Eve Bayou

How does racism affect a story? As a kid in the 1930s, Harper Lee grew up when there was hardly any equality for African Americans. Harper Lee’s only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is heavily based off of prejudice and racism from her childhood. In her book, she writes about racial discrimination through the eyes of a six year-old girl, named Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, during the Great Depression. Her and her family are deeply tied into racism and prejudice involved throughout this story. Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is ever apparent as the story is located in a small southern town in Alabama; it is reflected upon three of the main characters: Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, Jem Finch and their father, Atticus Finch.

The film has several ethnicities within a small area along a time line of one day. The film has many, informative methods in which it describe the various diversity issues of all the characters within the movie. For example, Sal’s pizzeria which is owned by an Italian American has pictures of famous Italian Americans on the wall and plays Italian music. One character named Buggin Out is always upset. Bugging out hates the fact that there are no black people pictures on the wall especially since the pizzeria is in a black neighborhood. His perspective represents the people in the African American community that always protest, but usually don’t work to improve the community. The

It analyses scientific, historic and social information to decipher how and why the myth of race developed. The film maintains that race persists as a category of social difference and inequality even though it is socially constructed and not biological. This is because the notion of race is ingrained in everyone’s brains, even the non-racist brains to conclude there is a hierarchy. The film indicates that race is an idea that we ascribe to biology, as well racial lines justify past and present wrongs; slavery, imperialism and genocide. As well, a lot of scientific work on race was individually and culturally influenced, therefore social differences become naturalized or biological i.e. infant mortality, living conditions etc- even in today’s society we ignore poverty and social neglect of health; not real science. Race does not relate to genetic diseases a way to show that we are able to have or not have

I saw racism in the movie for example when the cops target a Suv because they saw a colored couple, but when a white coupled pass by they don’t stop them or anything. The cop takes advantage of the colored girl because the cops are white and know they

“ Some of these early productions have racial themes which reorganize the world in such a way that black heritage is rewarded over white paternity; they are schematic renunciations of the prevailing order of things in white American society where, historically, the discovery of black blood meant sudden reversal of fortune, social exclusion, or banishment.” (Gaines, P.3) Within the movie the amount of mistruths about African Americans was sad. Within the movie you notice that the blacks were always or seem to be yelling, acting uncivilized and doing

Did the film reveal any form of RACISM or STEREOTYPING from any perspective? Please elaborate with details/examples (14.28 Possible Points). 100 word minimum between the two

The movie's success depends on using dated stereotypes: "angry black woman," "thuggish black man," and "innocent" white women. White men,

An example of racism occurred at the beginning of the film when the Arab looking father and daughter attempted to buy a gun. The clerk at the gun shop made a few blatantly racist comments about the customers because he assumes they are Middle Eastern. There were several references to the September 11 attacks. It didn’t matter that the two were Persian, not Arab. Unfortunately, the reoccurring theme post 9/11 is that all Middle Eastern people became potential terrorists. It is amazing that people have the ability to interpret bad events and cast their own prejudices on different ethnic groups to mask their own feelings of anger and frustration.

The degree of connection between all of the characters in the movie is so coincidental and interrelated to emphasize the point that we do not always know what is going on with everyone else we may encounter. It also accentuates the fact that racism is not one particular race against another. It also shows that we never know someone’s situation and what is happening in their life to make them act the way that they do if

The major idea of this movie is the growing racial problems between having a Negro mother as and being a Caucasian, this causes stress for Sarah Jane because she doesn’t understand nor want to claim her black side. This causes plenty of problems in

The reason many people in America today, as well as in the movie are racist is because this is how they were brought up, by the labels they were taught to live by. Past generations were exposed to segregation between ethnic groups, which has greatly carried on to how people look at others today. Up until 1967 it was prohibited for blacks to marry white people in 38 states

The main issue throughout the movie is racism and the perspectives on different cultures. The movie is set in Los Angeles, a city with a cultural mix of every nationality. The movie starts out at

In the film we see issues of race and racism as being a "white" problem, contrary to what we see in society as race and racism as being a "colored" problem. Victor and David Lee both make the statement that to be "American" is to be white. In society we usually see racism as individual acts of violence or discrimination towards others, but as David Lee points out, racism is an invisible system conferring unsought racial dominance by am oppressive group, mainly whites. "White power secures its dominance by seeming not to be anything in particular" (Lipsitz, 135). Victor says how he could get things his mother couldn't get just because his skin was a lighter black than hers. Lee then brings in a picture of Victor and his mother where the difference in skin color can be seen. Lee often brings in pictures of the participants of when they were young, and when they are with their families. This helps the viewers to draw more of identification with the characters.

The emotional reaction that the filmmakers intended for anyone who watch this film is that no matter what skin, hair and eye color is no one deserves to be labeled. No race should be discriminated and criticize. We should all get along and just be proud of where our roots come from. This film also intended for everyone who watch this film, is that there should not have to be obstacles to be proud of your own race.

I think what Cisely's story was not completely true, I believe Louis's story was more believable than her story. I don't think Cisely told the truth because through out the film, it is hinted that she is in love with her father. For example, when she gets locked in the house because of her mother. She gets very angry and wants to go see her father. She often gets in fight with her mother over her father. She knew what kind of her person Louis was and this can be seen when Eve is telling her what she saw, but Cisely shuts Eve up and tells her that the incident did not occur. Her fathers perspective is more believable because throughout the film he is a very good father and also the fact that he wrote it before he died.