Category: Oppression

Introduction

Ruth Almog is an Israelite woman, who loved literature as she grew up. She wrote mostly on women and justice. In one of her books, ‘Invisible mending’ she based her focus on a girl, Hefzibah who grew in an exploitive society.

This essay will discuss oppression and liberation as covered in the story by Ruth Almog. In Hebrew, the words “I delight in her” are “Hefzibah” (Glazer 34); the pain enacted in Almog’s story has been “invisibly mended” by the healing power of the Bible. She is strong all through when she read God’s word which comforts her in her problems. The essay will also discuss the remedy to this oppression based on leadership, gender and religion.

Oppression

The story of a young girl growing up in the midst of problems is a good platform for Ruth Almog’s explanation and emphasis on the many ways of oppression. The rules and laws are a heavy burden in her life. The exercise of religious laws is unjust and she is depicted as a victim of circumstances; she is suffering physically and psychologically. The loss of her father at a young age is one form of psychological torture she has to bear with.

Hefzibah Ruth Almog’s ‘ Invisible Mending’ , growing up in Palestine and faced at once with her father’s death and her own dawning sexuality, is an intermeshing of ancient texts, as well as social political, economic, sexual, Psychological, familial, artistic and religious tension. (Glazer 33)

The murder of Hefzibah’s father by Hitler subjects the family to further exploitation. Hefzibah’s grandmother has to engage in the cleaning other people’s houses to earn a living. The girl and her family suffer severely from the death of her father in a foreign country. Being a woman subjects all of them, grandmother, the mother and daughter Hefzibah, to exploitation.

Though these children distinguish between themselves and the ultra orthodox whose young men attend Yeshivot in Jerusalem, they nevertheless use the fine points of religious law as a way to torment her, while her harassed mother argues, – But you have nothing to wear…and winter clothes are awfully expensive. (Glazer 34)

Her grandmother is over worked at an old age; they also became very poor to the extent that her mother gave her jumper for an invisible mending which is double edged. This invisible mending was not acceptable in the Jewish culture as it was a sign of mourning.

There is misuse of religious law in this society which makes this girl to suffer in vain because the punishments does not help her and neither does it help the punishers. Instead the girl is just subjected to pain:

In school, Hefzibah is also oppressed by her teacher who, blind to her love of drawing, relentlessly carps at her for inattentiveness. He demands that she copy out psalm 82 ‘a hundred times’ as punishment.

Particularly because his name, “Mr. Lev,” identifies him as a “Levite” that is as a descendant of the priestly tribe singled out by the Torah…Hefzibah serve as bitterly ironic narrative comment on the misuse of authority in the name of religion’. This passage demonstrates clearer exploitation on basis of her origin. Why did this teacher choose to give such punishment to a pupil? (Glazer 34)

Almog argued that people should go beyond gender and all forms of divisions so as to be free and bring about growth. New ideas and art were the ones that could set humanity free and nothing else. Hefzibah experienced oppression in school where she is punished for no reason. Her religion practices subject her to thorough beatings that are inhuman. This caused her to be always alert and afraid in suspicion of some dangers around her as captured from this text:

And while she was still absorbed in the Bible, memorizing the passage, she was suffused by the fear that a dangerous presence was approaching, throbbing in the air, spinning towards her and crying, “Ho! Ya! Ho! Ya! ” She tried to feel off the feeling of oppression and went back to the text:’ Just after a short time, ‘She felt a full force of an open hand strike her cheek’. “She has to be punished!’’Cried Bracha Shvili, but Esther Strauss insisted, “That’s enough” (Glazer 46).

This girl was punished for mending a tear. Even when Leah Katz tries to stop Bracha Shvili from striking her cheeks because of sympathy Shula Reisser got hold of her and supported that Hefzibah deserved a beating. This shows a character that has taken its roots in the society. Leah Katz complains that this man could even punish her to death.

Women are subjected to sexual harassment, for example, Hefzibah was harassed by a man who forcefully kissed her;

He grabbed hold of her with his course, heavy hands, murmuring,”Hefzi, my beauty, the joy of my life. I’ve caught you!” “Mother mother!” Hefzibah screamed but his moist lips were already on her face, his hands red hot tongs piercing the flesh of her arms.’(Glazer 45)

Liberty

Despite all the exploitive experiences this girl goes through, her innermost being is strong and she finds her hope in the Bible, God’s word. She is hopeful and her mind is at Liberty. She has trusted in God’s word regardless of the circumstances around her. She believed that God was on her side and was watching over her even when every other person was against her.

In the midst of despair she read, “O Lord, will dispute with Thee, for thou art just; Yes, I will plead my case before thee. Why do the wicked prosper and traitors live at ease? Thou hast planted them and their roots strike deep” (Glazer 46).

She believed that these people who were doing wrong were very prosperous without problems and that God was not being fair to her. She had one conviction that God soon will work things out for her and she kept on reading the Bible.

She tried to ward off the feeling of oppression and went back to the text: “Thou art ever on their lips, yet far from their hearts. But thou know me, O Lord, thou hast seen me; though has tried my heart toward thee to thyself…’ (Glazer 46)

Liberty was associated with men; in this sense the married women were shielded from heavy exploitation. Thus a father plays an important role in the family. He is seen as the provider of family needs. She argues it in this excerpt: …that if it hadn’t been for Hitler, her grandmother would have servants of her own and wouldn’t have to clean house for other people and may be her father would still be alive. It is this country that killed him, she thought and maybe it is true that mother shouldn’t have given my jumper to invisible mending. (Glazer 33)

The role of men as protectors also came out clearly in an incidence when Hefzibah was almost raped and her mother told her, “Your father would have broken all his bones” (Glazer 45). Liberty is brought by creativity. It must look beyond one’s gender, class and national divisions.

Creativity is the only true freedom, Ruth Almog has said, ‘One that transcends gender, class, and national divisions” (Glazer 34). This shows that freedom should not be denied to any person on basis of their gender, economic status or nationality. Hefzibah wishes that these other people could change and stop discrimination and exploitation.

Liberty was in her heart. Though she looked oppressed, she was free in her heart and this gave her strength to go on with life. The peace in her heart was invisible and probably the use of the title, Invisible Mending since not many could see her heart.

Liberty is a hunger in every society especially for women. The misuse of authority or religion to exploit women is destructive and calls for people who can fight to promote justice for women.

Conclusion

Oppression brings suffering as it is clear from the life of the young girl in the above story. All forms of oppression occur in society. This is mostly brought especially by unjust leaders. The unjust leaders preach what they do not do to exploit the poor. This calls for strategies to free women in the society. It should treat all people equally and apply biblical principles to govern and lead the society.

Works Cited

Almog, Ruth. Jewish Women’s Archive. JWA, 2011. Web. <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/almog-ruth>

Glazer, Miriyam. Dreaming the actual: contemporary fiction and poetry by Israeli women writers. New York: Suny Press. Print.

