Thursday, April 20, 2017
Reading Response: Connections to the Past
The readings for Tuesday, 4/25, are making explicit (and sometimes not-so-explicit) connections between our contemporary context, and the history of racism and the movement for black freedom from other eras. Choose one of the texts and show how it invites us to think about that movement as continuous and not isolated, how it invites us to see our current context as connected to and a product of our past. Responses are due by 9:45 am, Tuesday, April 25.
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The author Morrison brought an interesting aspect to the story of Recitatif by keeping the racial identities of the main characters, like Roberta and Twyla unknown. Both of the characters wanted to have a close bond with one another; however, the racist ideology kept them from becoming sisters. In our contemporary time period, this racist ideology have lessened. For instance, two people who have different racial backgrounds can get married with one another and have close bonding. In our current time period, black and white people are friends,go to same schools, work in the same environment and have the same fundamental human rights. It took a long time to build this environment and still, in some cases, there is division and tension between these racial backgrounds. Nevertheless, in comparison to the ideologies that were in place 30 years ago, society has come to the realization that human beings are human beings despite their skin color; no human is more superior than the other. Twyla says, “So for the moment it didn't matter that we looked like salt and pepper standing there and that's what the other kids called us sometimes. We were eight years old and got F's all the time” (Morris 1). In a way this relates to the history of the slave trade. In the beginning of the slave trade, it didn’t matter that one person looked black and another looked white; both white and black nations in some way agreed with the idea of slavery for various reasons. Black nations sold people from their tribes to the British, and British began to manipulate their power over the tribes and demand more slaves. In the end, both blacks and whites received F’s for they both lead to a dark time period in the history. The story of Recitatif shows that being white or black shouldn’t really make a difference on who we are as humans. In our current time period, many of the racial tensions of decreased. Yet, some people are arrogant and like to have power over one another in order to have success; such people are lazy, causing them to resort to an equick and easy path to their success. Therefore it was necessary for Morris to leave the main characters name unknown in order to understand main message of the story’s and not have our biases opinon to intervene with it.
ReplyDeleteAll throughout our history, there have been several occasions where people around the world are picked out by other races. The people who are picked out and treated differently are the ones who have shaped our history more than any of us could know. All throughout the world’s history, there have been instances where these misunderstood groups of people are used and mistreated. They seem to always find a way to get out of their troubles but not without great trials and tribulations. Even during the hardest and most dark situations for people, there is always hope. People are always willing to help one another and in the end everyone comes together and realizes how wrong it is.
ReplyDeleteIn the story, “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison, she talks about the way that two people go through these different trials and tribulations and find their way out of it and stay friends. Although they were not the same, they stood up for each other and did not let anything break them. When Morrison brings the action into the story, it allows the reader to see the way that people allow the race war that is always ongoing somewhere in the world interfere with great people. “Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was.” (Morrison) This quote shows the reader that not only were the times before hard, but also that times never quite fix themselves. When something happens in history, there is always going to be tension between those groups of people.
Morrison helps the reader see that although the time moves forward, the past is still living in people around the world. Some may say that remembering the past is a bad thing, but remembering the past will help shape the world’s future. Although people are always continuously moving and working forward for their future. This is also a big step for the history of racism and the black freedom movement. When the people think about the past they remember the hard times of racism and hopefully remember how it split people apart and tore us as a nation apart.
There is no denying that America has a history of racism and constant brutal treatment to those of African American descent. Black people at one point were seen as property, rather than as humans. Black people had to deal with lynching, beating, and killing for no reason other than because of the color of their skin. The author Jeannine Amber writes “The Talk” and through this short article she is able to prove that the mistreatment of African American’s has by no means been abolished.
ReplyDeleteOne line from the article states, “To gird against the danger that could result from our boys being profiled, we gave our sons the Talk. At kitchen tables, during drives to school, and in parting words as we sent them off to college, we shared a version of the same lessons given to young black men for generations…” This “talk” that was given to these African American men was a hopeful attempt to possibly save them from the law, and dealing with racists policemen and a racist justice system. This has been the hope throughout history when this talk has been given because black men have always had to feel more fearful in their skin then white men. However, the passage later goes on to talk about our current context as a byproduct of our history.
The article discusses the killing of Trayvon by George Zimmerman, because Zimmerman saw Trayvon wearing a hoodie due to the rain, and assumed he was up to no good. This resulted in the death of a 17 year old boy, and the murderer walking away from his trial being acquitted of his crime. The article states, “Before Trayvon, we had the Talk to guard our children against danger. After Zimmerman’s acquittal in his death, we realize with anguish there may be little we can do to protect them. This line specifically shows how the movement of racism is continuous within today’s society. Currently African American people still have to worry about their every move, and have to adapt to certain environments, solely because of their skin color. This is due to the racism that founded this country, and the ideas that have been engraved into white people’s minds, that black people should be submissive to white people. People often believe that the Civil Rights Movement was able to help to abolish racism. However, this is not actually the case. Unfortunately, as seen through this article, racism is something that has not been obliterated. Due to the initial acts of cruelty toward the African American race, the social stigmas placed upon black people have never been able to disappear. Amber’s article ends with the quote, “we realize with anguish there may be little we can do to protect them” which truly shows that because of the racist practices that were practiced throughout history towards African American people, they are still forced to feel the effects today.
