Author: macphee.10

Text-Review to kill a mocking bird

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There are many great works of literature; what makes them great is a subject of debate. However, common themes in literature include those of justice, identity, and culture, particularly regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and religion. One work that ties almost all of these themes together is Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The story was published in 1960, when racial tension and segregation were rife in America. It is a tale with several protagonists, including Atticus Finch, a lawyer representing an African American man accused of rape, and Tom Robinson, the accused man. Finch’s children Scout and Jem are also central to the novel, as is a shadowy figure named Boo Radley, whose true character is only revealed at the end. The novel is gripping on many levels, most of all because it represents a time of political turmoil in U.S. history that is sometimes denied or underplayed by American citizens. Several hard-hitting aspects of the book become crystal clear to the reader. These include several facts. Firstly, it becomes evident by the close of the trial that Mayella Ewell has unjustly accused an African American of rape. It seems equally clear that this is due to the indoctrination and

physical and sexual abuse she has been subjected to by her family, particularly by her father.

Additionally, Atticus Finch is revealed to be a character of great integrity who takes on a case that he realizes from the outset he is destined to lose because he wishes to uphold the principles of justice and his own ethical values. Tom Robinson is shown to be a kind and empathetic man that probably showed Mayella the most kindness she had ever experienced in her life, to his detriment. In contrast, Mayella appears to be a deeply damaged victim of abuse controlled and dominated by the male figures in her life, even though her show of affection towards Tom implies that she secretly wished to find a way out of her reality. Boo Radley is especially interesting, as he is white and from a middle-class family, yet his disability has entirely isolated him from society, although it becomes evident by the end of the story that Boo is a genuinely loyal soul with a heart of gold. Not only that, his differences have made the entire community see him as a monster. There is a parallel between Boo’s treatment by society and the unjust legal treatment of Tom Robinson, who is found guilty of Mayella’s rape despite Atticus presenting convincing proof that he was not the aggressor. Both characters are vilified by society because they are from marginalized sectors. They are unjustly judged and only supported by a few loyal and courageous individuals.

 

 

“Yo.. Is This” Podcast

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                                                                         Let’s Burst Our Racist Bubbles

   Looking at an issue that many of us have probably been surrounded with every day, to the point where we may have become numb, I’m afraid I may have to drive that numbness down a bit more and make you ask, “is this necessary?” Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it is something that cannot be ignored. We may be tired of the same old rhetoric in recent months of “let’s all mask up, get vaccinated, and curb the spread of the virus.” A switch-off button is pressed inside me whenever I hear anything remotely related to the pandemic. I have been following the prescribed protocols and have been vaccinated. I have and am still doing my part. So, if the news shifts to the pandemic surrounding the debates of whether to be vaccinated or not, or whether we should still wear masks, I roll my eyes and change the channel. I am simply tired of all this hype and fuss. I understand that we all need to do our part, and I feel that I am doing so. Why then should I continue being told to do my part? The same broken old record is being played repeatedly, scratching louder every time, becoming more cringe worthy, especially if I have to listen to the ridiculously hilarious preaching of an anti-vax conspiracy theorist. So don’t quote me as being anti-vax or in denial of the virus; I am not. I’m just so numb to the ridiculousness surrounding it.

   The pandemic is but one of the societal issues that we have been constantly bombarded with to the point where we just shrug our shoulders and move on after any mention of these issues. We don’t want to be told that they are important because we know they are. I sometimes think that if you tell me about the gravity of an issue, which I know and believe to be necessary, I will simply deny its importance out of spite. It’s nice and cozy to be in that slumber of life carrying on as usual, doesn’t it?  We just want normality and think that everything in our lives is neat and tidy and that nothing is broken. My attitude is that if I’m doing what I can and should be doing, everything is alright. Let’s not over complicate things. For instance, I clean my house every day as I believe that I am a clean and tidy person and that personal cleanliness in one’s personal environment, such as one’s home, is an easy thing to maintain. But what if I were to hire someone to clean my house one day, and at the end of the day, that person would ask when was the last time I cleaned my house. 

