For my project, I combined the themes associated with Uncle Tom’s Cabin and connected them to the present-day issue of children being separated from their families and being kept in cages in the southern United States. At first glance, the poster looks like a patriotic symbol representing our country in a good light. The red, white, and blue flag takes up the most space, followed by our country’s national bird, the bald eagle. On the surface, the poster looks positive and patriotic, however, the details embedded within the poster represent the flaws and issues within the United States. Looking closer at the poster, there are quotes from children who are being held captive until a relative of U.S. citizenship can get them, assuming every child has a relative living in the United States. Furthermore, the chain-link fence covering the stars represents what the children see. Each star represents an individual state, unifying the country. However, the children see a fence separating them from the unity of a country that claims to help others. These children will likely never be part of the unity that the United States supposedly represents and promises. Lastly, there reflects what these children are going through in the bald eagle’s eyes. The eagle represents our country, so the reflection in the eagle’s eyes directly relates to what the country is seeing.
Originally, I planned to use Mark Zuckerberg’s face to represent the use of social media within political movements, though for aesthetic reasons, I understandably chose to use the bald eagle instead. Constantly, political articles and posts are made describing the state at which our country is in. Often, one might see a post that exclaims ‘like this post and this particular problem will be fixed.’ Those likes never changes anything; liking someone’s status or post is a passive move towards an aggressive issue. Zuckerberg’s face was also going to have the refection of the children behind cages, however, the meaning of the reflection would change to represent the passiveness of social media in relation to major political issues, this project focusing on the particular subject of the children being stuck in cages. When someone likes a status in response to fix a problem, one acknowledges the existence of that problem and acknowledges that the issue at hand is wrong, but no real change has been made by remaining passive. To make a change that is drastic enough to fix the inequity that effects millions of minorities people need to be physically present to stand up to the overbearing patriarchy that rules our lives. Millions of people, including those of political power, have seen what is happening in the southern United States but have done nothing about it, though have made it clear that they know that the problem is negatively affecting those around them.
In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe states “scenes of blood and cruelty are shocking to our ear and heart. What man has nerve to do, man has not nerve to hear” (Stowe 273). Stowe is referring to slavery in her novel, but this connects to the cruelty that is happening again in the southern United States. Stowe’s claim that blood and cruelty are shocking to the public’s eye is absolutely true, however, what the public chooses to do with this information is determined. Sure, a small portion of the population might participate in a protest or create bills to prevent the cruelty from continuing. But most of the time, the public will do nothing because it might impair or inconvenience their own lives. The decision to do nothing is a selfish act, as the priority is one’s own job/well-being trumps the well-being of a person who does not have the same amount of privilege. If a person/society does not want to hear the problem, then their ability to act or take action is no longer applicable.
The patriarchy we live in requires that we surrender to the ‘rules’ of taking action. For example, if someone were to want to take action but their own interests were at stake, they would need to wait until they have the authority to make a drastic change. If a person with low authority were to inflict change that affected our capitalist society, then their interests would have a high risk of losing something as important as their job or reputation. Economically, drastic change (whether that be socially, financially, etc.) is not ideal for the wealth of our society. The patriarchy demands upon its citizens to comply so that it may remain wealthy, while also threatening citizen’s way of life if they so choose to stand up against it. Individually, it is not possible to stand up to the patriarchy until one can gain the “experience of paper” like a diploma, tenure, etc. However, it is possible to make a change as a group, such as an entire college campus, as there has been change in groups/protests that revolve around LGBTQ communities, black lives matter, etc. As a group, there is a higher chance that change will happen because historically, the people are what influences the capitalist society we know and live in.
History has echoes throughout history, and unfortunately cruel events and actions continue to be a problem in our capitalist society currently. History repeats itself when there is lack of education because people do not have a reference to make connections to the events that are happening today. To those who are uninformed, they might think that the children being locked in cages and being ripped from their families is the first of its kind, though this has happened throughout history many times, such as the Japanese internment camps, concentration camps, the Trail of Tears, and of course, slavery. Even though history continuously repeats itself, there has been little-to-no change made to prevent the suffering of minorities within our society. It has been acknowledged that suffering exists and that its horrible that human beings are being forced to face the brutality of the patriarchy that promises safety and freedom, however, the societal “rules” that are in place forbid the people to take a stance against minorities suffering.
Works Cited
Long, Clara. “Written Testimony: ‘Kids in Cages: Inhumane Treatment at the Border.’” Human Rights Watch, US Program, 15 July 2019, https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/11/written-testimony-kids-cages-inhumane-treatment -border.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin: 1852. Tauchnitz, 1852.