The two short stories “Two Fishermen” and “The Snob” (both written by Morley Callaghan) feature protagonists struggling to feel accepted by society. They then turn to discrimination towards the people they care about to make themselves feel like they fit in. Michael, an ambitious journalist from “Two Fishermen” develops a friendship with a hangman named Smitty. He does anything to avoid being seen with Smitty in town because of how much the town dislikes him. To be seen with Smitty could be “detrimental” to Michaels reputation as a rising journalist. Similarly, in “The Snob” the protagonist John is embarrassed to be seen with his dad in front of his higher-class girlfriend Grace. Discrimination in society is driven from one’s own insecurities. …show more content…
This in consequence leads to unfair first impressions. For example, in “Two Fishermen” when Michael and Smitty are sitting in the boat and Michael asks about Smitty’s job, “[Smitty] wasn’t ashamed as he looked down on the water, but he knew that Michael thought he ought to be ashamed.” Two Fishermen This demonstrates the fact that Smitty knows that no matter who he meets or how good or bad of a person he is, that his occupation as a hangman does not attract people to him; although he does not care. However, in “The Snob” John sees his poorly dressed father in the book store from the corner of his eye and immediately asks his girlfriend Grace to leave the store. “[John] was ashamed, but felt that his shame was justified, for Grace’s father had this smooth, confident manner of a man who had lived his all his life among people who were rich themselves.” The Snob Therefore, John’s actions illustrate the importance of first impressions and emphasizes that having relations with someone who demonstrates qualities that are unfavourable to society can damage others impression of you, leaving people that are insecure to
Ivan Glasenberg, the CEO of Glencore, once said “I stopped focusing on people being different, and started treating everyone the same way.” An authority figure refuses to acknowledge the differences in people, and treats different individuals the same way. Authoritarian figures have shut down people, mostly kids, who are different for years. Striving to reach a conformity in society, they refuse to recognize the uniqueness of every individual. Similarly, in the short story “Antaeus”, the main character, T.J., is evidently different from the rest of urban society, much to authority’s disliking. In Borden Deal’s short story “Antaeus”, the author uses the main character ,T.J., to demonstrate that when man is different from the rest of society,
She compares the two careless who seem equally improbable candidates for self-respect: Julian English in Appointment in Samarra and Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby; Jordan Baker had a self-respect, while Julian English didn’t and committed suicide. An incurably dishonest, Jordan Baker once said in The Great Gatsby, “It takes two to make an accident”. To wit, she justified what she had done (primarily bad) by recognizing that not only in car accidents, in which it is more often than not one person’s fault, but also in a relationship, two people have to involve. If Jordan Baker didn’t have self-respect, just like Julian English, she would not sleep, to say nothing of caring about how other people would think of her. Rather, knowing the price of things, she stands as a great example of person with self-respect having the courage of one’s mistakes. Also, Jordan Baker, unlike Daisy in The Great Gatsby, a fool with money who married a rich man, bewitched by the sensual voice of money at the moment, will probably cut off the ring of same miseries
In the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, the lower-class, known as the Greasers, and the upper-class, known as Socs, deal with the animosity and daily struggles they have with each other. The novel focuses on the struggles and experiences with being an outsider to society and coping with the rich side of town through Ponyboy’s eyes. His life changes when tensions rise and many tragic things happen to the Greasers and Socs that will create agony in many but heroes in a few. The three topics addressed in this compelling novel are the fight between the rich and the poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.
Self-deprecation makes the readers think that Nick Carraway is weak and thus, questioning his ability to narrate the story as an unbiased and upstanding gentleman. In addition, self-deprecation can be a sign of deeper routed issues that have not surfaced within Nick Carraway. An instance of self-deprecation by Nick Carraway is when he discusses his house next to Jay Gatsby’s mansion and other wealthy families, “small eyesore, even though it offers him the consoling proximity of millionaires”. He calls his house an ‘eye sore’ as it is not has grandiose as the other mansions that surround his abode. By doing so, the readers may question his confidence and whether he is joking or he actually feels that he is not as successful as those around him. As advice to help Nick overcome his self-deprecation, he should find methods to boost his confidence. Self-deprecation is seen as a form escape from reality by using laughter and jokes to deter the attention. By bolstering his confidence, he will no longer need to self-deprecate and can see himself as an equal to the rest of the wealthy families in the area. This also makes Nick Carraway a stronger narrator as he does not doubt himself, thus the reader does not doubt him as
For example, in the first paragraph Eighners states that he researched the word “Dumpster” by writing to the Merriam-Webster to discover the origin of the word belongs to the “Dempster Dumpster,” (55). This is evident that the author is an educated individual which is not something the reader might have expected about a homeless person. By doing this, Eighner is grabbing the reader’s attention and steering them away from the fact that he has a low socioeconomic status. According to the third paragraph, Eighner also asserts his preference over the word “scavenging” than “dumpster diving” by stating that he likes “the frankness of the word” that makes it sound like an “honorable niche” (55). In this case, the author is being honest and not ashamed of his status or of the way society may perceives him as. He believes that being a scavenger is something he feels honorable about, and not something others may pity him for. This assertion makes the reader create a greater sense of respect for the author because Eighner is being honest and accepting his way of living by owing to what he has “learned as a scavenger,” (55). The reader may not expect the author to feel pride in being a scavenger, but Eighner emphasizes his perception in hopes of gaining the readers trust and respect to prove that
Another factor in the storyline is society's attitude to class differences. Higher classed people were never allowed to socialise with people below their class. For example, Alice who is a young girl born to a rich high-classed family queries why she cannot marry Thomas, a lower classed boy. This is answered by "'Cos he's not a gentleman." Higher classed people were not permitted to marry out of their class. If they did it would be considered shameful and parents would often disown their children. Another example is, "Never was he more ashamed than when he saw their eyes scan his heavy jacket and breeches, his hob-nailed boots and cotton shirt and these were his best clothes" this is when Thomas visits Alexander's house. Alexander is much higher classed. It shows how he feels to be in the company of those higher classed.
