...they were charged with feeding, rearing and caring for their children. Theirs is an American story that is rarely told on any grand, meaningful scale—not one, at least, that defies stereotype and caricature. But recently, “The Help,” a film based on Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling book of the same name, became a cultural touchstone when two of its lead characters, both African-American maids in the then-staunchly segregated Mississippi, challenged viewers to walk their journey—to see, as lead protagonist, Abileen Clark, said, “what it felt like to be me.” To me, ‘The Help’ is this year’s most outstanding and socially relevant motion picture; Viola Davis’ quiet but powerful portrayal of Abileen made us all take notice of a historically invisible class of women and Abileen’s story, along with those of the other maids who rallied with her to tell it, remind us that when we speak, if only in a whisper, momentous things can happen. Of course, the movie, does not come without its controversy: while so many, myself included, questioned then embraced Stockett’s story and actresses Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer earned Academy Award nominations for their roles as the maids who conspired with a young white woman to canonize their life stories, others question why, 70 years after Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar for her portrayal as the affable, sassy slave maid Mammy in Gone With the Wind, Hollywood ushered to the screen a movie feting the Jim Crow subjugation of black women. What is lost...
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...The Help, a recent 2011 drama film is the adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel - The Help. The story expresses the story of black maids working for white homes in Jackson, Mississippi around the late 1960s and early 1970s. In this age before the American Civil Rights Movement, black women commonly held low wage employment such as cleaning, daycare, or maid service. A main protagonist, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan is a young recently college educated white woman looking to advance her journalistic abilities. She gladly accepts a local newspaper housekeeping advice column called “Miss Myrna” to progress her journalistic experience toward greater positions. As Skeeter knows little about housekeeping, she turns to her local friend’s maid, Aibileen another main protagonist critical to the true narrative. Skeeter is characterized as very progressive for her time period, she can see the injustice and segregation in the country, and around her town that creates a disgusting, racist, and saddening society. She views her new friend, Mrs. Aibileen and her friendly associates as a miraculous caring median to attempt a change in society for the better. Throughout our diverse readings we have dealt little with race relations in the community context of justice. The community itself however, has been a major fundamental principle of a successful and democratic system of justice. Platos – The Republic attempted to characterize and debate justice between scholarly individuals such...
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...The Help has become a very memorable book and film in my collection. Kathryn Stockett’s bestseller novel, The Help takes place in the 1960’s in the midst of the civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a tale of friendship, rivalry, racism, female empowerment and freeing oneself from oppression. This novel tells the story of the “help” in Jackson, Mississippi. It mainly highlights the story of Aibileen and Minny, two African-American women who have worked as maids for white families their entire lives. Then there is Skeeter, who is a fresh out of college white gal who dreams of pursuing a career as a writer. After returning home from college, no explanation is given to her as to why the family’s African-American maid, Constantine...
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