...Classism and Racism A Narrative Analysis of Paul Haggis’s Film: Crash By: Alexis Couillard Introduction: In 2004, Paul Haggis directed the Oscar winning film crash, a drama about race and class and its effects on those residing in Los Angeles, California. This film paints a vivid picture of the harsh reality that classism has and will always exist and it is intertwined with racism in this film and in our realities. This film promotes racial awareness which is a topic not typically seen on the big screen and it demands a close inspection. Haggis wanted us to understand each character and to see them as real flesh bleeding humans that make mistakes and aren’t perfect. We see different races involved in the film such as African American, Persian, Hispanic, white and several Asians. Each scene intertwines with the next and we find out that all the characters are connected in some way or another. This technique of the characters being connected keeps the viewers on their toes. The audience is not stuck on one story or scene for too long. An idea or event is presented from the perspective of one person or family, and then the same event is expanded on by another characters connection to that particular event. Different ethnic stereotypes and racial prejudices are presented within the film such as the so called “gangbanger” who has tattoos and is Hispanic, and the black man who steals cars Anthony aka “Ludacris”. The director delivers and promotes this awareness but...
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...“A reality check for America” Mary C. Terrell was a powerful pioneer in civil rights and a powerful leader who faced many struggles of prejudices because she was a colored woman. Because she had lived a difficult life in the capital of the US, she decided it was time the world knew of her the many trajectories she continued to face along with many other African Americans. On October 10, 1906, Terrell gave a speech titled, “ What it Mean to be Colored in the Capitol of the U.S.,” to the members of the United Woman’s club in Washington, D.C. This speech was very influential and significant speech that served as a voice for other African Americans who had no voice. This speech also was a time for Terrell to explain the unnecessary hassles she and other blacks had to take on when trying to live as a citizen in the capital. Through this speech we can see an abundance of prejudice that taint the lives of African Americans in the U.S.. In the following paragraphs, I will establish the notability of this speech, analyze the historical context that sparked the discourse into existence and explore other rhetorical features that will establish my analysis’s significance. Mary Church Terrell embodies feminine style rhetoric in her argument to address the social, economic and political struggles placed against African Americans with the undertone of constitutive rhetoric, topical structure, pathos and logos to validate her point. History: Mary Church Terrell...
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...that demonstrates how love for literature and having a strong character can play a significant role in overcoming racism and distress. In the course of the story, it is evident that Maya changes from being a casualty of racism to become a young woman with self-dignity and identity that helps her to overcome prejudice. The context of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings focuses on the problems associated with racism that was prevalent in the southern states. Racist oppression is a common theme in the book that is portrayed by all the major characters; in fact, all the other themes in the book are closely related to racism, identity and segregation. In addition, the style and genre, and the structure of this literary work make significant contributions towards its thematic development, which focus on resistance to racism, the significance of the family, self-identity and definition and independence. Walker (95) argues that I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings is characterized by thematic unity, which is achieved using the structure adopted in the text that takes more of a thematic form rather than a chronological form. In addition, Angelou managed to emphasize on the universal ideas in her literary work irrespective of its periodic quality. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou used the major characters of the book to facilitate its thematic development identity, racism and literacy throughout the text. Basing on this assertion, this essay uses evidence from the book to affirm the...
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... However, collective evidence shows that the notion that jury members are always rational and non-biased to be completely false. This is believed to be mostly in part to an individual’s environmental influences. If an individual has grown up in an environment where there is a strong presence of racism against a specific community of people it would be difficult for this person to show an objective opinion towards another person of a different race. Those kinds of environmental influences can strongly affect a person’s decision when present upon a jury panel. It is even to be thought that an individual’s religious environment may have an influence upon their jury making decisions. One of the concerns in the jury selection process is that even though jurors are supposed to be rational persons whom wait until all evidence is present to make an informed decision; this process does not include the facts of human decision making. Through this research a story model was created to display the decision making process (Malavanti, Johnson, Rowatt & Weaver, 2012). According to the story model constructed jurors will use the evidence presented to them and create their own narrative story in order to explain their initial impressions of the situation. (Malavanti, Johnson, Rowatt &...
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...In a society where a person's skin tone determines the course of their life, James Baldwin's letter to his nephew James serves as a rallying cry and a ray of hope. Baldwin challenges the repressive narratives that have plagued Black Americans for centuries with his poignant words, which weave a tapestry of love, identity, and defiance. In addition to guiding young James, this letter—which is full of a combination of gentle counsel and stark realism—acts as a potent diversion from Thomas Jefferson's depressing observations about race in America. In response to Thomas Jefferson's concerns about the coexistence of Black and White Americans, Baldwin's teachings promote love and acceptance of one's identity. James, Baldwin's nephew, is first taught a deep...
