How Racial Segregation Affects Characters in The Help by...

Racial segregation is the practice of isolating a group of people based on their race, class or ethnic group. This practice provides the means of maintaining the economic advantages and superior social status of the politically dominant group, and was primarily employed by white populations to maintain their dominance over African- Americans (Britannica). Racial segregation was implemented or at least encouraged, and as a result has negatively affected the lives of African-Americans as a whole. The Help written by Kathryn Stockett takes place in the early 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi, a place where racial discrimination occurs on a large scale, and is actively practiced and enforced by the government and the people within the city. The protagonists, Skeeter, Aibeleen and Minny all fall victims to this segregated as they attempt to reduce the racial tension in the city (Shmoop). Much of the novel depicts the typical life of African-American maids and the inequality they ex perience in comparison to southern white women (Literature Nerd). Because of this segregated setting, characters are treated differently based on their ethnicity and status. There is a large contrast between how society treats the two African American maids, Aibeleen and Minny, compared to the â€Å"socially acceptable† yet different white woman, Skeeter and Hilly. The setting of Jackson, Mississippi has a significant effect on how the two African-American maids, Aibeleen and Minny are treated inShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Kathryn Stockett s The Sea Of The Eyes 1363 Words   |  6 Pages The Help is an incredibly powerful book, filled to the brim with touching portions, but one that stands out to me is, â€Å"We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought,† on page 492. Among the sea of significant quotations, Kathryn Stockett manages to separate these particular sentences by using them to highlight a deeper meaning: regardless of his or her skin color, a person is just a person. The sentence, â€Å"We are just two people,† shows the unity between racesRead MoreDivided Races : The Help And Its Controversy3530 Words   |  15 PagesDivided Races: The Help and its Controversy â€Å"What I am sure about is this: I don’t presume to think that I know what it really felt like to be a black woman in Mississippi, especially in the 1960s. I don’t think it is something any white woman on the other end of a black woman’s paycheck could ever truly understand. But trying to understand is vital to our humanity.† (Stockett Help 528-29) The above statement emphasizes Kathryn Stockett’s acknowledgment that The Help is a work of historical fictionRead MorePhysical And Emotional Abuse Explored The Color Purple3677 Words   |  15 PagesPurple and The Help helps to create awareness of the central issues. Both are novels that carry a lot of similarities, where the female characters are portrayed as ‘invisible’, ‘servants’ and ‘child carers’. However, after reading carefully into the biographical work of both authors the critical difference I observed was that The Colour Purple is written by an African-American woman who may have truly experienced the harshness of what she was writing about; on the other hand The Help by a white woman

