I must admit that while reading chapters 35 – 38 of the Same Kind of Different as Me, stomach in knots, bells going on off in my mind, fingers clinched above the keyboard of my laptop, sitting on the proverbial edge of my seat, I needed a happy ending. I needed Denver to make it. I placed the dignity of all African Americans on Denver’s shoulders - the very act that irritates me when others are so bold to make unsuspecting individuals the savior of our race, e.g. Muhammad Ali, Oprah Winfrey, and Barack Obama to name a few. I am not minimalizing the hard truth that people of color have been mistreated to the point of hardly having a sense of self-worth. However, there comes a time when one must take responsibility for one’s own life and …show more content…
But I cannot. I wish I could say that I assumed nothing as I approached Same Kind of Different as Me, but I cannot. I surreptitiously placed Ron Hall’s motives for helping Denver under a microscope. While I did not want Ron to be disappointed in Denver in any way, I also felt a twinge of resentment for the opportunity Ron presented to Denver. The story, in the beginning, felt like a set up. All of these thoughts and feelings are clear indications to me of having not arrived to a place of unconditional love for everyone regardless of race, religion, sex, or creed. I have conditions. I need to know that one’s motives are pure, that African Americans are not viewed as lazy, drug-addicted, sloughs, and that power and influence are not used as a way to make the one with power feel more powerful. Yes, I have conditions, and I am not proud of them. As one called to mission, my job is only to give and not to judge. Same Kind of Different as Me is an impactful example of the appropriate response to one in need. Despite my misgivings and distrust of Denver working with Ron, I also find myself deeply admiring Ron for his level of faith and trust in a man who has nothing, not even a driver’s license. Ron’s use of his influence to help Denver get his license reinstated allowed me to relax. That act helped me to see Ron in a more positive light. With
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.
In Kevin Boyle’s Arc of Justice: A saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age, the author creates a way to describe the discrimination and horrible racial treatment inflicted on the African American community following the civil war and continuing into the 1900’s by following a black doctor’s life and his controversy in equality. The author sets the scene in the booming city of Detroit, a place many blacks ventured to when trying to escape the cruelty Jim Crow Laws forced upon many African Americans. The great migration of blacks fleeing to Detroit in search of a new life brought an increase of over seventy thousand people in just the short span of fifteen years. This sudden unwanted abundance of people, still disliked even in the North, lead to a city full of racial prejudices and unjust discrimination.
King understands that to communicate such a controversial position effectively; logic alone will not be sufficient. To reach even deeper into the psyche of his reader King also attempts to appeal to the reader's emotional side. By presenting vivid details to describe the plight of himself and other Blacks, King offers the opportunity for us to vicariously experience the heartbreaking emotions in the daily lives of African Americans under the laws of segregation. These poignant
Lastly, the spirit and “soul” of the individual was threatened. In the Gilded Age, many workers lost a sense of their true identity, and turned to drinking or long fits of depression. In DuBois’ writings, we also here stories of the desperate slave who has had his identity stripped of him by wealthy plantation owners. However, through all the inhumane and degrading atrocities they faced, the spirit of African-American’s as a people did not die. In DuBois’ book, we read songs and stories that kept hope alive. We
In his article Michael Newbern argued that college campuses should allow guns and license. He supported his opinion by comparing college campuses to other public locations like shopping mall and food locations. The author’s argument is not persuasive enough in this article. The fact that he is comparing campus location with any other locations is something that should not be compared because school is not the same place as any other locations. Institution is a place where people are learning and getting knowledge. Whereas, other public places are a place for people to just hang out and enjoy their life. As a result, it would be unethical for professionals to carry guns around.
