Tyranny has long affected our people and for many years made it so that we are not able to be freely go after what makes us happy and what makes us feel proud of our self’s. The short story titled “The prisoner who wore glasses” by Bessie head is about a work camp in south Africa that contains a group of black men who are political prisoners. We see in this text how one of the prisoners named Brille blackmails the new warder who has been oppressing the group for the first couple of weeks he had been at the camp. With new information that the warden had been stealing fertilizer for his personal farm Brille is able to reach a more comfortable life for him and his fellow prisoners. The theme in “The prisoner who wore glasses” by Bessie head is …show more content…
In the text when the main character Brille drops the cabbages on the ground and get in trouble for it the warder get so mad he takes 3 meals from all the group which is not fair because Brille is the one who dropped the cabbages. In the text “The prisoner who wore glasses” by Bessie head it states, “never mind, brother,” they said. “What happens to one of us, happens to all.” This show greats amount of unity in the groups because they were not blaming just Brille but the whole group was able to stick by his side and they all took the punishment as if they had done the crime. Clearly the theme of unity is shown by all of the …show more content…
In the short story when they were working in the fields and where in the camps they did everything together as one and in unity. In the text “The prisoner who wore glasses” by Bessie head it states, “They lived all day on raw cabbages. They chatted and smoked tobacco. And since they moved, thought and acted as one, they had perfected every technique of group concealment.” This shows how they were truly like a family and would do everything together. Further in the text it also states, “He pulled out a four once packet of tobacco by way of explanation and the comrades fell upon it with great greed.”(Head line 95) This evidence shows how they were gratefully with one another and they both helped each other out and they loved each other and shared everything together. Clearly unity is show when they share everything they
His audience can see, from his initial introduction to language, to his cultural education, to his superiors’ reaction to his literacy, that Baca’s willingness to speak out, to write poetry, and to communicate are inherent acts of resistance and revolution, no matter how inconsequential they may seem at face value. As his memoir is a depiction of a real life, whether liberation is or is not achieved is up for debate (if liberation is achievable at all), but, through the use of language, Baca establishes the beginning of his resistance to many of the vicious cycles which marginalization can perpetuate, a form of resistance that will hopefully continue on to aid the generations that may follow in his footsteps. Through language, Baca finds his self-worth and is able to acknowledge the systematic injustices that have plagued and destroyed facets of himself, as well as most of his family. Though language does not provide the opportunity to entirely reconstruct what has been lost, it can act as a safeguard against the possibility of even more devastation. Thus, the existence of A Place to Stand is a form of resistance in itself. Just like other texts by incarcerated figures, such as Wall Tappings and Mother California, Jimmy Santiago Baca’s memoir is a staunch reminder that incarcerated men and women desperately and unequivocally believe they need to be
Mutilating the whites and leaving their bodies lying is inhumane. It is such a shocking story! This book was meant to teach the reader about the inhumanity of slavery. It also gives us the image of what happened during the past years when slavery was practised. The book is significant in the sense that it gives even the current generation the knowledge of slavery, how it happened and the reason for slavery.
Being together and having this kind of trust, can also build a strong bond within the family. Building good bonds within a family can help to build a strong core, and when someone has a problem, they know they have their family to lean on. Having a strong core within a family develops a sense of security, because each person knows that they have eachother’s backs. The bond built between family members can help you solve any problems you face in life. In Desert Exile, many times there were parts of the text that showed lots of selflessness or selfishness. These traits can be described when the author is talking about her mother, “My sister and I worried about Mama, for she wasn’t strong… she in turn was, worrying about us, and of course we all worried and wondered about Papa.”(pg. 303). Each family member is worried about one another and is thinking of ways that they can help to keep them safe. The longer they are kept in the camps, the stronger the bonds between them will grow. They are doing everything to keep their mother warm and from becoming
This theme of community is present throughout the book; for example, Muley Graves says that if a man has food, and sees a fellow man hungry, he must share it (Lisca 102). This sense of community is present throughout the book as many migrant workers who are in the same pair of shoes find a need for another family and fill it as best they can. For example, instead of splitting their train car with another family, Jenkins 2 Al tears down the tarpaulin between the two families and the family welcomes them (Lisca 102). Finally, Casy is killed in a strike advocating for what he believed in. It wasn’t for himself; it was for others he died, just as Jesus Christ did.
The society in question is refuses to reciprocate the equality envisioned by the narrator and without any intention of compliance continually uses this man to their own advantage. It is not only this exploitation, b...
In the Summer of 1787, fifty-five delegates representing 12 out of the 13 states in Philadelphia to fix the Articles of Confederation. They met in philadelphia because the Articles of Confederation was too weak. Shay’s rebellion was the end of the Articles of Confederation bringing down the whole network calling for a change of government. They did this to prevent a tyrant or tyranny. A tyrant/tyranny is when someone or a group abuses their power. The Constitution guarded against tyranny through Federalism, Separation of powers, Checks and Balances, and The Great Compromise.
