Racism In John Howard Griffin's 'Black Like Me'

This offers a real state of affairs compared to an artistic novel. The weakness of the book is the view that Griffin seems to have lost a sense of identity after he changes his skin color. From a holistic perspective, black like me offers a comprehensive view of the prejudice that African Americans were subjected during the time that the book was written. Owing to the fact that both the races do not have an understanding of one another, Griffin concluded that it is only love and kindness that has the capability of resolving the racial differences between the blacks and whites. His critique on the use of violence and black supremacist movement however as a form of racism that is likely to result to violence and further misunderstanding is a rational view, which can also be considered to be a strength of Black Like Me.

John Howard Griffin's research should undeniably be considered sociological. He began with a theory, if he became black he could help understand the difficulties between races as both a white man and a black man in the south and with this knowledge develop a means to bridge the gap. With this information he developed a micro-theory, trying to explain a limited part of human behavior; why is there hate among blacks and whites? He collected his data in a process of explanatory research. He needed to test his theory in order to elaborate existing explanations. He gathered all his data and went through all research methods in the hopes of explaining his theory. He followed the research

He wants his readers to imagine the pain and humiliation of the ill treatment that African Americans endure on a daily basis. King writes of vicious mobs lynching people’s mothers and fathers, policemen killing people’s brothers and sisters, a man and his wife not receiving the proper respect they deserve because of their skin color, and the notion that African Americans feel insignificant within their communities; this is why these peaceful demonstrators of whom the clergymen attack “find it difficult to wait” (King, 20). However, King believes that soon, injustice will be exposed, like “a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up” (King, 30). This vivid description helps arouse an emotional response, driving shame into the hearts of his white readers.

John Howard Griffin, the author and main character of “Black Like Me”, is a middle-aged white man who is living in Mansfield, Texas in 1959. Deeply devoted to the finding justice for racism and frustrated by his inability as a white man to understand the black experience, Griffin decides to take stand: he decides to change the color of his skin and temporarily become a black man. After securing the support of his wife and of George Levitan, the editor of a black-oriented magazine called Sepia which will fund Griffin 's experience in return for an article about it, Griffin sets out for New Orleans to begin his life as a black man. He finds a contact in the black community, a soft-spoken, articulate shoe-shiner named Sterling Williams, Eventually, Griffin looks in the mirror and sees a black man looking back. He briefly panics, feeling that he has lost his identity, and then he sets out to explore the black community.

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.

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.

During the book, Black like Me, John Howard Griffin turned himself into a black man to experience the true discrimination of the south. His experiment is six weeks long. During these six weeks he experienced many different kinds of people in the south and how the treated black people. After he had finished his six week experiment he stopped taking the medication that turned his skin darker, which then turned him back into a white man. After all, some people dispute the fact that he actually experienced true treatment of a black man. I disagree with that that statement, because although he was only a black man for six weeks he still experienced the hardship that the black man faces every day of his life.

Black Like Me is the incredibly interesting story of John Griffin, a Caucasian man who decided to try being African American in the south during the 60s. In this analysis paper I will be addressing the ethics of this project, his potential self-deception, his ability to pass unnoticed as an imposter, along with his courage for attempting such a dangerous project in the Deep South. His project was a success and a remarkable accomplishment for such an individual.

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.

Over fifty years ago, a Texan named John Howard Griffin embarked on a revolutionary journey—to darken the color of his skin and experience racism in the Deep South firsthand. While considered extremely controversial at the time, the experiences recorded by Griffin in his book, Black like Me, are still discussed today. The book has continued to inform readers about oppressive prejudice in America, and aided them in realizing that bias, while hidden, is still prevalent today. It has inspired a new generation to work towards equality, while warning them of the dangers of racial supremacy. Readers are exposed to the fact that many deny the existence of racism by convincing themselves that the small

Have you ever wondered what life is like in someone else's shoes? John Howard Griffin is walking in his own shoes as a different person, or so everyone thinks. In his novel Black Like Me John Howard Griffin changed the pigmentation of his skin to discover what life is like for an African American in the deep south of the United States. Not all of his discoveries are pleasant about how whites would treat Blacks, but some are completely astonishing.

His mother or aunt or teacher long ago carefully prepared him, explaining that he as an individual can live in dignity, even though he as a Negro cannot. “They don’t do it to you because you’re Johnny—they don’t even know you. They do it against your Negro-ness.”” This quote, originally stated in Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin on page 45, implies how African-Americans were looked at during this particular time; inferior. African-Americans were treated like they were no more human being than the white folks. This book was great not because of the storyline, but because of the reason behind its publication.

Author, John Howard Griffin, in his 50th anniversary edition book, written in the form of a journal “Black Like Me” (2011), states that he manipulated his natural coloring in order to research the lives of American Negros. Griffin who was a theology student, and musicologist, photographer and novelist decided to see for himself what it was like to be a black man. My first thought was he had a severe case of being shell-shocked. However, he would soon experience the culture, and hatred of an American Negro.

John Howard Griffin was a writer who wanted to write about the truth. In dealing with the racial discrimination problems in the United States, Griffin wanted to write about the realities of the situation. However, he was a white man. He empathized with the black people and wanted equality for them as well however he lacked the experience and exposure to the truth. He decided that the best way to write about this was to be a part of the black community. He consulted with a doctor about making his skin darker so that he can be physically identified as a black man. His doctor was successful in providing him medicine that would make him dark-skinned.

Afterwards, Claudia explains that this type of identifying oneself is all an illusion by admitting that “we rearranged lies and called it truth” (Morrison, 163). Morrison implicitly argues here that anti-black racism is based on an illusion. The excruciating side of the story to the reader is, therefore, that actions based on fantasies can have soul-destroying consequences, as African-Americans actually believing it is true.