African-Americans aged 12 and up are the most victimized group in America. 41.7 over 1,000 of them are victims of violent crimes, compared with whites (36.3 over 1,000). This does not include murder. Back then during the era of the Jim Crow laws, it was even worse. However, during that time period when there were many oppressed blacks, there were many whites who courageously defied against the acts of racism, and proved that the color of your skin should not matter. This essay will compare and contrast two Caucasian characters by the names of Hiram Hillburn (The Mississippi Trial, 1955) and Celia Foote (The Help), who also went against the acts of prejudice. Hiram Hillburn is a 16 year old boy who grew up with his narrow-minded grandpa in …show more content…
She was more of a very joyous, bubbly character, oblivious of what could’ve happened having Minny as not only her maid, but her friend. On the other hand, Hiram is not the case with being that way. He is more of a calm, mellow teenager who eventually learned to be assertive with his beliefs. In addition to these differences, they also had other minor traits. Celia was older, living in Jackson, Mississippi, while Hiram was younger visiting Greenwood, Mississippi. Another difference which was very obvious was their gender. Additionally, Celia is married. Hiram is not, but he does have a love interest (Naomi Rydell). Each have their own internal struggles too. Celia faces having many miscarriages, and fearing that her husband would leave her for her lack of womanly skills (cooking, cleaning,etc.), while Hiram did not get along with his father for the longest time, since he moved him away from his grandpa and Greenwood. They may have had their diverse situations, but they both had faith in one thing: the wrongness of mistreating African-Americans and how it should not …show more content…
She was not aware of the hatred many had for her, especially Hilly, for marrying her ex boyfriend, hiring her ex maid (who also put her feces in a “special pie” she made for her), and wearing raunchy skin showing clothes that distracted the husbands of many, including her own. Minny attempted to teach Celia that it was not okay for her husband not knowing that she had not only a maid, but a black maid. In addition to that, she also taught her other various things, and they bonded during the movie. Similarly, Hiram had the same situation. He met Emmett Till, a chicago raised negro, who didn’t know that he had to treat the whites in a particular way in the south. In one section of the book, Hiram gave a very famished Emmett the rest of his lunch. R.C., a rambunctious 18 year old who Hiram had known since he was a child, awoke from his nap, was furious of what he did, and tortured and beat Emmett. Just from witnessing that, Hiram finally knew what his dad had always argued about with his grandpa. Celia also realized that Minny had been mistreated by the women of the high society. After some time, these two character knew the hateful and evil acts of many of the Southern people, and would not stand for it. They were the outsiders, the odd men (and women
One's identity is a very valuable part of their life, it affects the Day to day treatment others give them which can lead to how the individual feels emotionally. Atticus, defending Tom Robinson, who is an african american man from the plaintiff of the case, Mayella Ewell, who is a caucasian woman, accusing that Tom raped her is supposivly a lob sided case. During the great depression, any court session that contained a person of color against a caucasian would always contain the “white” individual winning the case. The cause of the bias outcome comes from the lawyer of the african american does not try to defend or the jury goes against the person of color simply because their black, this shows the effect of racism to anyone’s identity in the courtroom for a case simply because of race. Atticus, deciding to take Tom Robinson’s case seriously sacrifices his identity as the noble man he is, to being called many names for this action, such as “nigger lover”. He is questioned by
Deborah Gray White was one of the first persons to vigorously attempt to examine the abounding trials and tribulations that the slave women in the south were faced with. Mrs. White used her background skills acquired from participating in the Board of Governors Professor of History and Professor of Women 's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University to research the abundance of stories that she could gather insight from. It was during her studies that she pulled her title from the famous Ain’t I A Woman speech given by Sojourner Truth. In order to accurately report the discriminations that these women endured, White had to research whether the “stories” she was writing about were true or not.
In this story it clearly shows us what the courts really mean by freedom, equality, liberty, property and equal protection of the laws. The story traces the legal challenges that affected African Americans freedom. To justify slavery as the “the way things were” still begs to define what lied beneath slave owner’s abilities to look past the wounded eyes and beating hearts of the African Americans that were so brutally possessed.
Throughout his literature, James Baldwin discusses the issues of racial inequality within America and discusses reasons for the conflicts between races, proposing his solutions to the problems. One of the most important and recurring motifs between his works is the idea of history; the history of whites in western society and its origin in European thinking and the history of the American Negro, whose history is just as American as his white counterpart’s. The importance of these histories as being one combined “American history” is integral to the healing process between the two races. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision is a landmark event for blacks and whites alike, and the events following three years later in Little Rock, Arkansas mark the beginning of a long journey to fulfill the promise of equal education made by the Supreme Court. The 1957 events in Little Rock quickly became the nationally covered story of the Little Rock Nine, a legacy that still lives on today despite a James Baldwin prediction made in his essay “Take Me to the Water.” Specifically, nine African-American students were given permission by the Little Rock school board to attend Central High School, one of the nation’s top 40 high schools, integrating a formally all-white campus. During the initial weeks, these students were prevented from entering the school by US military summoned by the Arkansas governor. The Little Rock case drew immediate media attention and became a nationwide symbol of the civil rights movement. The story of the Little Rock Nine embodies James Baldwin’s arguments and observations regarding necessity of education as a crucial step to achievin...