The history of humanity illuminates hundreds of years of injustice. After so many millenniums, men have seen slavery, wars, conflicts, and many other moments where some individuals endeavored to gain supremacy over others and establish the notions of who fits in and who has to be ostracized. As a result, one hard lesson that was learned by society is that in moments of injustice, a person must forget about silence and fight for their interests and demands. Remaining silent might be beneficial for oppressors, but not for the oppressed. Only action and bravery take one to be an upstander in the face of oppresion.

Around the world, there is so much unfairness and pain pleading for society’s recognition, involving those who struggle with discrimination or political oppression. According to Wiesel (“The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech” para.10), “thereis so much to be done, there is so much that can be done.” In this respect, the writer is emphasizing the fact that there is so much inaction and silence in the face of fundamental rights violations in every corner of the world. The author later stresses that there are more individuals who are oppressed than free. While Wiesel calls for action, the man states that “violence is not the answer” (Wiesel, “The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech” para.8). People must act to find solutions to the issues that concern violence and oppression. Wiesel states that too many people have suffered and it must stop, and every endeavor to stop it should be encouraged. Lastly, the author sees such people as Martin Luther King, Jr., Raoul Wallenberg, and Albert Schweitzer as the inspiration and individuals who are capable of navigating people in a time of transformation. In one of the TED talks, Clint Smith, an academic and writer, gives the perspective of action a new value. Smith opened his address by referencing Martin Luther King Jr., a historical figure recognized for his potential to address issues with his motivational words rather than violence: “We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” (Smith 00:01). With this quote, the writer wishes to say that the seemingly harmless act of silence creates more harm in the long run. Remaining silent has a rich history of leading to more problems than society is used to expecting. Smith says that when confronted with contentious issues that need a response, people tend to remain silent and ignore the matter, specifically when it is easy for them to do so. Through his speech, Smith tries to reach not only the people in the audience,but everybody on the planet. The author says that it is more crucial than ever before to stand up for what people value,and to stand up for those who desperately need to be heard but have no support.

Aside from encouraging action to fight for one’s demands, many writers stress the powerlessness of tolerance. While many consider the golden rule to treat others with kindness to be essential, it is, unfortunately, ineffective when confronting oppression. Forster (39) claims that “tolerance is a very dull virtue” and that “unlike love, it has always had a bad press.” Through these words, the author disagrees with those who assume that love and tolerance are required to restore peace and equality. While recognizing that tolerance is a powerful force in a smaller and trusted circle, Forster believes that it is ineffective in public matters. Thus, it might be considered absurd to battle the big issue of oppression with tolerance and love while the oppressors do not see such approaches as an option. Such an argument can be supported by the atrocities of Nazi officers’ actions, narrated in the book Night, written by Elie Wiesel. In the work, the author mentions that “humanity is not concerned with us” and “today anything is allowed” (Night 26). In the work, Eliezer witnessed his father being tortured multiple times, but the boy was powerless to intervene. He was not powerless physically, but emotionally, since he knew that if he did intervene, he would be killed instantly. In turn, Eliezer’s father had to also watch such scenes helplessly while his son was beaten by a German Nazi officer. Despite the fact that even a minor act of opposition is the same as suicide, the young man could not help but feel guilty about his terror and inaction. Such helpless indignation was felt by the entire oppressed community. Nevertheless, even by publishing the book, it can be considered as taking action and ensuring that these and other acts of violence are not forgotten.

Lastly, considering the importance of action and resistance, it also takes remembering to be an upstander. The history of the ancestors, their pain and injustice must always remain in the hearts of everyone who desires to stand up to the oppressors. According to Wiesel (“The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech” para.6), the reason for this is “because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices”. With his words, the author wants to accentuate the importance of lessons provided through the experience of forefathers. The author later claims that he “swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation” (Wiesel, “The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech” para.7). People must always choose sides since it is the aggressor who benefits from impartiality, not the sufferer. Silence only benefits the torturer and never the afflicted, which means that those indifferent must intervene. When real people’s lives are at stake, when fundamental rights are violated, impartiality must fade away. Whenever individuals are oppressed due to their ethnicity, faith, or political beliefs, they must find the courage to fight for what is fair. In another essay by Wiesel (para.14), We Choose Honor, the author states that “forin the end, it is always a matter of choice.” Even when confronted with the ruthless insanity of murderers and the quiet suffering of their hostages, people must choose between flight, dignity, unity, or humiliation. In this case, people either suffer in an oppressive environment or fight for their values.

Hence, being silent in the moments of injustice only brings more pain. The only way to administer justice and overthrow the ossified dogmas, aggression, tyranny, and racism is through action. In situations like these, tolerance is a questionable approach, which only gives more power to the oppressor. When facing injustice, there are always several options: to either comply with the unfairness or act. As a result, in the face of oppression, people must unite and act, forgetting about silence and meekness and encouraging bravery. Otherwise, millions of people will continue to be discriminated against and die at the hands of aggressors.

Works Cited

Forster, Edward M. “Tolerance.” Something To Believe In. Routledge, 2017. 39-42.

Smith, Clint. “The Danger of Silence.”TED Talks, 2014.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.

Wiesel, Elie. “The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech.” The Night Holocaust Project, 1986. Web.

Wiesel, Elie. “We Choose Honor.” Parade, 2001. Web.

Introduction

There are individuals with advantages due to belonging to a particular social group in society. Such individuals use these benefits to take advantage of the less fortunate. For example, people in power may use their position to deprive the less fortunate of rights. The subordinate group forms the minority within a team who lacks the right to express themselves. The following paper presents an overview of privileges and oppression within the subordinate and dominant groups.

Systemic Problem

Systemic unjust treatment occurs when policies of an area result in unequal reception of a particular social group. An example of social oppression is when a certain set is denied privileges and access to education that hinders their lives later. Oppression may occur on three levels but in several forms: interpersonal, which involves relationships and interactions between people within and across differences. An individual’s beliefs, language, and actions serve to perpetuate unequal treatment. The second level is institutional and, lastly, internalized; policies, rules, and procedures at the organizational level may perpetuate oppression. People tend to look at a situation and construct an interpretation and action, which hones their emphasis on manners by which any enabled type of abuse gains ground. Systemic oppression appears in monetary, political, and social establishments. Failure of society to perceive systemic oppression might neglect to fix its outcomes by recognizing discriminatory examples and deliberate activity to hinder disparity and make more equitable cycles.

The ultimate tragedy is not oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people, as per Martin Luther King. The phrase refers to an excellent necessity for individuals to use their platform and aid in standing up against discrimination against black people and their rights (Hanch, 2019). The bad people, in this case, are the Americans of color, a subordinate group, who are often stereotyped. Good people are the Whites with privileges and engage in racism against Blacks on most occasions.

