Essay Comparing The Color Of Water And Hamlet

     Ruth compares with two people I know personally. My mom and my grandma remind me of her very much. My mom is very similar to Ruth because they are both independent, witty, loving, and kind. My mom keeps my family on track everyday just as Ruth does. Both my mother and Ruth crack jokes often to lighten the mood. My mom and Ruth care about the well being of their families more than anything. My Grandma is also very similar to Ruth in many ways. My grandma is loving, kind, and firm. My grandma and Ruth both

Mrs. Mcbride was very successful in raising her children “color blind”. There were many benefits to her children in the long-run of her raising her children the way she did. She did not reveal her past to them because she wanted them to have a sense of of their own as a person and not be defined by her past. Since she didn't tell them about her past, they had no other choice but to find out who they were as their own individuals, and have a mind of their own in which today all twelve children have reached their very own success. Ruth and the results that she had with her children was from the way that she raised her children. She was not a dictator and gave her children love. She taught them lessons which they would need for life. She also

Irene's opinion is that people are “Strangers” even in their racial consciousness. Between them, the barrier was just as high, just as broad, and just as firm as if Clare did not run that strain of black blood” (110). Even though Irene and Clare are both light skinned, Clare chooses to take advantage of “passing” while Irene chooses to embrace her culture and identity. This shows two different perspectives on their ideas of race, and identity. Irene mentions that both are strangers in their racial consciousness, even though they are the same race.

Title: Identity and the "Other" in "The Color of Water" and "Hamlet" Identity is a complex construct influenced profoundly by the "other"—those different from us—in ways that often go unnoticed. In "The Color of Water" by James McBride and "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, the interplay between characters and their societal contexts reveals how identity is shaped. This essay examines how these texts use historical and cultural settings to mold individual identities through the lens of the "other." James McBride and William Shakespeare utilize the interaction with the "other" in "The Color of Water" and "Hamlet," respectively, to explore how characters define themselves against and through these forces, shedding light on broader social and

The Color of Water: A Black man's tribute to his white mother depicts many characteristics of Ruth. One of the book's major strength is that Ruth does not view color as an issue. She grew up with a racial father and grew to love people of all color. She endured exclusion and ridicule as a Jew living in the South, and later as a white woman living in black neighborhoods during the black power movement Ruth lives in New York City in a black neighborhood and attends an all black church. Ruth was very courageous, modest, courtesy, and very determinant she made sure her kids had a good education but also good morals.

McBride describes his mother Ruth’s struggle with her past and identity, highlighting her comments on racial ambiguity, “I’m light-skinned. You can be anything you want to be” (McBride, 82). 3. What is the difference between a'smart' and a'smart'? Interpretation Ruth’s statement to her son about racial ambiguity not only addresses the societal pressures to conform to a racial identity that is more socially acceptable, but also reflects her coping mechanism in a racially divided society.

This shows the deep and innate feelings of inferiority that white America has planted into the brains and culture of many African Americans. While detailing her experience with passing to Irene, Clare explains that, “It’s such a frightfully easy thing to do. If one’s the type, all that’s needed is a little nerve” (25). She explicitly stated, “It’s even worth the price” (28). However, as the novel progresses Clare changes her attitude and begins to share the horrors of passing with Irene. Clare knows the consequences that she would experience from the white community, she would lose her daughter Margery, her marriage, and all the physical comforts in life that she had gained from passing. Yet it’s not only these fears that keeps her living the lie that is passing, it is also the deeply rooted feelings of inferiority that were instilled in all colored people.

Race is what limits Irene, ‘She was caught between two allegiances, different, yet the same. Herself. Her race. Race!. The thing that bound and

Every risk that someone takes in their life is bound to have a consequence, for Clare the risk of passing meant that she had to constantly live a life of secrecy. Both main characters, Irene and Clare have allowed “race” to somehow dictate the path of their lives. Irene decided to embrace her roots, while Clare tried to hide them. Ultimately, by choosing to pass Clare was giving up her freedom for a life of lies. An example would be Clare's marriage to Jack.

She is very spiritual, emphasizing the importance of church and God to her children. “Mommy loved God. She went to church each and every Sunday, the only white person in sight...” (McBride 45). She tells the children children to focus on their education and God, not the color of their skin. To the her, the only person whose opinion matters is God. If God loves both whites and blacks, why should it matter what color one's skin is? If this view was shared by all Americans, life for blacks would have been much easier. This is why Ruth McBride sees no problem with marrying a black man. He is just another human being, whom she loved. When her first husband died, leaving her with eight children, she remarried quickly. Like the first, he was black, and she was able to look past the color of his skin and see his humanity. She, like God, sees past his skin and looks within. He also dies, but not before giving Ruth four more children, making a total of twelve children, all with different skin color than Ruth. If all Americans, both then and now, were able to look past the outside, whether it be race, sex, sexual orientation, or religion, America would be a better place to live. James, on the other hand, is embarrassed by his

The Book of Ruth Ruth is a story about loyalty, love, and faith. The simple love story

Although Irene feels that there is "nothing sacrificial in Clare's idea of life, no allegiance beyond her own immediate desire," it is apparent that Clare's desire to return to her African American race is honest, even if the motives seem rather one-sided (Larsen 144). Irene considers Clare to be "selfish, cold and hard" (Larsen 144). Irene also feels that Clare does not have "even in the slightest artistic or sociological interest in the race that some members of other races displayed…[She] cared nothing of the race, she only belonged to it" (Larsen 182). This may be true, but it does not diminish Clare's own pain at having to deny her African American heritage, and her desire to return to it. Irene represents a portion of society who feel that people who pass must have a morally acceptable reason to return to their African American roots such as a desire to rebel against a white society that has forced them into the role of a white person. Just because Clare feels "no permanent allegiance to either the black or white worlds or any of the classic anguish of the tragic mulatto" does not mean that she is not a tragic mulatto (Washington 48). In her own way, "Clare Kendry belongs with that group of tragic mulattos…emerg[ing] as an individual, not as a stereotype" (Davis 98). Because she wants to return to her own race on her own terms illustrates her individuality in the face of the

Hamlet comes up with the idea to fake and act out that he is crazy to throw off anyone that hates him or is going against him. This can be seen as very clever or something unexpected. Hamlet’s idea to act out being insane is just his

The famous Elizabethan playwright, Shakespeare, wrote Hamlet. From the very start of Hamlet, the main character Hamlet seems to be very different then the rest of the people around him. Throughout the play, Hamlet appears to be absolutely crazy, but what everyone around him does not know is that Hamlet told his best friend from college, Horatio, that he might act crazy. I believe that Hamlet is feigning madness to be able to lead people to think he is crazy while he proves that his uncle is guilty and to successfully get revenge. Hamlet wants to get revenge on his uncle, King Claudius, for his killing of Hamlet Sr., Hamlet Jr.’s father.

The different types of contributions that the Book of Ruth made to ethics and racial issues are acceptance of being an alien in a foreign land and that God’s covenant are not limited by any boundaries no matter where you come from or what your background may be. Ruth married a man name Boaz. Ruth was constantly mentioned as the Moabitess because she was from a strange land. Her background teaches that even this Moabite woman can live in covenant and have faithful relationship with him.