The excerpt from Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga on page 105 was chosen to further look at the racial disparities that occur within the novel. Using intense connotation, shifts in tone, and punctuation, Dangarembga addresses a multitude of issues. At its most basic, this paragraph highlights the main character’s brainwashing, draws on the hierarchy of skin color, and, more generally, opens up discussion on ethnic privilege. On a more personal note, this passage was chosen for highlighting the racial awareness that white people tend to lack.
The most innate tension within this passage occurs in the heavy connotations of different words as well as the juxtaposition. The initial use of one of these dichotomies is superiority vs. youth/immaturity.
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She begins the paragraph by finding comfort in white children being brown and beautiful like black people are, which assuaged the “repulsion towards white people,” (Dangarembga Sentence 3) she felt. The general feeling Tambu has then changes from that repulsion, to glorifying white people. She suddenly says that she found them “more beautiful,” (Dangarembga Sentence 7) and loved them. Suddenly, Tambu holds white people in a higher standard than her own people. This begins the sentiment that white people are in a direct position of superiority yet Tambu didn’t always see them this way. The abrupt upheaval in tone signals a sort of praise of white people. It is as if one had just converted to a new religion and they were invigorated and enamored with the beauty of the center of their newfound spirituality. The beauty that Tambu finds within white people is divine and otherworldly. It is not the same mundane, natural beauty that Tambu finds in her own people. The sudden awareness of whites as a separate, if not mystical, race creates even more tension within this paragraph. This opens the way for discussion on the racial tension throughout the rest of the …show more content…
The subtle change in the punctuation of uncapitalized white people to “Whites” is significant. It is comparable to changing from gods to God. White people suddenly become a proper noun, they are now considered superior enough to constitute such an awareness of their greatness. White people also become more impersonal with being granted more celestial status. Within the passage, it occurs right after the tone shift from being repulsed by whites to loving them. This furthers the depth of the tone shift that occurs within Tambu’s character. On a separate note, the reader is given a glimpse into the tension between current Tambu and future Tambu. In the beginning of the passage, there is a small insert that censures the current Tambu’s opinion. This is also where the youth vs. superiority takes hold. The immaturity vs superiority isn’t only between the whites and Tambu, it is between the two Tambus.
One of the most prevalent issues within this passage is the duality between current Tambu and future Tambu. This is portrayed through the tension between Tambu and the white missionaries and ends up manifesting Tambu’s own conflict. The one not just between the two Tambus, but within the current
...eir lifehave felt and seen themselves as just that. That’s why as the author grew up in his southerncommunity, which use to in slave the Black’s “Separate Pasts” helps you see a different waywithout using the sense I violence but using words to promote change in one’s mind set. Hedescribed the tension between both communities very well. The way the book was writing in firstperson really helped readers see that these thoughts , and worries and compassion was really felttowards this situation that was going on at the time with different societies. The fact that theMcLaurin was a white person changed the views, that yeah he was considered a superior beingbut to him he saw it different he used words to try to change his peers views and traditionalways. McLaurin try to remove the concept of fear so that both communities could see them selfas people and as equal races.
Firstly let us consider conflict. In each act of the play, we see the overpowering desire to belong leading to a climax of conflict amongst the characters, which has the consequence of exclusion. Conflict is a successful literary technique, as it engages the audience and focuses our attention on the issue of conflict and exclusion, brought about by the characters’ desires to be accepted by their community.
Conclusion: In all, racial oppression and identification is a concurrent theme in Butler’s works that have been discussed. Butler’s examinations involving the sense of pride and passion towards uniqueness and individualism are evident in many different perspectives. In Butler’s works, the passion the main characters have towards themselves in an alien world teach the reader important values and lessons against negativity and racial discrimination.
In D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation the interactions between black and white characters represent Griffith’s view of an appropriate racial construct in America. His ideological construction is white dominance and black subordination. Characters, such as the southern Cameron’s and their house maid, who interact within these boundaries, are portrayed as decent people. Whereas characters who cross the line of racial oppression; such as Austin Stoneman, Gus and Silas Lynch, are portrayed as bad. Both Lynch and Lydia Brown, the mulatto characters, are cast in a very negative light because they confuse the ideological construct the most. The mixing of races puts blacks and whites on a common ground, which, in Griffith’s view, is a big step in the wrong direction. Griffith portrays how the relationship between blacks and whites can be good only if the color line and positions of dominance and subordination are maintained. Through the mulatto characters he illustrates the danger that blurring the color line poses to American society.
Subsequently, this was a distressing revelation to me and according to (Mahzarin and Tony, 2013) “who were not pleased to discover that hidden race bias was an uninvited potential mindbug,” (pg. 52). Consequently, my cultural experiences or at times lack of true cultural experiences created within me a hidden bias about African
In the next few chapters she discusses how they were brought up to fear white people. The children in her family were always told that black people who resembled white people would live better in the world. Through her childhood she would learn that some of the benefits or being light in skin would be given to her.
