Theme Of Once Upon A Time By Nadine Gordimer

Many individuals are often alienated from society. One of many causes can be the racism of African Americans. The alienation caused by racism can affect individuals and society. Due to their race, they were discriminated and led to racial inequality. This can all be depicted in “Incident” by Countee Cullen, “ A Black Man Talks of Reaping” by Arna Bontemps, and “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. In “Incident”, a young African American is called a racial slur because of her physical appearance. Also, “A Black Man Talks of Reaping”, describes how a black man is discriminated and face racial inequality. Lastly, in “We Wear the Mask” shows how blacks had to hide their true identity because they were colored and did not fit in society. In all three text of Cullen, Bontemps, and Dunbar all show how racism can make an individual feel alienated.

To show first hand to the whites the inequality’s and hardships that the blacks face, the entire first section is in a narrative and a descriptive format. The use of these types of essays lets the readers feel more involved in the story and feel things for themselves. Split into two sections within itself, this first paragraph juxtaposes two stories — one about a “young Negro boy” living in Harlem, and the other about a “young Negro girl” living in Birmingham. The parallelism in the sentence structures of introducing the children likens them even more — despite the differences between them — whether it be their far away location, or their differing, yet still awful, situations. Since this section is focused more towards his white audience, King goes into a description of what it was like living as an African American in those times— a situation the black audience knew all too well. His intense word choice of describing the boy’s house as “vermin-infested” provokes a very negative reaction due to the bad

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 timing for the presence of a make-believe house that never existed in the town of Georgia determined the destiny of a family of five. The protagonist and the protagonist are center for the actions of good and evil. Whether good or evil is used for a beneficial or evil ways, they both go hand in hand. In accordance to the grandmother, she used the form of good to manipulate a criminal into think that he had good left in him deep down. She also used the sense of goodness in her desperate time of need for survival when she was standing in her grave face to face with the Misfit. On the other hand, the Misfit commits such violent acts to survive and had the necessary necessities to prolong his life. He only acts in violence because it brings good to him a way. The Misfit who has no one and no family and las lost all sanity does what he has to do to be alive. The story has a foundation of family, the influence of manipulation, and good vs. evil. Which are the characteristics and the personality of the protagonist and the antagonist. In a way, the main characters play the role of god. The grandmother plays the role of a judge on who is “good” and who is “evil” she considers herself a good Christian and the Misfit is just Evil in his actions. The Misfit plays the role of god by taking innocent lives and thinking it is okay because he says the punishment and crime never match with the person committing it. He was punished for the killing of his father, which he did not commit. Humanity is destined to be flawed and is capable of both actions. Even though good is always within reach, so is evil at the same time. Both main characters were stripped with what they valued the most and were left alone with nothing. The Misfit was a social outcast on the run from the system and the Grandmother was left alone in a devastating state

The Walls weren’t able to provide for their children . The father was an alcoholic , who wasn’t able to maintain a job .The mother was an artist, that one may say she was in “dream land “. They were always on the run or as the dad called it , doing the “skedaddle.” The dad would often tell the kids , it was because the mafia or the cops were chasing after him. In addition the dad never seemed to appeal to civilization, he would always tell the kids: ”These cities will kill you”.

Before the ghettos. Before the train rides, marches, and concentration camps. Eliezer had never experienced such violence against others, much less himself. The Nazi’s ruled with fear; which was instilled with violence. One example of the theme of violence being developed

This corresponds to the theme by having the barrier between blacks and whites, standing strongly. During this time period, blacks started receiving more equality. However this was through laws, not the society. By being lawfully accepted but not publicly accepted, the barrier between races was not broken. To become accepted into society, blacks began to change themselves. Blacks grew custom to living through fear. For example, “I was to become thoroughly familiar with the language of fear” (Staples 542). This quote relates to the message by showing how blacks had to change their character to become accepted. Instead of living freely like the whites, blacks changed their lives by living in fear. Since they were not socially accepted, blacks began to become shadows due to fear. Another example on how blacks had to alter their lives is shown through these words, “I began to take precautions to make myself less threatening.” (Staples 544). This is beneficial to the argument by showing how blacks had to change their lives, just to be accepted. To not be mistaken or felt threaten upon, blacks had to alter their lives. They began to live through fear and altered their lives so society felt better with them being present. Overall,

