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Essay / Depiction of the racist and discriminatory community in Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Jasper Jones written by Craig Silvey is a gothic bildungsroman set in the 1960s. of intimidation and violence in the small Australian town of Corrigan. This tale explores how protagonist Charlie Bucktin and 16-year-old Jasper Jones uncover the dark secrets of their hometown. This treatise is set during the Vietnam War era, which is why many Australians were deeply racist towards Vietnamese and migrants during this novel. This paints Corrigan as an immensely racist and discriminatory community through the use of strong characterizations, racist language and dialogue. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay This novel explores racism through the characterization of the people of Corrigan, particularly the Aboriginal boy, Jasper Jones. Because of this, he is blamed for the crimes of others, such as the murder of Laura Wishart. Craig Silvey wrote: “It's obvious, isn't it? They think I had something to do with Laura's disappearance and they wanted me to say so. This illustrates that Corrigan's police force is corrupt since the Sarge gave Jasper a black eye while trying to extract information from him and would arrest him without sufficient evidence. However, Jasper is not the only victim; the Lu family is hated by the townspeople. Perhaps even more so because of the outbreak of the Vietnam War. Racism and scapegoating are explored in the book through negative attitudes towards indigenous and Vietnamese people. The Lu family is a Vietnamese family based in Corrigan, and there their only son, Jeffrey, a Vietnamese boy, is bullied and downsized by the locals and children at the school. . This demonstrates that the Corrigans view the Lu as enemies since Australian citizens blame the Vietnamese for losing their loved ones by using racist language to express their hatred and disgust. For example, “The next ball, Jeffrey goes through cover, making two runs. And it is with total disbelief that I hear real encouragement from outside. His teammates. In unison, these belligerent bastards shouting: “Shot, Cong!” across the field, once turning an insult into a nickname. This uses the fact that Jeffrey's teammates are not as racist when he does something exceptional on the cricket field, but when Jeffrey leaves that cricket field, all that respect disappears. They are touched by the idea of the racist text, when Corrigan held a meeting in the juvenile hall and an Australian lady spilled hot coffee on Ms. Lu and mistreated her. The lady did this because her husband had recently been killed. Racist language was explained in this novel through the actions of others. Jasper Jones came to Charlie's window to ask for his help with the deceased body of Laura Wishart. The use of dialogue throughout this specific chapter presents Jasper Jones as the protagonist in this situation in which we know he is a targeted character in society who was raised in a dysfunctional family. This is why the town of Corrigan uses this as a reason to blame Jasper for crimes throughout the community. For example: “In this town, they think I’m a damn animal. They think I belong in a cage, and this is just an excuse to lock me in a cage. They don't need more than what they see here. All that matters,.