During Martin Luther’s reign, liberal White children put their lives in extreme danger for Black freedom. Martin Luther King was “gravely disappointed with the White moderate (Hanch, 2019).” The Whites were “more devoted to order than to justice” and opted for “a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice” (Hanch, 2019). He referred to the other White individuals, frequently more seasoned, more moderate White individuals like those eight men, for the warmth and limpness of their obligation to racial compromise. This is essential in creating change within systems since the racists work with the subordinate group to eliminate discrimination and bias.

Forms of Oppression

Racism

Racism refers to individuals’ unfair treatment, dividing them into separate entities and disguising them as inferior or superior. The dominant group in America consists of Whites, who have several privileges. First, there is a positive relationship with the police where many White Americans do not see them as a source of danger; rather, they are a source of safety, contrary to black American views. Many Black and Latin Americans are not safe in the hands of the police. Secondly, White Americans have the honor of studying their race in school, making them feel special and superior. Thirdly, they have the honor of evading stereotypes related to their race. The Whites have participated in unspeakable atrocities throughout history against people of color.

However, violent stereotypes are commonly diverted to Blacks. The Whites have an advantage since they can walk into a shopping mall, and the employees would not bother looking at them. The workers believe the Whites would not steal something they cannot afford from the mall. Additionally, White parents do not worry about their school-going children if they will be sent home by teachers for school fees or would be bullied.

The subordinate group to racism forms Americans of color, such as Blacks and Indians. Half of Black Americans suggest that their race and ethnicity have made it hard for them to succeed in life since the state denies them a good education, conducive housing, and good work conditions. The Blacks are denied access to rooms to rent since whenever they find a vacant apartment, they are informed it is already booked while it is not. The majority state that the Whites have acted as if they were suspicious of them and thought they were not smart enough over the past year. A similar proportion state that they have been stopped and interrogated by the police for no reason. According to Hill et al. (2020), the killing of George Floyd, who was unarmed and had no criminal intent, was racial. A larger proportion of Americans are denied access to medical care due to concerns about unfair treatment. Finally, there is a growing concern about disparities in income where Black women report being victimized against the same pay and promotion chances, despite being in the same job group as their White colleagues.

Race was a term used to refer to members of a kinship. The expression has evolved rapidly, identifying people based on their physical traits and characteristics. The 13th Amendment of the Constitution led to the abolishment of slavery (Winston, 2020). Since then, regulations and strategies have been executed inclining toward and safeguarding position for white individuals by victimizing and denying potential chances to individuals of color. Working circumstances for Black Americans were overlooked in the Fair Labor Standard Act. The Deal’s Fair Labor Standard Act of 1938 led to better working circumstances for the White; however, Black specialists were absolved (England & Alcorn, 2018). Throughout the 20th century, government housing rules and practices have prevented Black families from potential chances to create home value and gather financial well-being. On the contrary, government intercession and venture have extended homeownership and fair housing for some White families.

A harsh history has limited education access for black people. The federal, state and local housing rules and procedures also caused disparities in housing. In 1847, the Virginia Criminal Code precluded educating enslaved and free individuals of color (Choi, 2019). The state absolved the Black students from going to Southern universities due to lawful isolation and restricted admittance to schools from the north due to quota models. In the mid-19th century, the scientific community legitimized society’s racist views stating Africans and their descendants were inferior. Racism has continued to root because children are born and raised with a racial view.

Racial discrimination can end with the collective responsibilities of the Whites and the Blacks. First, people need to acknowledge racism, its form, and its detrimental effects. Failure to identify racism would make it continue to thrive. Secondly, racism can be stopped by people after overturning racist laws. Rules and procedures stipulated by organizations and the state result in unequal treatment. Therefore, to counter racism, institutions should abolish these rules, and people need to learn love and acceptance. Racism is a stereotype an individual has towards a subordinate group (Blazina & Drew, 2021. To counter this vice, people should commit to being anti-racist and denying all its forms. Since the police are among the influential racist group, the state should re-locate and re-invest in this department. Re-assigning non-violent crimes to entities that are well equipped to handle such will boost efficiency and resolve violent crimes. The other strategy is implementing accountability and transparency in law enforcement. Creating a national registry will allow an officer to be terminated for misconduct.

Sexism

Sexism is a stereotyped society holds against women on a sexual basis. It has a component known as paternalism which reflects views of women as underdeveloped adults. The dominant group includes men whom society justifies as being authoritative. Men are socially constructed to protect, monitor, and make decisions on women’s behalf. Therefore, society views women as helpless individuals who need to depend on the male gender for everything. Society believes families are hurt when women work, and they should stick to their societal roles.

The group that receives unfair gender treatment is composed of women. According to Blazina & Drew (2021), women make up a quarter of all members of the 117th congress. The proportion is evident that society socially constructs women, denying them the right to rule. Most people believe women cannot make good leaders since it is a man’s role to lead; thus, society stigmatizes women for all sorts of things. For instance, menstruation is surrounded by a stigma that makes it difficult for women to get on with their daily lives. The most vital moment for a mother to be with her baby is right after birth. Most women cannot do this in America because paid maternal leave is almost nonexistent.

In the early years, societies were not male-dominated; hence cases of gender inequality were rare. For instance, chimpanzees are not surrogates for human ancestors, but their social structures depict male dominance since most groups are patriarchal. Male chimpanzees are vicious towards females since they forcefully copulate with females, taking their food and killing them for spending time away from the team. Similarly, men spend their early lives in groups they are born into, while females leave in adolescence (Blazina & Drew, 2021). Consequentially, men are more related to each other than women. At the point when ladies move to live with their spouses, men will generally have more control, honors, and power.

A policy change would address sexism, for example, introducing paid leaves for expectant mothers making them feel relieved. Some people view women as ‘vessels’ for carrying babies, making them feel stigmatized. The introduction of paid leaves would come in handy and provide the much-required support. Another way of challenging this form of oppression is by ensuring that girls have access to menstrual health facilities. Society needs to understand menstruation is a normal biological process in women. Therefore, menstrual hygiene management is essential for girls to carry on with their lives since poor women with ineffective menstrual health would stay away from their duties. Society needs to be enlightened and discard beliefs of gender roles making men and women carry duties equally.

Conclusion

Oppression results from the privileges a dominant group has over the subordinate group. The dominant group has the power to influence and justify the action of the members as being right even though they are wrong. However, giving people unfair treatment can be prevented since it is a social construct. Creating awareness among community members on the forms of oppression and its harmful effects is crucial to challenging the sickening situation.

References

Blazina, C., & Drew, D. (2021). A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress.Pew Research Center. Web.

Choi, C. H. (2019). “A matter of building bridges”: Photography and African American Education, 1957–1972 [Columbia University].

England, K., & Alcorn, C. (2018). Growing care gaps, shrinking state? Home care workers and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11(3), 443-457.

Hanch, K. (2019). Martin Luther King Jr.’s white moderates and moderate Baptists: Moderateness as betrayal of the gospel. Review & Expositor, 116(2), 193-203.

Hill, E., Tiefenthäler, A., Triebert, C., Jordan, D., Willis, H., & Stein, R. (2020). How George Floyd was killed in police custody.The New York Times. Web.