Ironically, their journey to the “land of the free” ended with their liberty being stripped from them and their enslavement. The slaves lost their own civilization because of slavery, which led to their lost heritage and history. Their slavery not only subjugated them to the white man, but it also locked their psyche into ego-restriction. Their minds became trapped at a very young age during the original phase of their psychical development. In this stage, their primary narcissism never fully developed, which is what helped to lead to their obsession with approval from the white man. This incessant need for approval led to an impaired development of the psyche. Another key factor in the development of neurosis in the black slave was the lack of education. Because the black man’s primary narcissism never fully developed, due to his lack of a proper education, he attempted to lose his true self and become the white man. America’s early history of slavery led to the obsessional neurosis that the black man had for the white man. Thus the dramatic effect that a civilization can have on the psyche is
As can be observed through the historical events that have occurred over time, race can be seen as a simple idea, but rather it is not and can instead be seen as a complex topic of discussion with more intricacies then what may be originally exposed. In his text, Mills attempts to explain some of these intricacies by starting with the way that race has culminated it self through the happenings and changes that have developed historically in society. It is obvious to see that the soc...
Somehow, everything about the whites appear to elicit a reigning beauty that raises hatred and envy the black girls have against the white girls. Packer argues that even small thing like hair contributes to hostility. The fourth grade says; “their long, shampoo-commercial hair, straight as spaghetti from the box” (Packer, 16). These reinforcements are ingredients of prejudice that brings about racial discrimination. The black girls get jealous of the white girls’ hair, and this leads to discrimination against them. It is worth noting that the prejudices are handed down by the environment and society that people are brought up in. Arnetta, remembers a mall experience when she and her mother were being seen as if they were from China. They were being discriminated because of their race. The various treatments given to black people has played a vital role in intensifying the issue of prejudice, magnifying people’s sense of inferiority, and shaping the views of the black people on the white people. Arnetta says; “Even though I didn’t fight to fight, was afraid of fight, I felt I was part of the rest of the troop; like I was defending something” (Packer, 12). This is a clear indication that society has the power to influence youths. It depicts how society joins hands to fight for what they think is their right. Owed to the fact that this is a society. Everything and everyone is interlinked in a given way, making racism and prejudice hard to do away
Furthermore, the incorporation of these experiences add a compelling and inspiring aspect to the literary piece, thus putting emphasis on the racism issue. By describing the character’s thoughts and feelings when encountering and conquering racism, the readers’ sense of indignation and hope are provoked. Therefore, the readers are given an insight of the cruelty that the Southern black girl faces in a society where racism is
The central ideas of: Racial tensions, racial identity, and systemic oppression, all assist in revealing the author’s purpose. As Malcolm changes throughout the story, his wordhoard and usage of various terms changes as well as the structure of sentences. From half-sentences to long blocks of text, Malcolm’s status also affected the style and structure of his writing; If Malcolm was in a party, the structure would consist of small half sentences as opposed to if Malcolm was telling scenery of a bar in which he would use long descriptive sentences of the setting. Throughout all the chapters, the author was capable of placing vivid images and allowing the reader to experience all the problems and threats Malcolm had to deal
...tive on the psychological damages of slavery. White believes “pairing the psychological with the enslaved woman’s means of survival has helped us analyze many patterns that emerged after slavery (10).”
“Black, white and brown are merely skin colors. But we attach to them meanings and assumptions, even laws that create enduring social inequality.”(Adelman and Smith 2003). When I first heard this quote in this film, I was not surprised about it. Each human is unique compared to the other; however, we are group together based on uncontrollable physical characteristics. Eyes, hair texture, and skin tone became a way to separate who belongs where. Each group was labeled as having the same traits. African Americans were physically superior, Asians were the more intellectual race, and Indians were the advanced farmers. Certain races became superior to the next and society shaped their hierarchy on what genes you inherited.
This essay is about a girl who sees the different ways “Negroes” are perceived in a small town. She states that white people constantly remind her that she comes from grandparents who were slaves. It does not bother her, because it happened years ago and slavery was a price they paid for civilization that had nothing to do with her. The only time she feels like her identity is seen as something dangerous is when she 's in a white neighborhood. She feels that she sometimes is not a race but she 's her own self; she identifies herself as a human and not someone who people should be afraid of. The narrator feels discriminated against, but doesn 't feel angry about it. This essay shows that the narrator felt different when it came to skin beautiful dark skin and people with lighter skin than her, like people would discriminate against her for her skin color. Her racial identity was represented as someone was dangerous and someone whose background was from the times when there was slavery and thats how the whites see her; that is how she is identified but she says that it really doesn 't bother
...omfort and care. The quality of her clothes threatened to derange Frieda and me.” page 63 (Toni Morrison). These sentences say a lot about what and how people perceive others. People are not only judging others by their race in this book but also social class.This connects to Geraldine, who believes a person’s skin tone defines then.Geraldine uses social class to separate black from colored. She calls people “colored” if they aren’t poor and are neat, quiet, sheltered and well-dressed.“Niggers were dirty and loud” page 87 (Toni Morrison).