Black Like Me by Teo Hui Yee
The author of Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin was a journalist who wrote about the racial equality in America. He is well known for the project of travelling to the Deep South as a black man temporarily, which his journey was recorded in this book. After the book get published, Griffin soon became a national celebrity, his work raises the awareness of the public towards the racial segregation of whites and blacks. The book had then published in several editions and there was a film version of the book released in 1964. However, he included in a later edition that his family had to move to Mexico for some years for safety reason. This shows that the reactions to this work are in two extreme ends: some strongly …show more content…
From psychology perspective, one is taught about another ethnic since young and then prejudices are formed, negative prejudices promote negative attitudes and leads to hostile behaviours toward that ethnic. One conducts a hostile behaviour will receive the same treatment from others, and makes him/her to confirm his/her beliefs (self-fulfilling prophecy), which enhances the negative prejudices and conducts a more hostile behaviour next time. Without give in from both parties, mutual understanding can never reach. Based on these information, we can see that in order to build a clear and solid understanding on black society in a short time, a white man can do nothing but to darken his skin color to look like black. Because of long time discriminations against blacks, a black person would not be willing to speak out his true feeling and thoughts to a white man, this leaving Griffin with the only choice— to be a black man …show more content…
First, he has worked as a common journalist for his entire career, a commoner without noticed by public, in my opinion, he bets on this project to earn him popularity because most people from the North have no or limited discriminations against blacks. In fact, there is a precedent project carried out in America—Ray Sprigle’s thirty-day trip to the Deep South. He then wrote a series of articles based on his trip that published on Post-Gazzette under title “I Was a Negro in the South for 30 Days”, which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1938. Followed by this precedent, Griffin knew that his project will get him attention from the country—both support and life threats; he may get killed by racist groups, but he will gain a good name in the long run, for example professor Mark recommends this book to his classes and we are studying on Griffin’s works
The author of Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin was a journalist who wrote about the racial equality in America. He is well known for the project of travelling to the Deep South as a black man temporarily, which his journey was recorded in this book. After the book get published, Griffin soon became a national celebrity, his work raises the awareness of the public towards the racial segregation of whites and blacks. The book had then published in several editions and there was a film version of the book released in 1964. However, he included in a later edition that his family had to move to Mexico for some years for safety reason. This shows that the reactions to this work are in two extreme ends: some strongly …show more content…
From psychology perspective, one is taught about another ethnic since young and then prejudices are formed, negative prejudices promote negative attitudes and leads to hostile behaviours toward that ethnic. One conducts a hostile behaviour will receive the same treatment from others, and makes him/her to confirm his/her beliefs (self-fulfilling prophecy), which enhances the negative prejudices and conducts a more hostile behaviour next time. Without give in from both parties, mutual understanding can never reach. Based on these information, we can see that in order to build a clear and solid understanding on black society in a short time, a white man can do nothing but to darken his skin color to look like black. Because of long time discriminations against blacks, a black person would not be willing to speak out his true feeling and thoughts to a white man, this leaving Griffin with the only choice— to be a black man …show more content…
First, he has worked as a common journalist for his entire career, a commoner without noticed by public, in my opinion, he bets on this project to earn him popularity because most people from the North have no or limited discriminations against blacks. In fact, there is a precedent project carried out in America—Ray Sprigle’s thirty-day trip to the Deep South. He then wrote a series of articles based on his trip that published on Post-Gazzette under title “I Was a Negro in the South for 30 Days”, which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1938. Followed by this precedent, Griffin knew that his project will get him attention from the country—both support and life threats; he may get killed by racist groups, but he will gain a good name in the long run, for example professor Mark recommends this book to his classes and we are studying on Griffin’s works