TY Extended Essay on Racism

For her Transition Year Extended Essay, Siobhán Brady chose the theme of racism in America in the twentieth century, and comments:-

I chose this theme because it deals with very important modern history and still existing discriminatory issues. I find this theme very interesting as it shows how the issue of slavery of the coloured people had grown from absolute barbarianism to this, still horrific, yet more subtle form of slavery. It also shows how different people deal with the same problem.
 

The three books which I have chosen are The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Yankee Girl by Mary-Ann Rodman and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk-Kidd. The Help is about the struggle of the coloured maids in one of the most racist parts of Southern America, Jackson, Mississippi. It is written from the perspective of two coloured maids (Minnie and Aibileen) and a young white aspiring author, Skeeter. The book deals with racial discrimination in a way which I have never really seen before, it deals with black and white people working together. As The Help is written from the perspectives of both coloured and white characters, it is interesting to see the same situations through three different people’s eyes. 

Read the full essay here.