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John Griffin's Black Like Me
All men are created equal... or are they? John Griffin's "Black Like Me"
shows how racism is nothing more then the foolish misunderstanding of man.
White's current superiority hangs in the balance as Blacks become tired of being
the minority, in the late 1950's. Even though this struggle isn't as dreadful
as it was then, it still exists. The certainty of racism can't be ignored but
it will soon disappear as generations mix. Racial discrepancies challenge the
unity of human civilization.
John Griffin had a biting curiosity which he could no longer stand. What
was life truly like, for a black man in the deep south? He sought the real
answer to this by darkening his skin with extreme amounts of medication. A new
skin color determines everything and John is now thrown into a new world that he
was in no way prepared for. He was no longer John, an average but respected
white novelist, he was a black man and that is all that mattered. Simple
pleasers like a drink of water or the use of a restroom become near impossible.
John, at first was puzzled by this, but soon realized that it was not his
personality, his age, but his blackness that made him a disgrace in the eyes of
an average white person. If he were white, a white store owner would have not
hesitated in the slightest to allow such privileges. How could these people be
so blind as to not see that a black person breathes the same air, eats the same
food, and has the same internal functions as themselves? This misunderstanding
stares them in the face and they can't see it. Their selfishness and fear is
completely unnecessary but it remains because the whites have never been exposed
to any other way of life. This is why the whites can not allow such common
privileges to Mr. Griffin or any other black person. To treat a black as an
equal was absolutely unheard of.
Fatigued from rejection and many actions which would be declared
unconstitutional, the blacks must do something so their future generations do
not suffer the same. This desire for action only stirs a greater terror within
the (racist) white community. People like, Martin Luther King Jr. begin to
surface. He and many others aspire to show the blacks that they are equal human
beings. Its strange to think that most blacks thought a white was better just
because that is what they were brought up to believe. This new realization
The test he had so eagerly taken identified him as every single race except African. He is, according to the test, 0 percent African. The life he had built was made under an assumed race. He had been passing for black for over fifty years. The discovery sent his world into a spiral and he began questioning what he should consider himself. He had been a part of a community forged through blood, sweat, and tears only to find out that he did not belong. He was now excluded due to the one-drop rule. He had lost his community, but it was all he knew.
The stories that the author told were very insightful to what life was like for an African American living in the south during this time period. First the author pointed out how differently blacks and whites lived. She stated “They owned the whole damn town. The majority of whites had it made in the shade. Living on easy street, they inhabited grand houses ranging from turn-of-the-century clapboards to historics”(pg 35). The blacks in the town didn’t live in these grand homes, they worked in them. Even in today’s time I can drive around, and look at the differences between the living conditions in the areas that are dominated by whites, and the areas that are dominated by blacks. Racial inequalities are still very prevalent In today’s society.
that he is a brave man. As soon as his wife is accused, John quickly
He demonstrated how life was for African Americans in the southern states like South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia. He achieved his goal by dying his skin to become black man, spending several months in 1959 living as an African American as they were living at that time . For example, one of the greatest discrimination the Griffin lived was the deprivation of public services such as the use of a toilet, restaurant, library, education. He said " … this year of freedom any man could deprive another of anything so basic as the need to quench thirst or use the restroom” (61). In my opinion, this is a true example of how Negroes were deprived of physical needs and excessive abuse of whites. Although the president Lincoln had proclaimed the freedom for the Negroes hundred years ago; however, in 1950’s they still have not enjoyed it. Personally, the climax of the book is when the author start to feel the discrimination from white people to him as an African American. He said that when he was in the restroom was the only place that he felt safe, isolated and owns the space around him (132). At this point, I imagine that he was desperate, angry, and disappointed. I guess most of the black people could feel in the same way. Also he said, “… nothing but the color of skin. My experience proved that. They judged me by no other quality. My skin dark. That was sufficient reason for [white people] to deny me those rights and freedoms without which life loses its significance and becomes a matter of little more than animal survival” (115). This is the clearest way that he can prove that because of his pigmentation, he was being discriminated, he was living with a fear of people with the different skin color of him. Therefore, I believe that Griffin
With all of these facts, the author tries to prove that racial differences and privileges appear exaggerated and unrealistic. The privileged and less privileged exist at all levels of society. Duke wants white people to understand that they are in the same position as all other races. The awareness of “white privilege” is only a fallacy that causes feel of guilt without foundation.
John is isolated from birth and through all of his life until Bernard brings him
...ial norms and laws - it is to help save someone’s mom, someone’s daughter, someone’s sister.
In John Howard Griffin's novel Black Like Me, Griffin travels through many Southern American states, including Mississippi. While in Mississippi Griffin experiences racial tension to a degree that he did not expect. It is in Mississippi that he encounters racial stereotypical views directed towards him, which causes him to realize the extent of the racial prejudices that exist. Mississippi is where he is finally able to understand the fellowship shared by many of the Negroes of the 50's, because of their shared experiences. Although Griffin travels throughout the Southern States, the state of
Honey, P. & Mumford, A. (2006). The Learning Style Questionnaire 80-item Version. London: Pearson Assessment.
Eating, drinking, sleeping is part of any daily life. But sometime it doesn’t mean to
Each person has their own type of learning style. A learning style is a method in which each of us utilizes to better understand material. A preferred learning style is a style in which the person can learn best, reflecting their strengths and weaknesses of the individual. In order to understand material we take it all in with our senses, through sight, sound, touch, smell or taste. Multiple Intelligence theory maintains that there are at least seven learning styles (“intelligences”): interpersonal, intra-personal, body/kinesthetic, visual/spatial, mathematical/logical, verbal/linguistic and musical/rhythmic (Lazear, D.1991). For the purposes of this paper I will simplify the seven categories into three main categories in which people best learn information: auditory, visual and tactile/kinesthetic. Most people possess the ability to use all three learning styles but learn best using one specific learning style.
Researchers agree on the fact that while there is no credible evidence that learning styles exist, neither is there evidence to the contrary (Reiner & Willingham, 2010). Different people have different preferences for learning, a fact that all researchers agree on. These preferences can be affected by an individual’s interests, abilities, and background knowledge (Reiner & Willingham, 2010). Studies show that while students have a preferred style of learning, if material is presented in another method, the learning is equivalent.
While reading Kolb 's Learning Styles Model and Experiential Learning Theory, I have identified myself as an accommodating learner. At first I was somewhat surprised, but the more I read about the learning styles, particularly after I completed Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory it made more sense. I have a very hands-on style, which matches perfectly with my enjoyment of performing tests to find the root cause of behavior that I’m investigating. However, sometimes I rush to make decisions on the impulse of having the task at hand finished, failing to analyze all the options that are available. Another element of the accommodate learning style that identifies me is the fact that I enjoy a good challenge. I found very interesting to solve difficult
Racism, still affects our society socially. It is like this every day, everywhere, and every time, people suffer discrimination. All because they have differences amongst each other. Different beliefs, different cultures, different skin color, all of these act like building blocks to help construct what we know as
One gang oath states: "I will stand by my brother, my brother will come before all others, my life is forfeited should I fail my brother, I will honor my brother in peace and war." Within the confines of a gang, brotherhood becomes an idol, something they worship almost; it is the defining factor in their quest for infamous notoriety. The more brothers a gang has the more revered they become. More importantly brotherhood provides a sense of familial unity among the rubbles of a divided society. Here members can feel accepted, here members can rid the burdens of being society’s ultimate failure, h...