`` Strangers `` By Toni Morrison And James Baldwin

This includes a story of her mother who waltzed into a social service agency dressed in an impressive outfit to set straight an issue that her elderly neighbor had trouble with over the past year in a single day (Cottom 1012). To elaborate, she justifies why poor people ordinarily make the choices they do, while conversely questioning them. In her text, “The Logic of Stupid Poor People”, Cottom declares that “We want to belong” (1013). I agree that we want to belong, if you belong you are safe. At one point, her first professional job manager decided she was accordingly “. . . too classy to be on the call center floor.” (Cottom 1014) This proves that putting money into a brand name suit can have a positive influence on others, in this case she gained a high pay raise and her workload was decreased. If poor people spend money on classy outfits, the rich people will perceive them as their own.

In the essay, Stranger in the Village, James Baldwin talks about his experience as an African American visiting a small village in Switzerland who has never seen an African American before. In the small village Baldwin is seen as something magical and so unusual to them because of the color of his skin. Even after going back to the village several times he still feels like a stranger. To portray his experiences of racism Baldwin strongly uses pathos throughout his essay. He describes the sense of never belonging whether in America or in a small village of Switzerland. Baldwin uses pathos to argue that there is a way to stop racism in the village with the children but America and the adults in the village have too much history to have the same innocence as the children of the village.

We are all a product of our environment. What we hear and see while we are growing up, becomes the norm. This was the case for me. Since being removed from that environment, I have realized that this is a big world that we live in and I have to share it with a lot of people, no matter what our differences are.

Writings from The Other America took place in the 1960s and at that time things were not portrayed through the media as they are today, and that is what made the poor less invisible (Harrington, 1962). However, today reports are not only made through news stations, newspapers, radio stations, and magazines; they are also trending on social media cites, transmitted through websites, as well as cell phones and other electronic devices, and that makes me feel as though more people are aware of the poor, but choose to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. I also feel that a great number of individuals living in poverty disguise poverty even today. Harrington made a great point by stating, “clothes make the poor invisible too: America has the best-dressed poverty the world has ever known” (Harrington, 1962, p.5). That particular point in the article is what convinces me that the poor may even be more invisible today than they were in the 1960s. A great majority of the population I service are people living in poverty. Although they are living in poverty, many are well-dress and well-groomed individuals who are unemployed and receive governmental subsides, but do not consider themselves as living in poverty. So, not only are these individuals invisible to a great majority of the world, they may also be living in

PHD from the University of Chicago, Brent Staples in his article, “Black Men in Public Spaces”(1986), argues that people can be very quick to judge stereotype others based off of what they see. Staples supports his claim by first using anecdotes which frequently narrates his personal experiences, reinforcing the message and making the audience sympathetic to his point of view. Then he gives us some background to the character. These personal insights support the argument made by his previous anecdotes, appealing his peaceful nature with the violent society imagines him to be, and finally he ends with an analogy. He is equivalent of the cowbell that hikers wear in bear country. He means by this that hikers wear cowbells to scare off bears and let them know they are there. So he would act more calm and cautious to let people know he’s there. Staples purpose is to retell his experiences of racism and in order to educate white people on what it's like to be a black man. He creates a sympathetic tone for white people, both genders, and black people.

In society, many people act different ways and were raised differently, making a divergent society. The reason people are different is because of their nurturers, there are a lot of people that influenced others in their lives helping them become the person they are whether it was good or bad. There are many people that think that everyone is born the way they are and live by their nature. And others who think people influence and make other people do the things they do. The way people act and the beliefs they hold stem purely from their nurturer; people will act a certain way based on how they were raised and nature has a lesser impact on the actions people take.

In the short story “Black Men in Public Spaces” by Brent Staples, Brent explains his life of being an unknown black man in a public space. Brent focuses his passage on the negativity he receives from the other ethnic groups. He illuminates their reactions of anger and fear. In the short story “Strangers in The Village” by James Baldwin, Baldwin explains his amusing emotion to the prejudice comments that are being made about him. Baldwin’s emotions were positive and humorous. Though both authors encounter prejudice actions and comments about their race, their responses to the situations were different.

