Oppression, a very commonly used adjective nowadays to describe a variety of things, from your school to the government. But what is oppression? Oppression is the act of prolonged cruelty or unfair treatment. Signs of oppression can be seen from the birth of humanity. Even now in our so called "equal rights equal fights" world, signs of oppression are present. Let's go back in time.
Oppression started quite a while ago, think 12,000 years back. Before agriculture existed, fishing and hunting were the primary ways in acquiring resources to keep the society running. But after the development of agriculture, the social hierarchy quickly started to change and the signs of oppression could be seen. The more the food and crops within a household, the greater the social status. This quick change resulted in the "peasant" social class and they were oppressed as they had a lack of money. As time went on, oppression grew through conquering and colonizing land. An example is the very well known colonization of America by Britain. Through this colonization, the American Indians were oppressed and driven out of their own lands. Coming back to the present day, we can see the oppression of women present in the last century, though there has been massive progress in the attempt to establish equality between all races and genders alike. Oppression is also present within every individual, albeit differently. The offensive comments that people might receive in their life is also a form of oppression, as it influences the person's emotions negatively and makes them feel worse. But as you look at these comments more and more, maybe this sort of oppression is necessary for the growth and development of an individual. After all, without any negativity, the positivity will not be valued as much as it is worth.
I liked how you provided an example of oppression in every time period. It is interesting to see how oppression in recent years have changed the world and the effects it has had.
ReplyDeleteYour use of examples of oppression throughout the history of humans was very effective in explaining its meaning. It was an interesting way to convey your thoughts, but the more interesting part was your transition of topic in the last line. Your turning of focus from oppression definition to its results in society was quite interesting way of writing.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you added a closing statement at the end that kind of asked a question, giving the readers something to walk away with once they're done reading.
ReplyDeleteI like how you provided a clear definition of oppression, and then went back in time to describe different examples of it occuring in the past. It flowed together really well!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this much about oppression. I got to learn more about it and I thought it was a good touch to add your opinion as well.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it’s possible to live in a world without oppression? Further more would that lead to the world being a utopia or dystopia or somewhere in between? Is oppressing others part of human nature? If oppressing others allows you to live freely does that make it just?
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