Racial discrimination is an acute issue in the modern world, and while the situation starts to change, with people witnessing justice being administered and racists being punished, this is not always the case. As a matter of fact, many predecessors of people of color had to endure much harassment, violence, and disrespect before their rights were acknowledged, and discrimination became an abhorrent phenomenon.
Among the sources that illuminate the topic of racial discrimination are literature and films, which shed light on both sides, the oppressed and oppressors. Such works as The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett with its further film adaptation, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee illustrate the necessity of empathy in relation to racism. The solutions that were covertly offered by the authors are the confrontation of racism, raising awareness, and increasing societal conscience.
To start with, the first approach to racism and promoting empathy is to confront prevalent discrimination and racism, which was often shown in The Help. Celia, a recent newcomer to Jackson, Mississippi, longs to join the Junior League but discovers that she is not allowed since she wedded Hilly’s former partner, Johnny Foote. To keep Johnny from learning about Celia’s lack of feminine prowess, she employs Minny to cook and keep the house clean in secrecy.
From the personal recollection of Minny, the readers and the audience learn that Missis Foot was always “grinning and “good morning” and “glad to see”-ing” her, and it was not a problem for her when she “sat down and eaten lunch” with Minny (Stockett 215). Celia is considered “white trash,” and she knows what it is like to be mistreated, which is why she is respectful to Minny (Stockett 31). By being kind to Minny, she breaks the societal rules established in Jackson, which is important to break the vicious circle of discrimination.
Another solution to racism and the possibility of promoting empathy is to raise awareness through the voice of the discriminated. The majority of works of literature serve as verbalizations of social truths, and the novel The Help is among such works. This book focuses on how different origins, ethnicities, and skin tones lead to racial disparities. To demonstrate how life in Jackson centers around The Help, the book chronicles the intertwining experiences of the three women.
Complex relationships of power, wealth, compassion, and connection bind Jackson’s white and black communities together. The one character who decided to shed light on such issues and raise awareness is Skeeter Phelan. Having been raised by a black servant and learning about the reason for her resignation, Skeeter felt uncomfortable with such injustice (The Help). The young woman interviewed the servants who were women of color, and in her collection, she desired to revolutionize societal norms (The Help). Such an approach allows people to lose a one-sided perspective and learn about the unfairness toward the oppressed.
The last solution revolves around increasing societal conscience by educating people about the negative effects of prejudice, showing how it erodes the conscience of the community. The author of To Kill a Mockingbird employs character development throughout the book to show how a lack of compassion prevents cultural transformation in Maycomb and fosters societal unrest. Lee demonstrates how racial discrimination and the unwillingness to see through it may result in the deaths of innocent people. In one of the scenes, Lee used the line “Mr. Finch, if you was a nigger like me, you’d be scared, too,” to emphasize how crucial it was for the white people to understand Tom so that he could obtain the proper trial (Lee 228).
As seen from the trial process, almost every person in the room was prejudiced against the man of color, including the judge, whose reaction to a man defending Tom was a reply, “Shut your mouth, sir!” (Lee 228). This situation illustrates that with discrimination present in the world, one would not even be able to be treated with fairness in legal or other aspects, which kills the core notion of democracy.
In sum, the writers subtly proposed three solutions, including confronting racism, boosting awareness, and sharpening social conscience. Probably the most effective solution is to boost awareness. Without spreading the information about discrimination and injustice, communities will continue to live in a bubble where they will not be exposed to the atrocities and disrespect that people of color experience.
As shown in the movie and the novel The Help, interviews can be conducted to bring awareness and illuminate the effects of racism. Skeeter was a woman who was not ready to observe the inequality and decided to spread the information in a collection of stories of black female servants who had to face disrespect and humiliation while working in white households. Therefore, such methods of using various platforms as conduits for acute issues in societies can serve as a solution to racism and encourage people to have more empathy for others and not discriminate against minorities.
Works Cited
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. United Kingdom, Random House, 2014.
Stockett, Kathryn. The Help. United States, Penguin Publishing Group, 2009.
The Help. Directed by Tate Taylor, performance by Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain, DreamWorks Pictures, 2011.