Understanding Another’s Perception Using the Role of Skeeter
Judgements directed towards others are made by only those who cannot comprehend someone else’s circumstance and personality. Some do not try to see things from another’s perspective, but as Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, states, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Lee, 39). The valuable role of Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan used by Kathryn Stockett in The Help, conveys a message. This message being that one must apprehend the perspective of others to comprehend the situation or issue another is indulged in. Kathryn Stockett portrays a message of Skeeter’s valued role by showing that Skeeter is an activist by following through with her book, that she sees no difference in gender with her relationship with Stuart and she sees no difference in race or age with the relationship with Constantine. Prejudice allows many to be
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These topics lead into the purpose of her valuable role. Her role, used by Kathryn Stockett, presents a lesson which was to conceive the point of view of others before trying to judge another. One must assimilate the circumstance and situation one is in. One can only begin to comprehend another by stepping into their shoes and walking around in it. Furthermore, a community is split into groups due to prejudice and the groups are classified by race, wealth, age and gender. To stop a society from splitting can bring everyone together, but the groups must understand each other before being able to live alongside each other. Therefore, being able to understand others can eliminate prejudice and there will not be any worry about racism, ageism, classism, and genderism if we can appreciate the differences in each
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 39). Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird follows Scout Finch’s childhood as she grows up in a rural Alabama county during the 1930’s. She and her brother Jem have many adventures in their youth and are raised by their single father Atticus. As they grow up they start to learn the importance of empathy especially when dealing with the racial prejudice that many people around them have.
In the book The Help, Stockett uses pathos to show people’s emotions and their different feelings throughout the book. Skeeter’s interviews cause meekness and fear in the maids because if they get caught, their punishment will end up much worse because of the color of their skin. As shown in the book fear shows pathos as well as anger, sadness, and love. In the book, the maids give interviews for Skeeter because Skeeter believes that she can put together these stories from the maids and help change some of the segregation laws. Gretchen, a maid who shows ruthlessness towards Skeeter, also chooses to show confrontation when she confronts and berates Skeeter and Aibileen.
By using different topics and putting her characters in uncomfortable situations and making them address the problems in their lives and confronting the risk of writing a book about the treatment of the help and also by using realistic situations and realistic personalities, Stockett chooses a interesting choice of have three different perspectives. Kathryn makes all of her characters choices have a cause and effect on other characters everyone in the book she is affect one way or another by the release of Skeeter book at the end of the
By an anonymous writer later revealed as Skeeter also known as Eugenia Phelan. Skeeter, a white woman, returns to her hometown (Mississippi) to discover that her motherly nanny Constantine has left but no one tells what happened. Soon Skeeter realizes the injustice her society practices and decides to write a book where voices of black will be raised. She approaches Aibileen for sharing her narrative to which Aibileen responds positively and also let’s Minny in their secret. Minny, Aibileen’s friend, another black help, reveals a secret about Miss Hilly that ensures Miss Hilly’s silence after the publication of their writing project.
It is very important that writers are able to send a message to their reader with their book. Authors best do this by bringing about empathy. In order to send this message, authors often develop strong characters that go through various problems and struggles. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, shows this very well with its characters Scout Finch and Tom Robinson. This book helps the readers learn from the character’s reactions to their problems.
“We all decry prejudice, yet are all prejudiced,” said Herbert Spencer, a famous philosopher. Prejudice is frequent everywhere and difficult to stop. It is very difficult to destroy something in someone’s mind, and it will inevitably be expressed through various methods with different degrees of subtlety. Any expression of this can hurt. Subsequently, in Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, the main theme is that prejudice is everywhere, and can be of varying degrees.
In Harper Lee's famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the themes of sin, understanding, empathy, and the complexities of human nature are prominent ideas that run throughout the story. This chapter helps us explore right and wrong. It also helps us to understand and have empathy for people. Chapter 11 is a crucial part of the book where these themes become more apparent. Lee skillfully portrays their presence both on the surface and in the larger perspective.
Have you ever had to walk in someone else’s shoes to understand their point of view? All of us have at least tried at one point in our life before. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, she goes over this subject with multiple examples. Harper Lee uses fictional characters to teach life lessons in an early setting.
Literature can be analyzed with many different critical lenses. While analyzing To Kill a Mockingbird, one may use a critical lens to recognize the different ideas throughout the novel. Harper Lee’s novel demonstrates her perspective on intolerance and discrimination within the early twentieth century. Firstly, intolerance of people who are different is very prevalent within the novel.
In a world filled with judgement and criticism, people struggle with this on the daily. Always having an opinion about every little thing. Whether people choose to share or not that is their own perspective and everyone’s is different. A person can never have judgement for a person, until they can physically feel and see what they go through each and every day. In Harper Lee’s
Ethan Heitzenrater Becky Crays English 9/10 28 April 2017 Stereotypes Here and Now In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird based in the early 1900’s after The Great Depression Harper Lee uses stereotypes to show the true humanity within a person no matter the age, gender, race, or place in society. This is a subject has impacted people in the past, and is still impacting the people of today. These are tough issues to talk about, but Lee wrote it so all people would understand how important it is not to judge until you understand the person.
One would think prejudice is a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that is not the case, prejudice is still a common factor in todays society. Vincent N. Parrillo’s essay “Causes of Prejudice,” helped me to understand how we are affected not just psychologically but in a sociological way as well, as John A. Camacho explains in his A Few Bad Apples opinion piece published in the Pacific Daily News. Both forms of prejudice are continued to be explained through Stud Turkel’s “C.P Ellis,” he gives us an understanding of psychological and sociological prejudice through C.P Ellis’own experiences. This furthers our understanding on how we can be affected by both psychological and sociological prejudices.
Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.
Kathryn Stockett’s novel, The Help, is not just about overcoming racism, but also about overcoming the constant human power struggle. The novel also showed how people treated each others, regardless if they were the same race. Throughout the book, Skeeter is ignored and cut-off by her friends while Minny is abused by her own husband. These two events happened even though each was the same race. Even the woman Minny worked for was being ignored because of who she married.
Through To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us the righteousness of empathy. Harper Lee 's technique of writing and coinciding Christian beliefs weaved through emphasizes the importance of the story 's moral and themes. It is through Scout, the young dynamic and protagonist, that Lee opens the reader 's eyes to a realistic world of prejudice and inequality during the 1930s. Though introducing many characters throughout the novel, it is through Lee 's wise father character, Atticus Finch, that she further helps teach her readers life lessons, one being empathy. While narrating in first person, Lee further details her novel with the setting and use of style and diction.