Racism Is Malevolent; Comparison Between Black Like Me, Black Boy, and to Kill a Mockingbird
Kids everywhere are being taught to live by the quote, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This quote is what most people should strive to live by, but what does it mean to not judge a book by its cover? The quote seems pretty self explanatory, but then why do so many people seem to neglect it? From the beginning of time, people have persecuted, humiliated, fought, harassed, bullied and maliciously tormented people based on their covers. Just because one is black or white, short or tall, Jewish or atheist, or just plain different people think they can cast hateful stares or exchange filthy words despite the philosophy they were taught at such a young age. This quote applies to every person no matter how different their cover may be. Often times, people are harshly judged based on the way they look. One of the most hurtful and malevolent judgment is a judgment that is made based on the race of a person especially when someone acts upon bitter judgments. This is what racism is. Racism is entirely unscrupulous, ominous and malevolent. It only makes a person’s life worse. The theme of racism being oppressive is often addressed in literature. Numerous novels discuss the negativity of racism and what needs to be done to stop it. The three pieces of literature discussed here capitalize that racism is malevolent, each in a different way with a different view. Although they all go into detail of the effects of racism and the causes of racism, they all do it in a different way. The first work of literature, Black Boy by Richard Wright, is an autobiography that explains Wright’s life growing up in the dreadfully racist south. Through the whole novel, Wright tried to convey a message to America. Of course it was obvious Wright revealed the insidious effects of racism, but he was also sought to circulate another message that racism was so malevolent and serious that it was too difficult for blacks to unite to make a change. Many times, Wright would emphasize