Introduction

Oppression is one of the human aspects of society that is shaped by the dominant classes based on certain beliefs. Examples of pressure include genocide, racism, and sexism, which disempower oppressed groups. Philip Gourevitch’s book (1998) and Virginia Woolf’s essay (1931) examine how marginalized groups use oppression for power. The paper discusses how large groups used oppression to crush the will of Tutsis or women writers.

Tutsis

Gourevitch describes the genocide done to the Tutsis peoples in Rwanda in 100 days in 1994. He points out that a significant role in the enormous number of deaths belongs to marginalized groups of superpower countries that did not try to establish justice (Gourevitch, 1998). Among the strategies of oppression, Gourevitch singles out the Hutu Power group, which engaged in terrorist attacks and massacres. People were oppressed along social and labor lines and were not fully educated. In addition, the oppressors used power structures and psychological pressure (Gourevitch, 1998). Both strategies were effective because the people did not have access to the outside world and did not know what tools to use. Overcoming such oppression was only possible with armed forces that could suppress power.

Women Writers

Woolf gives a speech in which she discusses the problem of gender inequality that leads to barriers to women’s inclusion. She points out that women are strong because they could not achieve a place in the world without overcoming these barriers. She discusses a strategy of oppression by men – financial dependence (Woolf, 1931). This is one of the most powerful strategies that limit a woman’s freedom of life and thought. It is tough to break out of these conditions because dependence forces one to listen to the oppressor without the ability to express one’s opinion (Woolf, 1931). One can use refugee status to overcome oppression and seek ways to earn money in secret. However, there is the problem of the extent to which the oppressor has control and how far he can go.

Conclusion

The problems of oppressed groups stem from their forced dependence on marginalized groups who immorally hold power. For the Tutsis in Rwanda, it is the armed extremists who set education and social elevators. For women writers, financial dependence on men deprived them of their freedom. Finding resources, accumulating them, and building inner strength can help overcome these obstacles. However, one must proceed cautiously and be prepared for an unfavorable outcome.

References

Gourevitch, P. (1998). We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Woolf, V. (1931). Professions for women [Document].

Mistreatment of women has been a problem since time immemorial. White people oppressed black and Chicana women for their skin color, gender, and race. During the second-wave women’s movement, these women were treated differently than white women. Ideally, they got unequal opportunities in work, school, and politics; their role remained largely domestic. In addition, they did not have basic freedoms such as the choice of birth control.

Black and Chicana women received unfair treatment as compared to their white counterparts. In the home setting, domestic house chores were their sole role. Other than that, they performed a biological function- sex role to their husbands. The only job they could get was in the kitchen of the white man (Beale 482). The exploitative capitalist system led to black women constituting most of the Black workforce, doing available jobs to provide their families with required basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. They would take care of whites’ children at the expense of their children back at home (Beale 483). In addition, white masters physically assaulted the black women at the workplace, often sexually molesting them.

The Chicana women experienced undue oppression and discrimination in the twentieth century, too. They faced job inequalities, prejudice in the schooling system, male chauvinism, and controlled family planning (Vidal 484). Consequently, they sought legalization and subsidization of abortion and birth control methods. White masters, however, told them to keep away from women’s liberation movements perceived as ‘Anglo.’ On the other hand, Chicana men refused to support women’s efforts to revolutionize the oppressive system.

Chicana women particularly faced a triple form of oppression, which put their freedoms and interests at stake. They encountered racial discrimination since they were of foreign La Raza descent. Being workers, they had poor job conditions at their employment. Vidal (486) asserts that whites used black women for experimentation with contraceptives, as was the case with some Chicana women taking placebo anti-conception pills, thus, ending up pregnant. The second-wave women’s liberation movements also fought forced sterilization imposed on blacks. Whites campaigned against Chicana liberation movements for fear of being overthrown. Phyllis Schlafly was a typical anti-feminist whose most notable work was opposing the Equal Rights Amendment (History). Generally, black and Chicana women faced a lot of discrimination and oppression before the mid-twentieth century. Nevertheless, the pressure was significantly reduced as a result of vibrant women’s liberation movements.

Works Cited

Beale, Frances. “Double jeopardy: To be Black and female.” (1970): 482-484.

“History” PowerPoint presentation.

Vidal, Mirta. “Rising Consciousness of the Chicana About Her Special oppression.” (1971): 484-486.

According to Iris Marion Young, America is not prepared to talk about oppression. Young said that it is wrong to believe that oppression is not as relevant today as it was when slavery was still legal in many parts of the world. It presently reveals itself wearing five masks: exploitation; marginalization; powerlessness; cultural imperialism; and violence.

The only way to deal with oppression is to view a person not only as a member of a particular group but as an individual. One way to change the perspective of people is through the use of art as communication devices. Thus, it is imperative to consider the value of community-based art education program to help those who are oppressed.

Social Group

Young was able to illustrate why oppression is possible in the 21^st century. She said that it is due to how people categorize individuals into different groups. Young clarified that her use of the term social group is different from the way politicians and social scientists view social groups. In a conventional method of categorizing people, they are given labels like religion and ethnic background. But Young said that it should be more refined than that.

Once Young was able to identify the social groups that are targets of oppression, it is easy to make the recommendation that “eliminating oppression thus requires eliminating groups … people should be treated as individuals” (Young, p.41). However, Young was quick to admit that groups cannot be abolished for it is a natural part of human existence.

Thus, she provided an alternative solution, “not the melting away of difference, but institutions that promote the reproduction of and respect for group differences without oppression” (Young, p.41). With this in mind, it is now possible to identify various forms of oppression and how to develop a CBAE program that can be effective in creating awareness of problems and empowering victims of oppression.

The Faces of Oppression

Exploitation can be interpreted in different ways, but according to the theoretical framework developed by Young, exploitation is when someone benefits from another person’s labor and sacrifice. It is true that the work of an individual benefits someone other than self but in this case the transfer of monetary income and other benefits to another person or group is unfair.

Marginalization is an exclusion. It can be a deliberate form of exclusion wherein the state sanctions the participation of a particular group. But in most cases, marginalization is done indirectly. Marginalization is wrong in so many levels because it is a form of oppression that can systematically destroy people’s lives by barring access to opportunities.

When it comes to the powerless, Young clarified her point by saying, “this powerless status is perhaps best described negatively: the powerless lack the authority, status, and sense of self that professionals tend to have” (p.57). This type of oppression contrasts heavily to the more abstract form of cultural imperialism; nevertheless, oppression is still very much evident.

In cultural imperialism, there is “universalization of a dominant groups experience and culture” therefore disabling the minority’s right to self-expression and their pursuit of happiness (Young, p.59). There is oppression because members of the minority are not free.

The last form of oppression in this framework is violence. It is the most basic form because it is easily observable. But Young clarified that this is no ordinary violence but the random use of force, attacking without provocation or reason other than the fact that the victim is a perceived member of a particular social group.

