The Ugly Truth of Discrimination!
Michael Friant Ms. Saba English 111 D10 November 13th, 2018
The Ugly Truth of Discrimination!
Discrimination is when certain individuals marginalize their fellow human beings based on an abnormality. Discrimination is often subtle, but the implications are easily felt by the persons with the perceived difference, which often leads to unprecedented experiences and actions. In the essay “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan describes the discrimination her mother faces as a person of a different nationality. Likewise, George Orwell discusses the cultural implications of discrimination in the essay entitled “Shooting An Elephant.” Finally, Sherman Alexie in the essay “Indian Education,” talks about what school life is like as a student of a different ethnicity. All three authors demonstrate how the prejudice of others based on perceived differences leads to forced actions of those who have the perceived differences.
In society, sometimes the prejudices of others are bluntly obvious. In “Mother Tongue,” Tan describes life as an immigrant from China living in the United States. She portrays the prejudice of others towards her mother as, “...the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her” (Tan 460). This is a result of the “broken” English her mother speaks while in public. Later, when her mother is at the doctor’s office, the author describes it as, “She said they would not give her any more information until the next time...” (Tan 460). She basically says they do not consider her mother credible enough to be able to handle her own medical results. In both instances, the writer is conveying that her mother is denied the courtesy that is extended to the general population. These two examples are relevant because they show that people do not want to have anything to do with her mother due to a perceived difference.
However, a perceived difference is not often easily seen. In “Mother Tongue,” the writer depicts the perceived differences as, “I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English” (Tan 460). Also she states that, “Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking Chinese” (Tan 459). In these scenarios, the essayist is saying the way her mother speaks affects how they view her as an elder. Tan, on one hand, grew up with her mother’s “limited” English, so she soon discovered the irrelevance of the perceived difference in regards to her performing the capabilities of a mother. Whereas, Tan’s friends just see her mother occasionally, therefore are not able to see beyond the “limited” English. These quotes are valuable because they demonstrate the fact that since they cannot always understand her, they often do not show the proper respect due to an elder or view her as such an individual. It is often these types of perceptions that lead to forced actions
. Forced actions are those actions which are often brought on as a result of the prejudices of others. They often are humiliating for both the person performing the actions or the person for whom the actions are being performed. Tan recalls, “When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she” (460). The author is recounting scenarios where under normal circumstances a fifteen-year-old would not be involved such as calling a Wall Street banker. Much later in life, the speaker says, “And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English — lo and behold — we had assurances the CAT scan would be found...” (Tan 461). In this case, the essayist has to be called in order for her mother to be recognize as a human being capable of understanding her medical results. These instances are crucial because they demonstrate the unprecedented actions which have to be performed in order for Tan’s mother to be able to survive in society. Though Tan’s mother faces societal marginalization, it never leads to something as drastic as Orwell describes in “Shooting An Elephant.”
Cultural condescension is often brutal. Orwell is describing his life as European and his position of power in Burma. He presents the fear of condescension as, “The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man’s life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at” (Orwell 135). He is saying it is a challenge not to be laughed at as a white man in the East. He is weighing his options to whether he should shoot this elephant, which is not his preferred choice of action, but then he starts to contemplate the result. A little while later, as he is preparing to shoot the elephant, he thinks, “I was a poor shot with a rifle...” (Orwell 135). These two quotes exhibit the fear of being rejected culturally and yearning for acceptance within the community. These thoughts show what condescension can feel like for the person who has a cultural difference.
Sometimes a perceived difference is often based on social rankings. Orwell describes the crowds who had gathered to watch him as, “They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching” (134). The individual is acknowledging that though the crowds are not fond of him as a government official and European, which is a perceived difference, they gladly welcome him when he is going to play the hero in saving them from the escaped elephant. Even as a government official, he thinks, “I was young and ill-educated and I had to think out my problems in the utter silence...” (Orwell 132). He is basically admitting he is new to the job. Both of these events demonstrate how people are prone to exploit the weaknesses of others and force them to perform tasks they will not typically be obliged to perform.
