Appealing to a White Christian

Appealing to a white Christian audience, many early African-American writers used religious ideology to convince their audiences of the inhumanity and injustice of slavery. How does Frederick Douglass use Christian principles as a tool of persuasion in the "Appendix?"What clarification does Douglass provide in the "Appendix" of his views about the relation of religion and slavery?

Douglass's explanation of his own position on the institution of slavery within the United States that is contained within "Appendix" is quite profound. He uses the idea that slavery is a sort of religion within the U.S. that is to be opposed, as any good Christian would oppose the moral and religious slavery of another Christian. He points the finger at the hypocrisy that stems from the idea that as Christians, people are supposed to treat others in the manner they wish to be treated. He is assuming, from a social context, that the reader assumes African-Americans as slaves are on the same religious or existential level as other non-slaves.

He also highlights the fact that those people who support the church monetarily and who also support the institution of slavery are hypocrites. This was quite common in the south, as the religious and plantation lifestyles intersected on a daily basis (Gates and McKay, 199). Douglass writes, "in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his in fernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other --devils dressed in angels' robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise." (Wohlpart, 185). This passage is not only visually profound but it helps those within the Christian faith to see the pure wickedness of the practice of slavery, even as it has been covered up and beautified as a cultural necessity. In comparing religion to slavery, he is speaking in a language that the average religious white person can understand; it's more of a personally valid social context than a black and white comparison. In this respect, Douglass is creating a common understanding within a context that the hypocrites can understand and have the capacity to ponder. He goes to great length to paint an accurate and vivid picture of the horrors of slavery and in doing so, exposes those who may not have already had the opportunity to see the human costs exacted by this institution, or "religion" as Douglass calls it.

2.What does Alain Locke mean by the "New" Negro? How does this figure differ from the "old" Negro? To what extent does this figure correspond to an actual social type, and to what extent might it be an idealization? What might Locke's purpose be in idealizing the new Negro?

Locke's assertion that the "New Negro" becomes aware of the potential of the black race to begin to build upon the potential of and for black equality among whites specifically. Locke argued that the power to define one's self as a "New Negro" was something internal and intrinsic, unable to be taken away through legislation, laws, or other cultural regulatory action. Within this frame, Locke argued that each person had both a personal and social responsibility to create an awareness of their potential as equals among humans, and that people had to make a conscious choice to live as a "New Negro" each day of their lives (Walker, 679). A certain self-confidence was necessary to transcend the white defined laws and rules that limited the "Old Negro." This also carried over into the political realm, where blacks were encouraged to support their own candidates and live freely without the restrictions of other races and cultural mores and laws. His philosophical ideal of the "New Negro" allowed for fair treatment through self-realization and actualization of equality. The power is held within the people themselves, and not within the laws or those who enforce them. If the concept of the "New Negro" was to flourish Locke argued, it had to come from a place inside each self-aware and self-confident "New Negro."

In reality, the "New Negro" was quite an idealized version of a socially and politically aware person (Walker, 680). Not unlike the concept of personal civil disobedience, the "New Negro" had the personal responsibility to uphold their view of reality. In reality, people probably found it very hard to comply with the idealized version of Locke's "New Negro" since everyone's lot and social condition allowed for differing levels of personal and civil disobedience. It was quite unrealistic for Locke to expect everyone to understand and agree with his concept as they moved forward in life, but in creating such an ideal, Locke was able to unlock the personal drive and ambition that is unique in all human beings, at all levels. This is perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments, the idea that people became, at the very least, more personally self-aware that they held the power to their own reality.

3. Amiri BarakaiLeRoi Jones is calling for something of a revolution in this play. He is showing us that Clay's attempt to be "white" is futile and that he will never be received into "white" society. It is a dark view of the dominant culture and how that culture represses minorities in particular African-Americans. The play also features a group of co-conspirators who can't be ignored; they are essential to the play's meaning in that they help push Clay's body off the train. This is quite an indictment of white society. And finally, neither of the two characters are what they appear to be. Clay cannot hide his "blackness" and ultimately his anger no matter what he does. Sadly, Lula knows how to exploit his weakness and uses her sexuality to manipulate and expose Clay's hidden hatred. These are complex and disturbing characters to say the least; explain how both Lula and Clay are complex characters. Be specific.

Clay is a very complex character in that in trying to become part of the white culture, he exposes all the things he tries to hide. In his own idealization of the white world, he shows his personal naivete to the culture, norms, and mannerisms of the white world. The trappings of this world are alluring to him, even up until his death, but sadly the rejection of his black heritage is at the very root of his insecurity within the white culture. The play also takes much liberty in trying to explore what it really means to be separated by race within the realm of social interactions. Clay's character undergoes radical shifts and personal transformations and it is quite clear that his anger in not being able to meet the white world's expectations is part of his own self-loathing or hatred for his heritage. In the end, he is not accepted by the white world even in death, which is a very blunt and brutal reminder that people, even as they no longer interact with others, are separated by differences they cannot escape even in death (Hamilton, 229).

Lula's ability to lure Clay and manipulate his actions and emotions creates an atmosphere akin to a Shakespearean tragedy, where the main character, in this case Clay, cannot escape the carnal desires and emotions that make him human, even if it costs him his life in the end. Lula's character has much more depth than just as a seductress, but in becoming Clay's seductress, Lula is allowing him to give in to the most basic of human emotions and desires, and in effect showing him that in his moment of humility and humanness, he is unable to escape the grasp of what has been decided at birth relative to his heritage, skin color, sexuality, and place in society (Hamilton, 230). It is certainly a sad and sometimes revolting commentary on white and black cultural interactions of the time, but in a very human way, the characters' ability to draw out the most basic of human emotions and reactions while living amongst others as virtual imposters is a social commentary in and of itself.

4. In Alice Walker's the Color Purple, the protagonist sees sex as a form of violence committed against her or at best, an uninspiring obligation to her husband. That is, until she meets a very inspiring woman named Shug. Shug defines "virginity" as an emotional

state, rather than physical: if you haven't enjoyed sex, you're still a virgin. Shug affirms the goodness of sex by stating definitively that God created sex and wants humans to enjoy it. Although sex is a normal, everyday thing to most characters in this novel, Shug suggests that it transcends the everyday and becomes something sacred and divine.

Although Celie has already had several children and two sexual partners, when she meets