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ReplyDeleteThe text “Left” by Finney, reveals us an interesting perspective and approach to the racial difference present in the past and today. The text lines taking about the woman forgetting yhr “e” in the end of the word please, where it says: “do you know simply by looking at her that it has been left off because she can’s spell (…) or was it because the water was rising so fast there wasn’t time?” brings up this massive misunderstanding idea that we are caught up having in the present days. This horrible diminishing of a person due to racial factors, that once was present in our culture. The racial issue encountered in the past, where the supposedly superior white race ruled, can be summarized in that verse, where without even knowing the woman’s reasons why not writing the e, we already assume by looking at her and seeing her color that the e has been left off because she can not spell. The superiority has been carried from generation to generation, and has been left off of conversation, however, the issue is still present. I say our culture because it was once the same in Brazil. Despite not growing up in the United States, and even though Brazil has had much slavery and was big part of the slave trade, today, not so much of a discrepant racial difference can be encountered there, as I unfortunately can see here, however, the difference can be encountered between social economic classes. But that is for another story. Prejudice in any way should not be carried from generation to generation, instead, what should have begin to be passed down is equality, as America is a “fair liberal country.”
ReplyDelete“New Rules of the Road” by Reginald Harris is a poem that really stood out to me after reading it for the first time. It made me reconsider how I view the Black Lives Matter movement and how this movement is shaped by the events of the past. In fact, this movement is not separate from previous ones, but a continuation of the problems our country has faced in the past. “New Rules of the Road” highlights these new ideas of how African Americans are treated, however it is possible to see the effects of past events.
ReplyDelete“New Rules of the Road” does exactly what the title says, explains the new rules and concepts that African Americans are supposed to follow in order to remain safe and out of trouble. The poem starts by telling the reader not to go places he does not belong, make any motions with his hands, speak when not spoken to, and basically to comply with all the orders and requests of the officers. These are new concepts that have to be taught to African Americans, especially teenage boys, in order to protect them from being hurt. In decades prior to this, African Americans did not have to teach their children what to do in a situation with a police officer. However, more and more people, especially minorities, are being killed by police officers these days. This poem does actually describe what the unsaid rules of the road are. In order to not draw attention to yourself or cause any issues, an African American is told to follow these new rules.
When looking at these new ideas and concepts that are being forced on African Americans by society, it can be seen that these ideas are really not new at all, they are a continuation of the past. The lines in the poem that say “Speak only when spoken to or not at all You have the right to Silence” draw attention to this concept of the lack of freedom and say that African Americans have had. When we look back on slavery, we see masters not giving their slaves permission to talk unless they have been spoken to and being punished if they break this rule. The poem also says, “Go quietly When arrested You are Nothing”. Moving forward in history, during the Civil Rights movement, African Americans were again not given equal rights and freedom. When Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving her seat up for a white person on a bus, she was expected to go quietly. The poem also continues to refer to African Americans as nothing and without rights. Even though the poem is called “New Rules of the Road”, this is hardly a new rule or idea. From slavery to the Civil Rights movement to the Black Lives Matter movement, African Americans are continuously looked down upon and considered as nothing. This is why parents these days have to talk to their children about the new rules, since people, like those in authority like police officers, tend to see African Americans as less and worth nothing compared to white people. Therefore, the ideas presented in the poem are not new ideas, but purely a continuation of problems that occurred during past movements as well. “New Rules of the Road” wants us to see our current issues as a product of our past as we as a country continue to have similar movements for freedom.
“My only sin is my skin. What did I do, to be so black and blue?”
ReplyDelete—Fats Waller
Color. It’s a strange concept, once a thing so arbitrary becomes so objectified, so marginalized, so dignified. If they can’t see my color tell me why my black is so negative. I am the epitome of oppression and they still choose to ignore my cries. I am the human form of absence yet they claim to prioritize me. I am the black who wanders the streets and the fear that follows. I am the ignorance they take to bed each night, I am the reason they are the oppressor. The streets of his hometown were once the comfort and solace he so needed. In America he becomes the African American identity, he is not used to being identified by the color of his skin. A once loved hobby is a risk of his own life, the criminal label tied to the color of his skin is nothing short of ridiculous and the oppression that is inflicted on him is said to be his fault. He says the black experience of walking “renders inaccessible the classic Romantic experience of walking alone.” After several close encounters with discriminatory acts of violence, he longs for the freedom of walking alone but fears the risk. This freedom is something that our ancestors have fought for us, something we have come a long way to get yet still are denied. We are said to be equal but still wait for the actions to speak louder than the words. “We long to look, to think, to talk, to get away. But more than anything else, we long to be free. We want the freedom and pleasure of walking without fear—without others’ fear—wherever we choose.”I can only think that we are so close but still so far from where we need to be. Our ancestors have been fighting this war and the oppressor still ignores our cry for the chains to be broken once and for all.