In the Real World

Five articles will be examined having these concepts in mind. In an article that can be found online at Bloomberg-Businessweek, there is a story of exploitation committed systematically by big corporations. The sad part about this exploitative practice is that it is hardly noticeable.

It requires help from experts in accounting, business, and finance to uncover it. It is the same type of practice that brought the world to its knees when the banking system collapsed because of the subprime mortgage crisis. This time around the tactics used can be considered as “fraudulent” not in legal terms perhaps but through common sense and decency.

In the said article, the writer pointed out how the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer because of strategies, that exploit those that have no choice but to take the bait. In this article, Roxanne a single mother of four has limited options when it comes to the job market. She is only a high school graduate and therefore when she moved to Albuquerque she was forced to take on a job that would require her to use a car. So she bought a car that she cannot afford and ended up not able to pay it in full (Grow & Epstein, p.1).

The disturbing fact of the story came later when investigators discovered that the used car company made money by charging high-interest rates and profiting from repossessed cars. In other words, they knew that Roxanne could not afford the payments and yet they still wanted to deal with her knowing that for a few months she is able to give them a portion of her income.

Marginalization, on the other hand, was experienced firsthand by immigrants in Los Angeles California (Gorman, p.1). Immigrants suffer grave abuses, but they cannot come forward because of the fear of deportation. Others are unable to seek help because of the language barrier. But most of the time they are marginalized, pushed to the outer edges of society because no one wants to help them.

Marginalization can, therefore, be defeated by simplifying the social group into individuals. It is easy to ignore immigrants if one looks at them as a group. But if there is a way to break the culture and language barrier it is easier to have compassion on them and learn that they are not different from the members of the majority group. They too are human beings capable of feeling and more importantly has the potential to contribute to society if they are only given a chance.

When it comes to powerlessness, there is perhaps no other group that exemplifies its meaning other than the homeless. The homeless person is so powerless that at the end of the day there is no place to call home. Workers may be exploited and maltreated, but at the end of each shift, there is a place of refuge. There is a place where they can come home and recover. But the homeless have nothing.

Homelessness is so disturbing if it happens in a progressive city like Vancouver, Canada. In 2010 the authorities discovered that the number of homeless people can exceed 5,000 and the reason why this number is significant is due to the fact that Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010 (Paulsen, p.1). There must be a way to empower them so that they can recover everything that they have lost.

Cultural imperialism can be seen in China. The Chinese government uses its power to stifle the resistance of Tibetan monks who demanded that Tibet must be free from Chinese rule (Guardian UK, p.1). This is not a simple political struggle. Tibetan monks are challenging a government that does not value their belief system. The response of the Chinese government demonstrates its utter contempt on the ideals of Buddhism and the desire of this particular minority to practice their religion freely.

When it comes to the random use of violence against a particular social group none fits the bill perfectly that the use of violence against gay people. In an incident that occurred three years ago in Vancouver, a 27-year old man was struck in the face, fracturing his jaw (CBC News, p.1). There was no provocation; the man attacked him for no other reason except that he is gay. It is an example of a hate crime.

Community-Based Art Education Program

There are different ways to reduce oppression in society. There are various ways to deal with this problem, but it can be argued that one of the effective ways to empower, raise awareness, and education is through the use of arts.

It can be singing, dancing, acting, painting, opera, stage plays, street mime and other forms of art that can draw people to a particular issue and discuss it. Community-based art education program (CBAE) can be used not only to educate people but to connect to a social group.

For example, a group can set-up a stage in a poor section of the city and begin to perform plays. The homeless people are given free entertainment. But there is a follow-up; afterward, the team can provide lessons that can improve the skills of the people drawn to the event; thus, the CBAE is just a way to attract people.

On the other hand, CBAE can be utilized as a direct teaching tool. In the case of cultural imperialism in China, a group of talented filmmakers can develop a low-budget film regarding the plight of the Tibetan monks and use this medium to spread the word regarding their struggle against the Chinese government.

But in order for it to be called a CBAE, the filmmakers must travel to Tibet and live among the Tibetan monks to establish a connection first with the social group. A CBAE can also be developed in border towns where there are a significant number of immigrants that are marginalized.

The CBAE program can help break the language barrier. The immigrants attracted to the program, especially the youth, are given a chance to learn more about the English language in order to improve their communication skills and hopefully improve their lives.

Conclusion

Iris Young made an impressive contribution to the study of oppression in the 21^st century. Her idea serves as an eye-opener to many people who may have had a wrong understanding regarding the absence of oppression in this country.

The second most important contribution of Iris Young is the assertion that it is imperative to view people as individuals and not just members of a particular social group. By doing so, people are made aware that these are human beings worthy of compassion and respect. One way to reach them and help them deal with their problems is through the use of a CBAE program.

Works Cited

CBC News. “Apparent gay bashing in Vancouver Investigated as Hate Crime.” CBC. News Canada, 2008. Web.

Gorman, A. “Immigrants often see peril in reporting domestic abuse.” Los Angeles Times, 2010. Web.

Grow, B. & Keith E. “The Poverty Business.” Bloomberg-Businessweek, 2007. Web.

Paulsen, M. “More Homeless than Athletes in 2010.” The Tyee, 2007. Web.

The Guardian. “Unrest in Tibet.” The Guardian, 2008. Web.

Young, Iris Marion. “Five Faces of Oppression.” Justice and the Politics of Difference. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 39-65. Print.

For many years, people have reckoned Islam. This is mainly because of its strict and inflexible laws. Islam, which relies on Sharia laws, revolves around relationships. Sharia laws define relationships between God and man, and between human beings. Islamic laws, which have been in existence for the last 14,000 years, define the expected behavior of Muslims, the relationships between them and other human beings, and their duties to God.

However, these laws tend to favor men as compared to women. This has led to the oppression and seclusion of women (Abou El Fadl 2001).¹ However, advancement in technology and globalization among other factors are essential to Muslim women. These channels give the Muslim women a platform to voice their opinions. With time, these women are gaining more opportunities to air their opinions. Today, Muslim women in the Arab world and in Western countries can comfortably raise issues on matters concerning them.

Marriage has been among the key issues affecting Muslim women. These women have been participating in debates in order to voice their opinions on issues of marriage arrangements, procedures, expectations, rights, and roles among other issues. This paper analyzes the issue of marriage and its importance to Islamic women. It considers the views of several authors of Islamic texts on this issue.

Just like in other religions, marriage is very important in Islam. Islam dictates that marriage should only happen between two Muslims, who are of opposite sexes. The man pays for the bride’s dowry and then the marriage rituals take place. After marriage, they both take their roles while conforming to the Sharia law. The man bears full authority over his wife and has a duty of providing to the wife, whose duty is to serve the husband. Islam allows men to marry more than one wife. However, it restricts a woman to only one husband.

