A simple girl raises the instrument to her lips. Her eyes are filled with wonder, her face with laughable, caricature delight. In an instant, the trumpet is snatched away, and a strongman harshly reproaches her for the presumptuous act—“Do only what I tell you to!”...
Gloria Jean Watkins, better known as Bell Hooks, is a prominent figure not only in literature, but also in feminist and civil rights movements. She seamlessly weaves both of these issues into Killing Rage: Ending Racism in order to address the problems she believes plague...
When Rosa Parks became involved in the NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, various men tried to impede her participation. Her own husband, Raymond Parks, firmly discouraged her from even joining the organization out of “fear for her safety”, despite...
Prejudice is a pre-judgement formed about something or someone – but it is more than this as well? This complex idea is highlighted in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the picture book Goin’ Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack (illustrated by...
Culture, unlike biology, should allow us to seek liberation from cruel and uncomfortable practices. But instead culture wraps us in a suffocating embrace. … re cultures discrete or bounded? …Who defines the boundaries of culture or allows for change? Do cultures leak into each other?...
To be considered “white” in American society is to meet certain criteria that the majority of Americans cannot even accomplish on their own- even a portion of the citizens who are Caucasian. To be white is to be part of an upper and influential class...
In recent years, a group of people have garnered more mainstream attention and while society has more or less been understanding, they are still met with ridicule and a general lack of understanding or refusal to understand. These people I’m talking about are transgender people....
In today’s society, many members of it like to think they are fairly accepting and progressive, relative to the attitudes of the past. Still, there are many people who face discrimination and bigotry to the point that it affects every aspect of their lives, and...
Is an author’s main purpose of writing only to entertain his readers? Authors sometimes use their literature to demonstrate their opinions about a certain issue. One of these topics may be racial and ethnic discrimination. We see how authors express their views about racism through...
When I walked into my classroom on the first day of elementary school, all I saw was white. White walls. White desks. White people. My caramel skin and curly hair stood out amongst the fair-skinned students with light straight hair. As the teacher taught her...
Canada is a place known to be a multiculturalism country to many. Although it is meant to be a positive thing in many minds, it is also tended to be a negative thing. This is shown in the essays “No Place Like Home” by Neil...
In a world where the lines between cultures and countries are becoming more and more blurred thanks to phenomena like globalization and mass immigration, one begins to question whether or not multiculturalism becomes an obstacle in modern-day democracies. Multiculturalism leads to the existence of different...
As in the 21st century classroom there are more and more children coming from more diverse backgrounds it seems logical that settings need to teach children to learn about “ difference “ with effective methods and must therefore have pedagogical approaches that deepen understanding. (Gollnick...
Gender-based violence: essay introduction Normally, the attempts to terminate GBV are categorized in three which are, the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. The primary prevention handles the women who had previously experienced any form of violence. The secondary prevention tries to reduce the occurrence of...
Brutality and racism have been a constant problem since the dawn of America. The motif of white powerful men framing innocent blacks has been a reoccurring tragedy. However, these stories are kept in the shadows of powerful racist brutes who cover their tracks with planted...
Societal oppression persists in many facets of life and forces individuals into imposed roles that drastically determine their mindsets and identities. Those oppressed are not accepted into such societies and instead forced into subservient positions. These roles then become these individuals’ entire identities as they...
In Black No More, by George Schuyler, the main character, Max Disher, experiences a scientific procedure that changes his skin from black to white. Originally very proud of his African-American descent, he finds himself transitioning from wishing he were white, to being thankful that he...
In Nadine Gordimer’s story “Town and Country Lovers,” the oppressive force of racism in apartheid South Africa is expressed in the details of the relationship between Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf and the girl. At a surface view of their relationship the two appear to be...
In “The Woman Question,” Stephen Leacock uses empty stereotypes that he cannot support with evidence to argue why women are unable to progress in society. He does not have any evidence because women have never been given the opportunity to prove or disprove these assumptions....