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...groups and individuals, humankind still finds it difficult to trust based on the soul of a person; | |we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour.” | Prejudice, courage and unity… TEXT COMPARISON Are we always champions of tolerance, courage and receptiveness to others? By the very definition of humanity, we must be. Humanity: benevolence, understanding and kindness towards other people. It is, arguably, our very human nature to feel compassion, courage, understanding, unity and empathy towards our fellow man. Unfortunately, prejudice and judgement also cling to the human condition like tumorous stains – traits which society still finds hard to surmount. Despite the efforts of governments, groups and individuals, humankind still finds it difficult to trust based on the soul of a person; we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour. Nelle Harper Lee through her 1960 novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and Boaz Yakin through his 2000 film, ‘Remember the Titans,’ are text composers who tackle the ill-defined paradigms of ‘prejudice, courage and unity’ by painting a picture of the confronting face of racism. Prejudice, courage and unity are notions that are dealt with differently by both composers and, through their use of structural and linguistic features, each composer presents this concept in a manner which connects (or weakens a connection)...
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...the first person narrative to create a sense of distance in In Search of April Raintree, in a sophisticated style with the view of women’s studies and native studies. In this book, Beatrice Culleton reveals the difficulties and challenges faced by the Metis people in Canada in the middle of 20th century. “Live powerfully or succumb to victimhood”. For this edited volume, could divided into three sections, the author described a processing of life story of two Métis sisters were growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and their different childhood, maturity and destiny. This volume critically examines the institutional racism related to how racism is internalized and how it circulates. At the beginning of the story, the first part comes from chapter one to chapter seven. Culleton’s semiautobiographical account gives an obvious issue of the common phenomenon. As the narrator, April described the early childhood memories about her life and family; moreover, she mentioned the prejudice and discrimination which shows the diverse experiences and environment in their foster families for her and her little sister. April’s experiences with the DeRosier family provided the racism do exist in a great extent, and even worse, they were defenseless and have few human rights. There are two quite upset stories about April in bullied. One is April’s social worker who supposes to protect her from discrimination give her attitude to April. Another is Mrs Semple on overt racism and unfair treatment...
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...A Never Ending Issue "Although slavery may have been abolished, the crippling poison of racism still persists, and the struggle still continues." That is the claim of the man named Harry Balefonte, a 1950s civil rights leader. Balefonte claims even despite a millennia of work, there remains no clear method to completely eliminate racism. Whilst there are regulations prohibiting racial profiling, they have not stopped this issue from recurring. Racial profiling continues to be prevalent; the laws in place have recently rendered it prohibited to be carried out in court. In spite of this, racial profiling standards continue to be violated by numerous people. Despite that, people still commit acts against the laws of racial profiling. Therefore,...
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...MWA: Huckleberry Finn Author, Title, Setting, Genre The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a satirical, Adventure fiction novel written by Mark Twain. The novel was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Though the timing of the publishing takes place some twenty years after the Civil War, the setting within the novel lies sometime between 1830-1840, where slavery is very much alive and thriving in the south, which Twain presents as Huck travels down the Mississippi River along Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. Twain aims to show the reader the inhumane and unnecessary racism that existed towards African American during his time. Summary The novel begins by Huckleberry Finn, who goes by Huck for short, giving the reader context as to how he in to his current position. We find out from him that he acquired quite a bit of money at the end of Twain’s previous novel, Tom Sawyer, and is on his way to becoming “civilized” by sisters Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. However, being good friends with Tom Sawyer makes this a difficult feat, as he is always coming up with the next great adventure for Huck, which includes pranking Miss Watson’s slave Jim. Huck’s father had been rumored to be long gone, for the better most would say, yet Huck has a feeling that he is still wandering around so he disposes all of his money over to Judge Thatcher. Huck’s gut feeling proves trustworthy, for Huck’s father “Pap” shows up...
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...Elias Van Sickle Narratives of Identity Professor Valcik 23 October 2014 Internalized Inferiority An individual’s conception of societal norms and beliefs is developed over time through the observation of and interaction with others. In modern times, one might come to understand feminine beauty as thin rather than voluptuous through exposure to the magazines, television and other media outlets that display images of “beautiful” thin models. Simply because a belief is widespread does not make it true or moral; the exclusive portrayal of the thin woman as beautiful is an extremely narrow definition of beauty that is far from true and may be very damaging: it can negatively impact women’s self worth and leads many to attempt to change their identities to conform to society’s perverted projection of a beautiful woman’s appearance. Similarly, in the past, the widespread internalization of the false and immoral belief of white superiority and black inferiority had numerous destructive effects on blacks. Toi Derricotte, a light skinned black women who recounts her experience with racism in the memoir The Black Notebooks, and Malcom X whose life story and transformation into a racial leader are told in The Autobiography of Malcom X, both recognize the deleterious effects of internalized racism on themselves and other blacks; however, the nature of their efforts to address its harms differ, reflecting their respective visions for societal betterment. In order to fully understand...
