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In Literature...

An Inspiring Call to Action

Conclusion

Breaking Barriers

Socially, Politically, and Economically

Berkley Bryant

In Society...

Introduction

In society... there are many aspects of life that hold us back. Whether it be social status, political agendas, or economic stability, our world has been influenced by these barriers throughout history. While there has been progress made socially, politically, and economically throughout the years, there is still much work to be done in society today.

Article: "The 12 Best Things That Have Happened in 2021 So Far- and How We Can Keep Making Progress

This current event article outlines several of the best things to happen in 2021, and many of which are related to social, political, and economic reform. Three of the twelve things in this article highlight progress that align very similarly to literature we have read in this class.

  • The US made Juneteenth a federal holiday: This has been an effort that many have worked to accomplish for years as it marks the end of slavery.
  • Countries are stepping up to support rural farmers living in poverty: COVID-19 has severely impacted rural farmers, and a Global Citizen partner has stepped up to disburse grants to rural farmers in low-income nations
  • $40 billion of investments in Gender Equality initiatives at the Generation Equality Forum: This investment indicates huge progress for women and girls across the world with a mission of confronting the barriers of gender equality faster than ever.

In Literature... we can see very clearly how these barriers were placed on the characters and their families. Whether it's Frederick Douglass as a slave holding him back in a world of social status, Thoreau speaking up about political corruption, or Olsen's economic hardship as a struggling mother, each of these three characters express their hardships placed on their lives by these barriers.

In Literature

Social Barriers: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Social Barriers

His experience as a slave showcased how social status prevented him from learning to read and write at an early age. His lack of opportunity is due to social barriers that make it more difficult for him to achieve success in life.

“I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant” (Douglass 1).

Early on in the reading, the text discusses his lack of records as well as not knowing his own age, and this leads me to assume he has no birth certificate along with many other slaves. This quote is significant because he shares how slave owners like to keep their slaves ignorant (Douglass 1). This statement along with the metaphorical comparison to horses, pointing out how little they know about themselves, are showing the audience the societal role differentiation and how social status affects his life.

Political Barriers: "Civil Disobedience" Henry David Thoreau

Political Barriers

Thoreau discussed the issues of government corruption and the political barriers it has placed on society as a whole in order to achieve a political agenda in "Civil Disobedience".

"I cannot for an instant recognize the political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also" (Thoreau "How does it").

Thoreau's main message within this work was protesting slavery, and this quote shows how he will not support laws that are unjust let alone a government that supports such. He is hoping that the audience reading this feels the need to stand up for what is right and not fall into passive resistance towards government.

Economic Barriers: "I Want You Women Up North to Know" Tillie Olsen

Economic Barriers

As a working class mother, Olsen talks about how the capitalist style of government has placed struggle on her life economically especially when it comes to raising children.This poem describes in great detail how terrible these conditions were and how little pay came along with all of the struggle.

"Women up north, I want you to know, I tell you this can't last forever. I swear it won't" (Olsen 9).

This quote is significant because it supports the idea of a call to action for all women to stand up for the injustice of this lifestyle. This unfair way of living prevents mothers like her from being able to support children in the ways she should be able to if it weren't for unfair wages, hours, and working conditions.

Conclusion

In all three of these texts, we can see how evident it was in these trying times how difficult it was to be successful based on social status of that era, political agendas being pushed by government, and financial background.

In the article, we can see how progress has been made in each of these three areas with the establishment of Juneteenth as a holiday, support for communities in poverty, and investments in women's rights.

In conclusion, these barriers in the world have divided our world for many years. While progress has been made, there is still more we can do to create unity and break down barriers.

Sources

Artz, J. (2021). The 12 best things that have happened in

2021 so far - and how we can keep making progress. Global Citizen. Retrieved December 5, 2021, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/biggest-wins-accomplishments-2021/.

Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of Frederick

Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself. (1845). University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Digital Library. https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/douglass/douglass.html

Thoreau, Henry David. "Civil

Disobedience" (1849). University of Virginia. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper2/thoreau/civil.html

Olsen, Tillie. "I Want You Women Up North To

Know" (1934). New Labor Forum, Vol 16, No. 2 (Spring 2007). https://www.jstor.org/stable/40342944

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