Throughout the course of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, numerous characters stand out for their complexity in character. However, only a fraction of those can contend with the memorability and intricacy of Evangeline and Ophelia St. Clare. In the chapters the two become included in, they possess influence over the other characters, including Uncle Tom, the lead protagonist. The individuals obtain stark contrasts between each other, from their personalities to their personal convictions. Additionally, they also vary in the level of character development they undergo in the story.
In “ ‘It Was Like All of Us Had Been Raped’: Sexual Violence, Community Mobilization, and the African American Freedom Struggle” by Danielle L. McGuire, McGuire begins her piece with a haunting tale of the rape of Betty Jean Owens, that really illustrates the severity of racial brutality in the 1950s. She depicts a long history of african-american women who refuse to remain silent, even in the face of adversity, and even death, and who've left behind a testimony of the many wrong-doings that have been done to them. Their will to fight against the psychological and physical intimidation that expresses male domination and white supremacy is extremely admirable. The mobilization of the community, and the rightful conviction of the 4 white men most definitely challenged ideologies of racial inequality and sexual domination, and inspired a revolution in societal
Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife were all essential characters in the novel because they showed that prejudice didn’t come in one for but many, and that discrimination is fueled by cruel words and stereotypes which is why the same issues present in Steinbeck’s novel are still being dealt with
The plight of the civil rights movement stands as one of the most influential and crucial elements to African-American history. We can accredit many activist, public speakers, and civil rights groups, to the equality and civil rights that African-American men and women are able to have in this country today. We see repeated evidence of these historical movements describes in fiction, plays, TV, and many other forms of media and literature. An artistic license is provided to many authors developing these concepts amongst their writing. When examining specific characters and literary works you can see an indirect comparison to the personality traits, actions, decisions, and journey to that of real-life historical figures.
The way Staples structures this essay emphasizes his awareness of the problem he faces. The essay’s framework consists mostly of Staples informing the reader of a scenario in which he was discriminated against and then following it with a discussion or elaboration on the situation. This follow-up information is often an expression stating comprehension of his problem and than subtitle, logical criticisms toward it. For example, Staples describes women “fearing the worst of him” on the streets of Brooklyn. He then proceeds to declare that he understands that “women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence.” Staples supports this statement with information about how he had witnessed gang violence in Chester, Pennsylvania and saw countless black youths locked away, however, Staples pronounces that this is no excuse for holding every young black man accountable, because he was an example of a black man who “grew up one of the good boys” coming “to doubt the virtues of intimidation early on.” This narrative structure highlights that Staples is not a hypocrite because he is not show ignorance toward the problem he is addressing unlik...
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows the struggles of a defense lawyer, Atticus Finch, and the difficulties of cases pertaining to African Americans. Atticus Finch is a great example of how some civil rights defenders such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B Johnson experienced struggles and difficulties when supporting and defending civil rights. From reading this paper, one can understand key historical figures in the actual Civil Rights movement, understand historical accounts of white defenders being discriminated against by African Americans, and decipher how African Americans have looked at white lawyers through history.
The book by Faith Ringgold entitled Faith Ringgold, explains the story of a mother and daughter during the Harlem Renaissance era in New York. According to the book, the series deals with many generational issues of a middle class black family and focuses on the drama, and tension between a mother and daughter who are profoundly different. The series represents a relationship much like the relationship between Faith Ringgold and her two daughters. The story follows a daughter named, Celia Cleopatra Price, a graduate of Howard University, who graduated first in her class. She is unable to identify with her mother, CeeCee. CeeCee had only finished the 8th grade and dropped out due to her pregnancy with Celia. CeeCee is a very creative individual and makes bags; she is married to”the dentist”, who a young CeeCee meets in the first quilt Love in the School Yard. CeeCee thinks Celia has develope...
...ith the three of them? Minny thinks, “I don’t care that much about voting. I don’t care about eating at a counter with white people. What I care about is, if in ten years, a white lady will call my girls dirty and accuse them of stealing silver.” (Stockett 256) That is such a powerful thought from Minny. She is tired of white people looking down on her and at the end of the day she wants change not for her, but for her children. Minny knew what they were doing was for the greater good.
Wright, R. (2001). The ethics of living Jim Crow: An autobiographical sketch. In P. Rothenberg (Ed.). Race, class, and gender in the United States: An integrated study. (5th ed. pp. 21-30). New York: Worth Publishers.
In the article, The Ethics of Living Jim Crow Laws the author Richard Wright, describes many situations throughout his life in which he has been discriminated against due to his race. Wright’s main idea in this article was to use his personal experiences to show the brutal discrimination blacks faced against whites and how it affected them.
Hiram is a calm and moral character which could mean his zodiac sign is probably Pisces (Born February 19 through March 20). Pisces “are honest, unselfish, and trustworthy and often have quiet dispositions” (Astrology). In the book “Mississippi Trial, 1955” author Chris Crowe has Hiram say “Quiet, R.C.! Dang it, if they hear us, I’m going to be in big trouble with Gramma. You know she thinks we ought not bother Ralph and Ronnie” (16). This shows he is Pisces because he’s being honest and trustworthy. Hiram is also gullible, this is shown when in the book R.C. says “Naw, but the boy don’t know his place. Folks are sayin’ he talked ugly and whistled at her. A married woman, even. The lady’s husband was pretty upset when he heard ‘bout