Effect of Racial Discrimination on Youth - Essay Example

Report: Effect of Racial Discrimination on Youth – A Comparative Reflection Paper. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3 Racial Discrimination….………………………………………………………………………...3 Literature Comparison…………………………………………………………………………..4 Child of the Americas……………………………………………………………………4 What it’s like to be a Black Girl………………………………………………………...6 Comparison & Analysis………………………………………………………………….7 Racial Discrimination & Youth…………………………………………………………………8 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..9 References……………………………………………………………………………………….11 Introduction Literature is the reflection of a society. From past history, to present scenarios, literature presents social phenomena in a very effective manner. It not only gives the description of the facts but gives value-addition to them which helps us understand life and its various facets in the most beautiful manner. It also helps us to highlight and understand the various problems occurring in the society. Racial discrimination is one such issue. Many authors have written books, short stories, poems etc on this much debatable topic. In this paper, we discuss the impact of racial discrimination by comparing two poems which highlight the issue. Racial Discrimination Racism can be defined as negative beliefs, attitudes, actions, or behaviors that are based on various different characteristics or ethnic affiliations (Patcher et al., 2010). It is the unfair treatment of any individual based on his race or because of the personal characteristics associated to his race. One of the examples of this is treating people unfavorably because of their color complexion. While racism happens all over the world in various countries, racism by Western powers toward non-westerners had a significant impact on history as compared to any other form such amongst Asians, Africans etc. The most renowned instance of racial has been slavery when referred to the West, particularly developing Africans into slaves. This happened because of the racist belief that Black Africans were not as human as white Europeans and their descendants. Racism affects every individual who becomes target to it. It particularly has effect on children and the youth. They are already struggling to find meaning to their life at this sensitive age, and such time of discrimination has adverse consequences on them. Racism as a stressor may produce negative biological or psychological responses to the behavioral and emotional health of children and may also explain within-group variability in health status and health results (Clark et al., 1999). Based on this my thesis statement would be: ‘Racial discrimination has far-reaching effects on the youth’ Literature Comparison The two pieces selected for this comparison are Child of the Americas by Aurora Levins Morales and What it’s like to be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith. Both are poems written by American authors having African origin. These poems highlight the discrimination against Blacks in America. With this analysis however, we will try to understand how racial/color discrimination is disturbing in any part of the world against any kind of race and its effects on the youth who are trying to settle in, trying to understand life, and trying to grow up; are much more. Let us first analyze each work separately and then compare them. Child of the Americas The author of this poem, daughter of an American Jewish father and a Puerto Rican mother, was born in Puerto Rico and moved to America at the age of 13. In this poem, the author is describing what she is and she feels pride in being the way she is. By expressing her sentiments, she is trying to explain it to the people who feel differently about her kind, that it’s not a person’s mixed heritage or being African or the color of their skin which defines them. A person’s current state of being and where they are going should define them rather than where they came from and how they look and what they are made of. The poem starts with the line, ‘I am the child of the Americas’ and continues with the poet telling about where she came from and what different cultures are embedded in her personality. In line 15, she writes, ‘I am not African, Africa is in me, but I cannot return’. By all this the poet implies that no matter where she was born or what are her origins or the fact that she is African should not matter. She is currently in America and that’s all about her that should be considered. All the other factors that are a part of her should not become a matter of scorn just because she is different. Differentiation should be based on a person’s qualities and work, rather than on race/color. Finally, line 18 shows the poet’s transition from the old to new. She writes: I am new. History made me. My first language was spanglish. I was born at the crossroads And I am whole. The poet here is trying to show how she has evolved from the old to the new, yet the old is not gone. The old is a part of her and she wants to carry it to her new society and wants to explain to the people that many different cultures, races etc living together should not become a topic of concern or should be disregarded. The poets tone is not of a complain, yet he is trying to explain in an affirmative manner how different identities can live together and benefit each other and issues like discrimination on various un-necessary grounds should not divide people. What it’s like to be a Black Girl This piece is again a short poem, in which the author writes about her life as a Black girl. She explains how difficult it was for her to be born as a Black in a White society. Her particular emphasis is to the time of her youth when the shift from a girl to a woman is taking place. This was at the time where a black girl and a black woman both were not welcomed in the society. Puberty is a difficult time for any youngster. The changes going around in your body leave you with a lot of uneasy feelings. The poet explains this feeling in line 2 to 4 how the feeling of doom presides over you for a certain period of time. This along with the demands of the youth makes it a very stressful time for any youngster. At such a time, dealing with racism becomes very stressful and this is the scenario the poet is describing. Furthermore, she describes how this state forces a person to do stuff to become acceptable in the whit-skinned, blond-hair, blue-eyed society. She uses symbolization of pouring food color in her eyes or bleaching her hair white (line 9) just to become one of them. The feeling of not being accepted at this time especially when one needs positive energies, is very stressful for any boy/girl, and more so for a girl who at that time