Musings on Discrimination…...And Resolving It




When one hears the word “Discrimination”, the first picture that comes to mind is that of a sign saying - “For Whites Only”. People feel that segregation is a very blatant, violent act of intolerance towards another seemingly ‘different’ person. However, after reading many letters, quotes and poems, listening to songs and discussing this with various people, I’ve realized that discrimination can also take a subtle, but none the less cruel, turn.


How often has one judged a person’s capability by their outward appearance? Many feel an immediate sense of distrust when they see a person of African-American, Caucasian or Native American origin (depending on their background). The main reason for such unjustified emotion is that people don’t try to understand the other as a UNIQUE individual with his/her own sense of morals, beliefs, feelings etc. Coupled with ignorance and a few graphic, misrepresented caricatures, they form stereotypes to classify the other person into a ‘category’.


Through this poem, I have tried to portray the emotion that the majority experiences upon perceiving a ‘threat’ to their success. This is a poem about a wolf pack, which surprisingly shares many social characteristics with its human equivalents - communities, towns, cities etc.

The alpha is the male leader of a wolf pack, and always receives the priority while sharing the kill, leading the pack in migration etc. He symbolizes the majority in a human community. When faced with a threat, in the form of a stronger newcomer, the alpha tries his best to ‘remove him from the scene’.The newcomer too tries to defend himself when conflict between the two arises, and both inflict serious injuries upon each other, much like the damages during riots. However, the other wolf soon realizes that there is a much more peaceful way to resolve the conflict, so he offers a prey as a peace treaty. This way, both of them can rule the pack and develop a better understanding of each other.