Racism In Kindred

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Through a century in time between these two books and much has changed with racist thoughts and actions. One thing that has not changed in Kindred by Octavia Butler and The Help by Kathryn Stockett is the shame and the comments made towards African Americans. In Kindred Dana, and African American woman, travels back in time to the 1850’s when slavery is in full swing in the south. This predicament happens to her so she can save her ancestor Rufus, a white slave master, from dying before her preceding ancestor is born. This time period leads to many conflicts between Dana and her ancestor Rufus. The Help is a story that changes views from African American maids to a white woman named SKeeter in the early 1960’s. It is interesting to contrast …show more content…
She goes back in time and lives in the heart of the South during the time of slavery. Things are so different between whites and blacks that even the way they talk are seemed as separation. Dana has no illiterate accent, such as other slaves, which causes people as strange. A very often question brought up is "Why you try to talk like white folks?" (Butler) Dana has to try and disguise the way she talks because whites will take offense to her talking normally. "[Weylin] was pretty sure you could read and write. That's one reason he seemed so suspicious and mistrustful. Educated slaves aren't popular around here" (Butler). Rufus lets Dana know how Meylin feels about her so she can hide her educated speech. In this novel compared to The Help, African Americans are treated horribly with language and actions. These slaves are whipped for doing minor wrong things and they are demanded by their masters to do things around the house. Shameful words such as n***** are used many more times than in The Help and are said directly to Dana’s face. This hurts Dana as she tries to teach Rufus, her ancestor, that everyone is the same inside no matter the skin color. She does get through to him thought as he is a man of his time and only sees Dana as property to
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