Prejudice is a learnt trait Essay Example for Free

Prejudice is a learnt trait Essay Prejudice is the quality or condition of judging someone or a group of people before you meet them, usually by using stereotypes. People are not born to be prejudice; they are taught and influenced by their parents, friends and surroundings. Furthermore, prejudicial attitudes stem from ignorance and this leads to an unbreakable chain. People are not born with the mentality of hating someone because of their race, culture or sex. â€Å"If your lens are prejudice, you are wearing the wrong prescription. † It is against nature to hate your own species. So how do people develop prejudice? It can be assumed that children are not as prejudice as their parents since they are generally happy to get along with anybody that’s nice to them because they have not been exposed to the stereotypes in society. As they grow up and become exposed to more ethnic groups and people, they are taught to stay away from certain individuals to protect them. Parents and teachers constantly remind children of â€Å"stranger danger† and this creates a template of who is dangerous which then carries onto their views later on in their lives. The template created by adults teaches children to have prejudicial attitudes towards certain types of people. If your parents taught you to trust women rather than men, as a child, wouldn’t you believe them? Children choose to believe their parents’ points of views because they haven’t had the opportunity to create their own opinions. As adults, parents would already have multiple experiences with different people and cultures, which they pass onto their children. As well as passing on their own knowledge, parents also hand down their prejudicial attitudes to their children. Consequently, children who develop these prejudicial attitudes pass them onto their own children as well. E. B. White once said, â€Å"Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts. † People choose to believe stereotypes because they’re easier to understand but also because they’re afraid of challenging them. Additionally, these fears of challenging stereotypes are associated with ignorance (lack of knowledge or information). When people lack the knowledge or information about a person or group of people, it results in prejudice. In the film, Gran Torino, the main protagonist, Walk Kowalski has limited experiences and also lacked knowledge of the Hmong, which ensued his prejudicial attitudes towards them. As his neighbor, Sue, teaches Walt more about the Hmong culture, he discovers that they have the same values as him and ultimately becomes close friends with them and even stands as a fatherly figure for Sue’s younger brother, Thao. It can be said that many people choose not to go through the effort of learning more about different people merely because it’s easier and less time consuming than building relationships with more people. Although, even if a person were to try and learn more about a different culture, they’d already have their own opinions based from stereotypes, which holds them back and hinders their ability to look past their prejudicial thoughts and feelings. Prejudice is the chain forged by ignorance to keep men apart, which is exactly why it is so unnatural. It goes against human nature to want to be apart from other people yet society is convinced that prejudice is normal and therefore acceptable to pass onto future generations. This belief is what causes the chain of prejudice to be unbreakable. People are prisoners of their own experiences. â€Å"No one can escape prejudice- only recognise them. † People recognise prejudicial attitudes and even berate others for being prejudiced when in reality, they’re doing the same thing. The reason why prejudice cannot be overcome is because society chooses not to. It’s never to late to give up our prejudices but instead of overcoming these preconceived ideas, people make the choice to continue to pass on their prejudicial attitudes to their children or even their friends and family. We pick up new prejudices as we go through life at school, work and also at home. You may hear people saying things about someone and because you don’t know anything about that person you instantly choose the side of the person talking because they are the source of the information you use to base your prejudice from. All it takes is one person to start the chain of prejudice. Children are not born with prejudice. No one is. The people surrounding you as well as your own experiences and surroundings teach you prejudice. It’s like talking or walking. Babies cannot talk or walk but are taught by their parents. Prejudice is the same.

