The Modern-Day Monster of Racism
My seniors are in the process of reading Beowulf. One assignment they recently completed was a brief written speech assignment on a “modern-day monster” that adults often face in contemporary society.
One of my students, Janiya, chose racism as her “monster.” Here is her response, reproduced with her permission:
In Beowulf, Beowulf fights three monsters, all of which are physical and instill fear in the Danes. In modern society, adults still experience fear; however, modern-day monsters are often abstract. For example, a modern-day monster that black people have been fighting for so long is racism and discrimination. Despite having so many African American leaders who opened doors for all, black people are still judged by the color of their skin. This monster is the biggest of them all because as long as there are people encouraging and teaching this, the bigger it becomes. The petrifying part is that this monster is more than often protected by our own government. Innocent black people are being murdered for absolutely nothing at all. Meanwhile, ther killers can walk freely.The feeling this monster instills is very hard to explain, and a lot of people will never understand no matter how much you explain it. Being judged CONTINUE READING: The Modern-Day Monster of Racism | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog