Separate Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South Separate Pasts: Growing up White in the Segregated South is an award winning novel written by Melton A. McLaurin. The first copyright date of this book was in 1987, and the general subject is race relations. The purpose of this book is to understand the cultural idea of a white segregated south, growing out of it to make and see changes, and to recommend for improvement of all people. I believe that the overall theme of this book is change versus tradition. McLaurin did not understand at a young age how much race played a part in life, but had the decency to be kind hearted to each person he met, despite their ethnicity.
In both stories, the black characters are already prejudged by the white people they come across. The people who are targeted by the racism will overcome and continue to live their lives. The stories happen in different parts of the world, but the mindset of discrimination was the same everywhere at that particular time in history. Wright writes about Jim, a merchant sailor. Olaf was a merchant sailor just like Jim when he was younger; the only problem with Olaf was the color of his skin and his intimidating size.
Mariah Pike August 29, 2013 “I Have a Dream” Analysis Martin Luther King, Jr. began speaking in various cities on behalf of African Americans, who, after slavery, were still treated poorly. Segregation was still prominent during the time King was giving his “I Have a Dream Speech”, which, in King’s eyes, contradicted with many United States documents that stated “all men are created equal.” King’s goal was to promote equality throughout the United States and bring all Americans together as one without prejudice towards men and women of different races or religions. He believed that through equality the United States would be a better place. Most of King’s audience consisted of African Americans who felt the same way as he did. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech gave many men and women of different races hope for a better and brighter future.
They met in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement. It was a period when marriages between whites and blacks were socially unacceptable. Richard’s family was especially racists and they partially disowned him when he professed his love for a black woman. He was nearly beaten to death by a group of locals because of his love for Marilyn, but they stayed together. They were together for over 30 years before Richard was shot dead in his own home and Marilyn was arrested for his murder.
In the April 21st entry in the diary found to be John Wilkes Booth’s, he writes, “And why; For doing what Brutus was honored for, what made Tell a Hero. And yet I for striking down a greater tyrant than they ever knew am looked upon as a common cutthroat...” (Goodrich 556). His actions would soon lead to acts of violence spread across the entirety of the country and set the tone for the years to follow. Mob violence became commonplace North and South alike where men were beaten for the slightest show of gratitude towards the death of Lincoln. Even at the hands of a policeman a man was clubbed and sentenced to six months in jail for exclaiming, “Old Abe, that son of a bitch, is dead, and he ought to have been killed long ago” (Goodrich 227).
The poet describes the scene and scent as “…the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth the scent of magnolia sweet fresh then the sudden smell of burning flesh here is a fruit for the crows to pluck…” The poet describes the sight as a very gruesome one but in a tolerant and very non explicit manner. After the poem, the author speaks on the September 9, 2011 attack on the World Trade Center. Scholar Cornel West had his own thoughts to share about the situation at hand. West stated that the United States of America had been “Niggerized.” West meant that African Americans can relate to what had happened that day more than any other ethnic group. They knew how it felt to be the victim of random, useless, careless murderous acts.
This reminds me of the movie Red Tails because the movie is about African American pilots who were discriminated by citizens and other pilots. The African pilots were taunted and white pilots didn’t want to work with them at all. | 2. In chapter 8, Jim tells Huck why he decided to run away. He states, “She pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough…sell me down to New Orleans..I lit out mighty quick, I tell you.” (50) | 2.
One of the forms of non-violent protests was Boycotts. Many boycotts took place throughout the novel and were a simple yet effective way of expressing the black community’s dismay at the racism and segregation. Mrs Logan (also known as Mama) uses the boycott plot to her advantage and the Wallace’s detriment. The Wallace store is charging all of their customers (the black community) credit. The black people cannot afford to shop anywhere else and are therefore forced to shop at the Wallace store and pay the credit.
The presence of racism in Maycomb County has a big impact on many of its citizens and is very evident throughout the novel. “In the novel there are repeated image-patterns and themes which provide a context and a sense of depth for this central concern of racial prejudice; which shows the central theme of racial hostility towards blacks by Southern whites” (Nicholson 89). Colin Nicholson voices his opinion on the novel saying that the image patterns and themes evident in the novel really show the central theme of racial hostility in the town of Maycomb. There are many events that support Nicolson’s opinion on the novel such as the fire that engulfed Miss Maudie Atkinson’s house. The fire that night that engulfed Miss Maudie Atkinson’s house can be seen as the prejudice of Maycomb County; as the fire melted the snow from the snowman, and left nothing but a clump of mud.
Racism is everywhere. Racism groups that were very rampant in the 1950’s, such as the Ku Klux Klan, and the Neo Nazi Group still exist today, but may not be as widespread as they were back then. People discriminated against colored people to the extent that they started to kill them, sometimes by hanging, sometimes by other atrocious methods. In the southern U.S.A. they lynched colored people for no apparent reason. The more common form of racism today is religious racism, such as the Muslims killing as many Jews and Christians as they can.