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He had lived his life as a white child, and even after his discovery of his true race lived as a white man. He was allowed to pass as white, and therefore turned his back on his real heritage. Thus, his blackness became a secret, something to be ashamed of and hide; "I know that in writing the following pages I am divulging the great secret of my life, the secret which for some years I have guarded far more carefully than any of my earthly possessions," (Johnson 2). This shows a much different reaction to the understanding of oneself as black in the United States.
Both these texts involve understanding oneself relative to how others view you. Realistically, from a physical standpoint, being African-American means little difference to being white. However, from a social and psychological standpoint, it is a major difference, especially in the tie period these stories take place. Hurston understands that her condition is due not to her actions, but from an ancient social structure, "Slavery is the price I paid for civilization, and the choice was not with me," (Hurston 1). Yet, from this low point in African-American history, she acknowledges the possibility for change which then was answered...
Rather than letting her condition defeat her, she understood the need for Civil Rights; "No one on earth ever had a greater chance for glory. The world to be won and nothing to be lost," (Hurston 1). However, Johnson sees the need for Civil Rights from a different perspective. From his hiding place within white society, he views this need for future Civil Rights based in the suffering of African-Americans; "And this is the dwarfing, warping, distorting influence which operates upon each colored man in the United States. He is forced to take his outlook on all things, not from the viewpoint of a citizen, or a man, nor even a human being, but from the viewpoint of a colored man," (Johnson 11).
Cornell University Law School. "Civil Rights." Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 10 Sep 2009 at http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/civil_rights.
Hurston, Zora Neale. "How it Feels to Be a Colored Me." Mules and Men. The University of Virginia. Retrieved 10 Sep 2009 at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/Grand-Jean/Hurston/Chapters/how.html.
Johnson, James Weldon. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Kessinger Publishing. 2004.
Cornell University Law School. "Civil Rights." Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 10 Sep 2009 at http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/civil_rights.
Hurston, Zora Neale. "How it Feels to Be a Colored Me." Mules and Men. The University of Virginia. Retrieved 10 Sep 2009 at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/Grand-Jean/Hurston/Chapters/how.html.
Johnson, James Weldon. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Kessinger Publishing. 2004.
The resistance tactic of educating black youth is challenged and despite the fact that the boy has likely been told that this education will free him of prejudice, through proof of his intellect he is called back and told to keep the error to himself, so as not to overturn the apple cart. The idea that adopting the ideals and goals of whites, in this case education as resistance
African-American Literature Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folks offers the reader glimpses into the heart and mind of black men and women living in the post-reconstruction south when the splendor that had resided especially in the cotton market, had all but disappeared. The disappearance of the cotton market left in its wake thousands of black men and women the legacy of the laborers that built the place still laboring
The two have a unity in their interactions, wanting essentially the same things. The family forms a social system based on the interactions among the members of the family. This is seen throughout the book as each member shows that what he or she has, needs and values depends upon the nature of the social system to which he or she belongs. In this case, Maya, as do other people,
African-American Literature -- Compare and Contrast The two stories selected for this first comparison, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and the short letter from Jourdon Anderson, "To My Old Master," are both extremely touching, honest, enlightening and historically precious pieces of literature. To begin with, Anderson's letter to Colonel P.H. Anderson reveals a number of key things about the life of a male slave during
The Black Arts Era is characterized by powerful voices such as that of Ishmael Reed or Amiri Baraka. In his poem Black Art, Amiri Baraka potently draws attention to the need for a self-conscious black poetry which would accentuate intentionally all the features specific to the African-American culture. The harsh tone of the poem at the beginning and the almost raging, ferocious rhythm indicate the desire to awaken the spirit
The effect this had on many slaves was to make them determined to gain their freedom at all costs. Family relationships, something most people take for granted, were not considered in the lives of slaves. Two of the narratives note, "At the close of that year I was sold to a Thomas Stanton, and had to be separated from my wife and one daughter, who was about one-month-old" (Smith 13).