Nadine Gordimer's Essay 'Rituals Of Memory'

Despite our founding principle that “all men are created equal” (Jefferson), American life isn’t characterized by equality or fairness. Although we acknowledge that each member of humanity bears equal value, we fail to provide them with such equality in life. Racism and anti-immigrant sentiment are two factors that prevent America from being equal. Frederick Douglass identified this gap between value and reality for Americans when he found himself “not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary” (¶3) of the Fourth of July, “a day that reveals to [the American

Also, it is natural to search out or relate to that which is "like" or common to us. These ideas form or create the self definition of who an individual is. Cultural togetherness is not a bad thing. However, these ideas have negative retributions when acted upon in extreme degrees. The individuality of a group is wonderful, but not when it causes a cut off from other groups. What segregation brings or prevents is the opportunity for experience of diversity or a wide range of livelihood in general. There is more to the world then just you or just me. This type of separation causes barriers or invisible lines and walls that are rarely crossed by people in our society today. These barriers produce the loss of uniqueness among both a group of people as well as individuals. When everyone is the same or alike, people lose the capability to be special or unmatched ( Myers, 34). Differences and diversity should be celebrated as a chance or opportunity to be able to stand out as well as the chance to educate each other about the creation of man and woman.

America is a nation “from many, one” as stated in our country’s original motto. We pride ourselves on the granted equal opportunity and freedom afforded to each citizen. But are these premises held true and adequately carried out? My answer is a resounding no! Our country’s intricate history provides us with the foundation that explains why and how discrimination has infiltrated and given the upper hand to the white race that has dominated the American society, while suppressing races of color. Dating back to the discovery of the new world we know as the contemporary United States, the African American race has been segregated and mistreated as exemplified through

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new na-tion, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” a quote by America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, directly recalling how equality was the catalyst for the conception of America. It’s a universal right that should be known by all, but it was barely an option in our country for the African American faction almost a century ago. Chained, chastised and condemned, the African American had to surpass through radical odds to get to a mediocre amount of respect. When World War I first began, many citizens of America saw it as a seemingly distant European conflict that they couldn’t be bothered with.

In this book Privilege, power, and difference, introduction the author, Allan G. Johnson, argues that differences in society that humans perceive each other are based on gender and race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and social class. John says in his introduction that "It is about how we think, but always the purpose is to change how we think so that we can change how we act and by changing how we participate in the world become part of the complex dynamic through which the world itself will change." His idea of changing how we think to change how we act could be very effective in many ways in which we can accept each other. His story of Rodney King's Question opens the idea of why "Can't we just all get along". Since the Civil War until

"The Wrong Lunch Line" by Nicholasa Mohr teaches that we don't have to be worried about the differences between us. We all have different religions, beliefs, economic situations, mores, etc, but we should put those differences away because sometimes we can hurt people or make

In America’s history, each race has been portrayed as inferior or inferior, because of one’s skin color, or the beliefs of a culture. Oppression In early America varied in some ethnicities. Some races didn’t even have any civil liberties at all, they were not allowed to vote, not even allowed to become professionals. This was to keep everyone that was not of the superior race below them. Even though they are classified as U.S citizens. In most areas, the ruling race is the upper white class that runs the system, and have a disproportionate amount of power. In other areas, it may not be the white race, but it is still the race that makes up the majority. The majority, who makes the laws, and/or has money, are keys to dominate over the weaker minorities that don’t have the

The arrival of African slaves, sold in the plantations of colonial America, definitely triggered a superior-inferior relationship and mentality between “the whites” and “the blacks”. This present-day culture, resulting from a society of masters and slaves, has struggled against central concepts deeply rooted in the nations past .With strong cultural values on racial discrimination, the path towards the concept of racism in America was a vital moment in the course of the nation’s history. Social concepts and attitudes could not be altered overnight, but it can be altered. Indeed, in the quest for social progress, the struggle for equality has gone a long way, with black Americans now holding high-ranking

Most people believe that America can never reach racial and social equality because of the Civil Right Movement, Civil War, economically, etc. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” there were many racist remarks made against blacks. There are characters like Aunt Alexandra and Bob Ewell who have discriminated African Americans. The prejudice comments said by people can affect others and their reaction to them. Also, today there are many blacks being discriminated or even harmed based on their race. Racial and social equality is not attainable because of the opinions people have made according to their superiority.

Oftentimes conflicts are only considered to be only an international difference in opinions, however, conflict can be present as a national issue. In the United States of America, although considered a relatively peaceful country, experiences national conflicts regularly. Dennis Prager says “Since neither black animosity nor the Left’s falsehood of ‘racial tensions’ is based on the actual behavior of the vast majority of white Americans, nothing white America can do will affect the perceptions of many black Americans or of the leftist libel.” This quote defends the idea that in most cases, the racial tension is one sided and without clear evidence.

Once, race and religion were two traditional structural components of society from the past, but today the two act as social dividers. The disconnection of people of varying beliefs and races as well as the misunderstanding of each other in societies are issues well interpreted in the novels, Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Both authors would agree that something must be done to bridge the gap in racially segregated society. From a personal perspective, as long as there are people who think they are socially and spiritually different from others, there will always be misunderstanding between people.

The Declaration of Independence declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This document is part of the foundation which the American people stand upon. All men were said to be created equal, and while this was God’s intention, many people do not act this way when it comes to race relations. Many people treat people of color as if they are not equal to white people in almost all aspects of everyday life. Nikki Giovanni’s Chasing Utopia and Claudia Rankine’s Citizen have a meaningful conversation about what God’s intentions for race relations were, and what the world has made the social norm.

In human nature it’s sometimes hard for two races or cultures to be in one unite because one can not understand the other. Without people being united nothing can be accomplished, there will always be conflicts and nothing would go on and on. Example, If we go back in Huck Finn we realize that though Huck and Jim were strangers to each other, they had to find a way to be united, to work things together. Also another, example from Long Walk to Freedom, before Mandela went to prison the third time, he and his comrades from the ANC campaign, they figured that if they don’t come up with a plan, the whites will take everything from them.

The United States is considered a melting pot because of the vast array of different cultures, ethnicities, and religious groups who all live within its borders. Other countries with fewer cultural differences have been torn apart by the conflicts that arise between these differing groups. It is believed by some that the United States has been able to avoid such ethical conflicts as have brought down other nations but looking at American history it is evident that this is not true. America's history is one of ethnic conflict because of religion, nationalistic, and particularly ethnic differences. The two centuries that the United States has existed has been a history of racial marginalization particularly against African Americans which culminated with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In the present, the United States likes to claim that as a nation, we are color blind but evidence exists to the contrary. The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) still exists, hate crimes are committed based on ethnicity, and stereotypes are perpetuated in order to minimize and ostracize. Despite these instances, the country has held strong largely because although these instances occur, they are not approved of by the government or those involved in criminal justice.

John F. Kennedy once said " If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity."