Laws cannot stop prejudice
Laws are no good. To stop prejudice you have first to change people's minds In our society today, we all know about the obvious consequences that come about for certain actions; murder leads to prison time as does theft, perjury and many other crimes. But as it now come to the point where for some crimes these sanctions are simply no longer effective? To be prejudiced is to prejudge an individual or group of people based on insufficient knowledge, irrational feelings, or inaccurate stereotypes. When unfair action or treatment occurs to a person or group due to another's prejudice, that prejudice then becomes discrimination. The past few years are evidence enough that laws against discrimination are in some part ineffective. Many attacks have been carried out on innocent people purely because of prejudice. Cases like that of Anthony Walker have almost become the norms in our society now, in fact last year there were 9, 528 victims of hate crime. So maybe it truly is time to take a different look at the way things are handled. Prejudice can be initiated by many means; jealousy, need of someone to blame, upbringing, and even fear. If these causes of prejudice are still present in our society with no attempts to disperse of them or the prejudice they cause, then is the enforcement of law not in actuality futile? If the very thing that caused a crime still exists within the
The narrator in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
The narrator in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man views himself as invisible because he believes the world is full of blind men who cannot see him for who is really is. In the beginning of the story, the narrator is treated by white men as the stereotypical black male - sex-hungry, poor and violent. These white men are completely blind to what black men really are. However, as the novel progresses, the narrator finds a way to remain invisible, yet take power from those who previously held it. Later on, we find that the invisible man eventually develops into a man capable of fighting stereotypes and racism in a very visible way. Through this progression, the narrator is able to beat away racist attitudes. In chapter one, we are introduced to the narrator and quickly we see that he is being dominated by white confines of racism and stereotypes. The narrator starts by reminiscing about his class speech during his high school graduation. The speech stressed submission as the way for black Americans to advance in the social structure. The speech was so well received that the town arranged for him to give the speech in front of the town's most influential white leaders. In the narrator's eyes, the white men are rewarding his submissive nature. But the reader is presented with the truth of what is actually going on when he arrives to meet these men. First, the white men bring out a
Libertarian Studies - The discovered truth.
The Discovered Truth Racism is often caused by the ignorance of people who are unfamiliar with one another's ethnic cultures and race. Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior to other races. Racial profiling is one form of racism. Many people who are not of a minority group think that racial profiling is not a big issue, or that racial profiling is necessary. This indifference, among people who are not of a minority group, is caused because it doesn't affect them or their way of life. However, racial profiling is a very big issue today. Racial profiling targets minorities based on generalizations, insignificant stops for the wrong reasons, and cops excessively abusing their power from assumptions. Many people believe that Police officers use deadly force only when necessary. For example Michael Levin who is a contributing editor for Libertarian Studies, labeling every police-minority altercations as racist is unfair. He notes that police have more encounters with black suspects because blacks commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes. He also claims that police use deadly force only when a suspect threatens them. (Levin,pg.1) I disagree with Levin. I believe that being judged because of skin color in any situation should be considered as racism. If "police use deadly force only when they are threatened by a suspect," how would one
Marriage in Christianity.
Marriage In Christianity Before marriage in Christianity most Christians believe that being in a relationship is to get to know each other and see if they are strong enough as partners to get married and to continue the teachings of christianity to their Children. Christians believe that within a relationship sex is forbidded until marriage but some christians believe that if the couple both love each other them its OK. Christians beleive that marriage is really a life long committment. Christians say this because marriage wes created by God and that God made this to symbolise the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Church. christians beleive that is part of Gods plan for humanity. There are different ways in which Christians get married, the most common method is getting married at church. Wedding customs in Christianity vary according to the famillies culture, race or ancestors. The reason they beleive that marriage should be for life is that it the best envioroment for the family to have children. In marriages the bride and groom would get married at the church with either sides family at the wedding to witness the marriage. The bride would usually wear white to symbolise purity and would be accompanied by maybe bridesmaids who would hold her long dress and throw confetti around her and the groom would werar black. The bride and groom would make vows and
How does Betchman portray the weakness of English Middle Classes in Westminster Abbey
How does Betchman portray the weakness of English Middle Classes in Westminster Abbey? In the poem 'In Westminster Abbey' the poet (John Betchman) speaks in from the view of a lady living in the English middle classes in the period, in which the Second World War took place. The poet has set the poem in the head of the heart of England's church, Westminster Abbey. The poet narrates to the reads the feelings of this lady and her feelings of the war, but what the poet does in mainly stereotype all women in the English middle classes at the time. In the following I shall talk about how poet portrays the weakness of the English middle classes. The poem starts of with the lady talking to god and continues through out with this lady talking to god. The poet sustains a continues rhythm through out with a regular four beats in each line, for example 'LET me TAKE this OTHER glove OFF' , this technique retains the readers interest in the poem since the this technique has been used consistently through out the poem. An additional technique that the poet has used is couplets this is another method that stays persistent through the poem, for example in the first stanza lines two and four; 'Let me take this other glove off As the vox Humana swells And the beauteous fields of Eden Bask beneath the Abbey bells.' This is another example of the poet trying to keep the reader attracted
Whatdo Christians believe about justice and forgiveness