The Forbidden Paw :: Creative Writing Examples

The Forbidden Paw Once, a very long time ago there was a crazy family that decided to go on vacation to Manakesh, Morocco. "What a dump! Why would Princess Grace live in a place like this?", the father asked in a curious way. "Dad, that’s Monaco.", the daughter replied with quite an annoyed tone to her voice. The family continued walking through the market, they saw a contortionist doing his acrobatic thing. "I can do that, but I don’t want to.", replied the misfit son. (Who was obviously lying out his @#$!) At the next vendor, the crazy dad saw a monkey’s paw, and he decided that he just had to have it. The vendor of that booth told him that it granted four wishes to whoever owns it. "Sir, I must strongly advise you. Do not purchase this. Behind every wish lurks grave misfortune. I myself, was once president of Algeria.", warned the aging old man. "Come on, pal, I don’t want to hear your life story. Paw me!", was all that the father had to say to him. The man’s wife was not pleased by his senseless and careless purchase. The wife asked where he had gotten that ugly thing. His reply was straightforward, "Why, at that shop right over†¦there?" (But all that was left was a gust of wind) The husband gasped and said, "Oh, no, wait, it was over there." As he pointed to the shop. And as the family was leaving, all they could hear was the vendor saying, "You’ll be sorry!" At home, the paw sat on the coffee table. The son wanted to wish for x-ray specs that really work. But the daughter decided she would rather wish for peace on earth. While they were arguing, the 2-year-old baby grabbed the paw and made her wish. A limo pulled up outside, and the father was very pleased, "Good Baby!" The driver brought her a shiny pacifier, then sped off. "Oh, MAN!", was all that the dad could say. The son decided he had waited long enough, and so he wished for the family to be rich and famous. The father agreed, "Now you’re talking!" Immediately, they were showered with money. The dad took the family to the fanciest restaurant in town, the Gilded Truffle. The maitre’ d showed them to their table†¦ As the family was enjoying dinner, the wife piped up and said that maybe fame and fortune wasn’t as bad as they say.

Do You Like the Ending of the A Question of Dowry or Cat in the Rain

Do you like the ending of the â€Å"a question of dowry† or â€Å"cat in the rain†. Give reasons to support your answer. What do you think will happen to Sivasothie or the American girl. I like the ending of the â€Å"a question of dowry† because Sivasothie shouldn’t marry to such a materialistic man like Thirulchelvam even though she liked him so much. Thirulchelvam only wanted the dowry that had promised by Mr and Mrs Ramachandran which were a piece of land and gold necklace. If Sivasothie married with such man, she was definitely couldn’t own a blissful marriage.Sivasothie might be very sad when she knew that Thirulchelvam don’t want to marry with her. But, she should feel lucky that she could know the true face of Thirulchelvam before they get marry because he would not be the guy who can give a blissful marriage to her. Besides that, Sivasothie should strengthen her self-esteem and not be a subservient woman anymore. She should have the power to choose the guy that she really feels that are suitable for her until the rest of her life and not compliance with her parents’ choice.This is because her parents are too realistic and just care about the status of their future son-in-law. They had ignored the most important part which is the true heart of the man towards their daughter. Therefore, Sivasothie should broaden her circle of life to get know more of friends and increase her self-esteem as well as her communication skills. Indirectly, these might help her to voice out her opinion and not to be a subservient woman anymore. If she can improve herself, sure she will find a better man to marry to. (251 words)

