Cecil Jacobs
brings an article about Hitler's treatment of the Jews for his current events assignment in .
Inquiring third-grade minds urge Miss Gates to explain how one man can lock up so many people
without the government locking him up instead. She answers them by discussing the difference
between a democracy and a dictatorship. Then she introduces them to the
word prejudice as follows:
"Over
here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.
. . There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a
mystery to me" (245).
The discussion continues about
religious persecution, but Miss Gates never makes the connection for the children that they are
all prejudiced to blacks by the way they treat them in their very own community. Cecil Jacobs
even asks about the Jews in Germany without batting an eye, "They're white, ain't
they?" (245). Clearly, this class needs some real guidance, but they don't get it from
their racist teacher. Onlyrealizes the hypocrisy--she just doesn't know that word
yet.
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