Note
to Reader:
My story is about discrimination, a
very important topic that’s affect millions of people over a long period of
time. Discrimination is “the
unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially
on the grounds of race, age, or sex”.
Some of the first discrimination in history is towards women. Woman had no rights or votes. They were mostly house servants or were
simply used for having children. Although
this has changed in many countries they are still very isolated in other
countries. Another type of
discrimination that goes back to ancient Egypt is slavery. In ancient Egypt slaves were used to build
pyramids and in houses. In the United
States, slaves were first brought in 1619.
They were mostly used in plantations.
In 1859 slavery was finally abolished after over 200 years, and in 1920
the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote in the United
States. Another type of discrimination
is only India and involves their castes (each of the hereditary classes of
Hindu society, distinguished by relative degrees of ritual purity or pollution
and of social status). The lowest caste
is the “untouchables” who are basically born into slavery and there’s very
little that can change for them. One obvious example of discrimination is World
War II. The Nazis fought against Jews
(among other things) for no concrete reasons.
I chose this topic because it’s a very
important issue that all children need to be aware of. In general, it’s a very heavy subject, but
told through a picture book it is a good way to introduce discrimination to
smaller children. For most kids they
won’t realize the bigger picture issue, but they can at least understand that
in this case, excluding the family wasn’t right. I also chose this story because the more
stories they read about discrimination and other topics like such, the more
they’ll know that being prejudice isn’t the right way to look at people. Personally, I grew up around hundreds of
people of different “shapes and sizes”, colors, races, cultures and
backgrounds. When I was little it
shocked me that in other times some of those wonderful people would be seen
differently just because of how they looked.
All my friends are completely different but they mean a lot to my just
the same. Sharing this story and it’s
lesson is my way to try to ensure that some children won’t miss out on a best
friend, because the people that influence them told them other wise. So in general I chose this topic to inform
young children about a very relevant topic that will influence the way they
live and whom they know.
There are many ways to deal with discrimination
but the one that everyone should remember is to be tolerant. In my story for example if the town had been
more tolerant of new comers at first, the triangle family would never have been
so excluded. In our everyday life it’s
very crucial to remember that everyone is different. If your first impression isn’t what you see
from afar, but rather what you know once you’ve connected with that person it
could lead to much less intolerance. Of
course you can’t like everyone that you meet but you can’t let their looks
influence your impression on them. As
the reader you should recognize this issue, apply it to your life in a positive
way, and talk about it with other people.
