Day: 17 August 2018

What it is like to be white.

White Privilege: The hidden benefits. 

Robert Consedine.

Short Story. 

August 2018.

What it is like to be white. The colour of your skin and the genes you inherit still largely determines the course of your life, not as a direct cause but years of advantage and superiority through which we, as the white race, own the playing field. In the short text by Robert Consedine, its confrontational take on the racism continually faced by the minority group in our country made me consider my value in society because of my skin and the expectations many have of me.

Many years before us, our ancestors invaded this country and stripped the native inhabitants ( the Maori ) of their pride, culture, land, freedom and their language. Despite the world we live in claiming to have righted all wrongs and obtained an even playing field, it is impossible to accomplish this as the field is already owned by the white. This is both ironic and confronting as white are embedded in the legal, racial and general systems and statistically own most of the land. Through years of prejudice, white are initially judged as superior to our coloured counterparts. This leaves a predicament to myself and many other white peers which love and appreciate the roots of our country and its original inhabitants.

Reading ‘White Privilege’ a piece which explored the nature of white privilege and how “these systematic structural benefits remain invisible to most Pakeha” expanded my awareness of the ignorance which surrounds us. Within the piece Robert cites an article he read which refers to white privilege as a “knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, codes, tools, blank checks.” An interesting explanation which as a white male I relate to and whom is able to redeem my advantages daily while Maori have to fight to obtain my givens. Consedine states that in order to further expand the debate, we have to have sufficient knowledge of the origins of the invisible system. Without these pieces challenging our own sheltered opinions the world would remain its broken self and no real change would occur. I wholeheartedly agree with the authors purpose and encourage the push for change which is needed in my society.

In my lifetime I have never stopped to think about why I benefit from the small advantages which I do everyday, and why others who are no different from me, do not receive such advantages. In the modern world, under the direct illusion of change and equality not many stop to consider if this is the real problem which has been solved. Prior to reading the short piece by Consedine, I had not bothered or allowed myself to think deeply about the prejudice to Maoris yet after finishing it is not the facts which strike me, it is the ignorance which myself and my race have to this issue. The advantages of not only reading but analysing this text proves important to your being and your presence in society.

Shawshank Redemption

Otto Burrows.

The Shawshank Redemption.

Stephen King.

Visual.

28/06.

Stephen King’s time captiving movie explores many themes and issues in its extended take on Andy Dufresne’s time in Shawshank Prison and unravels the events leading to his elaborate escape to the “outside world”. Within Andy’s years of prison, despite being innocent, he learns all of the hard lessons of life including corruption and murder and yet he also learns the value of friendship and puts his great mind to use. We follow Andy through his time with Red and friends, through moments of despair and triumph, to end on a lovely beach in Mexico where Andy and Red start their life on the outside, again.

The most prominent reason why I enjoyed the movie so thoroughly was that I formed a thorough connection to Andy Dufresne and was wholeheartedly drawn in to his plight. In the opening scenes, we are left with an unbalanced opinion of Andy, torn between the urge to believe in him but feel the undertow of hate and prejudice surrounding an accused murderer. As we follow him through his time at Shawshank Prison, we begin to know and like his character more. I was drawn to his intellect and at the same time was intrigued by his silence.  Towards the end of the film, as Warden Norton rips the poster off the wall to reveal the escape tunnel, he rips off the cover on our ignorance and I felt overwhelming satisfaction that he had finally escaped. This fitting justice for his life of injustice added to my enjoyment. I like the sentiment that although life may get you down, you’ve got to just “get busy living” as there is always light at the end of a dark tunnel.

I would recommend this movie because among the profanity and dark moments, the importance of hope and persistence shines through the prison grit, and combined with great storytelling, a classic is made. The factors which add to excellence of this movie, are the small things that are aimed at your subconscious mind and in turn add up to make the movie we know and love. The first, which I believe to be one of the most important, is the role selection. In one of the first scenes with Andy, we see him portrayed in the courtroom as a “chilling and remorseless” man. Yet as the movie progresses, we are shown a different side of Andy and begin to like him as quiet, calculated person that he has always been. This is portrayed by Tom Robbins in his cold set face and nicely trimmed hair which fades to the hardened man approaching his fifties who escapes Shawshank Prison. Parallel to this, Red, played by Morgan Freeman is also very well casted as his character plays to the strengths of the smart black man that we have known and loved throughout Freeman’s acting career. 

Andy’s conviction was based on minimal evidence and a pre-decided opinion that he was a killer. The failure of the justice system challenges my childhood assumption of the black and white contrast between good and bad. Andy is a good man who was “as straight as an arrow” on the outside yet he was convicted. This is a deeply unsettling thought which makes me think about my ignorance to this issue. All my life I have driven by Mount Eden prison and have never once given more than a second thought on what it is like inside. News recently has been focused on gang violence in prisons not so far from home and this movie has opened my eyes to this. A window through to a different world, I have never considered how terrifying and overwhelming it would be to be sent to prison for a crime I did not commit. It reminds of the same feeling which stirred deep down while reading To Kill A MockingBird, where a black man was accused of a rape he did not commit. These stories bring forth my own personal dilemmas and provides further engagement and emotional attachment to the characters and movie.  

