Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Tar Baby: Son's Perspective
From the point-of-view of Son, the assimilated, highly educated female protagonist of Toni Morrison's Tar Baby Jadine sees everything that is associated with being African-American ss base and inferior. Jadine is the niece of the butler and cook of the Childs, a wealthy white family. Jadine believes herself to be superior to other African-Americans because of her knowledge of European culture, and her Euro-centric manner. She is beautiful and has worked as a fashion model. But she also feels hollow inside because her education does not validate her identity as a black woman. She is continually pretending to be someone she is not. In contrast, Son believes he has a secure sense of self. He is not impressed by Jadine's fine clothing, accent, and mannerisms, given that they are simulacra of white mannerisms.
It is easy to condemn Jadine's white manners. Son, the representative of black masculinity in the book, continually reproaches Jadine for what he sees as her rejection of his culture and heritage -- what should be her culture and heritage. From Jadine's perspective, the only people she has ever seen commanding real power are whites. Whiteness is associated with literacy and culture, which Jadine aspires to achieve....
The blackness which Son represents is associated with ignorance and metaphorical as well as literal darkness. The residents of the Caribbean island where the Childs reside are oppressed and even the black Sydney and Ondine, despite the fact that they work as servants, view other blacks with contempt.
Son is poor, and when he breaks into the Childs' residence he sees wealth on a level which he has never before experienced -- but also utter moral bankruptcy. Jadine is treated like a petted playing, in his eyes. Given the values under which she has been brought up is little wonder that Jadine feels that the more 'white' she can be, the more power she will have. She does not see that the Childs have power over her, culturally and economically, in a way they do not have power over their natural son Michael, whose preferences and attitudes they cannot shape because of his whiteness, maleness, and autonomy. Son sees Jadine as a kind of traitor to her race, someone who is wearing a mask rather than a real identity.
The African-American female role models presented to her reflect an ideal of domesticity and earthiness which Jadine wishes to rise above. Orphaned at birth, Jadine has known nothing but white estimations of color, and…
Work Cited
Morrison, Toni. Tar Baby. New York: Vintage, 2004.
Alberta Tar Sands Issues The tar sands oil reserves in Alberta, Canada, represent the second largest proven petroleum reserve in the world -- right behind the reserves in Saudi Arabia. The Alberta tar sands are located in the vast boreal forest of Canada, just north of Montana, and it is estimated that nearly 179 billion barrels of oil are in the tar sands, according to Bridget Mintz Testa, writing in the
Baby Boomer and Health Care Crisis Baby boomers and healthcare Baby boomers and the health care As the United States continues to grapple with the growing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, the aging population may continue to signal a health care crisis. Therefore, this is really important time for Americans to consider these demographic changes as well as the health and behavior outcome for this population. One of the
Another proposal would be to include new state and local government workers in the system (Kubarych, 2004). Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid were formally enacted as amendments to the Social Security Act in 1965. These programs guarantee health insurance for the elderly and the poor. The Medicare program covers most persons age 65 or older and consists of four related health insurance plans, a hospital insurance plan, a supplementary medical
Sons Arthur's view of America Arthur Miller was one of those few playwrights whose view of the U.S. was anything but optimistic or positive. Most of his plays take place in the heart of American industrial hubs so capitalism was always the most dominant theme. It is a place that belongs to an average American and that every American can relate to. Instead of using western end or eastern end of
According to the concept of homoousion, Christ the Son was consubstantial (sharing the same substance) with the Father." (Gill, 2006) Only then was it resolved that although Jesus was the Son of God, the unique nature of Jesus as Son meant that Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit all were won. The interpretation of the term "Son of God" continues to divide Judaism from Christianity, theologically and linguistically,
Step Outside Your World Analysis “Okay, this should be a piece of cake,” I thought to myself after reading the guidelines for this assignment. After all, my friend’s wife still had the manual wheelchair she used when she broke her ankle last year and it was just sitting there holding dirty laundry and books and she readily agreed to lend it to me for this project. This initial assessment, however, quickly