A Few Good Men Racism Quotes
Racism portrayed in the novel is very present during this time period and it persistently affects Jefferson and Wiggins to act and conform themselves to stereotypes implied by caucasian culture. One portrayal of racial fueled ideas in this novel is during Jefferson's trial his lawyer is trying to salvage him from the electric chair and comments on common features of African Americans. “Look at the shape of this skull, this face as flat as the palm of my hand—look deeply into those eyes. Do you see a modicum of intelligence?”(Gaines 7).When saying this the lawyer is trying to dehumanize Jefferson and explain to the judge that because of his features and color of his skin he isn’t smart or human enough to apprehend what he has done. This is
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humiliating to Jefferson and his family because the only way the lawyer can think to defend him is by saying he is unequal to whites and does not have the human capacity to understand anything he has done wrong. In reality Jefferson did not shoot or hurt anyone but was just a bystander. Negative stereotypes in the book are prevalent to the characters in many ways. Grant Wiggins who is a school teacher faces many dilemmas in his job because he understands he has no power in his position. He has to overcome stereotypes put on him by white authority figures who truly do not grasp what it is like to be a black man in a white man's world.“I tried to decide ... Whether I should act like the teacher that I was, or like the n****r that I was supposed to be”(Gaines 33)? Wiggins is deciding on if he should conform to stereotypes and act like an animal which is what white people suspect of him or act in a formal respectful way which he was taught. Back when this story was taking place white people wanted to have a scapegoat for all their problems and it has always been minorities. Ways they concluded this was because if you were different race than white you were a problem. This allowed white America to blame all of their problems on African Americans and when they saw their community flourish they didn't like it and it made them uncomfortable.“The last thing they ever want to see is a black man stand,and think,and show the common humanity is in all of us”(Gaines 97). Significance of this quote is it shows how the white race in the south would want Jefferson to commit to their standards that black people aren't human. And if he was to rise and become a better person before death it would inspire the black community. By proving white people wrong Jefferson would help the black community in the segregated white south. Jefferson and Wiggins faced many struggles in the novel but in the end they did overcome the stereotypes and became satisfied with themselves with the standards they had to live in. Many civil rights activist have expressed how in the United States many privileges whites took for granted weren’t open to them.
The American Dream was based on the fact that hard work would lead to success. Being black during this time period ment no matter how hard you work you would not get to live an equal life.“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”(King). During the civil rights movement many white people got to have the chance of trying to obtain the dream of living in the suburbs while others had to worry about trying not to get killed for standing up for their rights.In the story Jefferson and the black community lived in the ghettos. This relates because he didn’t get to live in suburbs and the American Dream wasn’t even in the back of his mind. Instead of having people judge Jefferson based off what kind of car he drove or things society values he was being judged based on skin color. Another influential civil rights activist was Malcolm X. “America preaches integration and practices segregation”(Malcolm X).America still is in a state where some people's attitudes have not changed since segregation. In the suburbs even after the desegregation laws if a black family had the opportunity to move into the neighborhood of a predominantly white suburbia the values of the houses would decrease significantly because nobody wanted to live near blacks. In the book Jefferson didn’t experience any equality regarding his trial but people in the government were trying to tell civil rights people they were trying to promote equality. An example of racism that Jefferson might have experienced if he lived in Alabama is from the former governor of state is George Wallace.“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever”(Wallace)! This quote accurately represents the time period Jefferson had to live in because he had to suffer
through constant racial discrimination with authority figures regarding his future as a black man.George Wallace's resistance to desegregation may have caused him to get shot but his views reflected de jure segregation by most of the public. Like Jefferson most blacks experienced discrimination throughout the 1900s through today which has held them back from things like the American dream.
Approximately 12–13% of the American population is African-American, but they make up 35% of jail inmates. Many would think that the percentage of African Americans in the population as a whole would be similar to the percentage of African Americans in the jail population. Yet the percentage of blacks in jail is three times the percentage of blacks in the total population. Similar to in the book the legal system has injustice and you can infer with the higher number of African Americans in jail they have higher death sentences.
Gaines writes about how the system puts black men in jail because it is easier;
They sentence you to death because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, with no proof that you had anything at all to do with the crime other than being there when it happened. Yet six months later they come and unlock your cage and tell you, We, us, white folks all, have decided it’s time for you to die, because this is the convenient date and time”Currently one of the values the legal system of the United states is based off of is equality(110).