 

I would definitely be shocked and offended. Does that person insinuate that I am an untidy person who likes to live in a dirty environment? After all, I do my part daily to ensure that my house lives up to acceptable standards of cleanliness. Everything always seems clean to me, so I do not need to be told to clean more often. However, what if that person who cleaned your house revealed to you that there was a section in your living room, under the sofa from which a great amount of dirt, along with a few dead cockroaches. I would be shocked. I would immediately begin asking myself why I let that section of the house slip from the corner of my eye as I was cleaning the house. Everything about my cleaning practices would be thrown into question. Personally, I would start to think of myself as negligent. However, I had rightly been doing the right things by cleaning every day. Perhaps it was a good thing that this would have been brought to my attention to ensure all areas are properly cleaned in the future. Those cockroaches could have laid eggs underneath the sofa, spreading a possible infestation throughout my house from a source to whose uncleanliness  I would still be oblivious. From that other person’s point of view, I am an untidy person, and that person is right. There

 

should have been no excuse, but I liked to continue with my daily habits in my fabulous bubble of life as usual.But let’s look at my ramblings from another important perspective. I recently had an experience that was utterly eye-opening, revealing an aspect of daily life that had slipped from my daily focus in my neat and tidy bubble. That is the whole issue of systemic racism. I get it. Many of us may have become so numb to this issue and its repeated occurrence in daily discourse here in the US. I believed I did my part in being a good member of society, believing in the fundamental equality of people of all races. I know that my views and attitudes toward anyone are not biased and prejudicial. I support the movements and causes advocating for social justice and racial equality. I believe it is a good thing to take a stand for racial justice by, for instance, taking the knee at a sporting match to show support for the Black Lives Matter Movement. That is a good thing. I do my part, so I think I can continue with my daily activities with the life as usual approach.

 

In that sense, I have become numb to the issue of racial justice and have let the festering issue slip from the corner of my eye as I simply do my part in advancing the cause. I believe I do my part in cleaning the social environment, so leave me alone and don’t tell me to do more. That is an attitude which many of us have, to do one’s little bit and simply carry on. But is that enough? Like the infestation underneath the sofa that could have spread to an otherwise tidy house, so can the underlying issue degrade the whole house of society if it is not cleaned. It does not help to simply carry on in one’s bubble if one is still untidy in a section in one’s social environment.

 

My little bubble burst most inconveniently on a recent Friday night when it was just supposed to be life as usual. A Friday night is definitely not the time to be pondering society’s deep structural issues unless, of course, one’s Friday night entails some marijuana consumption, which makes one delve into the deep mysteries of life. Let me first then state that I am not a marijuana user, by the way. I was expecting a good time at the club with my girlfriend and some drinks when the enormous issue of systemic racism within our society opened up to me. Innocently queuing up at the club’s entrance with my girlfriend, we noticed the bouncer approach a group of four African American guys who, like us, were expecting a good and relaxed time in the club that evening.

 

One of the guys was wearing baggy sweatpants, and the white bouncer told him that he could not enter the club dressed in baggy sweatpants. The whole group decided to leave and was quite visibly shocked and upset. Initially, I had not taken much stock of it, thinking, “oh well, if that’s the dress code, then that’s the dress code.” This view most drastically changed after some time in the club when I noticed how five white guys were dressed in sweatpants. There was a natural feeling of outrage that began to pervade me as I asked myself, “why are those guys wearing baggy sweat pants in this club while that man outside was denied entry for wearing one?” Suddenly my numbness broke, and the bubble of my life-as-usual-approach, I-do-my-part approach burst. Like that person who discovered the rot underneath the sofa and reprimanded me for it, I also reprimanded myself for my life as usual approach in the issue of racial justice. That was like one of those epiphany or “aha” moments when suddenly one’s whole outlook is changed. I immediately felt ashamed for not having stood up to the white bouncer denying entry to the black person for wearing those sweatpants as I was still in my bubble, numb to the continued societal discourse on racial justice and systemic racism. It had then felt totally outrageous that a blatant form of discrimination could have been demonstrated. We are supposed to be a free and equal America. That sort of action can only be allowed in society if the law is still influenced by its previously prejudicial underpinnings that excluded the advancement of African Americans in economic and societal life. These structural underpinnings allow for the perpetuation of attitudes and biases that say, “black men dressed as rappers in baggy sweatpants are dangerous and so let’s protect ourselves from them.”

 

Perhaps then, if I may be so bold as to burst all your bubbles regarding this issue. Burst those bubbles of that ingrained and systemic prejudice, whether it be in one\s work and leisure. It is simply not enough to say “I do my part,” or “I’m tired and numb to the continued debate surrounding the needs for addressing systemic racism.” Systemic racism persists when we do not acknowledge that underneath the sofa of our nation’s legal, political and economic systems, there lies the rot and infestation of racial prejudice, which will spread into the falsely tidy world we have created for ourselves. Our police officers will continue to be influenced by the biases that are enabled by the societal structure because they believe they are simply doing their part within their own narrow bubble. Inconvenient as it may be, let’s burst that bubble. No more of that “I’ve heard it so many times already attitude.” Let us then burst our racist bubbles.

