Unheard Cries for Help

Caged birds of white race deprived of freedom raised their voices to sing for their rights. The cries of the colored were unheard for decades. In a society where skin color mattered most, the race of color suffered to breathe. The film is set in the 1960s when the oppressed African Americans started the civil rights movements against social segregation. Colored people were prohibited from entering the same stores, learning in the same schools, traveling in the same buses, and using the same restrooms as white people. They were considered low lives and were deprived of the basic privileges that they deserved.  In an era of dominant White people, the colored population of Jackson Mississippi experienced this sad reality. Imagine working as a housemaid in a white household, raising their children, doing all sorts of work the whole day for a minimum wage with no appreciation or recognition. Minny, Aibileen, and all the other African American ladies in Jackson in the movie The Help suffered discrimination against colored people in white households. The movie sheds light upon racial injustice and discrimination faced by the Colored people in that era.

 

Why do the Caged birds sing?

Aibileen knew from a young age that her destiny led her to be a maid as her mama, grandma, and the whole neighborhood were slaves. The determination to rise above was slaughtered in a society that snatched the rights of colored children to learn, work, and live among the whites as one society. This highlights the inequality in social facilities which caged black people into working only as slaves for generations. Thus, Aibileen became a maid. A good guardian to many white children who grew up to become the oppressors of her community.

Slavery was their sole option to fulfill their daily necessities. In a suppressive society, they cling to slavery for generations. Even though Minny was mistreated her next choice to support her family was to send her teen girl as a housemaid to work. This depicts the vicious cycle of slavery goes around in the Colored community.

The superior and chauvinist behavior of privileged whites flamed the determination of the colored to raise their voices. White people wanted separate bathrooms for black housemaids claiming that they spread different types of diseases. Miss Hilly's unwavering words, "Oh, for crying out loud, it's just a little rain" uttered to compel Minny to use the restroom outside even during the heavy rain explains the superiority complex of whites toward colored people. Hilly Holbrook's inhumane attitudes depict that not the colored people, but her vicious thoughts infect society. Hilly is a perfect example of how the privileged white community looked down on the helpless black community without any compassion or empathy.

Both Aibileen and Minny were fired from their jobs on frivolous grounds. This portrays how the black people's lives depended on the temper of their masters even though it is highly unethical. They were exploited. Housemaids were to work endlessly to be thrown away at any moment. Aibileen was falsely accused of avenging her courageous step to reveal the concealed truth about the white community. Racial segregation was executed in favor of the law.  Rights to obtain a fair wage for their work were snatched from the blacks.  They were exploited for employment rights. It is the bare minimum to expect hard-working humans. White gained power through suppression while enjoying it to the fullest.

“ You is kind, You is smart, You is important” are Aibileen’s golden words for all her babies whom she looked after. She invests her whole heart with babies to receive nothing. Yet those babies grow up to become oppressors. The feelings of the house help never mattered to masters at all. They were objectivized.

 Melanin – The barrier of blood

Additionally, when highlighting the social background shown in the movie, Aibileen was afraid to open because the country's law was highly unfair to the colored people. She knew how they would be treated brutally for demanding to have what they deserved: equal rights. The uprise that was going on during the period that the movie depicts focused on equality, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal."(Martin Luther King Jr.). Her cousin's car was set on fire as she went to vote. Her son died without proper medical attention at the workplace. These incidents built the acknowledgment of the cruel masters. It was hard to stand against the oppressive privileged white masters as the consequences were severe. Black people remained silent till they outburst aggressively.

The movie illustrates how differently the black and white people were dressed. Also, in some scenes, it is shown how they compute separately on public transport. Black people lived separately without interconnecting with white masters. This accentuates the social system where only privileged white people had the authority, comforts and money. African Americans were unattended. They did not have the same access to health care, education or basic comforts.

The black lives of Jackson suffered in their whole lives due to racial discrimination and segregation. Women worked endlessly for the white households where they were mistreated severely. The Help depicts the misery of the black community where the colored people were deprived of civil,  political, economic, social, and cultural rights that the white people enjoyed in society. The situation of Jackson was not so different from the situation of those black people who lived in that era. In the 1960s the colored people gathered to obtain their equal position in the society. The segregation was rooted deeply in the American society. The implemented laws to keep African Americans separated from white people all the time whether in public transport, office, schools or universities explains the biased, unethical practices that the blacks were raised against. The caged birds sang out loud to achieve the inexperienced freedom. Their songs turned into desperate cries yet even now some unheard the painful cries of the caged birds.

Article by: IM/2022/037

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Taylor, T. (2011). Welcome to Lookmovie.io - a completely free movies / TV shows streaming. Watch Latest Movies & Shows Episode Online Free. https://www.lookmovie2.to/movies/play/1691210794-the-help-2011