Author: mcgowan.199

Text Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel and a film that takes place in a fictional town called Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird is about a black man named Tom Robinson who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman. Atticus Finch serves as Tom Robinson’s defense lawyer to prove his innocence. Tom Robinson did not actually commit this rape, and he was wrongfully convicted by a racist jury. When he was awaiting his execution for rape, he attempts to escape prison and is shot in the back by guards seventeen times. Tom Robinson dies from his wounds. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with identity, power, and injustice problems throughout its story.

Atticus Finch has an influence on his daughter Scout’s identity. Scout learns from her father to never judge someone unless she knows the reasoning behind their actions. Atticus shows Scout while representing Tom Robinson to respect innocence. From her father’s guidance, Scout better understands how to interact with people. Power in To Kill a Mockingbird plays an important role in the plot. Atticus Finch has power as Tom Robinson’s lawyer; he uses this power to try to save a wrongfully accused man of a crime he did not commit. Even though Atticus does not win the case, he still shows power from his influence on the jury. He influenced the jury to look at Tom Robinson’s case again. Injustice is extremely prominent in this story. Tom Robinson faces the most injustice out of the characters in the story. A racist jury found him guilty, and he never received the justice he deserved when he was shot while escaping. The legal system failed him and shows the flaws within the system.

I believe the author Harper Lee wanted his audience to take away the idea of not judging someone right away. You do not always know all the facts. We also should protect the innocent and stand up against injustices. Identity, power, and injustice are crucial in society. 

Widespread Racial Harassment in Utah School District – Systemic Injustice Showcase

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I found an online news article titled “‘Widespread’ racial harassment found at Utah school district”. The article explained that a federal civil rights investigation found widespread racial harassment of Black and Asian American students at a Utah school district. There were hundreds of documented uses of the N-word and other racial epithets over the past five years. The investigation also found physical assaults, derogatory racial comments, and harsher discipline for students of color at Davis School District (Whitehurst and Eppolito). Black students throughout the district told investigators about experiences of white and non-Black students making monkey noises at their Black peers, repeatedly referenced slavery and lynching, and told Black students to “go pick cotton” and “you are my slave” (Whitehurst and Eppolito). The district has agreed to take action to fix this racial harassment as part of a settlement agreement. Some of the district’s actions include a new department to handle complaints, more training for staff, and data collection. Not only did district officials admit “to federal investigators that their discipline data from at least four years revealed that staff treated students of color differently than white students” (Whitehurst and Eppolito), but the district did nothing to correct this issue. This racial harassment towards Black and Asian American students relates to the concept of the Other and how people in higher positions of power use Othering to establish themselves and make themselves above their peers. The school district officials misused their power by not stopping the racial harassment towards non-white students and making them feel less superior to them.

This event shows systemic racism due to the Utah school district not taking action to protect Black and Asian Americans from racial harassment and physical assault. Even though district officials knew about the injustices directed towards these non-caucasian students, they allowed it to persist until an investigation exposed them. If these problems were happening to white students, there is probably a higher chance the Utah school district would have stopped the harassment and assaults right away. In order for this wrong to be righted, the district officials involved should be fired or forced to resign. The students who used racial slurs or became physical towards Black and Asian students should be suspended or expelled. They need to have consequences for their actions so they will never do it again. Overall, this is an example of systemic injustices because a Utah school district allowed students to get away with discriminating against their Black and Asian American peers.

Link to relatable article: (“Former Westfield student sues school district over lack of response to racist bullying”): https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2021/11/04/former-westfield-washington-student-sues-district-over-racist-bullying/6281732001/.

Works Cited
Whitehurst, Lindsay, and Sophia Eppolito. “’Widespread’ Racial Harassment Found at Utah School District.” AP NEWS, The Associated Press, 22 Oct. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-utah-salt-lake-city-ddbbc8596f1c05f617e31ea3fcfa5dc9.

The Impact of Immigrant Family Separation – B. McGowan (Week 10)

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The novel that we begin reading this week is called The Leavers by Lisa Ko. The plot is about a boy, Deming Guo, whose undocumented Chinese immigrant mother, Polly Guo, goes missing. Deming ends up going into foster care, and he is adopted by a white suburban couple. The Leavers begins in New York with Polly picking up Deming from school where he has just gotten out of detention. Polly works at a nail salon. One day, Polly goes to work, and she never comes home. The couple who adopt Deming, Kay, and Peter, live in a small town upstate from the Bronx. They rename him, Daniel Wilkinson. Deming feels the effects of displacement when his mom goes missing, and he moves in with an American family. There are many harmful, lasting effects on family members from immigrant family separation. 

Immigrant family separation deeply impacts immigrants but especially immigrant children. The well-being of immigrant children is important because they are the fast-growing segment of the U.S. population (Tienda and Haskins 3). Immigrant children separated from their parents are at risk for increased anxiety and depression. Research in Family Science demonstrates that children may also experience financial and housing instability, internalizing and externalizing behavioral difficulties, academic problems, and social withdrawal (“The Science Is Clear”). Deming struggled in school due to his lack of motivation and poor grades to pursue a career with a college degree. His struggles with school can contribute to his separation from his mother.

Later in life, Deming develops a gambling problem and alcohol addiction. These problems Deming developed stem from his separation from his mom. Gambling and alcohol were a way for Deming to cope with his emotions about wanting to reunite with his mom. Even though Deming was adopted by a loving and financially stable family, he constantly struggled to find a true sense of belonging. Immigrant family separation left a mark on Deming’s life which is clear through his school struggles, gambling, and alcohol addiction. 

 

Ko, Lisa. The Leavers. Algonquin Books, 2018.

“The Science Is Clear: Separating Families Has Long-Term Damaging Psychological and Health Consequences for Children, Families, and Communities.” Society for Research in Child Development SRCD, 2018, https://www.srcd.org/briefs-fact-sheets/the-science-is-clear. 

Tienda, Marta, and Ron Haskins. “Immigrant Children: Introducing the Issue.” The Future of Children, vol. 21, no. 1, Princeton University, 2011, pp. 3–18, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41229009.