Analysis Of Gender Inequality In Kindred By Octavia Butler
645 Words3 Pages
Racism and gender inequality are two extremely significant, yet neglected issues that human society faces to this day. In the past, women and people of diverse skin color were stripped of many of their basic human rights. They were mistreated and judged simply because of their appearance and background. Many years of protesting and arguing have brought us to our current society. In the United States, women and all races are given equal rights. This may sound as though our country has put racism and gender inequality in the past, but progress is still necessary to overcome the biases that still exist in our nation today. The novel Kindred by Octavia Butler contains accurate depictions of what life was like in Antebellum South from the perspective of a slave. The protagonist, Dana, is a modern African American woman from the 1970’s who mysteriously travels back in time to save her white ancestor, Rufus. Through Dana’s eyes, the audience is able to observe how cruelly the slaves were treated. In this time period, whites were unbelievably abusive towards blacks. Slaves were bought and sold like…show more content… Based on a true story, Mark Thackeray, a black man of the 1960’s, finds himself teaching a class of troublesome, white students. At first, the students resent Thackeray, and show disrespect and prejudice towards him. However, throughout the school year, the teacher is able to gain the trust and respect of the teenagers, and changes the way they look at not only people of different color, but also of different gender. Thackeray’s persistence and assertive demeanor result in the students learning and understanding how to appreciate each other and life itself. In the end, he is able to alter the negative mindsets of the juveniles. This movie proves that in the 1960’s, an African American man, although mistreated, can gain respect and admiration from white