Constitution and Tyranny Tyranny is cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control. This one act could ultimately be the downfall of a people, of a government, of a nation. Chaos ensues and the structure of the country collapses. The colonial United States required a plan of protection from tyranny, which led our Founding Fathers to institute the Constitution. The Constitution, written in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, provides a backbone for our country.
The victims of judgment, although bold on the outside, face several obstacles others are ignorant of. Dunbar, a member of the African-American community, assesses how the surrounding groups force him and his people to smile with “torn and bleeding hearts” (Dunbar 4). Artificially smiling, they, consequently, decide to ignore the truth of their hardships to feel secure. The strong adjectives associated with “hearts” emphasize the impact of these challenges on their lives. By exhibiting synthetic strength and not addressing these hurdles in life, Dunbar reveals how society refuses to accept and embrace others’ problems. Moreover, by repeating the phrase “We smile,” he shows how a simple facial movement is so powerful and allows individuals to ignore situations they deem difficult (Dunbar 10). In an environment that judges by a glimpse and often does not take the time to listen to the difficulties of others, it is not possible to open up and share. As a way to protect their dignity and maintain a sense of strength, they escape reality. Through both of these works of literature, it is clear that in an environment that compels change, the population will adapt to better fit in and reveal other sides to
Oppression is the systematic method of prolonged cruelty and unjust treatment, often intended for those who are deemed “different” by a hierarchical society. It’s a basis that can be found in the plot of a fictional movie or novel, but most importantly, it’s an aspect of both past and modern life that has affected multiple nations. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, is a humanitarian who embodies the personal experiences of what being oppressed feels like – how it itches at one’s skin like the hatred and stares directed at them. The reason he is so important is because of his stories; what he has seen. The insight and intelligence he has brought forth further educates those who had previously accepted the world with their eyes closed.
As World War II occurred, the Jewish population suffered a tremendous loss and was treated with injustice and cruelty by the Nazi’s seen through examples in the book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl records his experiences and observations during his time as prisoner at Auschwitz during the war. Before imprisonment, he spent his leisure time as an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist in Vienna, Austria and was able to implement his analytical thought processes to life in the concentration camp. As a psychological analyst, Frankl portrays through the everyday life of the imprisoned of how they discover their own sense of meaning in life and what they aspire to live for, while being mistreated, wrongly punished, and served with little to no food from day to day. He emphasizes three psychological phases that are characterized by shock, apathy, and the inability to retain to normal life after their release from camp. These themes recur throughout the entirety of the book, which the inmates experience when they are first imprisoned, as they adapt as prisoners, and when they are freed from imprisonment. He also emphasizes the need for hope, to provide for a purpose to keep fighting for their lives, even if they were stripped naked and treated lower than the human race. Moreover, the Capos and the SS guards, who were apart of the secret society of Hitler, tormented many of the unjustly convicted. Although many suffered through violent deaths from gas chambers, frostbites, starvation, etc., many more suffered internally from losing faith in oneself to keep on living.
Knowing and understanding the author’s purpose, we see where he is coming from and what his “point of view” is. We see that the author is someone that does not agree with the activities that occur in the native prison. It makes the author feel uncomfortable with the establishment and its procedures.
Throughout history, there has been countless times where a country is ran by tyranny, and countless times where tyranny negatively affects the country. Our country, the United States of America, was one of those countries at one point, but we thankfully got out of it from war. Since our country didn’t want to go back to tyranny, people had to create a system, and a set of principles that would prevent that from happening. So, the Constitution was made. Tyranny is a government ran by one person, or a small amount of people, and the United States got out of it, but we still had to establish a way to prevent it from happening again. The constitution did it’s job and protected against tyranny by the small states vs. large states, federalism, separation of power, and checks and balances.
As “Resistance to apartheid within South Africa took many forms over the years,” Jack Cope expressed his views by writing about it. He wrote about the swallow as if it was an allusion to what was happening in his country at the time. The swallow hung there alone “flapping its wings … caught by its leg (39).” Much like those of different races in South Africa, the swallow was stuck, not able to move or become free. The “screens of barbed wire (36)” were kept in place as a measure to stop people from going near the power line.
From the child in Omelas to a slaving factory worker, those who struggle from oppression have channeled their worth and refuse to remain pushed to the side and neglected.
Nour Ellisy 3/11/14 English 10H Ms.Metrakos Annotated Bibliography Entries. Annotated Bibliography Entry Source #1 Nelson Mandela taught us that the humanity all of us share can help us transcend the sins some of us commit. There is no better example of the transformative power of tolerance and reconciliation than Nelson Mandela and his inspiring work in overthrowing the apartheid government in South Africa. He understood the power of words to change minds and the power of peaceful deeds to open hearts. His life reminds us that justice and tolerance can overcome even the greatest cruelty.