Upon first coming to Freshman Inquiry Seminar class, Ms. Killebrew handed out a political cartoon about the new secretary of education Betsy DeVos by Glenn McCoy and the painting “The Problem We All Live With” by Norman Rockwell. One was a depiction of the struggle faced by Ruby Bridges because she was the first African American child to go to an all-white elementary school while the other depicted Betsy DeVos’s “struggle” as she was escorted by security so that she could get into a school to do a speech. Through both, the idea of seclusion and silencing of free speech is conveyed, although I feel like comparing a civil rights activist fighting for her constitutional rights and a billionaire trying to make a quick buck off free schooling is tactless, since the struggle of these two women are completely different with different end goals.
The year is 1960 and the country is facing a dilemma. Although “all men are created equal”, the south still felt that blacks should be treated as anything less than humans since this was what they were accustomed to. Then, came a desegregation wave. No longer were African Americans going to be separated from whites due the melanin in their skin and a girl, named Ruby Bridges spearheaded this movement. She was the first African American girl to go to a previously “White Only” school. Because the idea of a black girl going to an all white school was a threat to people’s way of life, there was backlash against Ruby Bridges. This backlash is depicted in the painting “The Problem We All Live With” by Norman Rockwell. In the painting, a little African American girl is walking up-straight and proud, despite many white men in suits tower over her, escorting her to school. A tomato is splattered next to her head, a discouraging act of hatred, but still, the girl walks ahead of it, almost as to say, “there’s going to be a struggle, but I will keep moving forward, for my ideals”. Fast forward to 2018 and a white woman-a billionaire- faces a situation that some would call “similar” to that of Ruby Bridges. She is being barred from entering a school and doing a speech about her policies as the new secretary of education. Like in the painting of Ruby Bridges there’s white men towering next to Betsy DeVos, a tomato spattered next to her-in both paintings the tomato saying the same “keep out, we don’t want you here”- and the word “conservative” spray painted next to her. The images are meant to represent the struggle for free speech, one being that of an African American girl trying to go to school, while the other of a billionaire trying to speak her mind.
The genre for the painting is historical. It’s meant to show the struggle Ruby Bridges faced, like it was the day Ruby Bridges had to go to school, the hatred she had to deal with, and how she dealt with it. It was meant to be realistic and accurate with very little hyperbole, unlike the political cartoon written by Glenn McCoy. Glenn McCoy’s drawing of Betsy DeVos was meant to be satirical and meant to exaggerate the idea that people would keep others out just because they believed something different than they did. This was especially apparent with the tomato splattered next to DeVoss, since, that did not actually happen in real life. Personally, I like both political cartoons in general, as well as historical paintings. Both political cartoons and historical paintings help give insight on historical events, as well as different viewpoints about those events in history, which help us understand those events more.
The two pieces of media remind me of the painting “The Death of Socrates” by Jacques Lewis David. The painting depicts the moment before Socrates drinks the hemlock concoction as a punishment for challenging Athenian ideals. Socrates had his own beliefs, such as ewhich many didn’t agree with and as a result, he was charged as a criminal and sentenced to death This reminded me of the tomato thrown on both scenes- meant to represent the seclusion of people based either on their ideas or their skin color. Because they were different, they didn’t belong- so they must be eradicated. With Ruby Bridges case, it was because of the white people insulting her skin color and in and trying to stop her from going to school. With Betsy DeVos, it was because of her ideals and background. Secluding people based on who they are and what they believe in has always been a part of history and both the painting and cartoon highlight this.
As one can tell, I disagree with the idea of seclusion based on what someone thinks and how they look like. Despite me not agreeing with the policies of Betsy DeVos, I still wouldn’t seclude her from my college campus if she ever came just because she was a conservative or because she was rich or because I believed she’s not qualified. However, I also don’t believe she struggled as much as Ruby Bridges did and that their struggles are the same. Yes, they both deal with free speech and they both are victims of seclusion- well one more than another, but Betsy DeVos is no civil rights activist. She isn’t fighting to secure the rights of African Americans or any other people, she is fighting to make education a business.
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