Stereotyping

Author’s Note: This Non-Fiction essay is about stereotyping in the story Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. The purpose is to explain how stereotyping really impacts the book.

In the story Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis there are many stereotypes. For example when you read the story Bud’s grammar is not great because he talks with many slang words. When you meet someone for the first time it might not be that acceptable to talk like that. Another stereotype is, being poor, since he is out on his own people look at him and judge him because he can’t afford anything. Although there are many stereo types, people should not stereo type Bud before they get to know him.

The way Bud speaks is just the way the people around him speak. Like when he lived in the Foster Home that’s how all of the children spoke. When Bud went on his journey to find his family, on the way people judged him because of the way he talked. To them he had an accent and poor grammar. To the people that lived in Flint, where Bud lived, that was how everyone talked and they were used to it. Another reason why Bud had different grammar then his family in the Grand Rapids is that Bud never went to school. He couldn’t because he didn’t have money to be able to enroll into a school. Before his mother died, she always read him stories. He remembers the stories by heart, but he still can’t read that well. People shouldn’t stereotype other people because of how they talk.

Another reason why people stereotype Bud is because of his race and the color of his skin. Many people get stereotyped due to that reason. Back in the 1930’s was during the Great Depression, when many people were running out of money, losing their homes, and not being able to afford food and clothes. People like Bud, that were African American and had no place to live were stereotyped a lot. I personally have seen people in big cities that I have visited that may be homeless, I might have thought to myself that maybe he was poor and talked funny. I didn’t really know his story and should not have stereotyped him. When Bud was walking to the Grand Rapids, people would drive by and just stare at him because they were probably thinking something similar to what I would think when I saw someone like Bud.

Furthermore, being poor is another stereotype in the story. Bud was a ten year old boy that was living on his own and didn’t have a job or money. He really only had what he carried around in his suitcase, which included set of clothes and moments that his momma left behind. When you see a young boy on the side of the road walking and carrying a large suit case what do you think of? I would definitely think of a homeless boy that was out living on his own. Bud is not homeless but just by looking at him he does look homeless because he can’t afford much. That is judging someone by what they have and look like and is technically a stereotype.

In conclusion, stereotyping happens a lot, to people all over. People stereotype other people for all of the wrong reasons. It is mean some of the time and it seems like it is just what people do before they think. Stereotyping isn’t about just making fun of someone but it can be about criticizing them and talking about them behind their back. I believe that it is another form of bullying.