For example, Tom reveals himself to be racist through his belief that the white race is superior: “It is up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (17). Tom’s arrogance also manifests itself through his elitist attitude. This is evident by the way he believes his education and class have given him a deeper understanding of the world, making his opinion indisputable: “‘Well these books are all scientific’ insisted Tom” (17). One could infer that his elitist and racist views are, in part, due to the fact he was born into money and has very little appreciation for hard work and honesty. This lack of honesty is revealed during dinner, as he leaves the table to answer a phone call from his mistress: “Tom’s got some woman in New York” (19). Tom represents men from old and established families, thus revealing the author’s perception of his class to be immoral and often
For many year humans have been trying to fight against discrimination in their communities, but it's an uphill battle that doesn’t seem like it’s been fully wiped out yet in our society. Discrimination and Prejudice has been a key issue that has affected many people around the world. In the movie that we saw in class, “My Cousin Vinny” (1992) it focused on these key issues of prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes and even eye witness testimonies. In the movie it focuses on these key issues while bringing a little humor to the viewers. In this paper I will be going into more detail of how this movie really brought to light these key issues.
People from different social classes lead different lives and treated differently by others. Society never promotes equality but categorizes them. In Bastard Out of Carolina, unfair treatment provokes characters who are in the bottom of the society and destroy them mentally. The author, Dorothy Allison tells in the novel of how anger could build up from the social inequities and personal insecurity that possibly burns one's true identity.
However as humans we usually try to regain a good reputation because we care more about what people think about us rather than actually becoming good people. In the short story If I quench thee, Arthur Stern, an obvious man of wealth who reluctantly went to visit his daughter, Monica. He is shocked and displeased when a black man comes to
Salinger examines the idea of in order to lose one’s egotistical behaviour is to respect all individuals. In the story, Franny and Zooey comes from a family-run segment on the radio that showcases their intelligence. However, due to the fact that they struggle to respect people who they believe are egotistical, their older brother, Seymour, tells them to show kindness towards the Fat Lady who is listening to them on the radio: “He said to shine them for the Fat Lady... He never did tell me who the Fat lady was, but I shined my shoes for the Fat Lady every time I ever went on the air again” (Salinger 199). Furthermore, Zooey reveals to Franny, who desires to rid all of her egotistical behaviour, that the Fat Lady represents all individuals.
Social class is a major theme in the book The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison is saying that there are dysfunctional families in every social class, though people only think of it in the lower class. Toni Morrison was also stating that people also use social class to separate themselves from others and apart from race; social class is one thing Pauline and Geraldine admire.Claudia, Pecola, and Frieda are affected by not only their own social status, but others social status too - for example Geraldine and Maureen Peal. Characters in the book use their social class as another reason for being ugly. Readers are reminded of the theme every time a new character enters into the book.
In James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, the narrator acknowledges how people of different social classes are treated differently amongst society. Characters of high status are often described as being as manipulative and having the ability to control those around them with their money, but still respected. While characters of low status are shown as being naive and clinging to others for their own personal gain and, looked down upon. In James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, the narrator demonstrates how society views social classes and how that influences their perception of individuals.
...udice in the social ladder. The Bennet family, although wealthy, was looked down upon, is relation to their social status. They were seen as low on the social ladder, because they had "new money." Lady Catherine, is another example of pride and prejudice displayed through social status, "Now and then they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation…" Lady Catherine noticed flaws in everyone and used her position and title of "Lady" to rise above everyone and make herself seem superior to them. Her position gives her pride and she flaunts it in a negative way.
...y a set of expectations and values that are established on mannerisms and conduct challenged by Elizabeth. From this novel, it is evident that the author wrote it with awareness of the class issues that affect different societies. Her annotations on the fixed social structure are important in giving a solution to the current social issues; that even the class distinctions and restrictions can be negotiated when an individual turns down bogus first impression s.