In the foreground, darkness embodies the oppression the Harlem residents feel regarding racism, segregation and stifled possibilities. Early in the story the narrator illustrates this idea of limited opportunity when he is talking about the young boys in the school yard, “…they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. They were filled with rage. All they really knew [was darkness], the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them…” (Baldwin 75). Later, Baldwin describes a world where the whole of Harlem is gripped with long lasting discrimination and isolation, “the old folks…[are] talking about where they’ve come from, and what they’ve seen, and what’s happened to them and their kinfolk… The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. It’s what they’ve come from. It’s what they endure” (Baldwin 82). In summary, Baldwin’s use of darkness helps to depict a world where the characters are living in a culture rich with poverty and paralyzed with a continued fear of racism and

The poem we chose to make a film on is Natasha Trethewey's History Lesson. This poem stood out to me because it mirrors an issue that black people are facing in society today. Segregation of the past connects to the black lives matter campaign that we are facing now in present day. The poem History Lesson represents how individuals in black communities strived for equality. The main theme I found present in this piece was the reflection on past racial struggles and inequality and the hope individuals held onto while striving for an end to segregation and future equality.

In a children’s book named The Other Side, a fence separates a white girl named Annie and an African American girl named Clover. The fence symbolism racial barriers between whites and blacks. The authors use of tone promotes to the symbolism by utilizing children to indicate the racial impediments. The fence in The Other Side symbolists the racial barriers between whites and blacks.

Mr.Thurman talks about violence. The fear that segregation inspired among the weak in turn breeds fear among the srtong. This fear comes from the wrong doing of the people.He talks about how people fear of violence most of the time was in

Through the years they grew into an overreaching symbol of fear”. We can see that these early experiences as a child had caused a sense of fear and caution of the white community within the narrator.

A horrible epiphany of the truth about the plantation strikes the grandmother which then leads her family and herself to a mishap. It is significant that the story reveals how nowadays, circumstances are getting worse because before, everything was fine and this produces a positive effect to the young characters such as the grandchildren. Having said that, this is also the reason why they get into a misadventure where they encounter their vicious murderers.

The story’s first paragraph starts with family existing by a man, his wife, their grandmother, and their son. They live in the suburb, in a city, in South Africa under the apartheid system. The separation between blacks and whites are huge, and every family in the suburb is secured in any possible way. No one from the outside is allowed in. Even though the husband keeps telling his wife that “these people were not allowed into the suburb except as reliable housemaids and gardeners, so there was nothing to fear” (Gordimer 12), the family keeps developing their safety equipment, in case something could happened. The irony is that the family has no idea what is happening outside the fence. They call them “these people” (Gordimer 12) as if they don’t even know that they look like. Gradually

“It was not possible to ensure the house, the swimming pool, or the car from riot damage… she was afraid that someday such people might come up the street… and open the gates and stream in...,” (Gordimer 233). Although in the story it does not directly state that the people the family, mostly the wife, fear are those of color, “There were riots... where people of another color were quartered,” (Gordimer 233). Because of their fear the family continues to build their side of the brick wall higher and add barbed wire to the top of it which inevitably leads to the death of their son. The constant fear of something they can’t see causes them to act irrationally to the point of locking themselves inside of their own home. Because the family kept changing their security system they ended up with an extremely dangerous wall covered in barbed wire;, “...the cornice of razor thorns encircled the home....” (Gordimer 235) and in the end the wall caused led to the death of their son when he tried climb through the barbed wire and inevitably bled to death, “ coiled tunnel was just wide enough for his little body...and its razor-teeth sunk in his knees and hands and head he screamed and struggled deeper into its tangle...the bleeding mass of the little boy was hacked out of the security coil,” (Gordimer 236).