Perspectives On Beloved Essay

Deanna colon Ap Lit 3/23/2019 Slavery is a very sensitive topic whether we want to speak on it or not. We cannot ignore the simple fact that it did happened and it started something we call today racism. The way us Americans portray racism and slavery is not okay. Slavery did happen, and it is something that needs to be noticed and not brushed to the side. Maybe some Americans are ashamed by it and dont want to speak on the topic but it's in us to pay the respect for those who did go through slavery. For Americans to also think it is okay to teach and educate these young students about slavery the wrong way is not okay it is just making racism more known and okay. The fact the a white new york teacher thought it was okay to teach her class about slavery in having a “ Mock slave auction” with a white student biting on a african american student. If you cannot teach slavery the right way and feel the need to make it into an act because your students are too young to understand then you should not be teaching it. If they are too young to understand you should be teaching these kids when they are able to understand the effect on slavery and the depth of it. By teaching this to these kids it's keeping racism alive and teaching them that it's okay to teach children and people of color that way. Another teacher we spoke about in our paideia was play a game where the white students had to run and catch the African American students. This is the education we are teaching our kids that this is what slavery was like as if it was a game. We should not portray this as if it was a joke and as if it was okay it was a horrible event that put an effect on the united states that is with us to this day. In the book beloved both Paul D and Sethe wanted to forget about their slavery days and wanted to move on from the past. I can see why they wanted to forget those horrible memories because they actually went through it but for us to forget it and not bring the importance to it shows as a country what we are. Slavery may not exist how it use to but it definitely still has an affect on us to this day with the amount of racism that happens, the amount of black lives taken from us due to racism is making us look bad as a country because we have not put an end to this and it is continuing to happen and get worse, we are teaching this next generation that this is okay and it's something that can be forgotten because it happened so long ago but how can we forget what started racism. Slavery still

happens today with prostitution and people selling other human beings for money. You can say that slavery is in the past and it has ended but has it really? Have we really gotten over the fact that African Americans are not treated equally to this day? The fact that a country cannot face their problems and make changes for it. We are all human beings there is no different in the color of your skin we all have a brain, a heart, 10 toes, 10 fingers, and a reason to all be here. Racism can be stopped if we stop teaching these kids that it's okay to portray slavery this way and make a game out of it. Like I said if you cannot teach a major topic like this the right way and in depth to the major things that actually occurred then we should not be teaching them until you can teach it the right way and not have to make a game out of it. As for me I feel I learned so much about slavery I did not know about and I feel I look at slavery so much different that I can speak on the topic and say that there is so much wrong about it and it needs to be brought to our attention as a country.