As an Allegory, Prison could be compared to the school playground that we as kids mingled in. The social hierarchy of society can be seen in prison as the men held inside are reduced to following instructions and forget how to live for themselves, much the same to our childhoods as we were not yet old enough to think independently. Prison reduces a man to his primal life and due to constant violence, could be doing more to hinder these men than heal. I believe that these harsh lessons can be learnt in the playground too through bullying and the often harsh nature of maturing kids. This helped me connect further with the characters and the prison setting through a largely innocent link to my early childhood. As Andy was bullied and battered I felt I needed to help him and stick up for him as others had not for me. This only embellished my liking of Andy and heighten the pinnacles of the film. I propose that many other viewers may have connected with the visual text in the same manner and many more will experience this, which leads me to highly recommend this outstanding piece of visual viewing.

I really enjoyed the movie as although I have never experienced a life event which has drastically changed my future, it is thoroughly interesting following Andy as he spends his years in Shawshank and learn alongside him as he was faced with violence, prejudice and hardships. Although Andy had been so wronged by the world, he did not carry any resentment towards his peers and showed very little signs of prejudice. In recent years “the world went and got itself in a big damn hurry” and we now need to take a step back and appreciate people for who they are. I believe that if we follow in Andys footsteps and learn not to judge people on pre-decided opinions and assumptions, the world would be a significantly better place for everybody.

To Kill A Mockingbird.

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many ideas which give the reader insight into the lifestyle of the 1930s and of the ideas of racism and prejudice formed by the human nature of “being normal”. There is also the idea of change and social reform expressed through Atticus, who goes against the nature of the town and challenges the social boundaries. In this essay I intend to explain the links between these ideas to human nature and explore why Harper Lee chose to include these ideas in her novel.

Atticus is at the pinnacle of social reform and with his closing speech at the courtroom he presents the reader further insight into the depths of his determination for change. “This case is as simple as black and white” summises Atticus in his speech to the jury challenging them to consider their racial and moral values.  He asks them to choose black over white as the case “ requires no minute sifting of complicated facts” and the facts are undoubtedly pointing to the innocence of Tom Robinson. This blatant defiance of the unspoken racism in the community sets Atticus apart from his peers. For many, this paints a target on his back, an invitation for criticism or revenge in the case of Bob Ewell.  Despite this, many also respect his actions as “some men in this world… were born to do our unpleasant jobs”. Atticus’ actions create a spark of realisation that change is required as “he was the man who will do what’s right when the world is saying he is wrong” ( David Von Drehle).

Racism. Prejudice. Segregation. These three vices bind the black and coloured communities to a life of hardship and inequality and Lee choses to explore this idea in relation to the citizens of Maycomb. This idea has strong links to the human nature of following the crowd and the inability to go against the beliefs of our upbringing and surroundings. The basis of the novel is to show the people of the 30s the injustice that underpins and controls their society. It was an effort to plant the seed in their minds that one person who can navigate through the mist of discrimination can make a break in the outdated rituals and beliefs. Atticus Finch, represents the one needed to bring change into motion through his acts of selflessness and level-minded view of his broken community. This is seen when Scout approaches him asking if he really is a “nigger-lover”, “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody” Atticus was quick to reply showing his liberal view on an equal society. As the book progresses we follow Jem as he transitions into manhood and as his body and mind changes, there is also notable change in his perception of racism. “Scout… you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day!” Jem comments with noticeable immaturity, yet chapters down the track he makes the insightful observation that “around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.” Jem is able to take himself out of his skin and reflect on the small-minded attitudes of the citizens of Maycomb. Lee describes the book as a recreation of her childhood town and created a story which she hopes to motivate the readers to question their own ways and set off a chain reaction which would eventually result in the formation of more equal society.

Mockingbird, a symbol of innocence and purity which is subtly inwoven throughout the text with links to characters, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley as they share common ground in multiple ways. They both have been shadowed by a story which has ruined their lives despite their obvious qualities of goodwill. The symbolism of the mockingbird ties into the title “To Kill a MockingBird” which has a deeply literal connection to the main event of the novel, Tom Robinson’s trial and death. The representation of innocence through the Mockingbird characters shows these men of the jury are willing to kill innocence itself in the name of pride and status. In the novel, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that “it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird” as “they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us”  and to kill a mockingbird is in essence to kill innocence and purity at its origin. The aspect of human nature which is linked to the symbol of the Mockingbird is basic innocence and purity. All humans begin as innocent and pure as each other and their upbringing and surroundings determine the person they become. These characters have tough and unforgiving upbringings and hard lives yet they still display the qualities of a Mockingbird, it is clear their human nature strongly determines their personality.

These main ideas help the reader and the book’s extended audience to develop an in-depth view of a small community in the 1930s and how it’s ideas of prejudice play such an influential role in the citizens’ lives, especially that of the black and coloured people. Lee uses her ideas of change and reform of her known society woven in with multiple aspects of human nature to create this powerful novel. To Kill a Mockingbird very effectively communicates Lee’s forward thinking beliefs which arguably instigates a new era of people which give deeper thought into their societies and ultimately has a role in the equal rights of the 21st century.