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...Compare/Contrast, Comparison, Conversation, Creative+Writing, Critical, Deductive, Definition, Descriptive, Description, Dialog, Division, Exploratory, Expository, Informative, Interview, Inquiry, Journalistic, Narration, Observation. Personal Narrative, Place, Profile, Process, Proposal English Literature and Literary Analysis - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A & P, Antigone, Apocalypse Now, Araby, The Awakening, Barn Burning, Beowulf, Beloved, Bible, Birthmark, Blade Runner, The Bluest Eye, Candide, Canterbury Tales, Catcher in the Rye, Cathedral, Chrysanthemums, A Clockwork Orange, The Color Purple, Comparing Literary Works, Crime and Punishment, Death of a Salesman, Death in Venice, Desiree's Baby, A Doll's House, Dr. Faustus, Epic of Gilgamesh, Everyday Use, A Farewell to Arms, Frankenstein, The Grapes of Wrath, Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, Glass Menagerie, Gulliver's Travels, The Handmaid's Tale, Heart of Darkness, The Iliad, Invisible Man, Jane Eyre, The Joy Luck Club, The Lottery, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Metamorphosis, My Antonia, My Papa's Waltz, Neuromancer, The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, On the Road, Oresteia, Paradise Lost, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Pride and Prejudice, A Raisin in the Sun, A Rose for Emily, The Scarlet Letter, Siddhartha, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Slaughterhouse-Five, Song of Solomon, The...
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...see as necessary and fitting. The third one is radical, which reshapes the book in extreme and revolutionary ways both as a means of interpreting the literature and of making the film a more fully independent work. (Linda Cahir, p17) Traditional adaptation and radical adaptation are considered to be the top two types of film adaptations to discuss since traditional adaptation and radical adaptation are mostly seen in films. In order to examine the effectiveness of both traditional adaptation and radical adaptation in films, Pride and Prejudice (both novel and film), Heart of Darkness (novella) and the film adaptation of this novella Apocalypse Now are going to be discussed here. According to Linda Cahir, “Traditional adaptation maintains the overall traits of the book (its plots, settings, and stylistic convention) but revamps particular details in those particular ways that the filmmakers see as necessary and fitting. (P16)” Pride and Prejudice (both film and novel) is applied here to examine the nature of the traditional adaptation and evaluate the effectiveness of traditional adaptation in the film. As far...
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...political scientist Robert Vitalis tackles the early history of Aramco in Saudi Arabia prior to that kingdom's 1980 nationalization of the industry in America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier. Vitalis's research demonstrates that while a security-for-oil understanding forms the basis of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, the origins of the bilateral relationship were private financial interests. He approaches his study with an academic's love for archives and declassified documents. He does not whitewash Saudi history with the happy, pre-9-11 narrative so popular among Saudi scholars. Instead, he talks about the racism that pervaded Aramco camps, not only dividing Saudis and Americans but also segregating Palestinians and Pakistanis, who formed an intermediate tier. In an age of heightened political sensitivities, he points out early strains caused by U.S. workers draping a Saudi flag over a company bar and personal ridicule directed toward the Saudi king. Interest in Saudi Arabia grew after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Perhaps the...
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...strongest emotion of mankind is fear,'' and creates tormenting sensory details within his stories (Handler 1). Written at age 14, The Beast in the Cave shares the same question asked by so many readers (1). Many questions about what exactly this beast is create suspense in readers, leading to a twist in what it truly is, potentially as a symbol for racism. The negative attitudes and moods within Lovecraft’s writings are likely attributed to his tragic childhood. Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1890. At the age of three, his father developed a mental disorder via syphilis that was untreated (H.P. 1). After three years, his father was hospitalized in Providence until his death in 1898. Lovecraft lived a reclusive life, departing high school before receiving a diploma due to a nervous breakdown (H.P.). Lovecraft died on March 15, 1937 from cancer, and after death, grew more popular over time. His stories have inspired writers such as Steven King and Neil Gaiman (2). The Beast in the Cave is a short story of the horror genre, regarding the adventures of an unnamed man through Mammoth Cave. This narrative begins with a man who had previously been with a guide, but had been separated from him. “I was lost, completely, hopelessly lost. . .” (Lovecraft 1) shows that the protagonist is losing his hopes of leaving this cave. After an inner monologue of what could become of him, the unnamed man begins to hear sounds similar to an animal. Believing that...
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...In the uplifting and informational book of The Help we come to learn as the reader the many injustices that are brought upon a black maid in the depths of Southern Mississippi. The narrative depicts good and evil through snooty, rich white woman such as Hilly Holbrook and hard-working, tiresome maids such as Aibileen Clark and Minnie Jackson, while incorporating the occasional humble white woman (such as Skeeter Phelan) who want to do right for mistreated African American maids. The political aspects of this novel are held on a personal level for women of color who face harsh the Jim Crow laws that ultimately stopped them from being trusted to shine things such a silver or use indoor bathrooms the same as whites, but trusted them to raise white children that would soon oppress them due to society. The character of Hilly Holbrook stands for the way in which many privileged white women lived in the south. Her rude and manipulative mannerisms towards black maids such as Minnie were exactly why political was made personal throughout the book. She treated women of color as if they weren’t even woman at all by accusing them of stealing or making them use separate bathrooms because they weren’t “worthy” enough to use the...
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