Marriage is important to Muslim women as it affects them. After all, they have to get married at one point of their lives. Marriage is important to Islamic women as the Islamic laws recommend it. Issues concerning marriage include the expected roles of women, divorce, and duties of husbands among other issues.

Women need to understand issues of marriage to know how to go about their marriage issues. They have to know how to be good wives, mothers, and daughter-in-laws. Further, they have to know how to manage their homes effectively. Therefore, women have to understand all issues surrounding marriage in Islam in order to enjoy prosperous marriages.

Kecia Ali, an author of Islamic texts, focuses on the laws that govern marriage institutions in Islam. She addresses the issues of dowry payments, marriage, slavery, and the role of women in marriage. According to her, women have rights to express their views on marriage. She acknowledges the fact that Muslim women have sexual needs and desires, which are not considered. Further, she addresses the issue of oppression of women in Islam (Ali 2010). ²

In her work, Kecia portrays the Islamic man as being superior to the Islamic women. She brings out the issues of sex and ethics expected in Islamic marriage institutions. She shows how these issues favor men over women. Kecia considers the man as the ultimate source of authority in a marriage. She shows this by writing that men act as the segmenting factors in marriages. According to her, the man has a responsibility of fending for his family, protecting his family, and guarding the virtue of his wife/wives (Ali 2006).³

Islam, gender, and social change, a book by Yvonne Haddad and John Esposito addresses the issues of modernity that have an impact on Islamic laws of marriage. They show how the world views Islamic women and proceed to give their concept of women in Islam. They document that religious scriptures guide the roles of Islamic women.

According to them, the Quran and Sharia laws provide parameters on the behavior of the men and women in marriage institutions. They acknowledge the fact that Islam is a male dominated religion and culture. They attribute this to the fact that features of women are indecent. Based on this, Muslim women should not expose their bodies or even their voices (Haddad and John 1997).⁴

These writers portray God as the source of authority in Islam. According to them, Muslim men only follow Gods law, which gives them dominance over women. They clarify that the Holy Quran is specific on the rights of women.

Abdul-Aziz in her article, “crisis of male epistemology in Islamic jurisprudence”, explains the issues facing Islamic women. She uses the Islamic jury system to explain her position on this issue. She documents that in Islam women face segregation and seclusion. She writes that men manipulate the laws to work in their favor.

In her article, she attributes the source of power in Islam to God. She uses the example of Prophet Muhammad’s family to explain this. She writes that during the prophet’s time men and women had full access to the laws. The mantle of handling women related issues rested on women.

For instance, Aisha, the prophet’s wife was responsible for handling issues related to women (Sachedina n.d). ⁵ Abdul-Aziz is of the opinion that Muslim women have equal rights to men. For example, as parents, sister, brothers, and as relatives the two genders are equal. Therefore, God is the ultimate source of power.

All the articles portray several similarities and differences in terms of the way the articles relate to the Islamic teachings. All the three writers acknowledge the authority of God in Islam. Islamic religious doctrines and laws clearly state that God is the overall authority in the world. The writers acknowledge God’s power by writing that humankind follows the rules that God put in place.

However, the ideas of these authors vary. Each author has a different approach regarding hierarchy of authority in Islam. Some of the authors argue that men are second to God while others are of the opinion that the position of the two is level. For instance, Kecia is of the opinion that men are superior to women. Abdul-Aziz and Yvonne attribute all power to God. These authors agree that men and women have equal rights. According to Islamic doctrines, man and woman are equal to God.

Since men are unfamiliar with issues affecting women, they should allow women to handle issues affecting them. This will ensure more content and happy women.

Reference List

Ali, Kecia. Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2010.

—. Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur’an, Hadith and Jurisprudence. London: Oneworld, 2006.

Abou El Fadl, Khaled. Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. London: Oneworld, 2001.

Haddad, Yvonne and John Esposito (Ed). Islam, Gender, and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Sachedina, Abdulaziz. Crisis of Male Epistemology in Islamic Jurisprudence. n.d. Web.

Footnotes

1. Khaled Abou El Fadl,Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. (London: Oneworld, 2001) 384.
2. Kecia Ali, Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2010), 272.
3. Kecia Ali, Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur’an, Hadith and Jurisprudence (London: Oneworld, 2006), 142.
4. Yvonne Haddad and John Esposito (Ed), Islam, Gender, and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 288.
5. Abdulaziz Sachedina, Crisis of Male Epistemology in Islamic Jurisprudence.

The word oppression comes from the Latin opprimere which means “pressed down.” It depicts abuse of power by people in authority. It means ill-treatment of people in a manner that is cruel or unjust. There are different forms of oppression. However, social, economic and political forms are more popular and dominant (Deutsch, 2006). Globally, oppression is widespread. This paper outlines social oppression in the health setup.

Origin of Oppression

Oppression was not part and parcel of ancient societies because they lived communal lives. However, oppression continues to characterize modern societies since the inception of individualism, especially in control and ownership of resources (Cudd, 2006). Before the advent of agriculture, societies depended on hunting and gathering for food supply.

They shared food amongst each other, and were cooperative in looking for food. They did not aim at acquiring and accumulating wealth, but worked together and shared the benefits of working together. There were remarkably few conflicts in these societies.

As populations expanded, there was a need to increase food production. Therefore, communities developed an urge to expand their territories. This often led to inter-community conflicts, resulting to split of groups along ethnic boundaries.

Agricultural advancements, which brought better tools of farming, as well as improved agricultural techniques followed thereafter. Communities that were powerful in terms of numbers and weapons staged warfare against the other communities (Cudd, 2006). After successful battles, they took control over their agricultural and pastoral lands, thereby leading to more conflicts and rise of oppression.

Pictorial Examples of Oppression

Example 1

Source: Story, CNN’s Jessica Ravitz. Photography & Video, CNN’s Edythe McNamee. SAVING Aesha. Web.

This is a picture which made it to the cover of Time Magazine on August 9, 2010, in Afghanistan. It got posted on the internet in May 2012. It shows a woman with a prosthetic nose. Her name is Bibi Aesha. She ran away from home at one time. She was running away from her husband’s physical and emotional torture, which was common through domestic violence.

Her husband, as well as in-laws, took the law into their arms and laid an ambush on her (Ravitz, 2012). They hacked off her nose as well as the ears, as a way of punishing her for running from home. Later on, they left her to die and ran away from the scene of the accident.

Aesha’s condition affected her health in a major way. She had to nurse her wounds for a long time, and she suffered from psychological torture because of the ordeal. She also faced lack of acceptance by many communities. This is a form of social oppression targeting women in society, and it should be dealt with immediately.

Social oppression in Afghanistan is at the highest peak. It mainly targets women, and this often leads to diverse effects on their health. Such forms of oppression are not new in many countries, in the world.

Often we hear of women being gang raped by security officers as a form of showing their power (macho image) over women. Similarly, when two communities fight, men from the enemy side usually target women during retaliation. The case is more or less the same in families (Young-Bruehl, 1996).

