Gender, Ethnicity, And Social Class

1. Describe the difference between race and ethnicity. What roles do race and social class continue to play in the United States?

Brian comes home and Irene feels his burden, relating back to the 'burden of being black', "It was as if he had stepped out beyond her reach into some section, strange, and walled, where she could not get at him" (Larsen 86). Finally, Irene slowly drifting away from Brian represents how racism, again, segregates her from her husband and her upbringing. Irene, unnoticeably passing, slowly drifts away from what she believes in and becomes more like Clare. Clare, on the other hand, is used to being called a racial slur, and when Irene heard John say,

Larsen’s style is a tricky one; in Passing, Larsen’s narration is highly unreliable. Told from the viewpoint of Irene, many aspects are skewed, especially in regards to Clare. In the beginning of the novel, Irene recalls events from Clare’s childhood: “Irene Redfield seemed to see a pale small girl sitting on a ragged blue sofa, sewing pieces of bright red cloth together, while her drunken father…raged threateningly up and down the shabby room, bellowing curses and making spasmodic lunges at her…” (9), yet later she remembers Clare being “selfish, and cold, and hard” (10). If the reader looks past the bias, we see that Clare’s life has been especially difficult and that Irene’s strange dislike for her is completely unwarranted. Larsen’s style

In the “Imitation of Life” and in Nella Larsen’s novellas, Quicksand and Passing, the issue of passing is presented and developed. In Passing, regarding Irene, “She wished to find out about this hazardous business of ‘passing,’ this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chances in another environment, not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly” (Larsen 157). Both versions of the film and both novellas portray black women who come face to face with the act of passing. In the 1934 version of the “Imitation of Life,” the film deals with passing in terms of a lighter skinned girl named Peola while in the 1959 version, the lighter skinned girl’s name is Sarah Jane. The issue of passing in the film and literature remains relevant in the parallels and experiences found amongst Helga Crane in Quicksand, Irene and Clare in Passing, and Peola and Sarah Jane in the film adaptations. The black female characters struggle with the perks and acceptance allotted through passing in white society and the appreciation and understanding of their racial backgrounds.

Passing” by Nella Larsen is a novel about two biracial black women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, and how the two childhood friends struggle to navigate around the harsh racism of Harlem in the 1900s and their deep yet conflicting friendship. This novel highlights the variety of challenges faced by Clare as she is a “passing” biracial woman who has made choices deflecting upon her own people and race for better privileges, as well as the consequences she faces in the segregated world around her. This essay will delve into the variety of scenarios that could have been the ending of the novel, and the supporting details behind why each scenario can be validated. There are many scenarios that could have possibly played out at the ending of

Irene’s strange attraction and jealousy toward Clare is reveal throughout the novel, which started at the Drayton Hotel. She felt a peculiar attraction when she saw Clare, “ an attractive-looking young woman… with those dark, almost black eyes and that wide mouth like a scarlet flower against the ivory of her sin” (14). Irene can’t help but be compel over her sexuality. In later assessing of Clare, Irene always go back to describe Clare with fascination, “the eyes were magnificent dark, sometimes

The narrative of Irene’s thoughts at this time about this stranger stress the anxiety she has about being discovered as a black woman and builds the tension leading to the uncanny moment. The uncanny moment occurs when “Suddenly her small fright increased. Her neighbor had risen and was coming towards her. What was going to happen now? Looking up at her, Irene’s suspicions and fears vanished”(Larsen 8). This moment follows Freud’s definition of uncanny because of it being a moment when Clare appears to be both familiar and unfamiliar to Irene. Clare is familiar in the sense that they were childhood friends, though also unfamiliar because Irene does not know who she is as an adult or her current lifestyle. This moment can also be defined as “the uncanny is that class of the terrifying which leads back to something long known to us, once very familiar”(Freud 1). In this case from a psychoanalytical perspective it suggests that Irene and Clare have a complicated history in which Larsen leaves it open for interpretation. Irene describes Clare in the first couple pages as “catlike” and reminisces about the day when Clare’s father passed away, then suddenly she cuts off her train of thought with “And how deliberately she had-”(Larsen 3). Perhaps Clare had done something to Irene in the past, which

Irene hides her race by passing in ways that seem at first benign such as sitting in a white upper class restaurant The Drayton (Larsen, 13). As she sits, not at all uncomfortable in her surroundings, she slowly becomes transfixed with a beauty in the room who draws the attention of everyone around her. This was Clare Kendry, a foil to Irene’s careful management of her life. What the introduction of Clare and her manner of passing bring to light is that Irene passes not just for convenience but also for the power of the act. By being someone of color in a place that looks down on it, she feels in control. Clare Kendry is the complete opposite of this philosophy of calculated risk, flaunting herself at anyone who passes by.

