Black Like Me Essay

Page 1: The meaning of the first chapters title “Born to Belonging” is that quite literally whites won’t be questioned about whether they deserve to be here, living in this condition. They won’t be questioned about how they got such wealth and it is easy for them to get this wealth. For example, his grandfather Jacob with his good work ethics was able to come upon success. His success sees normal. However, there are many people of color who have good or better work ethics than Jacob and still they are not recognized or reach success because they aren’t “Born to Belonging”. Also it is easier for those of the white complexion to eventually become part of the white society and eventually belong.

Reading the content in this book made me get a picture of what it was like to be a colored person in this time. My eyes were opened to the meaning of the word “nigga”. Nigga is such a derogatory term, yet now-a-days it is used by people so much. Kids in this generation use it as a term of endearment when they see their friends, or they say it when they are shocked by something. Frankly, I don’t believe they know how serious it really is. The fact that white people could look at a person and see less than a human being when they did nothing wrong distresses me. They (white people) treated them as if they were property and below them. Even though we don’t have racism to this extent

If you stop and sit on the curb, a police officer will pass and probably ask you what you’re doing. I have heard none of the Negroes speak of police harassment, but have warned me that any time the police see a Negro idling, especially one they do not recognize, they will surely question him.(pg.43)

The discriminating social stratification in 1950’s developed a set of servile behavior on the blacks. They were thought to be inferior to whites, and were treated accordingly. Moreover, different parts of the country had various ranges of sensitivities while dealing with the blacks. For example, in Mississippi things were particularly tense after the Parker lynch case. No black man would dare look into any white man’s eyes in fear of the repercussions. On the bus, a man warned Griffin to watch himself closely until he caught onto Mississippi’s ways. In an extreme case like this, it was vital to learn about their roles and behave accordingly.

1 . What issues most concerned black political leaders during Reconstruction? Reconstruction brought important social changes to former slaves. Families that had been separated before and during the Civil War were reunited, and slave marriages were formalized through legally recognized ceremonies. Families also took advantage of the schools established by the Freedmen's Bureau and the expansion of public education, albeit segregated, under the Reconstruction legislatures. New opportunities for higher education also became available with the founding soon after the Civil War of black colleges, such as Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Fisk University in Nashville,

Many of the statements on there were very thought provoking. One of the statements was “we can’t understand somebody unless we walk a mile in their shoes”. To me, this is a very true statement and in both of the works it shows that. In Black Like Me this is what the whole basis of the book is about. John Howard Griffin disguises himself as a African American to see what their life is really like. In the movie Crash every character has their own story but none of the other characters seem to understand one another, not even people of the same race. Another statement that was on this worksheet was “it is better to remain in ignorance than to learn something which may be more painful”. This statement is completely false and both of these works will show that. Griffin decided he wanted to know what being a black man in the south was really like and he found out the truth of how bad racism really was. In the movie, there are many instances of this but the one that stood out to me was when the guy went to sell that truck when he discovered it was full of slaves. He was glad he found out because instead of selling them into slavery and making a lot of money, he let them go.

This book was filled with passages and quotes that made a lasting impression on me not only for the content they contained but also the way that they were written. One passage that really stuck with me was the bottom passage on pages 202-203. This passage left an impression on me for many reasons but mainly because it described such violent events that happened in Chicago that I never knew about which was quite a wake up call. I did not even know that race riots ever happened in Chicago and to find out that they were as violent and deadly as they were shocked me quite a bit. Now a days, I never hear anyone talking about the race riots that happened in Chicago which is surprising because by looking back at those times in our history it shows how much our society has grown and improved. These race riots changed the course of Chicago's history which is why it is surprising to me that I have never even heard of them before.

Griffin wants to know what life is like for a Negro in the South. Griffin knows it would be difficult for a white man to truly experience and understand what life is like for a black man; so, Griffin darkens his skin in order to experience life in the South as a black man would.

Imagine being called free but being treated like trash every day. Imagine someone being told they can live in America but having to live in deep fear and not being able to walk the streets at night. Imagine having to live with a piercing uneasiness or worry that someone is going to harm you. That is what is was like for African-Americans in the 1930’s. Even though slavery was nullified in 1865, black americans only briefly gained their writes during the period known as Reconstruction. But after Reconstruction, they lost those rights again and underwent widespread poverty and unethical segregation (Pratt 2). African-Americans suffered greatly because they lacked proper education or ability to succeed in the jobs they pursued (23). Ta-Nehisi

I am not a confrontational person, and usually if I’m not involved, I won’t speak up. Yet, this book made me realize that being a bystander is as bad as being an intolerant person. In chapter three, there is a story where the cashier asks the African American woman if the card will work and the friend says nothing. Not speaking up was almost worst, and the friend with her should have defended her and spoke up for what was right. Therefore, I anticipate not being a bystander, and calling out people’s racist remarks and

Life for black men and women in the early and mid 1900s was difficult. They were often discriminated against by members of the white race. Many people tried to understand what life was like for the black race during this time, but none went as far as John Griffin. Some say that his story was not true or that it was not really a black man’s experience, but a white man’s. I believe that a white man could come close to understanding what discrimination against black men and women was like but I don’t believe that it was foolish of him to try it because of his newfound knowledge and empathy towards the black race.

Black Like Me. is a non-fiction novel written by John Howard Griffin. Griffin started writing this novel On October 28, 1959. Black Like Me is a primary source of Griffin’s experience of being a black man in the south during the late 50’s and early 1960’s while the Civil Rights movement began. Griffin starts the journal entries by asking the question “If a white man became a Negro in the Deep South, what adjustments would he have to make? What is it like to experience discrimination based on skin color, something over which one has no control?” These questions foreshadows the events that occurred and intrigue the reader.

Introduction—include the title of your book, the name of the author, the central question, and a thesis statement, or position you will take in your essay.

Asking herself inside her head if the stereotype is true and that all black man are well endowed down there. Thinking of such a thing made her cheeks blush slightly and she was glad that Mr. Alba could not read her mind. The moment he started to talk about what kind of girl he thought she is, her eyes gazed up from the drinks and towards him. She smiled politely until he mentioned the possibility of her father being a closet racist. At these words her face screwed up and she slowly shook her head without interrupting him. In a world where image and money is everything it is wise to keep delicate opinions to yourself and thats exactly what her father had always done. The issue of race was one with blurred lines anyway. She knew her father disliked the poor black population. In private he called them thugs and prated about how they drag down the economy, how they are mostly criminals and rapists. Yet regarding men like Mr. Alba his demeanour was quite the opposite. Though that mostly originated from the simple fact that her father respected power and money. So in order to secure the support of men like Mr. Alba, John Steward would never mention his true point of view. After all, politics were a game that was played with wits and opportunism. Personally her father wasn't interest in racial equality at all,

The only critique I have overall is on a couple entries, such as The Truth Shall Set You Free that just didn’t seem to hit the mark. He talks about getting out of a speeding ticket by telling the officer he has cancer. One can say that he achieves in delivering the message, but to me it just didn’t seem to fit the nerrative as a whole. It felt like an unnecessary jump cut in a smoothly edited film. Other than that, I found this book very impactful on multiple levels.