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Brutality And Ignorance Exposed In Dear Martin By Nic Stone

1030 Words5 Pages

Dear Martin, a book written by Nic Stone reveals a societal issue of how we may mistreat African-Americans and other POC; knowing the context of why and how this may be happening enhances the understanding of this book and how people are unfairly treated in today’s society. By understanding and giving context to racial ignorance and biased behaviour, Jared and Blake give a crucial example of how this is used towards others unfairly. Nic Stone has successfully used these characters to explain how normalised racial bias and ignorance are present in today's society. A classmate and ‘friend’ of Justyce, Jared, portrays a crucial example based on the topic of how white Americans can ignore the racial inequality that has been forced upon POC, an …show more content…

With an understanding of historical and social context, the readers can understand the relationship between police officers and African-Americans and how it affects POC being mistreated by Officers. An idea of racial profiling is established when Officer Castillo, a police officer shown in the story remarked “I knew your punk ass was up to no good when I saw you walking down that road with that goddam hood on.'' This shows an effective use of symbolism when Castillo is motioning towards the hood that Justyce was wearing; symbolising that the officer was profiling him to be a thug, hence the hood. Showing that knowing America’s societal issues based on the topic of profiling reveals to the audience that profiling is still evident in society. When reading Dear Martin, the historical context regarding brutality in America is needed to understand that racial discrimination related to brutality is not a one-off thing but a flaw that has existed for years. Nic Stone highlights the consequences of racial profiling and police brutality in“He’s gone. Never did anything to anyone, and now Manny’s gone. I can’t do this anymore” after the incident that Jus and Manny had with Officer Garret Tyson. Justyce using a downhearted tone emphasises B how Justyce feels after a dangerous and traumatising interaction with a problematic police officer; this being in place shows the viewers the consequences that follow after Police brutality takes place. Overall, understanding the context and history of the relationship between POC and the police force gives you a better understanding of this story and the subsequent actions that may

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