Theme Of The Stolen Party By Liliana Heker

When we think of prejudice, we often think of racism. However, racism and prejudice are not interchangeable terms. Through the phrase “power plus prejudice,” we have learned that racism, for example, can only be achieved with power. One can only be racist towards someone else if he or she has the power to do so. Meaning, is this person white or black? If they’re white, they have power ergo can be racist. Throughout both “Mixed Blood Stew” by Jewell Parker Rhodes and the story “The Sneetches” by Dr. Seuss, the concept of power plus prejudice is portrayed.

Practically everyone in the story has a hidden agenda for his or her actions. The protagonist, a 22-year-old named Helga, was a teacher at an institute of higher learning called Naxos where the true agenda was not education but instead was teaching Blacks their accepted status in life—lower than that of Whites. She became convinced that she needed to leave Naxos after hearing a speech from a visiting white preacher whose remarks she found offensive. The preacher stated that if everyone acted like those from Naxos “there would be no race problem, because Naxos Negros knew what was expected of them” because they “knew enough to stay in their places” (Larsen 1724). At the beginning of the story, the reader would feel sympathy towards the workers at Naxos, who truly believed they were preparing the students for better lives and sympathy for Helga who tried to convince the new principle, Dr. Anderson, as to the true state of affairs. Helga failed to realize, however, that Dr. Anderson was aware of the situation at Naxos but felt that for change to occur there needed to be “more people like you, people with a sense of values, and proportion, an appreciation of the rarer things of life” (Larsen 1735). Helga mistakenly became offended at Dr. Anderson’s compliment by calling her “a lady” with “dignity and breeding” because of her belief that being able to trace one’s ancestry was more important that one’s actions (Larsen 1735).

The theme of prejudice is thoroughly examined through out the short story "Mary Moon and the stars". This hard hitting theme conveys the idea that young adults have to make tough decisions even before hitting their adolescent years. These decisions are mostly based on the judgments they choose to make on the people surrounding them. The narrator

Rosaura's reaction at the end of the party clearly proves us that she all the time thinks that she is invited because she is friends with Luciana. She is sad to realize that she is, in fact, different from the others, that her mother is right all along and that there is a social distinction between the rich and the poor. It is now that Rosaura knows that she is a maid like her mother. She sees that Senora Ines uses her not because she is special but simply because she

The speech “The Danger of a Single Story” narrated and written by Chimamanda Adichie is a series of overlapping stories and thoughts predominately discussing prejudice around the world. Though it is not our fault that we are only shown a single side of a topic, what we are exposed to is usually biased or lacking in full detail. Many people use what media may say or what they hear around them about a subject to make up their resolved opinion on the matter. Adichie's argument is effective because she overturns all that established knowledge and presents unique views on old ones to create an open minded take on the issue; moreover, Adichie uses humor, significant life experiences, and typical day-to-day discrimination to support her argument.

In the modern world, gender stereotypes affect men and women in different ways. A kind man can be perceived as violent for simply being a man, and in contrast, a woman can be seen as an object to chase or prey upon simply for being a woman. When these roles overlap, the innocent members of both parties feel uncomfortable and ashamed for things out of their control. Judith Ortiz Cofer’s essay entitled The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria is more effective in its explanation of perceived gender roles and stereotypes, compared to the Brent Staples essay Just Walk on By: Black Men in Public Space.

In today’s society, we face prejudice every day in many forms. Most people in today’s society have either been victims of prejudice or are guilty of exhibiting prejudice towards others.

It has been thoroughly thought over what current topic or issue that people experience in most environments today, at both a micro and macro level that would be able to be examined and have come to the decision of looking at the most widely discussed subject, prejudice. All people are affected by prejudice in one way or another and it can impact on people's lives depending on what form it has taken. Also to be able to acknowledge that all people can be prejudices and see this is the first step to overcoming it.. The question that has been decided upon is that of “What types of prejudice do we see commonly today and how do they affect an individual at a micro and macro level?”

Prejudice is an issue that is alive and well in society today. Many people are willing to speak their mind and say exactly what they think without giving thought to who might be hurt by the words that they speak. In a culture where people can be very easily offended, prejudice has become an issue that must be addressed. In her essay "Don’t Just Stand There", Diane Cole expresses her ideas towards prejudice. She says that people should stand up to prejudice in order to keep people from being hurt. People may not always change when they are confronted, but confrontation allows somebody to address the problem. Confronting prejudice can have a positive effect on people because it may allow people to realize what they are saying, it can help change the way that people think, and it can stop the acts of prejudice.

In The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met A Girl Named Maria, Judith Ortiz Cofer addresses the problem of racial discrimination. Cofer was grown up with two different cultures. As a Latin Woman, she tries hard to fit in American culture. Cofer discusses how she has been treated due to her identity during her childhood and become an adult. And when facing those embarrassing situations, Cofer treats them with proper manner. Though demonstrating some examples, it is noticed that the Latin Woman were stereotyped as those who can only do simple work.

Prejudice is judging a person without any evidence or reasonable knowledge. It has caused conflicts between people with different ethnic backgrounds and such, all throughout history. These conflicts are clear in the novel, The Chrysalids by the author, John Whyndham. To begin, the characters have person versus person conflicts because of prejudiced notions of one person. In addition, person versus society disputes occur because the society of Waknuk is judgmental and will go to extreme lengths to enforce their views.

‘It 's a rich people 's party.’ ‘Rich people go to Heaven too,’ said the girl, who studied religion at school. ‘Get away with Heaven,’ said the mother. ‘I’m going because I’ve been invited,’ she said. ‘And I’ve been invited because Luciana is my friend. So there.’ ‘Ah yes, your friend," her mother grumbled. She paused. "Listen, Rosaura," she said at last. ‘That one’s not your friend. You know what you are to them? The maid’s daughter, that’s what.’” (Heker 1)

Claudia Rankine analyze racism to its core, bringing to surface that miniscule event are just as problematic as televised one. Her words are beautifully brutal, striking up emotions for anyone that reads it. As readers we are taken through a journey from past to present events of racial incidents experienced by different genders and ages. Above all, Claudia provides a strong indication that racism is far from over.

The first evidence we see which supports the claim that this is a story of class structure comes when Rosaura’s mother says to her, "I don’t like you going, it’s a rich people’s party" (Heker 1133). This lets the reader know that the mother is aware of the ways of the world. She knows that

Even though the families are of same descent, they live in opposite worlds. We can tell that Senora Ines has had a more successful life than Rosaura’s mother has. She lives in a "beautiful place" and has maids and servants (1134). She can afford anything that she wants and lavishes her daughter with a party. On the other hand, Rosaura’s mother has a job as a maid and can’t afford the luxuries of such a lifestyle. Here we can see the discrimination that people are faced with concerning their social class and status. Rosaura, still young and naïve, hopes to one day be in the same place as her friend. Rosaura lives in a fantasy world where nothing bad happens, and she is blind and innocent to the unfair treatment around her. What she will soon realize is that she is living in the real world where she will learn the truth and see people for what they really are.