of love and dust

The free people of color were the descendants of European settlers of Louisiana particularly the French and Spanish and people of African descent. It was a common practice for the early Caucasian settlers to free these children by their slave mistresses. Their mistresses however, were not all enslaved, some were free women of color whose families had been free for several generations. The novel takes place in the 1840s, at which time there was a large population of free people of color living in New Orleans. The theme of the story deals with the topic of prejudice in the times of the 1800's. There are many areas where this is boldly described such as Rudolph's anger because he is unable to vote or even in the language in which derogatory statements are used as easily as a greeting. However, amidst the obvious racisms shown, such as the existence of slavery, there is also subtle layer of prejudice as well, as shown in the treatment of both Anna Bella Monroe and Marie Ste. Marie. In the case of Anna Bella, the colored people of the area treat her poorly and insult her due to her more African physical features. Yet, it is Anna Bella who has won the heart of

These images display a consistent lack of sympathy for blacks. Here he shows an attractive and wealthy, slave-owning white family, including a husband, his wife, and their two children. The young daughter plays with a lean greyhound which stands before them. Black stereotypes evolved as they did not fit into the free market success.

The author of the novel, James McBride, shows how being biracial affected him throughout his life. When James was younger his racial identity caused many situations that made him favor the black side and feel ashamed of his mother. An example of James’ racial encounter is when he says “I could see it in the faces of the white people who stared at me and Mommy and my siblings when we rode the subway, sometimes laughing at us, pointing, muttering things like, ‘look at her with those little niggers’” (31). This is important because it shows how it made him realize that people were being cruel to them because his mom was a different skin color than them. James then states “I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white. I didn’t want to be white… I

This representation is depicted more explicitly as it manifests itself in both Juanita Mae Jenkins’ We’s Lives in Da Ghetto and in Monk’s own novel, My Pafology. When Monk is flying to Washington D.C, he reads a review of the new “runaway bestseller,” We’s Lives in Da Ghetto. The novel is about Sharonda, who “is fifteen and pregnant with her third child, by a third father. She lives with her drug addict mother and her mentally deficient, basketball playing brother Juneboy” (39). While the novel’s premise is ridiculous, what is offensive is the way it is acclaimed and the claims that are made about it. The review heralds the novel as one that depicts “the experience which is and can only be Black America” and claims that Sharonda “lives the typical Black life,” before the conclusion of the novel when she has become “the epitome of the black matriarchal symbol of strength” (39-40).

The novel The Garies and their Friends is a realistic examination of the complex psychology of blacks who try to assimilate through miscegenation and crossing the color barrier by “passing as white.” Frank J. Webb critiques why blacks cannot pass as being white through the characters Mr. Winston and Clarence Jr.

Many tragic events happen in this short story that allows the reader to create an assumption for an underlying theme of racism. John Baldwin has a way of telling the story of Sonny’s drug problem as a tragic reality of the African American experience. The reader has to depict textual evidence to prove how the lifestyle and Harlem has affected almost everything. The narrator describes Harlem as “... some place I didn’t want to go. I certainly didn’t want to know how it felt. It filled everything, the people, the houses, the music, the dark, quicksilver barmaid, with menace; and this menace was their reality” (Baldwin 60). Another key part in this story is when the narrator and Sonny’s mother is telling the story of a deceased uncle. The mother explains how dad’s brother was drunk crossing the road and got hit by a car full of drunk white men. Baldwin specifically puts emphasis on the word “white” to describe the men for a comparison to the culture of dad and his brother.

Though there was a heightened sense of tension over civil rights in the late 1950s when A Raisin in the Sun was written, racial inequality is still a problem today. It affects minorities of every age and dynamic, in more ways than one. Though nowadays it may go unnoticed, race in every aspect alters the way African-Americans think, behave, and react as human beings. This is shown in many ways in the play as we watch the characters interact. We see big ideas, failures, and family values through the eyes of a disadvantaged group during an unfortunate time in history. As Martin Luther King said, Blacks are “...harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what

