Blue Winds Dancing

The third section of the essay uses narration but also analysis, as Liu examines the effects of his assimilation. As Liu narrates his experiences in college, he analyzes their importance as related to his own acceptance into white American culture. Liu examines the cause and effect of his acts in college, like how he chose not to be pigeonholed by the race-specific clubs. He considers whether it was a good idea to distance himself from his Chinese culture in order to achieve success and respect in America. The third section deals with Liu’s college experience and how it played a part in his

To show first hand to the whites the inequality’s and hardships that the blacks face, the entire first section is in a narrative and a descriptive format. The use of these types of essays lets the readers feel more involved in the story and feel things for themselves. Split into two sections within itself, this first paragraph juxtaposes two stories — one about a “young Negro boy” living in Harlem, and the other about a “young Negro girl” living in Birmingham. The parallelism in the sentence structures of introducing the children likens them even more — despite the differences between them — whether it be their far away location, or their differing, yet still awful, situations. Since this section is focused more towards his white audience, King goes into a description of what it was like living as an African American in those times— a situation the black audience knew all too well. His intense word choice of describing the boy’s house as “vermin-infested” provokes a very negative reaction due to the bad

On the eve of the narrator and his family 's departure for the United States after twelve years of residence in Paris, the narrator is being chided by his wife and visiting sister about his nightmares. He is worried about his return to the racist United States after such a long absence and what effect it will have on his multiracial family and his career.

Thus, he is convinced “passing” for a member of the white society would safeguard him from a life of uncertainty and violence. He is ashamed to be “indentified with a people [the black race] that would with impunity be treated worse than animals,” affirming his want to be treated as a white person to omit any violence being inflicted onto himself (Johnson 101). This observation coerces the narrator to ultimately decide to “pass” to the white society. While he declares he will neither “disclaim the black race nor claim the white race” but he would change (Johnson 101). He will “let the world take [him] for what it would,” because he refuses to go about life amidst a “label of inferiority pasted across [his] forehead,” which would occur should he claim the black race (Johnson 101). He recognizes that by intentionally “passing” he will keep himself out of harm’s way and safe from having such treatment being inflicted upon himself.

While in New York the narrator sees that the way that the black people act towards white people is immensely different from what he is used to down south. Up North the black people don’t try to submit to the things that the white men want them to do. They actually take a stand and fight back in against the white people in a civilized manner. After spending some time in the city the narrator finds a group called “The Brotherhood” and they are an organization that accepts black people in as equals and they work together as one group to forward their causes. This shows the narrator a different perspective on how live can be for him and his people, instead of having to just submit to the white people they can stand and try to achieve equality.

However, the narrator’s story takes a turn for the worse when the world ever so slowly and subtly becomes more harsh towards him and slowly makes him feel even more exiled, till finally, he feels completely cut off and invisible to society. As he began life as the “model” black citizen but was then thrusted into invisibility by the preconceived ideas of those around him and himself. Not to mention the narrator begins to feel

The text uses main character, Clare, to demonstrate how an individual's abandonment of their own race in pursuit of better life ultimately leaves them feeling lost in society. Clare represents this pursual of a better life, by passing in order to marry into

A lack of self-awareness tended the narrator’s life to seem frustrating and compelling to the reader. This lack often led him to offer generalizations about ““colored” people” without seeing them as human beings. He would often forget his own “colored” roots when doing so. He vacillated between intelligence and naivete, weak and strong will, identification with other African-Americans and a complete disavowal of them. He had a very difficult time making a decision for his life without hesitating and wondering if it would be the right one.

On his deathbed, the grandfather gives a speech telling his family, “[he had] been a traitor all [his] born days, a spy . . . Live with your head in the lion’s mouth” (180). In this time period one cannot blatantly oppose the whites and so one must follow and secretly undermine them; this is the thought that the narrator is haunted with. He dislikes to acknowledge the influence those last words has had on his current progress towards acceptance into the white community. His true attitude is publicly revealed through a Freudian slip during his speech, he says social “equality” instead of “responsibility” (190). Social responsibility refers to the African American people accepting their position in society; social equality alludes to them attempting to climb the social ladder towards the whites. In addition to the narrator botching his speech, the superintendent then begins to praise him although the majority of people were not even paying attention until he mistaken a word. He tells the audience, “[S]ome day he’ll lead his people in the proper path” (190). Because this directly follows the narrator mistake, what the superintendent says indicates that the proper path may be social equality. But for today, he is partly still a member of the struggling youth in search of acceptance that is unacquirable, as well as aiming to manage the future which cannot be

In the beginning chapters of the book, we get a glimpse of the typical home and community of an African American during segregation. Many Africans Americans were too adjusted to the way of living, that they felt

He is taken as a lesser person because he is a black man, but he wants to be treated as if he is the same as the white family he lives with. They don't let him sit at the table because of the color of his skin but his sense of pride doesn't let him get upset “besides, They’ll see how beautiful i am And be ashamed-...”6 . He keeps his head up and still knows that he can be as great. He believes that he will overcome their judgements. With his pride he knows that he will end up at the table instead of in the kitchen one day and that is all that he hopes for, it is what he will work for. He believes that he is in America the so called land of the free, “I, too, sing America” “I, too, am America”7. He wants to be treated as every other american and not like just because he is black doesnt mean to leave him out because he will still laugh everyday and grow strong, waiting for the day that they will treat him as a man and not as a subjective object that they can tell what to do. He knows one day his pride will lead to others not having to go through the

the reality of a racist society. He must also discover for himself that his father is wrong

The story, for the most part, centers upon an African-American family, their dreams for the future and an insurance check coming in for death of the eldest man. Stirring into the mix later is the hugely oppressive,

Since the neighborhood was now inhabited by other races there were now mixed families. A lot of people didn’t like the fact that this was going on considering it to be wrong and unnatural. Things had gotten so bad that a group of Irish people decided to set fire to a colored children orphanage. The fact that they could even think to harm children because of their race both terrified and disgusted me. Now we had our very own war going on amongst ourselves in New York.

    At first, the narrator cannot grasp that his grandfather was fighting against oppression in his work he was compliant to white men. But as he progresses as a student the denials of the system become more clear it is not clear if white men wish for him to advance or not. The narrator’s  worldview has become more