississippi, and his family’s later move to Memphis. It describes his rebellious attitude against his parents and his days spent on the streets while his mother is at work. Richard is struggling to survive a racist community in the South. He is only…

1930’s America was very different than the America that we know today. It was a time where all minority groups, namely African-Americans and women were treated worse, solely because they differed from the status quo. A book that inadvertently highlighted these misdeeds directed towards minorities through the use of symbolism is John Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men.” John Steinbeck’s book follows George Milton, a small, smart, and easily angered man, and Lennie Small, a giant man who has a…

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (Lee, 33). Atticus says this to Scout after she gets mad that Miss Caroline does not understand Maycomb’s ways. This theme can be seen all throughout To Kill a Mockingbird because the book includes real life examples of racism and hardships. Empathy is very important in this book because there is a lot of discrimination, especially against African…

The Bluest Eye Literary Analysis For some being a child is not as simple as just growing up, and for young black people in the 1940’s this cannot be any closer to the truth. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a novel following the life of Pecola, a young black girl growing up during The Great Depression in Lorain, Ohio. In this coming of age story, Pecola experiences the harmful effects of beauty standards, racism, trauma, and rape. Pecola, along with other characters in the novel such as…

James Baldwin was an African American novelist born in 1924, and passed away in 1987. He wrote about racial, social, and class distinctions, during an important time of history when these topics were finally being more widely discussed. Though he is an African-American writer, one may think Baldwin specifically wrote about racial, social, and class distinctions in solely America, but he actually travels over the world to tackle these issues. One of his works that covers those issues abroad is A…

Imagine being a six year old child, and watching brutal racism and injustice growing up, while trying to hold on to your innocence and own opinions. That’s the struggle of one Jean Louise Finch, who prefers to go by “Scout.” In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, friend Dill, and brother Jem must face friends and family turning on them, as father Atticus makes a life changing decision of defending a black man in court in the 1930’s. They must learn how to deal with their situation…

In Playing in the Dark, Toni Morrison addresses the recurring themes and faults of racial portrayal in American literature. A substantial amount of this analysis has to do with the concept of the racial imaginary and racial canon. Using specific examples from ‘classic’ American authors, the author breaks apart the underpinnings of allegories around race. Morrison asserts that a contributing part of racism is poor portrayals of people of color in literature. This literary criticism crafts complex…

In River Hymns, specifically “Dirt Cakes” and “Southern Silence,” Tyree Daye depicts Youngsville as a small, rural, white majority with racial divisions -- racism. He has a place in the town amongst all of the problems, along with family and friends. The adults in the family have to let loose and forget what has happened throughout the week with drinking and dancing. This shows the backgrowling work that they are forced into and in a bad working environment. He writes in a way that is not happy…