Power of a “Dutchman” It was said of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s “The civil rights movement was the largest social movement of the 20th century in the United States.” (Davis) We know many names and faces from this era that help us to realize the full effort that years of suffering poured into such an organized, effective movement. You know Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and even Malcolm X- all commonly thought of names when we refer to the Civil Rights era. What about those who were unable to give speeches? Those who protested softly in the background of a stronger voice? What about those who gave their support in the small things? Where are the names of those who donated their talents to this cause? LeRoi Jones is one such
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Julian C. Rice showed by the implication that Lula gives, within the play, of her accusation of Clay running his “mind over people’s flesh” shows how the white population is quick to conclude that blacks were “uncivilized”. By guiling Clay with, as Reed says, the “Puritan ethic” Lula tries to impose her will on Clay. Thus Jones insinuated the thoughts of his society. In such, he stated, although seemingly hard to understand, just what the problems with white men were. (Rice 44) He confronted- at every turn- the fictitious impressions they held over those they thought of as “less superior”.
Words alone, as we know, do not simply make a man- or play for that matter. The structure of his work, as Andrzej Ceynowa said, will show just as much about Jones as his characters’ dialogue. Within his piece, “The Dramatic Structure of Dutchman”, Ceynowa recounts the cultural background in all Jones’ works and their underlying meaning in a dramatic sense. The vastness of interpretation, as Ceynowa says, can yet be argued with. Even so, we find it critically evident that the structure of “Dutchman”, displays Jones’ character and outspokenness in support of the Civil Rights …show more content…
Lula’s actions contain a wicked poison to Clay; such as a white man’s words affect a black man’s actions. For example, when you put a drop of color into a cup of water and stir the water by mixing the cup, so even one negative word has a contagious affect on other people. As Daphne S. Reed said, “The same facility is demonstrated in Dutchman (1964) as the crazy white woman on the subway spits out the insane notions of white society toward Negros in general.” (Reed 55) Reed’s conclusion displays the understanding that Jones had for the plights of those like himself- being of different skin
Julian C. Rice showed by the implication that Lula gives, within the play, of her accusation of Clay running his “mind over people’s flesh” shows how the white population is quick to conclude that blacks were “uncivilized”. By guiling Clay with, as Reed says, the “Puritan ethic” Lula tries to impose her will on Clay. Thus Jones insinuated the thoughts of his society. In such, he stated, although seemingly hard to understand, just what the problems with white men were. (Rice 44) He confronted- at every turn- the fictitious impressions they held over those they thought of as “less superior”.
Words alone, as we know, do not simply make a man- or play for that matter. The structure of his work, as Andrzej Ceynowa said, will show just as much about Jones as his characters’ dialogue. Within his piece, “The Dramatic Structure of Dutchman”, Ceynowa recounts the cultural background in all Jones’ works and their underlying meaning in a dramatic sense. The vastness of interpretation, as Ceynowa says, can yet be argued with. Even so, we find it critically evident that the structure of “Dutchman”, displays Jones’ character and outspokenness in support of the Civil Rights …show more content…
Lula’s actions contain a wicked poison to Clay; such as a white man’s words affect a black man’s actions. For example, when you put a drop of color into a cup of water and stir the water by mixing the cup, so even one negative word has a contagious affect on other people. As Daphne S. Reed said, “The same facility is demonstrated in Dutchman (1964) as the crazy white woman on the subway spits out the insane notions of white society toward Negros in general.” (Reed 55) Reed’s conclusion displays the understanding that Jones had for the plights of those like himself- being of different skin