What do Christians believe about justice and forgiveness For Christians, Jesus was sent from God to bring justice to the earth and in the Kingdom of God, when it fully arrives, justice will reign. Christians believe that justice is more than just doing what is right. "Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6: V8) is an example of what is said in the Bible. As well as this, justice concerns the element of judgement. It is believed that God judges Christians on everything they do and one day there will be a day of judgement when God will judge everyone fairly based on their life. An example of this is in the Old Testament, when Adam and Eve went against God's wishes by eating the fruit. God judged them both and sent them out of the perfect garden. Christians believe that God is a God of justice and demands us to live in justice. Jesus spoke of the day of judgement, when the Son of Man would sit on his throne and everyone would be judged to be either a sheep or a goat. By working for justice in their lives, Christians can get closer to God rather than turning away from him through sin and this is a reason why justice is so important to Christians. Forgiveness is completely vital in Christianity and it is a basis of the faith itself, as the world was forgiven for its sins, through the death of Jesus. Forgiveness is essential in order for there to be peace
Crooks is a Negro stable buck
In chapter four of the story "Of Mice and Men" we are immediately introduced to Crooks. Through the great detailed description given by Steinbeck the reader can learn many things about Crooks' character. Crooks' name itself suggests that there is something physically wrong with him. His physical disability is one of the many ways that he suffers on the ranch. He is not shown much in the first three chapters and this indicates his position in society as very low because he is not noticed, and therefore is not important. However, unlike the other characters in the story, he is the only African American worker on the ranch. Initially, Crooks was forced to live separately from the other workers in "a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn" implying to the fact that he was treated like an animal, as a barn is a place where animals live. This clearly shows that he was treated with inequality by the other men. Due to the colour of his skin Crooks was enforced to live on his own alongside the animals. The fact that he had "his bunk in the harness room" suggests that his living conditions were not of the best quality as Crooks was a victim of racism, reinforcing once again Crooks' inferior status. Furthermore, Crooks' possessions reveal significant information about his character as the "mauled copy of the California Civil Code for 1905" emphasises his loneliness and his
Study Guide to The God of Small Things
Study Guide to The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy (Flamingo, 1997) Key Concepts Boundaries, morality, history, love, death, family relationships, fear, guilt. Summary The God of Small Things is the story of a family in India whose members transgress accepted boundaries in various ways and the tragic events that result. Estha and Rahel are twins whose cousin comes from England to stay. While there she dies and the twins hold themselves responsible. They also hold themselves responsible for the death of an Untouchable employee of the family firm who has befriended them and who, though they didn't realise it, had begun an affair with their mother. The twins are separated from each other and from their mother after this and struggle through life until they come back together twenty three years later. Cultural significance This was the 1997 Booker Prize winner. Sales have remained very high-over a quarter of a million copies have now been sold (30/8/98) and it is still well up in the best-seller lists. It has been translated into 27 languages. Biographical background Arundhati Roy was born in 1961 in Bengal, grew up in Kerala where The God of Small Things is set and trained as an architect at the Delhi School of Architecture. She became well known for 'complex and scathing' film scripts. She received a £500,000 advance on the book. Her mother was at the centre
Country Lovers vs. The Gold Cadillac.
Scott Bissett 10B 7/12/02 Country Lovers vs. The Gold Cadillac Both of the two stories, Country Lovers and The Gold Cadillac reveal racism. It is not a particularly hidden message. But the two of them approach it from slightly different angles. Country Lovers shows that the story is based around racism in the first paragraph: [the black children are] "beginning to call their old playmates missus and baasie - little master". Within the Gold Cadillac, the racism is a little better concealed. We don't know that the main family are black for sure, until line 166, after Wilbert (the father) has said he is going to go down to Mississippi and Mr. Pondexter say "Not much those folks hate more'n to see a northern Negro coming down there in a fine car". We are however given little hints, such as 'Lois' speech and the very large, spread out family. It is when we find out that the family in The Gold Cadillac is black that we find that the story is about racism. We find out the reason for Wilbert having bought the Cadillac, and it was because he "liked it" and "it meant something to" him. He came from Mississippi, probably quite poor, then worked very hard, made quite a lot of money, and has bought the Cadillac so that he can stop being "heedful of white folks thought". Another possible reason is that it may show other black people, that if they too work hard, they can achieve
During the 1920's in the USA there was a great extent of discrimination over ethnic groups who had immigrated to America. During the 20th century there was a massive number of Hispanic immigrants.
History Essay During the 1920's in the USA there was a great extent of discrimination over ethnic groups who had immigrated to America. During the 20th century there was a massive number of Hispanic immigrants looking for better opportunities offered by the US. The Hispanics mostly did fruit picking in California basically they were used for cheap labour. They were paid badly, racially abused by the Americans. The Hispanics were hated in America, the language they spoke confused American citizens and they way they looked made them stand out more. They had petty jobs and wore totally different clothing. Newspapers and films called them names and referred to them as greasers. They were also given the worst type of housing. Sanitation was so contemptible that disease spread and death rates heightened. The Hispanics had to live this way; it isolated them from whites that used segregation laws against them. Large numbers of Hispanics were deported back to their own countries. Along with the Hispanics, Non - European immigrants came to America also. The Chinese for example, nicknamed "coolies" by the Americans were used also for cheap labour on the railroads. Long hours at work for so little money made their bosses respect them for working so hard and trusted them to not go on strike. On the other hand many white workers thought they were naive to accept low wages. Low standards