Tension In The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett gave everyone insight to the life of an African American woman in the early 1960s. The Help criticized racial inequality, and gives society an insider's view of segregation and fear of the status quo in their own race. Throughout the 1960s many African American woman worked in housekeeping. The novel follows the lives of three maids who are have a book wrote from their point of view. The story follows them as they go through the struggles of life and how stressful writing the book is on them because of time period and how dangerous it was to be seen with a person of the different race if you weren't working for them. Being seen with a person of the different race could get you labeled or worse thrown in jail for an integration violation.

The Help tells the story of a young, white woman trying to write a novel to expose the reality that black women face in the south. Though the film highlights some important parts of the Civil Rights struggle, it downplays the extent of the issues. Though it perfectly portrays the terrorizing reign of whites over blacks, overall The Help is historically inaccurate by stereotyping characters, telling a good vibes only story, and making an unrealistic case to hit a target

The book , The Help by Kathryn Stockett, is about a women named Aibileen who is a black maid. She is taking care of her 17th white baby now. She works for a woman named Miss Leefolt. Aibileen has never disobeyed an order in her life and never intends to do so. Her friend Minny is the exact opposite. When she is around her boss, she has to hold herself back from sassing them all the time. Skeeter Phelan is different than the rest of the white ladies. She thinks that blacks aren’t all that bad. She decides to write a book about the lives of maids for white ladies. Otherwise known as the Help. She with the help of Aibileen and Minny hope to create a book that starts a revolution about what white people think about blacks.

These were a series of laws enacted mostly in the Southern United States in the later half of the 19th century that restricted most of the new privileges granted to African American after the Civil War. The discriminatory Jim Crow laws were enacted to support the notion of racial segregation. They required black and white people to use separate water fountains, public schools, public bathhouses, restaurants, public libraries, and rail cars in public transit. Originally called the Black Codes they later became known as Jim Crow laws, after a familiar minstrel character of the day. The laws became the legal

“‘Don’t you ever wish you could change things?”’ (10). In Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960’s, woman ahead of her time, Miss Skeeter, proposes an idea to write a book about the lives of colored maids in Jackson. Aibileen and Minny, two maids, are among the first ones to agree to help Skeeter, despite the potential danger to themselves. In The Help, Kathryn Stockett creates an engaging and immersive world that explores racism and social injustice by using well-developed writing, the ideal amount of imagery, and strong characters.

Background: This is part of the march on washington for jobs and freedom. The march is to help make segregation illegal. Segregation was a law made during jim crow laws times when he thought that blacks didn’t deserve to go to school or work with white men and women. The march took place at Washington D.C and was lead by Martin Luther King Jr. The date was August 28th, 1963.

The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. “The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated.”(1) A vast majority of the Southern States agreed upon the Jim Crow Laws, which were slave states. That left some of the Northern States free states which didn’t pass the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws prevented African Americans from doing a lot of things that white americans could do.

Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws passed that segregated African Americans from white Americans in all public places in the South. These laws prevented African Americans from attending the same schools as white people or sitting in the same section on a bus. These laws started after the Reconstruction period in the Southern United States and almost everything became segregated. They segregated bathrooms, restaurants, and even drinking fountains.

On August 28. 1983, a group of over 200,000 people supported and attended the March on Washington. (www.history.com). This statistic demonstrates the fact of how impactful the March on Washington was and how many people were on the same side. The speeches at this assembly are some of the most famous and well known speeches that are still remembered today. There are many events from the Civil Rights Movement that changed our daily lives, including speeches and court cases, and there are key people who were involved in them . Some of the major events included the Brown v. Board of Education (1954), he Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1957, the Greensboro Sit-ins (1961), March on Washington (1963), the 24th Amendment being passed (1964), and the

The Jim Crow Laws were any set of laws that enforced racial segregation in the South. These laws were established and followed “during the end of reconstruction in 1877 and the beginning of the civil rights movement in the 1950’s”

It was May 2, 1963. It was African-American kids fighting for their rights. They were doing non-violent demonstrations. This Civil Rights move was already part of some of the kids life. They made colored days for the people to be able to go to the fairgrounds. They also had some of their clothes taken off by

March on Washington Movement The Civil Rights Movement has been around for quite some time now. The movement entails all sorts of moments within American history. A significant moment for this movement occurred in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. A non violent protest that changed the future for all demographics.

“ The Help” is about the lives of black maids and how they were treated in society in a time of segregation. Many of the Maids were treated badly and not treated as equal just because of the sake of their color. The Protagonist of the story, Skeeter, then takes on the challenge to write a book that will inform others about the lives of the maids and to make people respect them more. In the Novel of To Kill A Mockingbird, there is a trial that takes place of a man named Tom Robinson who’s accused of rape, which really changes on how the main character and others around her perceive the segregation and racism going on that time.  

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is ultimately about the racism in Jackson,Mississippi and how it invaded every aspect of social life. The story highlights the life of a girl named Skeeter she has just graduated from Ole Miss and has an interest in writing as she edits the news letters for The Junior League,but she really wants to be an author. She comes up with the idea of telling the true stories of the domestic victims this soon becomes a reality once the publisher approves of her idea she soon finds out the horrific stories about everyone around her. People may say this story only highlights the domestic victims life this may be somewhat true the book is in Skeeter’s point of view. This story's theme is about racism,segregation,and overcoming obstacles in society.

What do you think this novel will reveal about black maids in Mississippi? What I feel that this novel will reveal about black maids in Mississippi is how they are treated differently from the white citizens. Another thing I believe it will reveal is why there is a separate washroom for the help. I also believe that it will reveal just how hard they work even though they are being paid next to nothing. This novel will show us how difficult the lives of the maids can be through different hardships. I also think it will show us gaps in pay between white and black citizens as well as lower health care. Another thing about maids that this story can reveal is how hard it would be for a maid to keep their job because one slip up could result in them