Racism in Essays
RACISM IN ESSAYS
Is an author’s main purpose of writing only to entertain his readers? Authors sometimes use their literature to demonstrate their opinions about a certain issue. One of these topics may be racial and ethnic discrimination. We see how authors express their views about racism through the literatures “Walk Well, My Brother”, “Lark Song”, and “Cowboys and Indians”.
In “Walk Well, My Brother”, Farley Mowat focuses on racism against the Eskimos in 1951. As the character of Charlie Lavery unfolds, one is able to see how racist he is. He discriminates against Konala’s entire life, including the way she lives, eats, and dresses. Lavery acts very bitter towards Konala, and he thinks that she is useless. “What a fool he’d been to take her aboard at all… now she was a bloody albatross around his neck.” (Mowat, 171). Mowat, however, also shows how one’s experience can profoundly change one’s opinions about something. Because Konala saves his life, Charlie is very grateful to her; and from then on, he sees her in a different perspective and learns to adjust to the way she lives. “Watching her, Lavery slowly came to understand that what had seemed to him a lifeless desert was in fact a land generous in its support of those who knew its nature.” (Mowat, 177). Charlie Lavery clad in caribou-skin clothing, a dark beard ringing his cheeks, and his hair hanging free to his shoulders, also marks the extremity of his changes. Farley Mowat believes that even a racist person can easily change their opinion about someone, and one is able to see this occurring in “Walk Well, My Brother”.
Just as Mowat resembles his thoughts on racism in “Walk Well, My Brother”, W. P. Kinsella presents his views on the topic in his essay, “Lark Song”. The narrator, Silas Ermineskin, talks about how the white people are racist towards the Indians. “White people don’t like nobody else to touch their kids, especially Indians.” (Kinsella, 115). Even authoritative figures, such as the
Is an author’s main purpose of writing only to entertain his readers? Authors sometimes use their literature to demonstrate their opinions about a certain issue. One of these topics may be racial and ethnic discrimination. We see how authors express their views about racism through the literatures “Walk Well, My Brother”, “Lark Song”, and “Cowboys and Indians”.
In “Walk Well, My Brother”, Farley Mowat focuses on racism against the Eskimos in 1951. As the character of Charlie Lavery unfolds, one is able to see how racist he is. He discriminates against Konala’s entire life, including the way she lives, eats, and dresses. Lavery acts very bitter towards Konala, and he thinks that she is useless. “What a fool he’d been to take her aboard at all… now she was a bloody albatross around his neck.” (Mowat, 171). Mowat, however, also shows how one’s experience can profoundly change one’s opinions about something. Because Konala saves his life, Charlie is very grateful to her; and from then on, he sees her in a different perspective and learns to adjust to the way she lives. “Watching her, Lavery slowly came to understand that what had seemed to him a lifeless desert was in fact a land generous in its support of those who knew its nature.” (Mowat, 177). Charlie Lavery clad in caribou-skin clothing, a dark beard ringing his cheeks, and his hair hanging free to his shoulders, also marks the extremity of his changes. Farley Mowat believes that even a racist person can easily change their opinion about someone, and one is able to see this occurring in “Walk Well, My Brother”.
Just as Mowat resembles his thoughts on racism in “Walk Well, My Brother”, W. P. Kinsella presents his views on the topic in his essay, “Lark Song”. The narrator, Silas Ermineskin, talks about how the white people are racist towards the Indians. “White people don’t like nobody else to touch their kids, especially Indians.” (Kinsella, 115). Even authoritative figures, such as the