Essay on Symbolism in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman

Symbolism in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman is wrought with symbolism from the opening scene. Many symbols illustrate the themes of success and failure. They include the apartment buildings, the rubber hose, Willy’s brother Ben, the tape recorder, and the seeds for the garden. These symbols represent Willy’s attempts to be successful and his impending failure. When Willy and Linda purchased their home in Brooklyn, it seemed far removed form the city. Willy was young and strong and he believed he had a future full of success. He and his sons cut the tree limbs that threatened his home and put up a hammock that he would enjoy with his children. The green fields†¦show more content†¦His wife Linda, who finds the hose, knows what he was going to do with it, as does Biff. When confronted by Biff, Willy not only denies that he was going to use the hose, but also denies ever seeing it before. Instead of being remembered as a successful businessman who died, Willy is seen by his family as a failure who cannot even commit suicide or tell the truth. Willy’s brother Ben seems to symbolize all of Willys dreams that have not borne fruit. Ben provides an example of the type of success that Willy desires. Ben went into the â€Å"jungle† with nothing and became extremely wealthy. Ben achieved in a few years what Willy has dreamed about his entire life. Ben also provides additional evidence on the foolish behavior and poor decisions made by Willy. Ben offers to take Willy with him and make him rich – an offer that Willy declines. Another important symbol is Howard’s tape recorder. It represents the many material objects wealthy businessmen could provide for their families and for themselves. Willy wanted this lifestyle; he wanted â€Å"something he could lay his hands on† (Miller pg. ). It would not be enough to just be successful; Willy wanted to be able to show people material representations of his success. The tape recorder shows that Howard has reached this level of success. Yet while the recorder symbolizes the wealth and power of Howard, it also represents Willy’s discouragement andShow MoreRelatedSymbolism In Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman1783 Words   |  8 PagesEdison believes individuals cannot cheat the process of success to get to the top, they must work for it. In the play, Death of a Salesman, the author, Arthur Miller, uses the narrative techniques of imagery, motifs, and symbolism to show how success and social acceptance can be deceptive for Willy Loman and his family. Willy Loman is a troubled, self-defrauding travelling salesman. He genuinely believes in the American Dream of easy success and prosperous wealth, but he cannot achieve it. NeitherRead More Symbolism in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Essay967 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman In his play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller employs many symbols to illustrate the themes of success and failure.   They include the rubber hose, the tape recorder, and the seeds for the garden.   These symbols represent Willys final, desperate attempts to be successful and the failure he cannot escape.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rubber hose represents both success and failure.   It is attached to the gas main in Willys house and provides him with the opportunityRead MoreArthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essay904 Words   |  4 PagesArthur Millers Death of a Salesman Arthur Millers play, Death of a Salesman contains many themes of success and failure. They include the apartment buildings, the rubber hose, Willys brother Ben, the tape recorder, and the seeds for the garden. These symbols represent Willys attempts to be successful and his impending failure. In the start Willy and Linda moved to a home in Brooklyn, as it at the time seemedRead More Reality and Illusion in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Essay1088 Words   |  5 PagesReality and Illusion in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, a major theme and source of conflict is the Loman family’s inability to distinguish between reality and illusion.   This is particularly evident in the father, Willy Loman.   Willy has created a fantasy world of himself and his family.   In this world, he and his sons are men of greatness that â€Å"have what it takes† to make it in the business environment.   In reality, none of them can achieveRead MoreWomen’s Treatment in Death of a Salesman1463 Words   |  6 PagesWomen’s treatment in Death of a Salesman December 11, 2012 Abstract In our today’s men and women hold equal rights, however, in times prior to the 1950’s the majority of people would agree men held favorable positions and were said to be superior over women. Unfortunately this behavior still exists in countries. Arthur Miller’s, Death of a Salesman probes into these issues and solidifies how the past plagued woman. Miller categorizes women into two buckets; housewives or whores. TheRead MoreEssay about Marxism and the Fall of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman2986 Words   |  12 PagesUnited States endured internal battles in political ideologies between capitalists and Marxists, which is the focus of Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman. According to Helge Normann Nilsen, author of â€Å"From Honors At Dawn to Death of a Salesman: Marxism and the Early Plays of Arthur Miller,† the Great Depression had a profound impact in forming the political identity of Arthur Miller: â€Å"The Great Depression created in him a lasting and traumatic impression of the devastating power of economicRead MoreDeath of a Salesman - Materialism Alienation1696 Words   |  7 PagesModern Tragedies deal with modern issues such as materialism, consumerism, procrastination and alienation. To what extent does Death of a Salesman show evidence of at least two of these issues, and how does Miller present them? Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ is a modern tragedy; one that incorporates both the tragic genre presented in theatres for centuries as well as essences of the modern world we live in. Materialism is a modern phenomenon, something which possibly began due to the AmericanRead MoreLife of Pi1276 Words   |  6 Pagesclose reference to Death of a Salesman and American Beauty. Ideas and qualities of acceptable standards that is considered worthwhile in society, pressures the relationship between an individual and his or her society due to the risk of social rejection. By accepting these social norms the individual is forced into the pursuit of the American Dream of that context whilst the rejection of the American Dream also leads to social rejection. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman looks at the notionRead MoreEssay on Comparing The Cats Table and Death of a Salesman860 Words   |  4 Pages Both literary works, The Cats Table and Death of a Salesman demonstrate that everything is not always as it seems. Society tends to take things out of context, thus changing the outlook society has. Not everything is always as it seems. This idea is presented through the use of setting, point of view and symbols. There is always more to things than what meets the eye and everything is not always as it seems. Setting plays a large role in initiating the story and setting the feelingRead MoreAnalysis of Colson Whiteheads John Henry Days1515 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Henry symbolism. Journalism also happens to be a postmodern profession in the eyes of the narrator and protagonist. Questions related to what is real, and what is cultural mythos, are central to John Henry Days. Whitehead uses his protagonist as a cultural scout: someone who can show the reader the emptiness, alienation, and isolation that are at the heart of American society. Therefore, Whiteheads novel bears much in common with Arthur Millers play Death of a Salesman. In Death of a Salesman