was subjected to more societal pressures as compared to a boy. She shows a girl’s mentality and that of a subservient one in that era from line 14 onwards as she expresses how every girl going in her teens has this image of getting married and wearing a white gown and that begins a new chapter of her life with a man. All these feelings are present in a girl’s mind at that time and being a Black in a white society and not being accepted there shatters all such dreams of a teenage girl. Finally, after all these confused and dismal thoughts of a black girl in a white society trying to battle with her beginning youth and racial discrimination, the girl has transformed in to a woman (a Black woman). The poem ends here leaving the reader in thoughts about how growing up was difficult for black girls in an era of racial uncertainty and what kind of trauma they would have gone through. The author has great attention to detail through which the reader can visualize and understand the thought process of what a particular black girl must be going through at that period of time. Her tone is sharp and forceful at points which makes one realize this is not just a sad story. It is a serious topic and has a very strong message behind it. Comparison & Analysis Taking a look at both these pieces of literature, we see how they are so different from each other yet similar. The style of writing and tone is different, the scenario explained is different, and the circumstances of each are dissimilar too. But both poems are discussing how people of different identities are trying to make their place in the American society. Racial/color/ethnic discrimination still exists, though not as bold and overt as it was in that era. Morales have a very positive tone in his poem, by which he is expressing what he feels and what should be done. His attitude in the poem is to give hope and to make people believe by saying that these differences in race and culture don’t matter. On the other hand, Smith’s tone is rough at points, sad at others and on the whole very serious because she highlights experiences and through her personal story wants to bring attention to the issue at hand. Both poems are beautifully written and both bring light to racial discrimination in their own different way. One noticeable feature of both poems is the visual attention to detail which makes the readers relate to what is happening in the poem. While it is Morale’s description of his different culture, or Smith’s experiences of being different as a Black, both have used imagery to its best to register their message most appropriately in the minds of the readers. Another very important feature of both poems is the time frame both poets are referring to. While Smith may have faced and been affected by racial discrimination at various points in her life, this poem shows how the time period of puberty, and youth were the most discerning when a person is trying to settle in and understand his/her life and during this phase, being in a racially challenged society, things become very complicated. Morales is also describing the time when he moved to America (at the age of 13), and settling in at that age becomes more difficult and when one is trying to adapt to various changes taking place in his/her life, these kinds of things are a big disappointment. So, Morales in his assenting style is explains how he is the child of America and should be accepted as that and his roots shouldn’t be a hindrance in way of his progress. Hence, we see that both poems draw attention to the issue of racism. An underlying theme is seen that while racism is a very stressful time for anyone, the youth are strongly affected, confused and de-moralized by it at their very sensitive age. Racial Discrimination & Youth As our thesis statement shows and with the help of our literature comparison, we highlight the effect racial discrimination has on the youth. Many other works have been written and researches carried out on the same issue, that how racism is affecting adolescents and their progress. Since, that is the age when they are growing up and trying to understand the world, that’s the stage where need of acceptance is very high, and that’s the sensitive age which can make the difference between right and wrong. So, at this age racial discrimination at school, neighborhood, parents struggling with racism, all leave impact on the minds of youngsters. It could hinder their progress, affect their physical and mental health (Clark et al, 1999), and lead them to wrong paths as well. One example could be the fact that black teenagers living in metropolitan areas of United States have higher rates of pre-marital pregnancy (Hogan & Kitagawa, 1985). Although the extent of racism has reduced, it does exist even if in a vague manner in various places. People being affected should employ various techniques for themselves and their children to help them grown in a positive environment with their own resolve and support of their wider family network (Peters, 2002). Conclusion Literature is a very important medium for the expression of various thoughts, actions, beliefs etc and that too in a range of different forms. Literature on racial discrimination is widely present and has two different categories. Many pieces of literature also depict racial discrimination in their writings. They might not be present in a blatant manner but vague under-tones and symbolic representation is definitely present. On the other hand, various articles, poems and researches have written about racial discrimination in a way that highlights the issue and shows the difficult time people go through as they are subjected to it just on the basis of color or ethnic differences which do not have any relation to how they are as a person. We discussed two such pieces in our report, and needless to say racism is a very serious concern and the common man needs to understand it in able to solve it better. Therein, lays the role of literature. References Clark, R., Anderson, N. B., Clark, V. R., & Williams, D. R. (1999). Racism as a stressor for African Americans: A biopsychosocial model, American Psychologist, 54, 805-816. Hogan, D. P. & Kitagawa, E.M (1985). The Impact of Social Status, Family Structure, and Neighborhood on the Fertility of Black Adolescents; The American Journal of Sociology, Volume 90, Number 4. James, C.E (1990). Making it: Black youth, racism, and career aspirations in a big city; Mosaic Press. Pachter, L. M.; Bernstein, B. A.; Szalacha, L. A.; Coll, C. G. (2010, February). Perceived racism and discrimination in children and youths: an exploratory study, Health & Social Work. Peters, M.F (2002). Black children: Social, educational and parental environments; Sage Publications Inc. Read More