Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

1. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

2. Prejudice Defined • Define the word “prejudice” • The Latin root: praejudicium • prae means “before” • judicium means “judgment”

3. Prejudice vs. Misconception • Prejudice involves judgments without sufficient factual support. • It includes preconceived judgments and attitudes (positive and negative) toward someone or something. • Not every overblown generalization is a prejudice. Some are simply misconceptions. • Prejudgments become prejudices only if they are not reversible when exposed to new knowledge. • If a person is capable of correcting his misconceptions and erroneous judgments in the light of new evidence he is not prejudiced. • A prejudice, unlike a simple misconception, is actively resistant to all evidence that would challenge it.

4. What is Prejudice? • Prejudice contains two essential ingredients: 1. there must be an attitude of favor or disfavor 2. it must be related to an overgeneralized – and therefore erroneous - belief. Sources of Prejudice • Socialization: passed from caregivers to children • Social Benefits: often brings support from others who share the same prejudice that may result in loss of support if not maintained • Economic Benefits & Justification of Discrimination: arises when people are in direct competition for jobs “Prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support.” Ambrose Bierce

5. Prejudice, Discrimination & Power • Issues of prejudice and discrimination involve people outside of power and authority. • Stereotypes are beliefs people form about groups when they take in information, these stereotypes become problematic when people apply these stereotypes to individuals. (Blond jokes, become ideas we apply to blond individuals as a basis for promotions) • Prejudice forms when stereotypes are negative and are not changed in the face of contrary evidence. • Discrimination occurs when people transfer prejudice into action and create out-groups who suffer from their deteriorated status.

6. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry…… Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a novel about the black experience in America. Mildred D. Taylor introduces the readers to the Logans, a black family struggling to maintain human dignity and personal freedoms in a racist Mississippi during the Great Depression. The novel is based on historical fact. Lynchings, burnings, and other racist situations were all reality in the South in the 1930s. Roll of Thunder Trailer