The Theme Of Overcoming Prejudice ‘Montana 1948’, ‘Still I Rise‘, ‘The Help’ And ‘V For Vendetta’

The theme of “overcoming prejudice” is constantly shown throughout the following texts, Still, I rise written by Maya Angelou, Montana 1948 written by Larry Watson, The Help directed by Tate Taylor. The Poem ‘still I rise’ is about how no matter what anyone does to Angelou she will always rises and find inner strength and overcome. As Maya Angelou, she has faced the struggles of racism faced by “Black” people in her time.

The novella of Montana 1948 is a story of a racist town in Montana called Bentrock.

About this kid named David and how he saw and experienced racism with people are separated because of different their backgrounds. But David did not overcome it but made him how he is at the end of the book. The film V for Vendetta is about how you can let people discriminate you but can't take your little ‘inch’ that you have away from you which is shown in Valerie's torture scene. And finally, the film “The Help” directed by Tate Taylor set in Mississippi 1960’s and is a story of a girl named Eugenia Phelan, who wants to become a writer.

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In a town where racism is strongly shown, she decides to interview a couple of African American women who were as the help and learns of the violent and racist treatment these African American women face.

In the novella ‘Montana 1948’ the theme of overcoming racism is portrayed through the main character David. Growing up, David has been brought up in a rasium town and family.

Where they discriminate the native Americans and is put into an adult situation of his uncle Frank molesting the Native woman nanny named Marie and possibly others. Which caused David to change and his view of life when he is older. David doesn't become racist, despite his childhood and influences. Throughout the entire novel, David did not speak or thought badly of the Native American people. David thinks of them as people too, although the people around him don’t think so. For example, David says about Frank “... he's acting as if this is all some kind of joke” David is saying about his Uncle Frank that as if nothing is wrong and it means nothing to him. Frank He has a strong attitude and a good reputation that he has to keep. So no one was going to care or believe that Frank would do such a thing if its true or not, and even if he did sexual things to Native American women, it wouldn't matter as they are not white but colored, and back then if you were not white you were put down for your color. Frank said if he were gonna go to jail, he would wanna go somewhere else not in Montana but out so he wouldn't let his reputation go or his friends and family in town down. But he doesn't believe (neither does the rest of his family believe he should go to jail as its all a big joke and it's priceless. David, he respected them and saw them as normal people. Despite their families support and yearn for justice towards Marie, they don’t seem to change their view towards Marie and Native Americans. But in this novel Larry Watson showed a different view of how preduject might not always be overcome but you can learn from them, which in David's case oven thought the racism hasn't been overcome but David did learn from it and knows more about the subject and learned as you could tell by why and how he/ David views history, as he became a history teacher at the end of the novel.

This theme is of showing that overcoming predigest cannot always be overcome. David had already ‘overcame’ racism and he never let it take over his own life. But instead, let it shape him into who he is at the end of the novel. And how he continues to be interested in the ways that the past continues to affect the present and the way in which cerinte events get left out of the story from the past. He thinks about the truthfulness of history and reflects the lessons he learned in the aftermath of his uncle's death when they decided to cover up his death and crimes. I

n the poem ‘Still, I rise’ shows the theme of overcoming predigest is shown by Maya Angelou. She portrays this theme through the use of language features. She explains that no matter what happens or what is thrown at Maya Angelou or any colored woman and men, she will always rise. The theme of "Still I Rise" is really about self-respect and confidence. In the poem, she reveals how she will overcome anything with her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can get her down. “Still I rise” is repeated throughout Maya Angelou poem. Of saying that you can throw anything at her, to try put her down, being racist to her, just try your best and yet I still rise. Although others may criticise what you do or who you are, do not give in to their words or hurt. Be proud and embrace your past and future and what you have become. Metaphors and similes are used to portray how a narrators see herself and her relationship with the world.

