Daryl McCloud Essay 1 ENGL 2132-Kwist 2/28/11 How Jim is Portrayed We all know the history of slavery and the negative connotation it had on the victims who were affected physically, emotionally, and mentally. Slaves for that period of times would have been considered as not equal of knowledge or uncivilly conducted. What was seen of them then? Other than property, could slaves have had a more definite and significant view? Well, the perspective of these two authors Mark Twain who wrote “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and James Johnson who wrote “Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” will help uncover the portrayal of a character named Jim from the story “Adventures of Huck Finn”.
Summary of “Social Demarcation and the Forms of Psychological Fracture in Book One of Richard Wright’s Native Son” Matthew Elder says that in Wright’s insight in Native Son defines the psychological and sociological problems that damage African-Americans in a world that “whites work to maintain and blacks are forced to accept” (31). Book one, “Fear”, in the novel Native Son by Richard Wright takes the reader through the rough life of Bigger, an African-American trying to make it in a white world. The actions and mental state of Bigger in the first book play a large part in determining his fate. Bigger’s psychological state is influenced by the social fractionalization displayed within the novel. Bigger’s actions and thoughts were driven by a fear that was established by psychological and sociological damage.
Ira Berlin wrote “American Slavery in History and Memory and the Search for Social Justice.” In this he explains the different ways slavery is viewed through history and memory. Through numerous comparisons and contrasts of the two Berlin ultimately states, “ Indeed, only by testing memory against history’s truths and infusing history into memory’s passions can such a collective past be embraced, legitimated, and sustained. And perhaps by incorporating slavery’s history and vice versa, Americans ---- white and black---- can have a past that is both memorable and, at last, past. “ (Berlin 1268) Berlin basically says that to finally overcome the stigma of slavery history and memory should coincide with one another. The film Andanggaman by Roger Gnoan M’Bala depicts the toil and strife of slavery Africans faced in 17th century Dahomey.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”. This quote reveals that Atticus is mainly focusing on the racial aspect of prejudice as it is the most dominant form of prejudice in TKAM. As well as showing that he understands the ethic of empathy and understanding, that he preaches to Scout and Jem. Atticus also proves how the people of Maycomb do not understand Negros as they have not experienced the abuse that comes with the colour of your skin. In the novel there is also the aspect of classism in prejudice with the hierarchy of families being instilled into the society of Maycomb.
Chinua Achebe’s Lens Chinua Achebe’s brilliantly written novel, Things Fall Apart, carefully tells the story of an organized Umuofian society who stumbles and falls apart mostly because of its inner struggles dealing with certain key members of the tribe. Achebe approaches Things Fall Apart with a redeeming and caring eye, as the main purpose of the novel is to change the primitive and spiteful image that Africa had gleaned from various documents written in the past. Many “Westerners”, such as Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness appeared to see Africans as unintelligent and primordial. Achebe made it his duty to prove them wrong, and shed a whole new light on the intellectual capability of African tribes. Both novels involve the colonization of Africa, but each has its own perspective of the native’s response to it.
Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate.” (Achebe 208-209). The commissioner intends to write a book documenting the Ibo culture. He is unaware, and likely uninterested in knowing the full story of Okonkwo’s life. “one must be firm in cutting out the details.” (Achebe 209) Okonkwo had just realized that his tribe was doomed because of their weakness. He decided to take his own life as a result of a lifelong struggle to help his clan by being a strong and hardworking man, in an attempt to distance himself from his weak and unsuccessful father’s reputation.
Maya Thomas Black Power Movement Black Power: Politics of Liberation Kwame Ture and Charles Hamilton began their book, Black Power: Politics of Liberation, with their first contention, that overt and institutionalized racism is rooted in colonialism. Unlike European colonization, here the colonized individuals were imported to these shores. Once emancipated, black people, continue to be colonialized through the manipulation of politics. They go on to elaborate how whites continue to use politics to institutionalize racism in education, voting, housing, jobs and other areas of life. They take the reader through pivotal moments in the South and North to enumerate the chain of events that lead to the achievements and failures of the African-Americans in society.
Some specify the morality of Huckleberry Finn is in the instance of slavery being portrayed, and even claim that it was flawed and misinterpreted to the point where it was a mockery. Julius Lester not only stands behind this claim, but also argues, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not an axe; it is the frozen sea, immoral in its major premises, one of which demeans blacks and insults history,” which is incorrect considering the era in which the novel was written and the fact that the story was being told by a Caucasian adolescent who perceived the events through his own experience and thoughts on the matters at hand. Huck described every situation through his own eyes which contributed to the authenticity of the novel. Regardless of what is considered morally right and wrong to the highest degree, Huck portrays slavery is immoral and just because it is not the level of severity of what others believe it to be, it still boils down to being wrong in his opinion. This is clear throughout the entire book, especially a specific passage where Huck has a conversation with his conscience and argues that he should write a letter to Tom Sawyer and relay the message to
Treachery and Virtue in “Oroonoko or The Royal Slave” Treachery and Virtue are two things that often times do not go together. They in fact contradict one another completely. However, in Oroonoko these two themes play a very important role in the development of the story as a whole. They are the basis for this paper and they teach the reader that if a man’s word is not his bond and he allows himself to be consumed with only self gratification, then that man will abandon his virtues and often become a treacherous person. Because this novel was written during a period in history that dealt with the injustices of slavery, this paper will take on the aspect of a sociological criticism.
The personality of Huck Finn is a dilemma which Mark Twain enforces the readers to struggle during the reading process, Twain’s decision creates a tension throughout the book and demands a great thinking about the personality of the main character. Some might ask if Huck Finn is an embodiment of controversy or is he showing a constant moral growth during his journey or he shifts between being thoughtful adventurer, and just a society follower? The character’s controversy seems obvious to some, while others think that the development of the relationship with Jim is the building force of his mental growth. Huck is a child that experiences the reality of the world, the influence that Tom Sawyer and society produce on him, and being a kid in this reality he tries to create a comfortable entourage for himself, meaning being thoughtful and independent – creating his own rules. The street smartness, adventurous sense and willingness to make changes are the finger-prints of his background.