Carl Olsen Mrs. Martelli American Literature AP 30 August 2014 “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” uses the word “nigger” over two hundred times throughout the book. Because of the degrading term used so frequently, there have been many debates whether or not the book is racist or should even be banned from classrooms and public libraries. Some think the book offends African American students while others think it helps display the language of the historical time period which takes place around the 1840’s in Missouri. You can find the answer to the racism question by analyzing the treatment of whites to blacks throughout the book. "Good gracious!
The high purpose of history is not the presentation of self nor the vindication of identity ..." He points out that the reinforcement of such a separatist concept of black identity through such slanted or inaccurate history, coupled with a complete dismissal of the history of black people in America over the past 300 years, can only result in the "...fragmentation, resegregation, and tribalization of American Life". In addition to the manipulation of history, Mr. Schlesinger raises concerns over the multiculturalist indoctrination of America's children through the public school system. Using once again the example of black Americans, he chronicles the imposition of the reportedly bogus historical accounts of the black
He defends and speaks for not only Twain but also “Melville, J. W. DeForest, and George Washington Carver,” all other writers who did not conform to the standard portrayal of blacks as the unintelligent, insensitive, inconsiderate individuals Jefferson painted them to be. It would be easy to say that Smith is an “abolitionist” and against slavery, but it is more important to consider that he comes from a modern viewpoint. In 1984, nearly a century after Twain first set his pen to the task of authoring Huckleberry Finn, slavery had been outlawed for nearly one hundred and twenty years. Racism, undoubtedly, still existed, but for most of the literary intelligentsia, such as Smith, the subject of the “right and wrong” in slavery was not a matter of debate. The debate surrounding the essay is in judging Twain’s depiction of the “negro” Jim and its relation to past and present racial discourse.
Many sociologists have linked labelling in school, especially by teachers, with the difference in achievements in terms of ethnicity. Negative stereotypes and labels may cause teacher to treat students from an ethnic minority differently, which could in turn, disadvantage them and ultimately, result in them underachieving. Studies from different sociologists back up and support this. Gillborn and Youdell (2000) found in their studies that teachers were more likely to discipline black students quicker than they would with their white counterparts, due to the fact that teachers held “racialised expectations”. They argued that they stereotyped and expected black students to present behaviour such as threatening and challenging authority, which leaves the student feeling underestimated and picked on.
A SHADE OF COLOR Unfortunately, within the black community there has alwys been an unspoken division between women of color. With its roots in the days of slavery, this method of brainwashing was used to pit the black race against each other and today it still works. In its own way , School Daze confront a lot of issues that are prevalent today. The most dramatic scene that shows the most division is among the female students. Spike Lee divides the women of Mission College into two groups, the light- skinned girls of Gamma Ray Sorority with their perm-straightened and longer hair, and the dark-skinned independents with shorter hair and Afros.
In “Of Our Spiritual Striving,” sociologist William Edward Burghardt Du Bois writes about the “double-consciousness” that African Americans are afflicted with in the American society. He uses an even and reasoned tone throughout the entire selection as he explains how African Americans are born with a handicap because of their dark skin tone and are pitied by the white American. Du Bois asks a rhetorical question and tries to explain how it feels to be a “problem.” He explores this question by giving specific examples relating to his experiences. The strategy of repetition is used to address and emphasize the concept of “double-consciousness” and “vast veil.” Du Bois reminisces about his childhood where a girl refused to exchange greeting cards with him because of the darker color of his skin. It was then that he realized he was different from the others, thus coining the term of having a “vast veil.” He noticed that having a darker skin color is considered a problem for the African Americans because of the “double-consciousness” that comes along with being in the American society.
Our black athletes are placing our young students at a disadvantage by not informing, motivating, and encouraging them about the importance of education. ii. Athletes should be expected to set an example and urge our young students to be armed with adequate tools which will help them excel in this technical and complex world.
I do believe that the media can be held partially liable for the discrimination against African-Americans in the school system. Since I have witness much discrimination against the African-Americans, I wanted to understand their perspective and why there was so much animosity. In the African American population the amount of discrimination that takes place can steer them into poverty. Olzak, (1992) stated
What has first given to us by slave master in separating the house slaves from the field slaves, has now taken place in how we objectify our women and each other. Portrayed in Spike Lee film School Daze, prevalent in the modeling industry, and dating back to the slavery era, Colorism has and still remains a social issue that continues to segregate the black community. Racerelations.about.com defines Colorism as a practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. Colorism ties in to the field of sociology because it explores the topic of race relations amongst an ethnicity group. The social theory that would apply to the topic of Colorism would be the Scapegoat theory.
Ryan Roberts U.S. Latino/a Literature Dr. Marci Carrasquillo 3/13/2013 The Roots of Racism Education through upbringing is the largest contributing factor for a person’s racist views and prejudice ideas. While the developments of these racist views are obvious, Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie)” suggests that individuals are educated in racism because of the pressure to fulfill the social norm rather than an actual racist mindset or family approval. It is believed by many that racism is a mindset that people naturally have. The real question is how does that even make sense? Believing that a belief just coincides with you is a ludicrous notion.