Still, I rise is a powerful poem about the struggle to overcome prejudice. Her poem becomes an anthem, a peace of hope for those and for the oppression. No matter the circumstances, there is always hope to hold onto. The poem is filled with figurative language and when read through it, it comes off as a short song eg a church song. The message is loud and clear no matter the cruelty or circumstance, the victim will rise up, and overcome. Against oppression, slavery, and racism. Although written with the civil right issues and black slavery in mind, still I rise is universal in its appeal. Any individual could understand the underlying theme eg don't give into torture, bullying, humiliation, and injustice. Another language device Maya Angelou uses with ‘you’ the speaker choosing particularly active verbs - shoot, cut, kill. To emphasize the aggression. But all the no aail for the oppressed will still rise, this time ‘like air’ an element which you cannot shoot, cut or kill. This links into sociaty by, During the 17th-18th centoery African woman and men were brought over to america, to become there slaves. They were “owned” by the whites and they had to privlage to do whatever they want to the ‘slaves’ as they were ‘differnt’ to the white people. They were over worked, sold for money, killed to pleasuer the white people of america.

This theme of overcoming racism through courage is also shown in the film “The help” directed by Tate Taylor. “The help” is a story set in the 1960’s Mississippi, and is of a girl named Eugenia Phelan. Eugenia is a journalist, wanting to become a writer. She lives in a town where extreme racism was a part of everyday life. The coloured skiend people worked in low jobs while the whites were in higher, better jobs. The storyline of this film is focused on the lives of two black women, Aibileen and Minny, who work as the help in the 1960’s., Eugenia Phelan decides to write a book in the point of view of the help, and learn about the lives of Aibileen and Minny and the rasuim they are put through, because of the colour of their skin. Judgement is made towards them and the coloured skin and this is shown when a comment was made “They (black people) carry different diseases” This shows that the whites are making up things about the coloured skin having unkown/ sicking diseases. This comment also shows that they have very little respect of the coloured and see them as diffenrt, diesesed fulled people. In the society of Mississippi in 1960 and in the mindset of white people, by installing separate bathrooms for each selective race, it shows how racism can lead to division of a single race of humans. However this film shows it’s audience that there is hope that there would come a day where racism is not an issue. This ray of hope is shown by Aibileen’s priest when he states. The film tells in its story line that having courage is to do what is right, is one step forward to overcoming racism and to bring everyone together to becoming one nation.

This film links back to the ‘Jim Crow Laws’ in the last 19 centorys. Where whites discrimnation towards the coloured, where not allowed to be neither, talk or see one onther as they were both to be seen as differnt “animals/ creatures.” The film ‘V for Vendetta” directored by When Evey is being torchered by V, she finds a note/ story hidden in the walls of the cellar. It's tells about a girl named Valerie and her story throughout her life. And how hard and a struggle she has been through, throughout her journey and finding her love and being discriminated. How she was not accepted ad discriminated by everyone because of who she was, Lesbian. And how Valerie was taken to larkhill due to herself liking the same gender. “I shall die here. Every last inch of me shall perish. Except one. An inch. it's fragile and it's the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it, or sell it, or give it away. We must never let them take it from us.” Her letter is also a source of hope for V and Evey because in her letter she doesn't focus on how she hates norsefire, or how she blames them, She writes about her memories of happier days. Of ruth and her lovers and her ope hat there will be better days ahead even if she's not alive to see them. In a world full of fear and hatred and violence. Valerie acts as an inspiration in that her life may have been reduced to a scape of toilet paper to write on. However she held onto that last inch of integrity. And her last moments were her own. No one, not the government or her upcoming death, could make her anything but what she wanted to be. And nothing could make her impart any other messages for the world but a message of honest love and hope. “An inch-it is small and fragile, and it is the only thing in the world worth having.” She recognizes that her life is more than just fear and survival day to day and hidden from the truth about herself. Her life is worthwhile because of her experiences with suh precious things as honest love against a society that condemns it. Her life can be extinguished at any time, but her impact in a benevolent manner is all that matters. Valeire is saying that they can do whatever the want with her but they can take away that one inch of her is her memories ad that's what dries her as she knows who she is and has those memories with her forever.

To conclude in these texts above ‘Montana 1948’, ‘Still I Rise’, ‘The Help’ and ‘V for Vendetta’ show the theme that prejudice can or may not be overcome in their different situations. I've learned that prejudice can be shown in its way through racism, deviation of the nation and how it's dealt with can affect someone's life in any shape or form, by these four texts. And the subject of prejudice/ racism is still very alive in our lives and society, how people around or away from us can be dealing in similar cases as the texts, there is still always a light at the end of the tunnel and in its way will be able to be overcome.