This scene highlights the fundamental conflict between Clare's yearning for authentic self-expression and the societal pressures that compelled her to deny her true identity. Clare's death marks a poignant moment that profoundly impacts Irene and highlights the complex dynamics of race and identity. Irene's reaction to Clare's death is multifaceted, encapsulating a mix of grief, guilt, and a subtle sense of relief. As Irene grapples with the news, she finds herself reflecting on the intricate web of lies, secrets, and unspoken tensions that define her relationship with Clare. Despite their shared experiences as light-skinned African American women "passing" for white, Irene's steadfast adherence to societal norms contrasts sharply with Clare's more audacious embrace of her racial ambiguity.

In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Mayella Ewell is the conflict of the story. To challenge herself to see if she is powerful based on class, gender, and race. Mayella is powerful due to her race; however, she would not be powerful due to her class and gender. One might think she is powerful over all; however, she does not have power in the eyes of some readers. Proceeding on to see if Mayella has power in race.

Racial identity is an important concept that everyone must deal with in their life. It is an individual’s sense of having their identity be defined by belonging to a race and or ethnic group. How strong the identity is depending on how much the individual has processed and internalized the sociological, political, and other factors within the group. In some instances, people do not identify with their race and they will “pass” as another. Nella Larsen, an African American writer and prominent member of the Harlem Renaissance movement, she explores the consequences of “passing”. Larsen’s Passing is a novel that challenges the concept of ethnicity, race and gender while revolutionizing the idea of what we describe as identity. The novel explores the issue of race through vivid plotting that depicts a mentally touching story of affecting boundaries in the early American society. The novel also explores the effects of racial construction on a person through multiple levels. Through Larsen’s characterization and setting she is able to bring out the social construction of race in an enjoyable and educated format in which race, class distinction and identity themes are intertwined. Larsen herself often struggles with identity, as she grew up being raised by an all-white household after her father, a black West Indian, disappeared from her life. Larsen depicts the theme of racial identity by using two women characters, both of which are attractive, and are “light” enough to be able

Irene wants to control her relationship with Clare and seems frustrated as she loses control when Clare is around. One occasion, Irene tries hard not to accept Clare’s invitation to meet her but ends up going. Later, Irene’s anger goes away just by the power of Clare’s smile, "And under her potent smile a part of Irene's annoyance with herself fled”. This constant loose of power makes Irene vulnerable and the possible affair between Clare and Brian gives Irene a motive for hating her instead of admitting her lesbianism and losing the life she has worked so hard to build.

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

How you do in school, your social ability, and your awareness of others are all guided by how you identify. Identification in one’s gender, race, religion, social class, and ethnicity are all driving forces behind your future self. Identity is a crucial part of who you are, and in recent studies and experimentation researchers have been trying to identify new, untested factors that influence behavior in people. Although, in the past there hasn’t been a strong focus on the positive and negative effects of race and ethnicity, the conversation is now shifting to align itself with the current times. With America becoming increasingly more ethnically and racially diverse, we must take the time to see how certain factors, specifically race and ethnicity, impact a person’s development and behavior.

This section of this paper, I will use three TV show to highlight the issues of Gender inequality in America, and how this affects us not only economically but, also the political side of Gender Inequality. In addition, I will explain the unchallenged culture of male dominance in a leadership position while excluding women who are work twice as hard working as their male counterpart. The word race is a big issue, but I will explain how it mostly affects black or African American people. the word race was created to rationalize slavery until this day African Americans are still suffering because of the color they skin e.g. passed over for a promotion that they are completely