Literary Analysis of Outcasts United (Free Essay Sample)

Outcasts United is a book written by Warren St. John, and it is about refugees who came to America to get away from their situations in their home countries. These refugees also changed a whole town just by playing a sport they love, soccer. When they came to America, they found that it was nothing like they thought it was going to be and faced a lot of discrimination, due to an abundance of things like, their skin color or their religion and many more things. Discrimination is everywhere in America, if people are not in society's perfect picture, then they will be in danger of discrimantion. People can be discriminated against for many things like religion, being in the lgbtq, being a woman and people can even be discriminated against based on your skin color.  

Discrimination can be big and little, meaning sometimes it can be a serious situation or it can be a petty dispute. In the book and example of a petty dispute is chapter 5, on page 44. Luma was trying to teach the boys how to strike a ball properly, then a boy said something to downgrade her. The boy said ¨she's a girl, she doesn't know what she's talking about.¨ This is not the first time that guys underestimated Luma. In the beginning of the book when she was at the market she saw a group of boys playing soccer and wanted to join. The boys were hesitant at first because she was a girl until they saw she had a new ball and let her join. Women still get underestimated to this day.  Women are still trying to fight to have equality and the respect that men have.

In the book the old residents of Clarkston and even the mayor himself, discriminated against the refugees in Clarkston. When Lee Swaney was running for mayor he vowed that he was going to bring some ¨good old-fashioned American hamburger joints¨ back. This was basically a stab at the ethnic food places that opened up when the refugees came into town. When it was shown that there was no sign of the refugees leaving anytime soon, the older residents of Clarkston didn't want to be a part of the community anymore and moved away. These are some of the ways the community has discriminated against the refugees because they are not the same race or have the same religion as them. 

Luma initially used the community center fields to practice on with the Fugees. The community center had other plans and decided they were not good enough, which is just an excuse for saying white enough, for their fields. The city of Clarkston told her she could use a different soccer field, even though this new field only had dirt and a few patches of grass and anyone could use it. They had to get a new field because they could not play on that one any longer. City council allowed them to use a different field, but it was also very close to gang related activity. One of the players ended up being shot and luma had to make a petition to let city council use a different field. When they allowed it they only gave it to her on a trial run for six months. The mayor took it upon himself to revoke the six months only three months in. 

A more serious example of discrimination in the book is when luma got pulled over for a broken tail light. That would have been a slap on the wrists for an American, but because of Luma's name, the way she looks and sounds they told her her license was suspended and arrested her. They gave her no explanation as to why her license was suspended. When she gets to the jail the clerk asked her ¨What are you doing here?¨ She said it in a tone to indicate she was meaning she should not be in America. This situation reeks of police descrimmination the same way much of Clarkston's refugee community is subjected to police prejudice and harsh punishments. 

The continuing pattern of descrimination throughout the book is horrendous. The refugees have been on the receiving end of it all by the community of Clarkston. Even if discrimination is not agaisnts the refugees it can be manuvered in any way possible. This book should be an eye opener for people who deny this happens on a daily basis.