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Marginalization And Dehumanization

Decent Essays

How have people been discriminated against by others in the past? Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, written in 1861, highlights the adversity that black slaves, especially women, are put through during their lives. The author tells of her personal experience in slavery, being a mother, and escaping from the struggles in the southern American states. A Raisin in the Sun is a play, published in 1958, that depicts the struggles of discrimination in society while balancing work and family life. Lorraine Hansberry shows the prejudices that existed, and still do exist, against women and those of the negro race. Discrimination has existed heavily in American history. Ethnicities, cultures, and genders were seen as inferior and were forced to live separately from others. Discrimination can be defined as the dehumanization, marginalization, or objectification of another human for who they are. Dehumanization is the act of making someone feel less human or less valuable. The separation or divide of an individual or group in society that is viewed as less or inferior to another is known as marginalization. Objectification is making someone feel like an object or property by words or actions. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry show how genders and African-Americans have been dehumanized, objectified, and marginalized throughout history. Dehumanization is shown in both A Raisin in the Sun and

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