This was not practiced during the 1950s as it is now. In the novel Jefferson in accused of crimes he did not commit and because of his skin color Jefferson got convicted based off no evidence. With a biased legal system Jefferson begins to devalues himself and starts to encounter feelings of worthlessness. The legal system overall failed Jefferson because instead of getting a fair trial he gets dehumanized based off skin color and was sentenced to death. Fair trials are ideal in the United States but in the 1950s it was based of word of mouth. This was not the only case as it happened in the Salem Witch Trials. “Twelve white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time without consulting one black person. Justice”(Gaines)? During this period of time prejudice was common and unjust trials were normal if you even got one. The commonality of the unjust was the legal system for blacks. Wiggins knew that the during this time things wouldn’t change so he told himself not to get sad about Jefferson getting the electric chair because just like him their will be tons of other young men to die because of wrong done by the system. With standards like this African American communities had no hope for things to get better so the best they could do was try and change their attitudes. Miss Emma felt like the only justice Jefferson would get is to change his lookout on the situation and prove white people that he was more than just another black person who would get misguided by the legal system.“There was absolutely no proof that there had been a conspiracy between himself and the other two”(Gaines 121). During the trial Jefferson gets called a hog which makes him feel like he isn’t a worthy human. He won’t even accept hot meals from his grandma because he feels he is just getting fattened up before they slaughter him like a pig. The unforgettable feelings Jefferson has to experience is incredible compared to the crimes he didn’t commit. Jefferson’s case exhibits how white Americans devalued the lives of African Americans. All together the book exhibits how Jefferson and many other blacks had been failed by the legal system in the United States. A moral dilemma many Americans have is if the law they break fighting for their rights is just. In this quote by Dr.King he explains why he believes breaking the law for civil rights is okay because the law is not being just.“I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law”(King). This quote is based on Dr.King’s religious beliefs the understanding that he needs to obey God's laws before man’s law. The quote from history represents the time period Jefferson had to live in because during the civil rights movement African Americans had sit ins and protests that went against laws that white characters in the books supported. Like others Rosa Parks a civil rights activist had accepted that racism would not end soon and would take time but the best they could do is teach the next generation to continue to fight for their rights. “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome”(Parks). The fact that during this time period knowing you will not get your basic rights can be degrading. Luckily for Rosa Parks she was able to live through de facto segregation and see laws passed to make segregation illegal. The next quote is by a novelist who lived through racism just like Rosa Parks.“Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics”(Haley).An example of this in the book is when Jefferson lawyers characterizes all blacks as being flat faced and saying “normal” humans don’t have features like that. Exhibited through the quote is that white people are taught racist views that prevent African Americans from having fundamental rights. All the quotes above are examples of why the American Dream could not be obtained by blacks in the 1950s in a predominately white dominated society. In American society and the book A Lesson Before Dying African Americans have been exposed to racial discrimination and persuaded to adhere to stereotypes forced upon them. Racism is exposed to Jefferson and Wiggins in many ways from the start of the trial to the internal feelings Jefferson had about himself because of society. The legal system in America has failed many minorities because it has been unjust and discriminatory based on skin color. The United States has gone through difficult times in history and will continue persevere through racially fueled injustices and in the end we as a nation can become better.
humiliating to Jefferson and his family because the only way the lawyer can think to defend him is by saying he is unequal to whites and does not have the human capacity to understand anything he has done wrong. In reality Jefferson did not shoot or hurt anyone but was just a bystander. Negative stereotypes in the book are prevalent to the characters in many ways. Grant Wiggins who is a school teacher faces many dilemmas in his job because he understands he has no power in his position. He has to overcome stereotypes put on him by white authority figures who truly do not grasp what it is like to be a black man in a white man's world.“I tried to decide ... Whether I should act like the teacher that I was, or like the n****r that I was supposed to be”(Gaines 33)? Wiggins is deciding on if he should conform to stereotypes and act like an animal which is what white people suspect of him or act in a formal respectful way which he was taught. Back when this story was taking place white people wanted to have a scapegoat for all their problems and it has always been minorities. Ways they concluded this was because if you were different race than white you were a problem. This allowed white America to blame all of their problems on African Americans and when they saw their community flourish they didn't like it and it made them uncomfortable.“The last thing they ever want to see is a black man stand,and think,and show the common humanity is in all of us”(Gaines 97). Significance of this quote is it shows how the white race in the south would want Jefferson to commit to their standards that black people aren't human. And if he was to rise and become a better person before death it would inspire the black community. By proving white people wrong Jefferson would help the black community in the segregated white south. Jefferson and Wiggins faced many struggles in the novel but in the end they did overcome the stereotypes and became satisfied with themselves with the standards they had to live in. Many civil rights activist have expressed how in the United States many privileges whites took for granted weren’t open to them.