No Daughter By Sandra Cisneros - 894 Words

This explains that men are not more that women, and both should have equal opportunities and mutual respect for each other. However, in today’s society women are been oppressed by sexism and racism ideologies, not only based on gender differences, but in skin color, body shape, and culture as well. Furthermore, the short story â€Å"Only Daughter† by Sandra Cisneros can be effectively analyse through the feminist lens in the belief of oppression, constructions of patriarchy, and multiple traditions ; to illustrate women struggle in the limitations and restrictions in the search for social acceptance and to bring consciousness that gender inequality is a crucial issue that must be resolved. To start with, through the utilization of oppression the story makes a claim that is difficult for a woman to be accepted by society, and in contrast to men, women have more restrictions and limitations. To illustrate, Sandra Cisneros writes, â€Å"Being only a daughter for my father meant my destiny would lead me to become someone’s wife [...] Being an only daughter[...] I spend a lot of time by myself because my brothers felt it beneath them to play with a girl in public†(Cisneros Pg.1). This suggests that cisineros father and brothers could represent society. For instance, when the father s told her that her destiny would be to become a wife is like society, forcing women to not challenge the status quo, because in the end society decides what they should do or not. In the same way, herShow MoreRelatedNo Daughter By Sandra Cisneros973 Words   |  4 PagesIn the essay, â€Å"Only Daughter† by Sandra Cisneros, she explains that she has six brothers and she is the only daughter. This relates to me because I am also in a Mexican family, however, I am not the only daughter. Cisneros argues that her father wanted her to get married because that is what daughters were meant to do; that although he agreed on her going to college, it was because he was sure she was going to find a husband. Many Mexican fathers today have this mentality that because they were notRead MoreNo Daughter By Sandra Cisneros1368 Words   |  6 Pagesamplified for me to be somebody. Sandra Cisneros in her essay â€Å"Only Daughter† that intertwines her story as the outsider, the â€Å"only daughter† in a family of six sons who articulates a yearning for her father’s acceptance of her as a daughter and as a writer, both of which delimit her as an individual. Cisneros uses diction, tone, and imagery to convey the message. This struggle for acceptance is apparent in her diction. Cisneros uses the expression, â€Å"only daughter† multiple times in the introductionRead MoreWife vs. Daughter in Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros and Why I Want a Wife by Judy Brady544 Words   |  3 PagesWhat is a Wife? What is a Daughter? Are they the same, or are they different? A wife supports a husband, but a daughter could also have the same position could she not? A daughter could marry and become a wife, and still be a daughter. Than again, a wife could be an only child, and a wife could have no father. A wife compares to a daughter in many ways, and differs in many different ways as well. All in all, it?s quite possible that all women, go through at least one of these titles, at oneRead MoreOf Sandra Cisneross Only Daughter And The Parable Of The Prodigal Son943 Words   |  4 Pageshabit†. In Cisneros â€Å"Only Daughter† and in The Parable of the Prodigal Son, they show virtue through family love and courage. Sandra Cisneros in â€Å"Only Daughter† is a young Mexican woman who is the only daughter in a family of six sons. Ever since she was a young girl, all that Cisneros wanted was â€Å"to win his approval† (Cisneros, 367). Everything Cisneros has ever written since graduating college has been for her father as she constantly craved her father’s approval. Although Cisneros father wantedRead MoreSandra Cisneross Only Daughter AndMy Mother Never Worked952 Words   |  4 PagesIn the narrative, â€Å"Only Daughter†, by Sandra Cisneros, and in the story, â€Å"My Mother Never Worked†, by Bonnie Smith-Yackel, the authors redefine stereotypes of women. Sandra Cisneros endured many hardships throughout her childhood since, she is a female and females were degraded in her society. Smith-Yackel is horrified to find out that her mother is considered to have â€Å"never worked†, because she did not have a formal job. In both these works of literature, t he author’s central theme is to redefineRead MoreEssay on The House on Mango Street and the Style of Sandra Cisneros1669 Words   |  7 PagesThe House on Mango Street and the Style of Sandra Cisneros Clearly, Sandra Cisneros writing style is one representative of a minority voice. Her amazing style allows her readers to take an active part in the minority experience. For this reason, I believe Cisneros has had a lot of influence and success in the status of minority writers, especially in the canon of what is read and taught in schools today. But, more than anything, Cisneros has shown that liberation can come through creativityRead MoreWomens Relationships And Sandra Cisenerors Only Daughter1434 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent authors portray women’s power in their respective stories. In Sandra Cisenerors Only Daughter, she writes about the life of a girl living with six brothers and her parents. The author describes the difficulties of the main character constantly being undermined by both her father and brothers. Her brothers do not want to spend time with her because of her gender and her father often refers to her as a boy in the story. The daughter spends her whole l ife trying to impress her father whilst she neverRead MoreGender Roles in Sandra Cisneros and Maxine Hong Kingstons Books697 Words   |  3 PagesSandra Cisneros and Maxine Hong Kingston: Gender roles Feminism is often spoken of in generic terms, but the novels of the Hispanic-American author Sandra Cisneros and the Chinese-American Maxine Hong Kingston highlight how, even though the oppression of women may be a nearly universal construct, this oppression inevitably takes on very particular forms, depending upon the social, national, and political context of the authors. The authors collective works highlight the struggle of women from historically-discriminatedRead MoreThe Strength Of A Woman2441 Words   |  10 Pages Only Daughter Sandra Cisneros Report Maria Ibarra English 32 Professor James Walton April 27, 2015 â€Å"The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes.† – C. Joybell C. Through the short story, â€Å"Only Daughter† by Sandra Cisneros, one can come to see how true this quote holds to Cisneros and the hardshipsRead MoreHouse on Mango Street Essay989 Words   |  4 PagesFoundations II May 27th, 2013 The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a coming of age novel of a young Mexican-American girl developing in a working class Chicago neighborhood. The author is much like the main character Esperanza in many different ways. One being that Cisneros was also a Mexican-American girl growing up in a Chicago working class neighborhood. Esperanza is a foil of Cisneros’ beliefs and opinions of her Mexican culture and heritage