Even if it is hard to accept and understand; for many readers, it is a striking self narrative about Coates’ experience of growing up at a disadvantage and a fight to make it to this idea of an American dream. However, Coates’ view on this dream, becomes more pessimistic as he becomes older. At first he believes the dream is achievable, but after the wrongful murder of Prince Jones and the other injustices such as Trayvon Martin and Freddie Gray, the dream become tarnished. The killing of Jones proved to be a turning point, because it showed that no matter how well off, and how successful you want to be, the single act of an unjust racially driven killing, is all it took to end Prince Jones’ dream. Coates states, “The Dream seemed to be the pinnacle, then ---- to grow rich and live in one of those disconnected houses… The Dream seemed to be the end of the world for me, the height of the American ambition.” This quote opens the reader to the life of young black men in today's times struggle to not only succeed but survive. It shows the predisposition that blacks face when they are born in America. This book connects with people of all races, because it opens the doors to the real world, that so many people were trapped
Due to Denver Moore, Same Kind of Different as Me marks a tremendous accomplishment for the literary world giving the homeless a clear voice. It would have been simple for Ron Hall to write the entire book by himself about what he went
Coates reveals that he understands the reality of black men in America. “Ethos is a rhetorical device through the author reveals his or her creditability to discuss the topic at hand.” (Kemp13). Coates shows throughout part one that he truly understand what it is like to live as a black man in America today. “ To be black in Baltimore of my youth was to be naked before the elements of the world, before all the guns, fists, knives, crack, rape, and disease.” (Coates 17). Coates displays that growing up black in Baltimore was a true challenge due to the racism, even before all the violence was added. Coates builds his credibility by giving the
The black race has faced many hardships throughout American history. The harsh treatment is apparent through the brutal slavery era, the Civil Rights movement, or even now where sparks of racial separation emerge in urbanized areas of Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. Black Americans must do something to defend their right as an equal American. “I Am Not Your Negro” argues that the black race will not thrive unless society stands up against the conventional racism that still appears in modern America. “The Other Wes Moore” argues an inspiring message that proves success is a product of one’s choices instead of one’s environment or expectations.
Angela Davis offers a new perspective of activism during the Black Liberation Movement through her autobiography. Using personal stories, she sheds light on the obstacles that she had to face whilst growing up in a predominantly white community while simultaneously trying to balance school, being active in creating a change, constant hiding, jail time, and wondering when the view against colored people would change. Davis’s autobiography is a narrative of strength, perseverance, determination, and love for one’s culture and people.
After the Civil Rights Movement many African-Americans were in a state of limbo. Many didn’t not know how to navigate in society after fighting so long to obtain their rights. African-American writers, artists, and thinkers took a new shift within their work. Their work now centered on two main questions and five key points. The two questions were, what it means to be black in a post-civil rights America?
The film reminds us that “slavery and its aftermath involved the emasculation-physical as well as psychological - of black men, the drive for black power was usually taken to mean a call for black male power, despite the needs of (and often with the complicity of) black women. That continues to result in the devaluing of black female contributions to the liberation struggle and in the subordination of black women in general.”4
Despite the air of racism and discrimination that fills the atmosphere of the book, a common drive that is evident is the dreams that the characters of the book have. The motivating force behind the main characters in the book is the power of dreams and hoping for a change of their circumstances in the future (Emery 21). In a great way, the grip that the characters have on their aspirations relieves them off the sight of their daily struggles and hard work. As one of its inspirations, the book informs the reader of the undying determination of a black family in the pursuit to overcome their challenges and maintain a family that uplifts each other. There is an ever present grow to keep the family hope alive, with anticipation for a better tomorrow.
Chapter 17 covers the first tracking of WWI and how it played out. Before the war even started, Germany had already made a secret plan to knock out France and Russia. One of the biggest events that ignited WWI was in Germany there were many languages that were spoken and most of the people wanted to leave and gain its independence. The war revolved around gaining independence and blame. The Austro-Hungarian Archduke went to Serbia to give it it’s independence meanwhile he got shot by Gavrilo Princip. Austria-Hungary had a feeling that Serbia had planned this ahead of time, which they did. Soon afterward, Austria-Hungary went to war with Serbia and wanted Germany's help, Kaiser William II made the final decision in standing behind and supporting
20% of girls around age 4 want to lose weight while over 40% of girls around age 14 report wanting to lose weight (Serdar, 2014). Men all over the world are being harshly effected by masculine ideology (Ward, Merriwether, & Caruthers, 2006). Advertisements have reached a point that would be considered porn fifty or some years ago. Today, there are 1,848,485 pregnancies to unmarried women and 72.6% of these pregnancies are completely unplanned (Curtin, Ventura, & Martinez, 2014). Now, why is all of this occurring and how is it related? Media is negatively effect women and their self-esteem while posing a ridiculous masculine ideology for men; throughout time, these facts become extremes which results the demeaning of women, the emasculation of men, and ultimately, an increase in unplanned pregnancies.