Ragtime

In the 1930s, racism was one of society’s most pressing issues both in and out of the novel.

He begins by telling of peasant life in the native European land, how it began to crumble because of poverty after having obtained rock hard stability for centuries, then he follows their long, dangerous trek to America which very few could endure because ships were overcrowded and unsanitary. Handlin then gives the account of the few that lived to see land on the other side of the Atlantic, detailing their struggles with the transformation from home life of the village system, which included the hierarchy social structure, an economy relying on the land, and family-based homes contrasting to American industrial economy, multiple religions, communication, immense knowledge, democratic government, and freedom. The stress and pressure to completely change their lifestyle, traditions, morals, and standards all at once causes immigrants to feel helpless and

The first example of discrimination which causes a huge problem is the discussion of race. Even though the book is written based in the nineties, it was still

Racism is one issue that is portrayed a few times throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. The

Racism is a big part of this book. It shows the absurdity of what people thought back then, which is an important lesson. It is important for us to learn what people’s views used to be, and how important it is not to go back to that mindset.

The most important theme in this book was the trials and tribulations of racism because it was woven in every part of the plot, it contributed to the conflict and resolutions, and gave the story a connection to current events, helping the reader’s comprehension.

Tenement life was tough in New York City at the turn of the nineteenth century, as portrayed in the historical novel, City of Orphans. This portrayal depicted an immigrant family that was living hand to mouth in a tenement. This depiction is very accurate to the harsh reality that many families had to come to face. It was tough from the conditions, lifestyles, and space. Maks ' family was barely living off their earnings and was susceptible to disease and fraud. The immigrants were easy targets for poverty and sickness, and all too often fell through cracks in the floor. Their lives, as bad as they were, were not as bad as the ones they led in the countries they fled from to escape prosecution and to seek a better life.

3. How is the racial issue – a main theme of this book – clearly introduces in Chapter 1?

We saw prejudice and discrimination throughout the book. For example, when Lafayette’s was charged with a crime due to hi, been associated with who did it. When LaJoe lost her benefits from the state due to her on and off husband using her home address and when collecting unemployment benefits which LaJoe did not claim as income coming into the home. In both instances, the Rivers were treated as if they were liars and criminals. Because of Lafayette being from the inner city, there was this predetermine thought about any youth that lived in the inner city from the court system. LaJoe was treated with disrespect by the welfare office because of the prejudgment they had formed about people that lived in the inner city. Due to the location in which they stayed, the importance of healthy living condition was not a priority to the city. They were forced to live in the vicinity of garbage, broken sewer systems, dead animals, etc. Also, the children were forced to either stay in their apartments or play on the railroad tracks because the city had only a few areas for them to play. These areas had become run down and it was unsafe for kids to play in. It is unsure why the was such neglect for those areas of the inner city, but one could only think that it had to do with how this race has been treated for years.

15. F the police asked the author and the four other men where they going

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Every generation needs a new revolution.” Thomas Jefferson indicates that every generation needs a group of motivated people hoping to fix the broken pieces in soceity. E.L Doctorow uses Thomas Jefferson’s imperative thought as an occurring theme in the novel Ragtime. E.L Doctorow does so by using three distinct revolutionaries, each with different qualities; the youngster, Mother’s Younger Brother, the significant anarchist, Emma Goldman, and the infamous menace to society, Coalhouse Walker. Although the revolutionaries of Ragtime, Mother’s Younger Brother, Coalhouse, and Emma Goldman are ultimately killed or deported, they benefit America because they fight for the ideals that America claims to hold.

The two arguments, Coming and Going: Round-Trip to America by Mark Wyman and Permanently Lost: The Trauma of Immigration by Victor Greene provides readers with an insight about the crucial labor conditions, the physical and mental deformities, and the struggles to gain a small fortune immigrants from various countries faced during their stay in America. In Wyman’s argument, the author focused on the harsh living/ working conditions immigrants experienced while building up a new, industrialized nation. Despite such cruel conditions, the author acknowledges the fact that immigrants chose to be mistreated and work for low wages in hopes to save enough fortune to take back to their homelands. In Greene’s argument, the author focuses on the sorrow

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

Up until the late 1900?s, the American populace on the whole had assumed a very optimistic view of American history. Glossing over disgraceful events, emphasizing the brighter points in our history, our culture has attempted to ignore the obvious fact that we have had, and still have, our fair share of problems. In Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow unabashedly exposes some of the worst aspects of American life in our more recent history. Doctorow doesn?t hold back anything, providing detailed examples of human cruelty and sacrifice, and the evolution of American society. While critiquing American society was not the sole purpose of his novel, Doctorow does expose and examine many issues that people tended to ignore like

Present in the different novels of E.L. Doctorow are many themes, ranging from the impact of technology on society to the drastic effects of war. All of his books have something in common: the prevalence of the American dream. The United States of America was founded around the fact that anybody can come here and succeed with the right amount of effort. Ironically, the people that praise the United States oppress blacks and other minorities so that they cannot succeed. In E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, Booker T. Washington advocates the abandonment of the pursuit of the American dream by illustrating the sacrifices that many African-Americans were willing to make to obtain racial peace.