Connections between texts - Topic: Racism
Connections
Racism has been a prominent issue in the world throughout history, causing much suffering through exclusion, injustice, and murder. Whole races of people have been exterminated in the name of racism. Many people are oblivious to the ‘subtle’ racism that still occurs in our daily lives. They do not realize that it exists in our schools, workplaces and communities, and although the consequences may not be as bad as occurred in some historical events, racism is still a major issue, though positive progress is being made. I am going to be arguing that racism is a powerful force that corrupts the judgment of groups and individuals leading to injustice: destroying the lives of those targeted by this prejudice. I will refer to the texts, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee and ‘Hurricane’ by Bob Dylan, to show racism at work. I will also be arguing that the stereotypes that so often fuel racism are wrongly conceived and most often inappropriately placed upon people. I will examine the texts, ‘Bred in South Auckland’ by Glen Colquhoun and ‘Telephone’ by Wole Soyinka, to illustrate this. Overall I am going to show that racism is inherently unjust and how stereotyping can perpetuate racist behavior and its consequences. Racism is a powerful force of cruelty and injustice. 'Hurricane’ by Bob Dylan is a compelling piece of music that strongly illustrates the story of Rubin Carter, the main contender for the middleweight boxing title, and how he was wrongly accused and convicted of a triple murder just because of his race. “When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road/Just like the time before and the time before that/In Patterson that's just the way things go/If you're black you might as well not shown up on the street/Less you wanna draw the heat.” This suggests that Rubin has drawn the attention of the police before and Dylan is implying that this is because of his race and colour. The police carry out justice in the way they think they have a right
Racism has been a prominent issue in the world throughout history, causing much suffering through exclusion, injustice, and murder. Whole races of people have been exterminated in the name of racism. Many people are oblivious to the ‘subtle’ racism that still occurs in our daily lives. They do not realize that it exists in our schools, workplaces and communities, and although the consequences may not be as bad as occurred in some historical events, racism is still a major issue, though positive progress is being made. I am going to be arguing that racism is a powerful force that corrupts the judgment of groups and individuals leading to injustice: destroying the lives of those targeted by this prejudice. I will refer to the texts, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee and ‘Hurricane’ by Bob Dylan, to show racism at work. I will also be arguing that the stereotypes that so often fuel racism are wrongly conceived and most often inappropriately placed upon people. I will examine the texts, ‘Bred in South Auckland’ by Glen Colquhoun and ‘Telephone’ by Wole Soyinka, to illustrate this. Overall I am going to show that racism is inherently unjust and how stereotyping can perpetuate racist behavior and its consequences. Racism is a powerful force of cruelty and injustice. 'Hurricane’ by Bob Dylan is a compelling piece of music that strongly illustrates the story of Rubin Carter, the main contender for the middleweight boxing title, and how he was wrongly accused and convicted of a triple murder just because of his race. “When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road/Just like the time before and the time before that/In Patterson that's just the way things go/If you're black you might as well not shown up on the street/Less you wanna draw the heat.” This suggests that Rubin has drawn the attention of the police before and Dylan is implying that this is because of his race and colour. The police carry out justice in the way they think they have a right