The book “Life on the Color Line” by Gregory H.williams mainly discussed on what the author had experienced when he was a child. At first, he thought that he is a white people, after moved to Indiana and met with his paternal grandmother, he discovered that he is a black people since his father, Tony, is part-black who passes for white. Gregory stayed at Virginia in 1950s before his family business had failed and his parents’ marriage fell apart. after his parents had divorced, he moved to Indiana with his younger brother, Mike, to stay with his paternal relatives. While staying in Virginia, he still can be considered as a white boy, but after he moved to Indiana, everyone treated him as a colored boy (Williams, 1995,p. 33). While staying at …show more content…
Gregory get to know some new friends from the school when he was studying in the Indiana. He always hangs out with his best friends, Molly and Sally, who are a white people (Williams, 1995, p. 45). At first, three of them are inseparable, but after Molly and Sally discovered that Gregory is a black people, they started to avoid him and keep a distance with him. They sat in the seats on the far side of the room in the class, which were far away from him and turned their backs to Gregory when he was trying to approach them (Williams, 1995, p. 46). Not only his friends treated him differently after they knew about his background, the school also treated him differently. Suppose Gregory will receive an Academic Achievement Award at his graduation ceremonies, but because he is a black student, hence the school selected another student to receive the award. Alcoholism is also one of the issues that the book has focused on. Consuming alcohol not only affect our health, but it will affect our judgment and action. People who consume excessive alcohol would lost control on their own action which will eventually endanger the safety of the people. Gregory father, Tony is a typical example of alcoholic, when he was drunk, he will beat and kick his wife. “You white bitch. If I ever catch you fucking that nigger again, i’m gonna kill you. You understand?” (Williams, 1995, p. 22), he said that to his wife after he has battered his wife when he was
Post-emancipation life was just as bad for the people of “mixed blood” because they were more black than white, but not accepted by whites. In the story those with mixed blood often grouped together in societies, in hopes to raise their social standards so that there were more opportunities for...
As well as the long last effect that alcoholic parents have on a child and a loved one. Moreover, McCullers writes his story incorporating the reality of alcoholism to allow people to visualize the effect of addiction and how it a very serious life changing issue that can deteriorate and break apart families. Mucllurs also indirectly emphasizes the sacrifices that parents must do to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of their children and how being disconnected from your social circle can lead to very serious mentally draining issues. As well as how he emphasizes Martins own intentions and how Matin suffers his own dilemma throughout the story for specific
One in every twelve adults suffer from alcoholism in the United States, and it is the most commonly used addictive substance in the world. The World Health Organization has defined alcoholism as “an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency.” Reiterated themes encompassing Jeannette Walls’ father’s addiction to alcohol are found in her novel, The Glass Castle: a memoir, which displays instances of financial instability and abuse that hurt the Walls children for the rest of their lives. The Walls’, altogether, are emotionally, physically, and mentally affected by Rex’s alcoholism, which leads to consequences on the Walls children.
In this time, the black community in America was beginning to find their voice and stand up for what they believed in and who they truly were. The problem with James is that he didn’t know who he truly was. He didn’t understand how he could be two different things while all of his siblings identified as one. They instilled a sense of resentment toward whites in him that confused him beyond belief. This confusion left him believing that his mixed race was a curse and something that he would have to carry on his back for the rest of his life. He believed it to be a burden, as he felt that he didn’t truly belong anywhere because of it. "I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white. My siblings had already instilled the notion of black pride in me. I would have preferred that mommy were black. Now, as a grown man, I feel privileged to have come from two worlds." - James McBride. In his memoir, on of James' main realization about his life is that in the transition from adolescence to adulthood, he learned that being mixed race wasn’t so much a curse as a blessing.
The transition of being a black man in a time just after slavery was a hard one. A black man had to prove himself at the same time had to come to terms with the fact that he would never amount to much in a white dominated country. Some young black men did actually make it but it was a long and bitter road. Most young men fell into the same trappings as the narrator’s brother. Times were hard and most young boys growing up in Harlem were swept off their feet by the onslaught of change. For American blacks in the middle of the twentieth century, racism is another of the dark forces of destruction and meaninglessness which must be endured. Beauty, joy, triumph, security, suffering, and sorrow are all creations of community, especially of family and family-like groups. They are temporary havens from the world''s trouble, and they are also the meanings of human life.
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.
