Two ways that citizens react to systems of oppression are by being a bystander or upstander. Citizens represent the role of a bystander by passively watching oppression, as demonstrated by Alex from Forbidden City and the narrator from “The Hangman”. An upstander shows that he or she believes in a cause by taking action against some type of oppression, sometimes risking their lives in the process. Alex eventually transitions into an upstander, and the French Woman from “Pigeon” also shows the characteristics of an upstander. In the case of Forbidden City by William Bell, the Chinese student demonstrators are victimized by the corrupt Chinese government, who are the oppressors in the novel. Alex’s transition between roles in Forbidden
In these manners, citizens respond to systems of oppression in Forbidden City. One way citizens respond to oppression is by acting as a bystander. For instance, when Xin Hua asks Alex to take the recordings of the student demonstrations out of the country, he refuses, saying, “What I wanted most was to get out of China, to leave the horror behind me. I wasn’t responsible for what happened. So why should I risk my neck? What was in it for me, except maybe a bullet in the back of the head?” (Bell, 147). Alex refuses to take action to help the victims of the Tian An Men demonstrations, though he has the opportunity. This is because Alex thinks that he will get oppressed if he interferes with the plans of the government. Also, Alex thinks that he does not have to get the truth out about the demonstrations, as he is not a part of the oppression, targeted at Chinese university students. In these ways, Alex is a bystander amidst the oppression in Forbidden City. The narrator from “The Hangman” by Maurice Ogden is also a bystander. For instance, when the narrator is about to be murdered by the
For example, after Alex sees the murder of his good friend, Lao Xu, by the PLA, “(Alex)...has to get out of here (Tian An Men square)...I (Alex) was still Lao Xu’s friend. So I brought the camcorder to my eye and did a slow pan of the scene before me...” (Bell, 118). Knowing that the PLA are dangerous, Alex risks his life and records the violent turn of the student demonstrations, though foreign correspondents are forbidden from doing so. Alex also takes a stand to honor Lao Xu and prevent his dreadful fate from happening to the student demonstrators. This shows the belief that Alex fights for, similar to many upstanders. Thus, Alex represents an upstander, when he is under systems of oppression in Forbidden City. The French Woman from the film “Pigeon” is another great example of an upstander. After witnessing the Jewish Man protect a pigeon from two kids, the French Woman sees that he does not have his papers on the train. So, the Woman pretends that the man is her husband and gives the armed soldiers her own papers as the Jewish Man’s (Pigeon Film). The French Woman represents being an upstander during times of oppression because, knowing that the soldiers are armed, she interferes with the oppression of the Jewish Man. Thus, the French Woman risks her own life to save his. This compares to Alex, who protects the Chinese students, though he has his life on the line. In addition, the French Woman stands up to the
In conclusion it is seen that Alex has effectively changed into a man and has become a morally sensitive individual. He, for himself has chosen good
This itself alludes to America’s extreme response to communism during the Cold War era, under the influence of Senator Joe McCarthy. Similar to the paranoia that characterized the McCarthy era, Orwell’s dystopian society was expected to betray their friends, family and co-workers for the benefit of the state and themselves. This is made explicitly evident during Winston’s visit to the cafe, in which the telescreen sang; “Under the spreading chestnut tree/ I sold you and you sold me…”Foreshadowing Winston’s eventual betrayal of Maria in order to save himself, and his conformity to the party. Furthermore, the notion that “nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres in your skull” becomes ironic as the novel develops in which the criminalisation of unorthodox ideologies leads to the punishment of “thoughtcrime”, and the eventual “vaporisation” of dissidents. This itself alludes to the ‘great purges’ that took place under the terror that characterized Joseph Stalin’s reign. Likewise, the inherent fear of eccentricity amongst the oppressed citizens of “Airstrip one” is highlighted by the nature of “facecrime” in which the presence of an improper expression or any suggestion of abnormality could be punished. Thus, through Orwell 's effective use of allusion and characterisation, contextual audiences are provided with a didactic warning regarding the nature of a totalitarian reign, in which a “hideous ecstasy of fear” influences society’s
...es of individuals can be used to explore a broader social wrong, in this case the injustice of a totalitarian government. Both authors use their protagonists to depict how a dictatorial state can destroy all sense of individuality, Orwell by presenting Winston in his fight against “The Party” and Niccol by depicting Vincent in his battle against society. Both authors also use individuals, who must isolate themselves in order to survive to expose how an unjust authoritative government can manufacture isolation. Orwell and Niccol also present conflicting views on the possibility of individual rebellion in an oppressive society, reflected by the success of Vincent and failure of Winston. In their prophetic dystopian texts both George Orwell and Andrew Niccol use the experiences of their protagonists to explore the broad social wrong of a totalitarian government.
