“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King Jr. In the book, Kindred by Octavia Butler, it describes how blacks were treated in in the year 1815, experienced by the main character Dana. Dana is an African American woman married to a white man named Kevin, who gets transported to the past to save her ancestor, Rufus, from death. Her adventure is very dangerous and she has no clue of what could happen to her life. My thesis is “People in this world are judged by their race, but it only takes one person to transform this oppression.” This means that one person that stands up for what they believe in can actually make a difference in the world.
“I was the worst possible guardian for him - a black to watch over him in a society that considered blacks subhuman, a woman to watch over him in a society that considered women perennial children.” pg. 68. According to this quote, Dana believes that she was not a good choice as a guardian for a boy in that time period. This is considered social condition because their role in society is different depending on their skin color and gender. In this time period, blacks were said to be less than human and women said to be ceaseless, meaning unable to abolish. his made it a challenge for Dana to watch over Rufus if many whites, including Margaret, Rufus’ mother, could not trust blacks or women in general. Although, this barrier of social condition stood in Dana’s way, it did not bring her down, she persevered through this oppression of slavery, an influence ideas into the mind of Rufus.
“He don’t want no niggers’ round here talking better than him, putting freedom ideas in our heads.” pg.74. From this quote we can see that Marse Tom, the plantation owner, doesn’t want anyone having a better education than he has, especially a black person. This demonstrates hegemony in the way that the master believes he is superior to his slaves just because he is a white man with power. White people are said to be superior to blacks and have the power to limit the rights of blacks. This oppression harms the people not in the “superior” group because of their skin color, which is not fair because it is said that all people should be created equal.
A guy that has inspired me to fight for what i believe in and never gave up is Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American labor leader that used non-violent ways to fight for immigrant farm workers rights. He created a group to help increase wages and improve working conditions and for the safety of farm workers. He even organized strikes and until they made laws to improve farm workers lives. The reason I brought him up is because he is my race (Mexican), but also because he and the workers were being judged by their race and it took his courage and perseverance to transform the oppression of immigrant workers.
“I was the worst possible guardian for him - a black to watch over him in a society that considered blacks subhuman, a woman to watch over him in a society that considered women perennial children.” pg. 68. According to this quote, Dana believes that she was not a good choice as a guardian for a boy in that time period. This is considered social condition because their role in society is different depending on their skin color and gender. In this time period, blacks were said to be less than human and women said to be ceaseless, meaning unable to abolish. his made it a challenge for Dana to watch over Rufus if many whites, including Margaret, Rufus’ mother, could not trust blacks or women in general. Although, this barrier of social condition stood in Dana’s way, it did not bring her down, she persevered through this oppression of slavery, an influence ideas into the mind of Rufus.
“He don’t want no niggers’ round here talking better than him, putting freedom ideas in our heads.” pg.74. From this quote we can see that Marse Tom, the plantation owner, doesn’t want anyone having a better education than he has, especially a black person. This demonstrates hegemony in the way that the master believes he is superior to his slaves just because he is a white man with power. White people are said to be superior to blacks and have the power to limit the rights of blacks. This oppression harms the people not in the “superior” group because of their skin color, which is not fair because it is said that all people should be created equal.
A guy that has inspired me to fight for what i believe in and never gave up is Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American labor leader that used non-violent ways to fight for immigrant farm workers rights. He created a group to help increase wages and improve working conditions and for the safety of farm workers. He even organized strikes and until they made laws to improve farm workers lives. The reason I brought him up is because he is my race (Mexican), but also because he and the workers were being judged by their race and it took his courage and perseverance to transform the oppression of immigrant workers.
In conclusion, I believe that no person should deserve to be judged by their race or any other category because everyone is born equal. I learned that it may be difficult to transform the oppression of racism due to social condition and hegemony. People put you in a certain category and that’s where you should stay. Others believe they are superior to a certain group and think they are in control. And sometimes it just takes one person to get the courage to stand up for what they believe in. Speak out with your voice and you will be heard. Make the best of your ability. “Be the change you want to see.” Mahatma Gandhi.