Stereotypes plays an important role in the society that we live in. Our minds are wired to make quick evaluations on people and objects we see and use prior knowledge to conclude. Stereotypes often leads to misconception which affect those on the receiving side greatly. Those on the receiving side will often question their identity because of these discriminations. Some individuals go through Identity crisis for many reasons including stereotypes. During the Jim Crow era, African Americans struggle to be who they are because of the stereotypes from both the whites and blacks. In the short story, "Previous Condition" from the book, Going to Meet the Man, by James Baldwin, Baldwin does a good job of implementing the theme of Stereotypes and identity crisis into the main character’s struggle throughout the story. This paper will discuss four examples of the protagonist's experiences in

In paragraph three of James Baldwin's 'Stranger in the Village' (1955), he alludes to emotions that are significant, dealing with conflicts that arise in the Swiss village. Of these emotions are two, astonishment and outrage, which represent the relevant feelings of Baldwin, an American black man. These two emotions, for Baldwin's ancestors, create arguments about the 'Negro' and their rights to be considered 'human beings' (Baldwin 131). Baldwin, an American Negro, feels undeniable rage toward the village because of the misconception of his complexion, a misconception that denies Baldwin human credibility and allows him to be perceived as a 'living wonder' (129).

“When, beneath the black mask, a human being begins to make himself felt one cannot escape a certain awful wonder as to what kind of human being it is.”(4). In his essay, “Stranger in the Village”, James Baldwin writes about the major differences that African Americans experience in Europe and America. Throughout the essay, Baldwin describes how the Europeans are naive about the black man. The outrage and amusement that Baldwin feels throughout his visit causes the overwhelming realization of the history of the African American.

Toni Morrison, bell hooks, and James Baldwin are all writers, professionals crafting fully realized people living in black and white, and poetically weave humor and personal tragedy into academic essays. In the past, I always avoided calling myself a writer because I simply could not compare with them or their contemporaries. Throughout the years, I realized that forbidding myself from using that title was not a humble act, but instead, limiting myself from strengthening my writing through making excuses. Writing did not come naturally to me. I could do the bare minimum. I would only be proficient enough to pass a high school English class. Labeling myself a writer allowed me to take ownership of the writing habits I developed and motivated

Throughout history, the African American race has battled great social injustices. From slavery to freedom, being property to owning property, African Americans have fought their way to be a part of equal justice. For many black individuals, their identity was non-existent, stripped away, leaving them powerless due to white power. Race, class, and economic standing are all social issues that are prominent in both Beloved and Invisible Man. Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison are both American novelists who have created emotional stories based on raw and authentic black history. African-American individuals were immobilized, forced to be isolated while searching for an identity in a world that chose to see them as the

Many times I have attempted to comprehend the actions of other people. I always wanted to know why people of different genders, descents, and colors had certain cultural, societal, and religious beliefs. It became apparent to me that all persons are a direct reflection of their environment. In other words, all persons unconsciously, and sometimes consciously, reflect and imitate their environment and

Thoughtful word choice certainly gives substance and meaning to pieces of writing. This is demonstrated in Toni Morrison’s “Strangers.” Morrison explores the human tendency to make presumptions and the causes and effects of it. She immerses the reader in her thought processes after her experience. The images she sets for the reader are intensified with her emotional descriptions and meaningful verbs. They vividly support Morrison’s thoughts on the preconceived notions one makes about people.

In a world full of strict social standards and harsh judgement, it is easy for one to be unhappy with their true position in society. It is often simpler for one to hide one’s own identity and project something subjectively more desirable rather than face reality. Blanche in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire struggles with projecting her true self, and I can certainly empathize with Blanche as I have gone through something similar in my own life. Blanche and I both wear masks of superiority in order to conceal our insecurities, and be perceived more positively by society.