Domestic violence is common in many families since many societies view wife battering as a way of disciplining women. In fact, some women readily welcome it and have accepted it as part of their lives.

Aesha told her story to one journalist in New York as she sought the services of Women for Afghan Women Organization, in the United States. This is a grass-root organization which promotes equal treatment for men and women. It seeks to empower women and girls of Afghanistan to achieve their goals in life (Ravitz, 2011).

Aesha visited the organization’s offices in 2010 after living in Kabul for nine months. She was seeking psychological guidance, as well as reconstructive surgery.

Example 2

Source: Burma killings: Indian organization to protest Muslim massacre. Web.

This is a picture showing men paraded for murder. They are lying down on the sand as they await their death (Singh, 2012). One can see security officers around them to guard against escape. One can see a security officer stepping on a man. They are part of the Rohingya Muslims, an oppressed ethnic minority group in the country.

They face death, torture and arrest from the Rhakine Buddhist community, who are the majority in the country (Baroud, 2012). The Burmese government has done nothing to stop this torture; instead it supports the Buddhists against the Muslims. This is a form of social oppression targeting the minority group (Singh, 2012). The media also does not care much about this torture. They allocate little time to broadcast these ethnic clashes. On 4th July 2012, Reuters declared that the Rohingya ethnic group faces a lot of discrimination in the world.

Burma has a poor political reputation in the world (Baroud, 2012). Oppression is not a new term in the country. There have been massive killings in the country from time to time, especially due to the use of the country as the main fighting ground by the great powers in the Second World War.

The Rohingyas continue to suffer, and there are no regional or international bodies committed to looking into their plights. Ironically, the security officers who should give them security in the country are the ones parading them for death. They must be experiencing psychological and emotional torture due to the killings.

In summary, oppression is common among people in power such as doctors, government officials, and the male gender. They exercise this form of power manifestation in a way that suits their desires while infringing on the rights of others. This paper serves as an informant, showing that oppression is prevalent in many parts of the world.

References

Baroud, R. (2012). ‘Democracy’ and Slaughter in Burma: Gold Rush Overrides Human Rights. Web.

Cudd, A. (2006). Analyzing Oppression. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Deutsch, M. (2006). A Framework for Thinking about Oppression and Its Change. Social Justice Research 19 (1) 7–41.

Ravitz, J. (2011). Saving Aesha. Web.

Singh, J. (2012). Burma killings: Indian organization to protest Muslim massacre. Web.

Young-Bruehl, E. (1996). The Anatomy of Prejudices. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Invisible Mending and David Fogel’s Facing the Sea

In the work of Jewish writers Ruth Almog and David Fogel the themes of liberation and oppression take the forefront. Both writers exhibit an interest in how the oppressed person deals with his or her situation, as well as the psychological effects of oppression, particularly on the youngest generation.

This essay focuses on two works by Ruth Almog and David Fogel: the title story of Invisible Mending or Tikun Omanuti, and Facing the Sea or Nochah Ha-Yam. In Ruth Almog’s writing, the oppressed characters often create their own liberation through some form of artistic practice. In David Fogel’s work, the characters appear to liberate themselves from oppression, albeit temporarily, through sexuality and eroticism.

Ruth Almog writes from the perspective of the exiled person, and often from the point of view of a young person or child. In the title story of Invisible Mending, for instance, the painful vulnerability and dependence of childhood contrasts sharply with the peace and tranquility achieved by art and creativity.

Invisible Mending is a part of a collection of short stories that detail exile and economic depression. Many of the child protagonists depicted in Invisible Mending “are handicapped by tragedy or by the refugee experience of their parents. They might be lonely, degraded or helpless, but they are saved by the redemptive power of art” (Brenner 1). Ruth Almog’s Invisible Mending tells the story of Hephtzibah, a young girl whose father has recently passed away.

This deceptively simple story details Hephtzibah’s action of repairing the mandatory tear made in her dress, the obligatory sign of mourning when a loved one dies in the Jewish tradition. Hephtzibah repairs her dress in “an artistic fashion” (Almog 54). The title in Hebrew is often translated as “artistic” or “invisible” mending, which emphasizes the feminine need the female need – as exemplified by Hephtzibah’s creativity – to discover “inner peace through creative fulfillment” (Levine 61).

As an oppressed child, the daughter of immigrants whose life has already been touched by hardship, “the constraints of the traditional world and its practices are subverted and overturned…at the time when increasing Zionist alignment with the Holocaust victim fostered literature viewing Israel as safeguard of the Jewish people, Ruth Almog saw the redemption of the post-Holocaust world in the ethics of mending the world that the Holocaust event engendered in the children of victims and perpetrators alike” (Brenner 1).

In Invisible Mending Almog quietly depicts the ways in which children and women can find “redemption and free-spiritedness through art and creativity” (Levine 61).

Art and creativity then becomes the liberating force at work in the story. “Almog illustrates her thesis that through the prism of beauty, art or creativity, adversity in life can become poignant and bearable, the pain enriching and elevating. She artistically mends the life stories of her characters” (Levine 61). As a writer Ruth Almog has been touted as “responsible for the evolution of the New Hebrew Woman in Israeli literature” (Levine 61).

Hephtzibah’s story is indicative of much of Ruth Almog’s work, which as a rule “does not aim for happy endings, yet the process of self analysis and assertiveness, of working through the both the maternal and paternal role models, leads to a new construct of protagonist, reaching ever closer to center stage of society” (Levine 61). The oppressed peoples that populate her stories represent Ruth Almog’s belief that liberation from oppression “lies in human solidarity that obliterates ethnic and religious differences.

These relationships are grounded in the responsibility of people of conscience to rebuild the world of ethics and humanistic values” (Brenner 2). In light of the oppressive situations that Ruth Almog’s Hephtzibah faces in Invisible Mending, “the acknowledgment of the Holocaust losses is necessary for the healing process, which is indispensable to physical and spiritual renewal.

This renewal can materialize only in the context of relationships with others. Hence, the way to prevent another Holocaust does not lie in militant separatism, as professed by the Zionist ideology, but rather through cooperation with those who believe in human fellowship” (Brenner 6).

Given that Hephtzibah is a child, the hope of Invisible Mending them becomes the future; as Hephtzibah grows, her ability to liberate herself through art and share that liberation with others will lead to the redemption of her family and her neighbors. Invisible Mending thus becomes a hopeful vision of a humanist future.

David Fogel was born at a dangerous time of history for Jewish writers and experienced firsthand the brutality of the Nazi regime. Born in Russia, David Fogel was mostly known as a poet and spent much of his career traveling Europe and spent time in Austria, Tel Aviv and Berlin before settling in Paris.

He was arrested twice for being Jewish: once in Vienna in 1914, and again by the Nazis in Paris when the Second World War erupted. Upon his second arrest David Fogel was deported, and after that no record of him ever resurfaced. Historians assume David Fogel was murdered in one of the concentration camps.

