Rios 1 Inequality. Its a word we tend to throw around a lot. Things arent equal. Things arent fair.

They should be, but theyre not, we like to say, especially in this country. Theres always something thats preventing us from obtaining equality, whether it be socioeconomic equality, racial equality, gender equality. Inequality is inevitable. There will always be a more powerful group its an unavoidable aspect of living with other beings. There is going to be a dominance that occurs. Yes, we can make steps to move away from it, as we have in the past with the Civil Rights movement and with protests that have occurred in recent years but there will always be a difference. It has manifested itself in our very culture, especially in our literature, which we will soon examine. We are a nation born of inequality. Look at our history! But is inequality always a bad thing? I mean, yes, its effects can be horrendous and the very notion of unfairness or injustice is appalling, but if we accept something negative as inescapable and as part of who we are, especially as Americans, shouldnt we at least work to go beyond its immediate image? An examination of both Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird and John Steinbecks essay E Pluribus Unum reveals the dangers of racial and social inequality through the various troubles faced by Americans throughout history. An incredible degree of unity, however, can be found in spite of and even within such inequality, a feature that is, perhaps, distinctly American that, in many, we are one. --Lets begin by taking a look at To Kill a Mockingbird. A well-known, highly-acclaimed American novel in which we can find examples of both racial and social inequality, perhaps two of our nations greatest domestic woes. First racial inequality. The greatest illustration of racial division in the book is the seating arrangement of the local courtroom. The events of the story revolve around a court case between a black man and a white woman. In the novel, such a case attracted considerable interest from both sides of the extremely divided community that is, from the black and white sides of Maycomb, Alabama. But we cant have blacks and whites sitting together. No, no, in Depression-era southern United States, 70 years after the American Civil War, we must have blacks sit in the upper areas of the courtroom, in the balconies with little space to stand and less to sit. This way, the white folk can be seated on the courtroom floor, where they will have better access to the events of the trial.

Rios 2 We are able to receive a firsthand account of this blatant inequality when the books protagonists, siblings Jem and Scout, move to enter the courtroom with a black friend. The first thing we notice is the order in which people must enter the courtroom whites first, blacks second. When it seems like all the whites have passed and the blacks move to enter, a white gentleman holds up the entire crowd so that he can claim his right of entering before blacks. Black people are then left to make do, and Jem remarks that there isnt even room to sit. Jem and Scout, white children, are unaccustomed to being treated this way, highlighting the gap that exists between the white and black populations of Maycomb. This is also evident in the general segregation of the black community they have their own neighborhoods and churches, keeping far away from the whites. Harper Lees portrayal of inequality also extends to general social inequality. According to Jem, there are two types of people there are fine folk like the Finch family, who have a well-known family history and, therefore, land and legacy, and there are people like the Ewells. The Ewell family lives next to the garbage dump. There is a vague number of kids and an abusive father who lives off state provisions and an ungodly amount of alcohol. Robert Ewell, patriarch of the Ewell family, represents the bottom of a social hierarchy that has established itself in Maycomb. As explained by Jem, there are levels of socioeconomic status, and Bob Ewells status, if we can even call it that, contributes to the alienation of himself and his family from the rest of the community. The Ewells are extremely poor. The Ewells are extremely disliked. The Ewells are treated differently from the rest of the town, the members of which work hard to earn a respectable living. This inequality is subtle, but it becomes somewhat clear in the event of the trial, when the testifying Ewells feel they are being made fun of. Perhaps the greatest thing we can take from the Ewells being socially unequal to the rest of Maycomb is that it is nothing compared to the racial difference that exists. Scout, in her observations of the trial, offers (of Bob Ewell) that All the little man on the witness stand had that made him better than his nearest neighbors was, that if you scrubbed with lye soap in very hot water, his skin was white. The Ewells live behind a dumpster and in front of a black neighborhood. Bob and his family are treated with a certain degree of social contempt, but they are royalty when compared to black people. Such was the extent of racial inequality and scathing racism in 1930s America it extended beyond social and economic barriers. To Kill a Mockingbird serves as an accurate representation of the inequality that was present in the United States, both racial and economic. --If we turn to John Steinbecks renowned essay E Pluribus Unum, we are offered a clearer perspective of racial and social inequality. It turns out that in real history, the two are much more separate and easily distinguished. Hah. Unfortunately, history is filled with blurred lines and gray areas, and E Pluribus Unum actually emphasizes the mixing of both inequality and of peoples themselves.