A society in which the occupants place veils upon the narrator to distort his very identity causes the narrator to feel invisible in his own mind. Where he once happily followed his false sense of belief in others only to find himself at a disadvantage. How he was able to remove the veils that society placed on him to find his own place in the society. Only to find that he has no place in society, a place in which he meant nothing. No more than the ones behind him. Ultimately leading to his rejection of the society around him. (Feels unconluded) (Fragments)
“I don’t want to be part of this kind of denying reality. We live in this time. We have to speak out” (Klayman). Ai Weiwei is an internationally known Chinese artist as well as activist, and his motivation and determination can be summed up by this quote. In all of his pieces, Weiwei critically examines the social and administrative issues facing China today. Many of his works exhibit multiple themes that can be interpreted in various different ways. This lends itself to the universal appeal of his art and makes it a more effective medium of conveying his messages to viewers. Ai Weiwei’s activist artwork—and activist artwork in general—is important to society because it effectively forces the viewer to engage in a self-reflective process that makes the viewer critically examine his or her own beliefs and world. Nevertheless, censorship greatly hinders the dissemination of the critical and thought provoking messages of Ai Weiwei’s art and makes his artwork less effective. In order to gain a better understanding of the relationship of Ai Weiwei’s activist art and the Communist Party’s subsequent censorship, I will examine Ai Weiwei’s influential childhood, his specific brand of activist artwork, the censorship of the Chinese government and the effects of censorship on the effectiveness of Ai Weiwei’s art.
As “The Blue Hotel,” “The Displaced Person,” “Bernice Bobs her Hair,” and In Dubious Battle demonstrate, the outsiders in each story, though instilling an initial fear in the eyes of society, experience a sudden and considerable downfall in the end. Each of these defeats, some more extreme than others, result from a clash of society’s fixed guidelines with an outsider’s challenge of these rules. Whether this rebellion against society constitutes a conscious or unconscious effort, and whether the punishment results in justifiable or unjustifiable consequences, one pattern emerges. The outsider instills fear in the mind of the community, and as a defense mechanism, society takes it upon itself to conquer the stranger, leading to his or her ultimate downfall.
“The conversion of assets into power generates a variety of sanctions, rewards, and instruments to penalize those who resist, to reward those who assist, to remove those who block, and to provide facilities for those who implement a collectively-set course of action.” (Etzioni 357). Amitai Etzioni is an Israeli-American philosopher, his work is mostly encapsulated in the field of socioeconomics. More specifically though, his work in communitarianism is significant. Communitarianism is the philosophy where there is a notional connection between the individual and the community. The subject of communitarianism is ever so present in the novel Invisible Man and is clearly evident when the narrator’s identity is reflected through his interactions with his surrounding community. In the ocular lenses of the narrator, the world is a secular and unequal place in all aspects. It is rigged for those
No matter how hard the Invisible Man tries, he can never break from the mold of black society. This mold is crafted and held together by white society during the novel. The stereotypes and expectations of a racist society compel blacks to behave only in certain ways, never allowing them to act according to their own will. Even the actions of black activists seeking equality are manipulated as if they are marionettes on strings. Throughout the novel the Invisible Man encounters this phenomenon and although he strives to achieve his own identity in society, his determination is that it is impossible.
Everyday people in China are suffering from their government. From being wrongly accused to being executed for petty crimes. In a country where you cannot speak your opinions, talk poorly about government officials, speak about Chinese communist failures, or even browse the internet freely. China has kept its citizens in the void. One example is the great firewall of china, which sensors most social media and other sites. This essay will go into some individual stories of the Chinese government's unfair social injustices towards its people.
As a people who were born free, futures ripe with opportunities and choices, it’s hard for most in American society to truly imagine slavery. It’s a horrific concept that is ingrained into childrens heads and then thought of as only an idea in a history class, but sadly, the past doesn’t seem to always stay in the past. Many forms of slavery that share a plethora of traits with slavery found back in the times of the civil war, are still very prevalent in the world today, domestic work and exploitation being a very huge problem in several countries.
This is demonstrated in the letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. defends his decision to taking direct action in the city of Birmingham. He states that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King 1). This demonstrates how being a bystander just leads to everyone being harmed since allowing an injustice to occur leads to the suffering of many people. Allowing injustices to take place enables evil and corruption to expand, and that leads to people being oppressed and discriminated. Even when the bystander tries to avoid problems by not joining the conflict, he is just bringing more problems to himself because he is allowing his community to be harmed. A bystander subconsciously harms himself by allowing others to be harmed. Therefore, the detrimental effects of being a bystander confirm why an individual should not be
It deals with obstacles in life and the ways they are over come. Even if you are different, there are ways for everyone to fit in. The injustices in this book are well written to inform a large audience at many age levels. The book is also a great choice for those people who cheers for the underdogs. It served to illustrate how the simple things in life can mean everything.
In society, a racial hierarchy is constructed in the form of racism, where each race is classified, such as the whites being the most superior, whereas the blacks are perceived as inferior. Oppression takes formation in several ways and can limit a certain group from excelling in life, and suppressing their own cultural values. In the autobiography of Assata, Skakur depicts how oppression is present in every day society and its impact on Blacks.
The narrator of “Black Men and Public Space” takes a similar approach of exemplifying his helplessness. This narrator explained how he understood the stigma associated with his appearance and did his best to circumvent it, but unfortunately some situations rendered him helpless. In the opening paragraph, he describes a woman’s extremely cautious actions when she became aware of his presence one the dark and desolate street. He later explains how the encounter
the city’s hypnotic influence"(Dreiser, 79) it becomes clear that in fact she is not a helpless victim by any means – she just simply