Piper Chapman Character Analysis

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Television shows are very pivotal to help understand the different factors that create society. For my analysis, I chose the television show Orange is the New Black. Orange is the New Black chronicles the life of Piper Chapman who is incarcerated in a women’s prison for being a drug trafficker. The show focusing on the themes such as race, sexuality, and gender represent how diverse women in are in society; and gives a deeper understanding to their deviant behaviors. Piper Chapman is a woman in her early thirties that is sent to Litchfield Penitentiary for her role in a drug trafficking ring. Chapman does not fit the stereotype of a criminal. She is a white female from an upper-class family that is college educated. Piper being incarcerated …show more content…

The prison spates the women in different dorms based on their race. The dorms are given names, like “Spanish Harlem”, and “The Ghetto”. All the minorities have their own small communities in the prison, and are basically living in segregation. Race is a large component in the series to understanding each woman’s story and how they are viewed by authority figures. The minorities in prison are stereotyped by the guards. They are called racial slurs by correctional officers and talked down to them in condescending tones. Their concerns for their communities are ignored, while the Caucasian inmates are treated fairly. An example of this treatment can be seen in the series when the Hispanic bathroom floods with feces due to pipe issues. Instead of the prison officials fixing the bathroom they order the Hispanics to use the African American dorm’s bathroom. This causes a large problem in the prison because the black inmates feel like the Hispanic inmates are taking over. The series giving instances of prejudice emphasize how harsh the conditions are, and that people in society still have stereotypical mindsets when it involves interacting with

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