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But we can pretend they are separate and begin by focusing on the racial aspect of inequality. Steinbecks essay spends a considerable amount of time on the actions of immigrants who have come to America throughout her history and the difficulties they have had becoming what we call American. There is a racial inequality that manifests itself when a new ethnic group arrives on American soil. Naturally, each group remains in its own community, drawn to the familiarity of a like language and culture. Over time, however, ethnic groups become assimilated to American culture, and the wave-like nature of immigration allows for a cultural hierarchy where those races that have been in the country longest are on top. An ethnic group must endure years of relentless discrimination and inequality before its treated fairly, and even then, there are obstacles that must be crossed and qualities that must be lost before a group can be considered equal. Steinbeck writes, From the first we have treated our minorities abominably All that was required to release this mechanism of oppression and sadism was that the newcomers be meek, poor, weak in numbers, and unprotected--although it helped if their skin, hair, eyes were different and if they spoke some language other than English or worshiped in some church other than the Protestant. You can see that the discrimination is largely due to racism if your skin, hair, and eyes are different, Steinbeck says, you are not one of us. This is a trend that can be followed throughout American history, as weve just seen in To Kill a Mockingbird. Again, racial inequality is not the only sort that exhibits itself in E Pluribus Unum. We also have social inequality. Steinbeck presents an interesting theory each ethnic group, he says, is bullied upon arriving in our nation. Social status is earned through joining the bullies after cultural assimilation, creating a social food chain that greets new ethnic groups. This is an illustration of how all Americans tend to treat newcomers its almost a cultural property of the United States, one could say. If we read Steinbecks essay, we find his explanation: As each minority became solvent it ceased to become a target and became a market, and you do not run down someone to whom you hope to sell something. Minorities, sensing their power, began to use it, and to a large extent this was a good thing; but there were losses, of culture, and just pure amusement, which is plain unfortunate. We can see that ethnic groups have been mistreated in a way that is difficult to pick up if it isnt examined from a historical perspective. America and its already-assimilated cultures turn each ethnic group into a market. These groups are treated as customers and workers, not as equals. If we read on in the essay, we can see that eventually, a group will mature through this experience only to turn around and do the same to newcomers not to mention the culture lost along the way.

Rios 4 Racial and social inequality are almost one and the same in Steinbecks essay, but were able to see that their representation in our literature is only an emulation of something that has been happening throughout our nations history. --Alright. So we know that inequality sucks. We know that it can be seen in our history and our literature it pretty much comes with being American. But heres something Ive found inequality breeds togetherness. It allows for the creation of unity. It constructs barriers in which we can build our castles. Its as if a common enemy brings about a certain camaraderie. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the little town of Maycomb still has an overwhelming sense of togetherness and community despite its extreme racial and social divisions. We are able to see the strength of the black community in a time of crisis, they all pitch in to help the family of the man on trial by donating money and offering to take care of his family. They choose to look past their differences and face inequality together. Similarly, Maycomb comes together in support of Atticus Finch, who is fighting injustice. There is a moment in the book where the Finch family finds a mountain of food on their doorstep, a sign that the town stands behind Atticus and supports him against Bob Ewell. In the same way, in E Pluribus Unum, each ethnic group maintained unity within those groups. They united first with themselves, and, later, with each other. Initially, it was the culture, language, familiarity, and common discrimination that drove them to seek each other out. An excerpt from E Pluribus Unum reads, On the West Coast the Chinese formed their Chinese communities. Every large city had its national areas, usually known as Irishtown, Chinatown, Germantown, Little Italy, Polacktown. The newcomers went to where the languages and customs were their own, and each community in its turn defended itself against the inroads of other nationalities. After assimilation, they united with the rest of the nation even if it was against a newcomer group, they were still able to come together for a common cause. Community is bred from common hardship, and this is what our history has shown. Examples of unity in the U.S. exist today that both transcend barriers of inequality and thrive within those barriers organizations like Wealth for the Common Good, which consists of both high- and low-income individuals working together for a more equal economic system. Despite the inequality, there is still unity, and its amazingly powerful. --Inequality is a negative thing. Its an inevitable aspect of society. And yet, we, as Americans, have managed to do the impossible we have established togetherness in the discord. We

Rios 5 have painted masterpieces in our prison cells. And while were far from solving global inequality, we can start by looking between the lines of racial and social division at those things that make us, as Americans, different. Despite the separation, despite the discrimination, we have all adopted a like title American showing that we are, in many, one. United.