The American Dream was based on the fact that hard work would lead to success. Being black during this time period ment no matter how hard you work you would not get to live an equal life.“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”(King). During the civil rights movement many white people got to have the chance of trying to obtain the dream of living in the suburbs while others had to worry about trying not to get killed for standing up for their rights.In the story Jefferson and the black community lived in the ghettos. This relates because he didn’t get to live in suburbs and the American Dream wasn’t even in the back of his mind. Instead of having people judge Jefferson based off what kind of car he drove or things society values he was being judged based on skin color. Another influential civil rights activist was Malcolm X. “America preaches integration and practices segregation”(Malcolm X).America still is in a state where some people's attitudes have not changed since segregation. In the suburbs even after the desegregation laws if a black family had the opportunity to move into the neighborhood of a predominantly white suburbia the values of the houses would decrease significantly because nobody wanted to live near blacks. In the book Jefferson didn’t experience any equality regarding his trial but people in the government were trying to tell civil rights people they were trying to promote equality. An example of racism that Jefferson might have experienced if he lived in Alabama is from the former governor of state is George Wallace.“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever”(Wallace)! This quote accurately represents the time period Jefferson had to live in because he had to suffer
through constant racial discrimination with authority figures regarding his future as a black man.George Wallace's resistance to desegregation may have caused him to get shot but his views reflected de jure segregation by most of the public. Like Jefferson most blacks experienced discrimination throughout the 1900s through today which has held them back from things like the American dream.
Approximately 12–13% of the American population is African-American, but they make up 35% of jail inmates. Many would think that the percentage of African Americans in the population as a whole would be similar to the percentage of African Americans in the jail population. Yet the percentage of blacks in jail is three times the percentage of blacks in the total population. Similar to in the book the legal system has injustice and you can infer with the higher number of African Americans in jail they have higher death sentences.
Gaines writes about how the system puts black men in jail because it is easier;
They sentence you to death because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, with no proof that you had anything at all to do with the crime other than being there when it happened. Yet six months later they come and unlock your cage and tell you, We, us, white folks all, have decided it’s time for you to die, because this is the convenient date and time”Currently one of the values the legal system of the United states is based off of is equality(110).
This was not practiced during the 1950s as it is now. In the novel Jefferson in accused of crimes he did not commit and because of his skin color Jefferson got convicted based off no evidence. With a biased legal system Jefferson begins to devalues himself and starts to encounter feelings of worthlessness. The legal system overall failed Jefferson because instead of getting a fair trial he gets dehumanized based off skin color and was sentenced to death. Fair trials are ideal in the United States but in the 1950s it was based of word of mouth. This was not the only case as it happened in the Salem Witch Trials. “Twelve white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time without consulting one black person. Justice”(Gaines)? During this period of time prejudice was common and unjust trials were normal if you even got one. The commonality of the unjust was the legal system for blacks. Wiggins knew that the during this time things wouldn’t change so he told himself not to get sad about Jefferson getting the electric chair because just like him their will be tons of other young men to die because of wrong done by the system. With standards like this African American communities had no hope for things to get better so the best they could do was try and change their attitudes. Miss Emma felt like the only justice Jefferson would get is to change his lookout on the situation and prove white people that he was more than just another black person who would get misguided by the legal system.“There was absolutely no proof that there had been a conspiracy between himself and the other two”(Gaines 121). During the trial Jefferson gets called a hog which makes him feel like he isn’t a worthy human. He won’t even accept hot meals from his grandma because he feels he is just getting fattened up before they slaughter him like a pig. The unforgettable feelings Jefferson has to experience is incredible compared to the crimes he didn’t commit. Jefferson’s case exhibits how white Americans devalued the lives of African Americans. All together the book exhibits how Jefferson and many other blacks had been failed by the legal system in the United States. A moral dilemma many Americans have is if the law they break fighting for their rights is just. In this quote by Dr.King he explains why he believes breaking the law for civil rights is okay because the law is not being just.“I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law”(King). This quote is based on Dr.King’s religious beliefs the understanding that he needs to obey God's laws before man’s law. The quote from history represents the time period Jefferson had to live in because during the civil rights movement African Americans had sit ins and protests that went against laws that white characters in the books supported. Like others Rosa Parks a civil rights activist had accepted that racism would not end soon and would take time but the best they could do is teach the next generation to continue to fight for their rights. “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome”(Parks). The fact that during this time period knowing you will not get your basic rights can be degrading. Luckily for Rosa Parks she was able to live through de facto segregation and see laws passed to make segregation illegal. The next quote is by a novelist who lived through racism just like Rosa Parks.“Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics”(Haley).An example of this in the book is when Jefferson lawyers characterizes all blacks as being flat faced and saying “normal” humans don’t have features like that. Exhibited through the quote is that white people are taught racist views that prevent African Americans from having fundamental rights. All the quotes above are examples of why the American Dream could not be obtained by blacks in the 1950s in a predominately white dominated society. In American society and the book A Lesson Before Dying African Americans have been exposed to racial discrimination and persuaded to adhere to stereotypes forced upon them. Racism is exposed to Jefferson and Wiggins in many ways from the start of the trial to the internal feelings Jefferson had about himself because of society. The legal system in America has failed many minorities because it has been unjust and discriminatory based on skin color. The United States has gone through difficult times in history and will continue persevere through racially fueled injustices and in the end we as a nation can become better.