In the article “Children of Alcoholics” produced by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the author explains the negative effect of parental alcoholism on their children’s emotional wellbeing, when he writes, “Children with alcoholic parents are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, antisocial behavior, relationship difficulties, behavioral problems, and/or alcohol abuse. One recent study finds that children of drug-abusing fathers have the worst mental health issues (Children of Alcoholics 1). Walls reflects upon her childhood experiences in which her father would become drunk and not be able to control his behavior, as she writes, “After working on the bottle for a while, Dad turned into an angry-eyed stranger who threw around furniture and threatened to beat up Mom or anyone else who got in his way. When he’d had his fill of cussing and hollering and smashing things up, he’d collapse” (Walls 23). The Walls children, who frequently encounter their father’s abusive behavior, are affected mentally in the same way that national studies have shown. Jeanette Walls describes how, after drinking, her father’s behavior becomes cruel and intolerable through his use of profanity, threats, and angry, even violent, actions. In a conventional family, a parent has the responsibility of being a role model to influence their children in a positive way as they develop. Unfortunately, in the Walls family and other families with alcoholic parents, children are often subject to abuse and violence, which places them at risk, not only physically, but mentally. Rex’s irrational behavior when he is drunk is detrimental to the children’s upbringing, causing them to lose trust in their parents, have significantly lower self-esteem and confidence, and feel insecure. Rex’s behavior contributes to Jeanette’s
“When Dad went crazy, we all had our own ways of shutting down and closing off…” (Walls 115).In Jeannette Walls memoir, The Glass Castle, Walls enlightens the reader on what it’s like to grow up with a parent who is dependent on alcohol, Rex Walls, Jeannette’s father, was an alcoholic. Psychologically, having a parent who abuses alcohol is the worst thing for a child. The psychological state of these children can get of poorer quality as they grow up. Leaving the child with psychiatric disorders in the future and or being an alcoholic as well.
This book takes place in the late-1950’s. John Howard Griffin was a normal white man living in Mansfield, Texas. But inside, he wasn’t normal compared to other whites during those times. Griffin had many questions about racial injustice that he wish could be answered. But a normal white man couldn’t ask a black man about how he lives because it was abnormal for a white man to be talking to the “inferior” black man.
In the autobiography titled Black Boy by Richard Wright, an African American boy writes about his youth during the beginning of the 1900’s. He was born before the Civil Rights Movement, and after the Civil War. He lived during the time when racial discrimination was high due to Jim Crow laws and the fact that he grew up in the South. The separation and inequality of black and white people was normalized by all of America. Today, in 2017, times have drastically changed.
Up until this point, McBride’s life had been defined by disconnection and uncertainty. As a child, he understood that his family was different when he noticed that “mommy looked different than the other mothers” (13). Being a bi-racial kid with only a white parent proved to be even more difficult as he got older and dealt with more pressures from his peers. During this time, he felt the pain of isolation so acutely that he would get angry at ‘the boy in the mirror’ (his reflection) for “not having to worry about having a white mommy” (28). Even as he got older, the confusion did not stop.
If your Daddy can give fifteen dollars you have no business on relief” (Gregory 638). This quote expresses the shame that Gregory feels because he is poor especially since because his teacher is embarrassing him in front of his classmates. There is no doubt that he was being singled out and that no other student had experienced similar treatment from the teacher. She yelled at him because she was impatient and angry with him. It is also suggested by this time that she had completely given up on trying to teach Gregory anything because of his behavioral problems. It is not implied that Gregory’s teacher tried to encourage or help him. Gregory never referred to his teacher as his favorite which is quite the opposite to that of Wilkins. Gregory wanted to get away from her. “I waked out that day and for a long time I didn’t go back very often” (Gregory 638). Gregory was so embarrassed by what his teacher had said to him in front of his classmates, and most importantly to Helen, as a result he did not want to go back to school because there was shame
“Black Like Me” written by John Howard Griffin is an excellently written novel, based on factual events experienced by the author himself. It is based in the 1950s, a time when racism was widespread throughout America. The basic outline of the story is the following of one man (Griffin) as he embarks on a journey that takes him to the ‘other side’. Griffin is a middle-aged white man, and decides to personally experience the life of a Negro. He achieves this by literally changing the pigmentation in his skin so that he is no longer white. Griffin moves to the deep southern states of America where he is subject to harsh racist treatment by the whites. By doing so, he experiences first hand the reality of racism and prejudice, almost to the point of disbelief. The story focuses on the lives of Negroes: restricted, brutal and harsh. “My skin was dark. That was sufficient reason for them to deny me those rights and freedoms without whi...
Thus, the narrator is at a cross-road in terms of his racial identity; he does not know which racial identity to acquire. During this time period: 1920s, the racial segregation between black and white people were very defined and evident, like the colors black and white, with no gray area for mulattos to belong in. Each race had an overwhelming sense of pride and identity, and thus, it was hard for interracial children to completely feel like one with either race; he is not accepted by blacks because he is half white, and he is disapproved of by whites because he is half black As a result, his inner turmoil leads him to resent and blame his rich white father, and
A main theme in this novel is the influence of family relationships in the quest for individual identity. Our family or lack thereof, as children, ultimately influences the way we feel as adults, about ourselves and about others. The effects on us mold our personalities and as a result influence our identities. This story shows us the efforts of struggling black families who transmit patterns and problems that have a negative impact on their family relationships. These patterns continue to go unresolved and are eventually inherited by their children who will also accept this way of life as this vicious circle continues.