It was a common fear among the African-Americans. The Younger Family knew that the discrimination would hold them back from their dreams and goals, but because they believe in prosperity and pride, that was the last thing on their mind. The “want” in their spirits, is what sets them at place of tranquility and hope. “In fact, here’s another fifty cents… buy yourself some fruit today - or take a taxicab to school or something! (1.1.1840) Walter is letting his son know that there is no problem when it comes to their economic status. One of the difficulties that the adults faced was their self-righteousness. The discrimination was really enabled when it came to anything in their life. Whether it be buying certain houses, jobs, or even sitting in a restaurant, it was something so common; they learned that it is far more important for their child to know how to live with no fear and worrisome in life. When it came to Walter, he knew that keeping the innocence in Travis’ life was the right thing to do, where for Ruth she was far more upright. The self-doubt they displayed was becoming a burden in their lives, but that transformation and growth is what helped them come to a better understanding of themselves. The Younger Family’s moral development would be their sense of pride, and Mama’s destiny was to continue that pride. Mama’s development within herself had grown to great measures, but when it came to her

So, Mr. Griffin had a multistage process done on his body so that the pigment of his skin would appear darker. After many treatments of ultraviolet light and tablet pills, Mr. Griffin had become a black man. After Mr. Griffin’s transformation was complete, he immersed himself into the black community. Mr. Griffin was not prepared for what would happen to him once in the black life. While Mr. Griffin traveled to different places in the south he met numerous people, both black and white. Some people were friendly while others were quite hostile.

Rhys places Antoinette in such a position to show her readers several things: how Antoinette faced racism and prejudice, her misunderstanding of racism, and the violence towards the discriminated. Rhys also shows how apparent the racism towards white people is, with Annette hinting at the destructive nature of the Jamaican people by saying “they are more alive than [Mr. Mason is], lazy or not, and they can be dangerous and cruel for reason you wouldn’t understand” (29). Rhys needs to show that races, Creole and white people cannot escape racism and chooses to use Rochester and Antoinette to help readers better connect with them. The point of this practice is to show Rochester and Antoinette are both victim and helps create a complex connection between them: through conflict, marriage and their individual faults.

Both black couples of the story, Francine and Albert as well as Lena and Kevin both have surprisingly opinionated feelings towards the white community. What began as friendly terms later change to agitated and tense. Because when the white characters in the act attempt to involve Albert and Francine, they are all surprised to learn that Francine believes them all to be ridiculous. She enjoys the same foods as the rest

The disagreements described between the friend and the author, embody their distain for one another as well as distain for what the other represents while presenting their inability to gain independence from one another. The friend accuses the author of being a monkey in terms of how he is dressed and offers him one of his many suits, symbolizing the author’s own self distain and attempted rectification of the defect. The author returns this criticism by describing the friend as “really [making] himself look like a monkey” when he was dancing. Other arguments continue to display the struggle between the part of the author that wants to assimilate and fit in with the predominantly white culture and the side that wishes to be exactly who he is and do as he likes. One such altercation arises from the shame the friend feels when in the company of the author because of his bad behavior and requests he deny their friendship if asked. The excuse of bad behavior in conjunction with the friend’s previously stated views of Africans or black people indicate that he thinks that such behavior is African and he does not wish to be associated with it as

“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.” (R&J 1.1.181) The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet has shown the readers the bitterness along with the passionate love. The messages which Shakespeare tried to bring to the readers made the play be a timeless classic for tragedy. It gives people similar but slightly unlike understandings from the particular point of views. The different movie versions and paintings take inspiration from the original play, but at the same time, they have their own interpretation to emphasize. From the last scene of the play as a whole, they all want to tell people that the impatience and rush will bring illusion on what people really feel, that urgency and lack of communication may make the people who are involved get hurt. More sadly, the most innocent person always gets hurt the most.

The affiliation between beauty and whiteness limits the concept of beauty only to the person’s exterior. The characters are constantly subjected to images and symbols of whiteness through movies, books, candy, magazines, baby dolls and advertisements. Another example of the images and symbols in the novel is when the black protagonist, Pecola, feasts on a ‘Mary Jane’ candy.

The setting of the novel is a rural plantation in Louisiana in the Deep South. Most of the story takes place on Henri Pichot’s plantation. He is a wealthy influential man in Bayonne who can influence many decisions. Being set in the 1940’s before civil rights, the whites reigned supreme, and the blacks were still seen as inferior. Gaines uses characters such as Sheriff Guidry, Henri Pichot, and Mr. Joseph Morgan to demonstrate the white mentality towards African Americans (Poston A1). The white mentality causes many negative feelings. Folks says, “Part of Grant’s bitterness stems from his negative feelings about the black population in his hometown” (Folks B1). Grant is always mad and discouraged by the vicious cycle the blacks are put through. “The reader is able to gain insight into Grant’s thoughts and frustrations through his conversations with Vivian, his girlfriend. He feels trapped in his present situation” (Poston A1).