Racial Ambiguity on Racial Discrimination
Racial discrimination has been an issue throughout the history, especially in 19th century in the United States of America. The two texts Passing (1929) by Nella Larsen and “Recitatif” (1983) by Toni Morrison engage racial discrimination in related responses. The two works are focused on issuing unclear ethnicity. It will generates questions that why defining race is so important in the time of the works. Both of the writers are carries the same theory that is racial ambiguity is based on racial discrimination. In each texts, there is many of messages about racial ambiguity needs to prevent. Race in these texts is ambiguous when characters starts feeling confusion of their own race either it is on purpose …show more content…
That is the reason why the main characters are consider themselves as victims in the works. In the work Passing (1929), main characters Irene and Clare are ‘pass’ for different reasons. The word ‘Passing’ means act by race in color pretend they are Caucasian. The two characters are both African-American biracial. Because of their non African-American looking figure, they could pretend they are Caucasian for getting benefits from the society. Irene described as a person who acts on what she thinks she knows wheatear or not it is accurate. She does not try to hide her race, but does not open her race to public either. In the work, Irene uses her figure only to go to Caucasian only hotels or Movie Theater. Even though Irene passes for small benefits, she still has negative thoughts on Caucasian. “Absurd! Impossible! White people were SO stupid about such things for all that they usually asserted that they were able to tell” (Larsen 18-19) According to the scene, she is an ironic person who enjoys the advantages but hate it at the same time. Her irony applies to Clare when she sees her risky …show more content…
Irene wants to identify her race but cannot give up her benefits being passed. Clare desires her husband to not reveal her baggiest secret neither. However in a same way they do feel shame about it as well. “It’s funny about ‘passing’. We disapprove of it and at the same time condone it. It excites out contempt and yet we rather admire it. We shy away our from it with an odd kid of revulsion, but we protect it.” (Larsen 97) There are many of reasons that Irene and Clare do ‘passing’, but the main reason is based on white supremacy. The time that Irene and Clare lived was racially discriminated especially by Caucasians. African American was definitely minor there in that
Racial discrimination has been an issue throughout the history, especially in 19th century in the United States of America. The two texts Passing (1929) by Nella Larsen and “Recitatif” (1983) by Toni Morrison engage racial discrimination in related responses. The two works are focused on issuing unclear ethnicity. It will generates questions that why defining race is so important in the time of the works. Both of the writers are carries the same theory that is racial ambiguity is based on racial discrimination. In each texts, there is many of messages about racial ambiguity needs to prevent. Race in these texts is ambiguous when characters starts feeling confusion of their own race either it is on purpose …show more content…
That is the reason why the main characters are consider themselves as victims in the works. In the work Passing (1929), main characters Irene and Clare are ‘pass’ for different reasons. The word ‘Passing’ means act by race in color pretend they are Caucasian. The two characters are both African-American biracial. Because of their non African-American looking figure, they could pretend they are Caucasian for getting benefits from the society. Irene described as a person who acts on what she thinks she knows wheatear or not it is accurate. She does not try to hide her race, but does not open her race to public either. In the work, Irene uses her figure only to go to Caucasian only hotels or Movie Theater. Even though Irene passes for small benefits, she still has negative thoughts on Caucasian. “Absurd! Impossible! White people were SO stupid about such things for all that they usually asserted that they were able to tell” (Larsen 18-19) According to the scene, she is an ironic person who enjoys the advantages but hate it at the same time. Her irony applies to Clare when she sees her risky …show more content…
Irene wants to identify her race but cannot give up her benefits being passed. Clare desires her husband to not reveal her baggiest secret neither. However in a same way they do feel shame about it as well. “It’s funny about ‘passing’. We disapprove of it and at the same time condone it. It excites out contempt and yet we rather admire it. We shy away our from it with an odd kid of revulsion, but we protect it.” (Larsen 97) There are many of reasons that Irene and Clare do ‘passing’, but the main reason is based on white supremacy. The time that Irene and Clare lived was racially discriminated especially by Caucasians. African American was definitely minor there in that