Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill Free Essay Example, 750 words

ï » ¿Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill Racial inequality has been one of the most discussed topics in the American society for years. Thanks to successes of the U. S. abolitionist movement in the 19th century and African-American Civil Rights Movement in 1950-1960s, the racial issue got gradually resolved. Formally, inequality segregation ceased to exist in 1960s. Yet, the echo of discriminative racial policies of the past is still heard today. Strong anti-slavery and anti-discrimination themes of the historical novel Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill relate to the existing racial controversy in the American society today discussed by Desmond S. King and Rogers M. Smith in the article â€Å"On Race, the Silence Is Bipartisan†. In Someone Knows My Name, the problem of racial discrimination and inequality is highlighted through the lens of Aminata Diallo, a former slave who got liberated by the British during the War for Independence. Diallo’s enlightening account that dates back to the early 1800s takes readers to the time of the African slave trade known for its brutality and abysmal conditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Her message is no matter what race you are or what you eat, you share the same unique thing known as human nature. Given this, savagery and violence that filled the life of enslaved African-Americans need to be eradicated and should be never practiced again. To illustrate, Diallo’s thoughts of the black people’s powerless position due to the racial inequality policies are enhanced by an episode from her past: I was walking one day behind a yoked man who swerved without warning to the left. I had no time to react, and my foot sank into something wet and soft. Something like a twig cracked under my heel. I let out a scream. Under my foot was the body of a naked, decomposing man. I jumped away and ripped leaves from the nearest branch. In a frenzy, I wiped a mass of wriggling white worms from my ankle. I was shaking and wheezing. Fanta took the leaves and wiped my foot and held me and told me not to be afraid. But my hysteria escalated, even though Fanta barked at me to calm down, and I could not stop screaming. (Hill 41). The theme of racial inequality has been the focal message of â€Å"On Race, the Silence Is Bipartisan† by Desmond S. King and Rogers M. Smith. Specifically, the economic aspect of racial inequality has been discussed. The professors challenge the generally held view that racial issues have already been resolved and speak of the existing economic inequality between white and black, as well as Latino population in the United States. For instance, it is said that â€Å"in 2009, 35 percent of black households and 31 percent of Latino households had zero or negative wealth, compared with 15 percent of white households. † (King and Smith 1). The authors believe that this striking difference can be explained by the lack of â€Å"compromise policies† that address the needs of non-whites above all (King and Smith 2). Discussing the thematic connection between the mentioned works, one should mention the racial inequality point. Yet, the latter is represented differently. Hill’s account of racial discrimination at the end of 18th century unveils harsh violation of black people’s civil rights in each sphere of everyday life, while The New York Times article reveals economic differences between two racial groups that is interpreted as a manifestation of racial inequality. To illustrate, in Diallo’s time African Americans were perceived rather as animals, not human beings, and treated accordingly. On the contrary, â€Å"in a country where an African-American is the president† professors King and Smith identify the violation of economic rights in the first place (King and Smith 1). In other words, racial discrimination in the modern American society can be found in the figures of statistical estimates that explore the economic status of every social group, not in open vio lations of black people’s human rights. To conclude, things described in Lawrence Hill’s novel Someone Knows My Name connect to the events in the American society today through the racial inequality point. At the same time, the points discussed in the two works appear more different than alike: Hill’s description of black people’s powerless position focuses on the open violations of their human and civil rights, while King and Smith identify a lower economic status of the black population in general. Works Cited Hill, Lawrence. Someone Knows My Name. HarperCollins Publishers Australia, 2009. Print. King, Desmond and Rogers Smith. â€Å"On Race, the Silence Is Bipartisan†. The New York Times. The New York Times, September 2, 2011. Web. September 10, 2011.