Forced actions are sometimes drastic when they are carried out by those who feel trapped by their situations. Orwell states, “All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible” (132). The writer is stating that since he is new and inexperienced to the job, people take advantage of the situation and make him perform all the undesirable jobs. One of these jobs results in the author recounting, “When I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick…”(Orwell 136). He shot the elephant. The first quote demonstrates the hostile work environment he is trapped by, which lead to the second quote, which is a direct result of the work environment. While Tan and Orwell illustrate societal and cultural discrimination, they do not demonstrate what happens when people who have the perceived differences lack the maturity, or when individuals stand up to those who exhibit the prejudice as in Alexie’s “Indian Education.”
Educational instruction can be administered in a prejudice manner. The child in Alexie’s essay recounts the actions of her teacher as,“Once, she gave the class a spelling test but set me aside and gave me a test designed for junior high students” (141). This is stating the teacher for second grade basically gives her a test that was intended to fail her. This incident shows the teacher’s unrealistic expectations of and hostility towards the student based on a nationality.
Nevertheless, the prejudices of others are also peer based. The child remembers the actions of her peers one time as, ”They stole my glasses and threw them over my head, around my out-stretched hands, just beyond my reach, until someone tripped me and sent me falling again, facedown in the snow” (Alexie 141). The girl is telling us how she is tourmented. This quote illustrates how she is treated base on the sole fact she is an indigenous person. This recollection is valuable because it shows they treat her in such an inferior way due to her ethnicity.
A perceived difference, such as an ethnicity, can be used as a derogatory term. The minor calls to mind her teacher saying, “Indians, indians, indians” (Alexie 141). The teacher is basically yelling the term in disgust. It is so blatantly clear that the teacher is applying that she is an indigenous person. It shows the inferior attitude the teacher has towards those of that ethnicity.
A person of another ethnicity can be perceived as less capable defending himself. The child recounts a memory as, “Then it was a Friday morning recess and Frenchy SiJohn threw snowballs at me while the rest of the Indian boys tortured some other top-yogh-yaught kid, another weakling” (Alexie 141). This quote is stating the kids single out a peer because they think he cannot defend himself. As in Tan’s mother’s case, this incident demonstrates the ‘inferior’ characteristic the children exploit by ganging up on him. This recollection illustrates the children’s inferior view of him as someone lacking the defensive capability.
However, there are times when the individual reacts physically to the prejudice of others. The girl recollects such an occurrence when she “...punched him so hard that [her] knuckles and the snow made symmetrical bruises on his face” (Alexie 141). The minor is stating in the second grade she defended herself in a physical manner. This reflects how she responds to being tourmented. Unlike Tan’s mother and Orwell, she did not show the temperamental restraint because she was not as experienced with discrimination due to the fact she was young.
Nevertheless, older people can react to prejudice in a dramatic fashion. The child recounts a situation which transpires at school between her parents and the prejudice teacher as,“My parents came in the next day and dragged their braids across Betty Towle’s desk” (Alexie 141). Her parents literally sweep the instructor’s workstation with their hair. This is significant because they are owning their ethnicity and shoving it into the teacher’s face. Unlike Tan, her mother, and Orwell who cave to the prejudices, they take pride in their ethnicity and stand up to the unfair treatment of their child.
Tan, Orwell, and Alexie demonstrate the realities of life for individuals who feel trapped to act in a certain way due to negative preconceived notions towards an recognizable abnormality. However, individuals in society ought to have the maturity to disregard the minute differences such as ethnicities, cultural rankings, and “broken” language. When society finally is able to broaden its narrow generational perception of what is normal and see the beauty in human beings, individuals with “perceived” differences will be able to live without constantly being discriminated against.
Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. “Indian Education.” Patterns For College Writing, edited by Laurie G. Kirszer and Stephen R. Mandell, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 141-45.
Orwell, George. “Shooting An Elephant.” Patterns For College Writing, edited by Laurie G. Kirszer and Stephen R. Mandell, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 131-37.
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Patterns For College Writing, edited by Laurie G. Kirszer and Stephen R. Mandell, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 458-62.