                                                                               Sources Used

Diary of Injustice #2

Diary of Systemic Injustice Showcase

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Starting with a simple injustice, I thought back to during my High School days; I often heard the

topic of “girls dress code.” I never thought much of it, due to the fact I was a guy and never had

to worry about dress code for myself, wearing the same style every day, sweats or shorts, t-shirt

or sweatshirt until my girlfriend came to me and would tell me about girls in her class getting

yelled at for something they were wearing. She would explain how when they would have a

dress down day, she went to the career center and had a strict dress code, but when they had a

day they could wear anything else but their scrubs, some girls would be sent to the office

because their dress was “too tight” she said or their jeans had a tiny rip in them.   She said it

made her uneasy not knowing what to wear to school on the days she was allowed to dress

down. Leggings were a no-go, but what’s the difference between leggings and skinny jeans? It is

“Distracting” is the staff’s answer. Men don’t get in trouble when wearing a “tight shirt,” but girls

do because it is “too revealing.” How can it be fair that a female’s body is too revealing, but a

male has no problems? Although this never immensely affected me, I saw how it affected the

females, and I firmly believe it is an injustice that should be changed down the line. I understand

there has to be some dress code, but some of the stories I’ve heard seemed like it was a little

too far for a school dress code. This issue can go many for ways outside of school, leading to 

self-confidence problems. For example all females have different body sizes just like every 

other male, so one shirt on a female will fit and look different and if she gets in trouble for it

while another student can wear the same thing but due to her body shape the shirt won’t be 

“too revealing.” Once students notice this then girls will have more trouble feeling comfortable 

in their own skin which is unfair to make anyone feel uncomfortable because they can not change

how they look, or their body shape. Putting this into the minds of young adults will create a bigger

problem as they grow up not knowing if their body shape in certain clothes is “appropriate.” This

can be related to the book we read “The Story of My Body” and feeling comfortable in your own

skin from all body shapes, sizes, and skin colors.

Video Link: https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/gmj/public-records-disproportionate-dress-code-violations-female-students-st-johns-county-schools/77-a2bd2163-f28d-427b-9815-7e9b8b5c8cd1

 

 

Week 6 Context Presentation- Achebe, Things Fall Apart

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Okonkwo is a recognized warrior of the Umuofia clan, a tribe part of a consortium of nine villages. Okonkwo became a clansman and warrior. He is haunted by the actions of Unkoa, his father, who died in disgrace. He has a twelve-year-old son named Nwoye. Okonkwo worries that Nwoye will fail as his father did. Okonkwo wins a young boy in a settlement, Ikemefuna. Unkoa created a bond with Ikemefuna. Come to find out, he must die, but Okonkwo feels wrong killing Ikemefuna because he sees him as his father. Okonkwo refuses to look weak, and when Ikemefuna gets attacked, he does not protect the boy. This then causes tremendous sadness for Okonkwo.
Fast forward, Okonkwo kills Ezeudu’s son, which causes him to exile him and his family. In the second year of exile, Obierika, his friend, brings the bad news that the white man has destroyed another village. Mr.Brown, the leader, redirects all old beliefs and considers them false; the people do not like this statement and do not understand how it is true. Reverend James Smith replaces Mr.Brown once he becomes ill. The egwugwu then burn Enoch’s compound and Reverend Smith’s church to the ground. District Commissioner is upset and throws leaders of Umuofia in jail where they are abused. Once they are released, Okonkwo kills their leader and then realizes his clan is not ready for war which is what the killing with cause. Okonkwo is found dead from suicide Obierika explains that suicide is a sin meaning none of Okonkwo’s clansmen may touch his body.
To me, this story can be related to the story of “The danger of a Single Story” by Adichie. Aiming towards the stereotypes of African culture. “I come from a conventional, middle-class Nigerian family. My father was a professor. My mother was an administrator…” says Adichie in her TED talk. She continues to explain how her life in Africa was nothing like what people imagined it was. People often treated her differently. The book “Things Fall Apart” explains life in the village; Okonkwo was wealthy and known in his village. In Adichie TED talk, she describes how people often saw Africa as “…. people fighting senseless wars…” this is shown in the book of Okonkwo in his village and his clan. The single-story Adichie spoke about can be related to the book “Things Fall Apart” in many other ways by showing Africa in a way people may not understand or that is not true.
Sources:
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Alcorn, Marshall.
Chimamanda Ngozi, Adichie. “The Danger of a Single Story.” 2009,