Nicole+Shields-+6

Amir has two main stereotypes about Polish people, but when he meets one, his attitude toward Polish people changes. This demonstrates to Amir a lesson about passing judgment. The first stereotype about Polish people that Amir has is that he thinks that Polish men are all tough steelworkers. He also thinks that the women cook lots of cabbage. But Amir has never even met a Polish person before- not until the garden, that is.  When Amir first meets an old Polish woman, his attitude changes almost immediately. He realizes that not everyone of the same race does the same things. For example, right after Amir talks to the woman, he thinks, “When I heard her words, I realized how useless was all that I’d heard about Poles, how much richness it hid, like the worthless shell around an almond.” Amir learns about the woman’s sad past and sees that Polish women do more than just cook cabbage. He also sees that everyone is different and special, no matter their race.  The lesson this demonstrates is that you should not pass judgment. Just because someone is a certain ethnicity does not mean they do the same things as all the others of that ethnicity. The incident with the Polish woman and Amir is prime example. Amir assumes she is just like all the other Polish women who cook cabbage all day. When he found out that his assumption was wrong, he realized that he shouldn’t pass judgment.

As you can see, Amir learns a lot during the story. His attitude toward Polish people changes, and he sees that passing judgment is wrong.