Friday, June 18, 2010

What are some racist quotes that are found throughout the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers?

In the scene where James, Steve, Johnny, and Peaches are sitting on some steps discussing who they could rob and not get caught, Johnny makes a racist comment. After Peaches suggests that they rob a bank, Johnny says that banks are too serious. He says,



"You need to find a getover where nobody don’t care—you know what I mean. You cop from somebody with a green don’t even report it" (Myers 56).



Johnny's comment would be considered racist because he believes that the authorities would not care about an immigrant. He views immigrants as easy targets and believes that there would be no repercussions for stealing from them.


Another scene that depicts racism takes place when Steve asks O'Brien how she thinks the trial is going. She mentions that nothing speaks to Steve's innocence and says,



"Half of those jurors, no matter what they said when we questioned them when we picked the jury, believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes on you. You're young, you're Black, and you're on trial" (Myers 83).



O'Brien's comments display the prejudice of each jury member who judges Steve by the color of his skin. The jurors believe that Steve is guilty for the simple fact that he is a young black male on trial.

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