Religion as the Opium of the Masses Free Essays

Religion as the opium of the masses. Like the Hebrew prophets of old, Marx knew that to speak of social justice, we must become socially self-critical, and that means becoming critical of the ruling powers whether they may be kings or priests or investment bankers. Power and privilege in society always disguise their own arbitrariness behind the facade of fair play, which may be called providence or karma or standardized test scores. We will write a custom essay sample on Religion as the Opium of the Masses or any similar topic only for you Order Now Whatever basis is used to claim an objective and unbiased perspective such claims need critical analysis and challenge. About 90% of the world belongs to some sort of religion. Marx understood that purpose and that is why he made the statement, â€Å"religion is the opium of the masses† which means that religion is what keeps the masses motivated, like a medicine that blinds them to all the hardships of life. Religion has blinded the people to enjoy their sufferings hoping for something like a ‘purgatory’ or a ‘heaven’ that they would enjoy after their toiling on earth. It has come to control the people with its guiding principles although most of its guiding principles aren’t adhered to by its top leaders for example: on the news there are various stories of pastors molesting children or their congregations, popes, monks and nuns breaking their vows; yet their followers are faithful due to the promise of a peaceful after life. For Marx, all ideas are relative to the social location and interests of their production. And like the prophets before him, the most revealing perspective is not from the top down or from the center outward, but the view of the â€Å"widow and the orphan† – the point of view of the exploited and the marginalized. Suffering can see through and unveil official explanation; it can cry out and protest against the arrogance of power. This brings us back to how Marx viewed religion as the â€Å"opium of the masses†. That is we tend to think Marx had a monolithically negative view of religion but that is not the case immediately preceding this language â€Å"the opium† the following is found Religion is at one and at the same time the expression of real suffering and a protest. Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. Here Marx recognizes in religion an active moral agency especially for the deprived and the despised. Religion is not simply the ideological expression of the powerful, legitimacy the social hierarchy as in the case, for example, of singing hymns with the hidden message that there’s a â€Å"King in Heaven† so there shall and should be kings on earth. No, for Marx in the hands and voices of the poor and exploited, religion is â€Å"protest†. It is a crying out against â€Å"real suffering† not illusory sufferings such as fear of punishment from the gods or suffering caused by some impurity inherited from a previous incarnation. For Marx, the essence of religion is its voicing of â€Å"suffering† its crying out against the realtors of exploitation and degradation. The essence of being human is a passionate suffering, a struggle to take back into our hands a world we have made but which is then taken away from us. Religion has found a way in which it governs our or lives or society in general. It is normal for the major religious group in a society to automatically control the ruling party. The major religious group affects the behavior of the people in power and somewhat controls their decisions due to their effect on the people. A major religious group can influence the choosing of who stays in power or who comes into power just by saying ‘God’ has chosen a particular person to lead us and make our country or state stronger. The people have no choice but to follow the doctrine that’s why Marx made the statement, â€Å"religion is the opium of the masses† was made. Religion has somewhat found a way to control every aspect of the lives of individuals in the society. It has become the new trend of the day; everyone belongs to a religion because of the returns that they intend to receive. Religion has turned into the medicine for all types of sorrows this in turn controls the people who come to it for help. How to cite Religion as the Opium of the Masses, Essay examples

Potato Battery free essay sample

Background of the Study The researchers conducted this study to be able to know that the electricity from fruits is important because it also indicates the concentration of minerals available in fruits. It is also an alternative way to do than using the electricity where in, the use of solar energy is important, and for such, it could help the mother earth for it would not cause harm and it could do a lot of help as it’s from a natural way. A potato battery is an electrochemical battery, otherwise known as an electrochemical cell. An electrochemical cell is a cell in which chemical energy is converted to electric energy by a spontaneous electron transfer. In the case of the potato, the zinc in the nail reacts with the copper wire. The potato acts as a sort of buffer between the zinc ions and the copper ions. The zinc and copper ions would still react if they touched within the potato but they would only generate heat. We will write a custom essay sample on Potato Battery or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since the potato keeps them apart, the electron transfer has to take place over the copper wires of the circuit, which channels the energy into the clock. You have potato power. We only need a potato, a couple nails and a piece of wire to make a potato battery. Its a fun science project that helps show the way things work in a battery by using everyday items we see around the house. As in the potato battery, the goal is to learn more about electricity, and possibly a few new science terms along the way. The project is designed to be performed on its own, but if the Light Bulb experiment is done at the same time, it can help connect the concept of a voltmeter reading to the familiar lighting of a flashlight bulb.