In the novella Facing the Sea, which David Fogel wrote in Paris and published in 1932, this is the story of a couple spending a summer vacation together on the French Riviera. The story divulges next to nothing of the couple’s past relationship over the course of the telling. Their hotel is small and homey and run by a genial landlady whose hotel attracts similar urban, European upper middle-class tourists as well as some of the locals from the nearby village.

At the end of the novella a woman from France visits the husband, who is in laid up ill at the hotel while his wife takes a day trip to Nice. The liberation David Fogel writes of is decidedly apolitical on the surface – it appears to be simply about the husband’s erotic fantasy in the absence of his wife – however as critic Michael Gluzman points out, “in his political passivity and silence David Fogel stands in clear opposition to the politically committed literary establishment of his period” (Gluzman 22).

David Fogel wrote of oppression as a state of mind that affected all relationships – both personal and professional – and he wrote from his own experience as an individual under threat. Despite his frequent encounters with hostile political authorities, David Fogel was a man who tried to have a normal life (Abramson 934).

He married in 1926 and made his living as a teacher up until the time of his disappearance (Abramson 934). His work speaks to the impact that oppression has on these personal attempts at liberty – how it can sour them – and specifically in the case of Facing the Sea, David Fogel’s works reveals the private fantasy world of eroticism that the oppressed retreat to when they feel they have no other form of personal space.

Works Cited

Abramson, Glenda. “David Fogel.” Encyclopedia of Modern Jewish Culture. London: Routledge, 2005. Print.

Almog, Ruth. Invisible Mending. Jerusalem: Keter, 1993. Print.

Brenner, Rachel Feldhay. “Ideologically Incorrect: Responses to the Holocaust by Three Israeli Women Writers.” CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 11.1 (2009): 1-6. Web.

Fogel, David. “Facing the Sea.” Eight Great Hebrew Short Novels. New York: New American Library, 1983. Print.

Gluzman, Michael. “Unmasking the Politics of Simplicity in Modernist Hebrew Poetry: Rereading David Fogel.” Prooftexts. 13.1 (1993): 21-43. Web.

Levine, Tamara. “Ruth Almog.” Jewish Writers of the Twentieth Century. London: Taylor & Francis, 2003. Print.

One of the issues that still exists among Americans is racial discrimination. It seems that people are so obsessed with their rights and freedoms that they neglect some certain simple rules in their relationships. Two literary works refer to how cultural differences may shape the population. Based on their personal experiences and observations, Amy Tan and Maya Angelou deliver interesting writings about racial differences and prejudice. In her essay “Fish Cheeks,” Tan shares a narration about a family dinner where Chinese and white traditions are compared. On the other hand, Angelou depicts people’s emotions during one of the most famous boxing matches between the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis, and a white contender. Both authors explain how minority groups have to break barriers and resist oppression. In their stories, Angelou and Tan use different settings and social contexts to highlight the role of family relationships, support the idea of removing racial barriers, and believe in positive change.

Angelou raises the theme of racial discrimination in a specific way, focusing on the role of settings, family, and society. She describes a famous boxing event and African American reaction to the black boxer’s victory. The author underlines the importance of the environment for minority groups in American society. At the beginning of “Champion of the World,” Angelou points to the place where people gather to listen to a radio broadcast of the match. “Along the walls of the Store,” there was no empty “inch of space” even if it took hours for some people to reach the place (Angelou 88). The author intends to specify that black communities do not have large spaces to share their needs or interests.

At the same time, the worth of family relationships cannot be ignored as Angelou defines the impact of black and white attitudes. Although it is not the initial goal of the author to specify the impact of family relationships, she still mentions that the store is the uncle’s property. People feel safe when they come to a place that belongs to a black family. Another remark is made after Joe’s victory, who is introduced as a hero, the “champion of the world,” and “some Black mother’s son” (Angelou 90). This literary work shows that racial inequality involves not only individuals but also all black families.

Finally, a comparison is developed between the match and human relationships in general, as a part of the social context. When Louis is about to go down, Angelou writes that “my race groaned,” and “it was our people falling” (89). Her main intention is to demonstrate how the example of one person motivates other people to break social barriers, follow their needs, and consider their rights.

“Fish Cheeks” is another short story, with the issues of family, society, and settings being properly explained by the author. It is a narration of a 14-year-old girl who feels affection for a young boy, Robert, who belongs to a different race. Tan’s descriptions are brief and limited, but the information is still sufficient to learn the issue of racial discrimination. The event of the story is about Christmas Eve dinner hosted by a Chinese family. In fact, the author does not mention that the dinner is in a house. However, the phrases “shabby Chinese Christmas” and “the kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food” create an image of an ordinary house where a Chinese family lives (Tan 74-75). There is nothing terrible about the chosen place, but the feelings of the narrator show that some inequalities exist.

Tan’s essay is full of examples of how family relationships are established in minority groups. Chinese relatives are noisy, the mother is supportive, and the father “leaned back and belched loudly,” thanking his wife for “fine cooking” (Tan 75). In “Fish Cheeks,” the mother is a hero who helps her daughter break oppression and embarrassment barriers and teaches her daughter to “be proud you are different” (Tan 75). Only if families from minority groups support their children, then they are able to resist challenges and inequalities.

In Tan’s work, social inequalities represent one of the core aspects of family relationships and determine human beliefs and values. However, society cannot be good or bad but consists of the representatives of diverse groups with their requests and expectations. Many people express oppression because they believe in its power and allow others to do unfair things. Tan explains that the “only shame is to have shame” (75). It means that society does not determine a person, but a person could change the way society acts.

Angelou’s and Tan’s have dissimilar settings and a different number of characters in distinct contexts. Still, both authors try to prove the presence of racial inequality in American society. A variety of cultures and traditions may astonish guests and assimilate in a quiet manner (Tan 75). The main lesson of the stories lies not in the power of racial inequalities but the power with which people endow those inequalities. Until individuals live among the barriers but do not accept them as real, they are free. As soon as racial concerns bother a person or a family, their growth and influences become irreversible. Black people are ready to show that they can break the existing obstacles, not “be caught on a lonely country road,” and appreciate heroes’ possibilities to demonstrate strength and confidence (Angelou 90). “Champion of the World” reveals discrimination that exists in society, while “Fish Cheeks” illustrates how a family deals with this concern.

The discussion of discrimination based on race is a common theme for many literary works. Tan and Angelou do not try to invent a new problem but explain how people from minority groups deal with the already defined barriers. Both authors create heroes, either family members or athletes, who set the tone and encourage change. It does not matter if minorities are in their homes or a neighborhood store. The racial crisis is mostly developed inside, and people themselves are responsible for its growth or decline.

Works Cited

Angelou, Maya. “Champion of the World.” The Brief Bedford Reader, edited by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, and Ellen Kuhl Repetto, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 88-90.

Tan, Amy. “Fish Cheeks.” The Brief Bedford Reader, edited by X.J. Kennedy X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, and Ellen Kuhl Repetto, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 74-75.