Analysis Of On Being White By Marilyn Frye

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Whiteness as a Political Construct Throughout the article of, "On Being White," by Marilyn Frye, whiteness as a whole is explained. Frye explains that whiteness is a construct that is both social and political, created by the white supremacist society we live in. The members of this group, which is one that is created by themselves, can bend the rules of society in order to favor them, such as deciding who actually is a member of the group. Two pieces of literature that directly show an understanding of whiteness has worked throughout America's history, is Pudd'nhead Wilson, by Mark Twain, and an article on The Guardian, "Black and White Twins," by Joanna Moorhead. In this paper I will explain how both of these readings show what exactly whiteness meant throughout history in both societies, with examples from the text. …show more content…

Percy Driscoll, who is a slave-owner, has property and has a slave by the name of Roxy. Roxy has a boy at the same time Percy has one, with Roxy's boy being named Chambers, and Percy's son named Tom. Although Roxy is a slave, she should be passing as a white person, as she is 1/16th white, which makes her a majority white. Chambers ends up being 1/32nd white, being even less black than his mother, yet still being a slave. This perfectly illustrates what Frye was saying on how members of the white supremacy society can bend the rules in their favor, without any further action taking upon them. Roxy and Chambers are very far off of being considered "black" yet still face the consequences of being a slave. Whiteness had been prevalent all throughout America, especially the southern part, during this time. There was nothing Roxy and Chambers could do to fix these rules, they just had to face what society wanted them to

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