In the article, “The New Jim Crow,” Michelle Alexander vigorously argues the means in which the American prison system disenfranchises poor people of color by creating a dynamic author-reader relationship through the use of pathos, logos, and ethos, to effectively persuade and appeal her claims to the reader. Utilizing the pathos approach, Alexander evokes emotion from the readers through her use of emotive and visual diction. Moreover, Alexander uses the ethos approach by including the sources and citations or the information she presents her audience. Alongside these citations, the author refers to her own expertise as a lawyer through her personal narratives and simultaneously builds her credibility as a writer. Furthermore, she strategically…
Insight of the Deep South in the Segregation Era Black Like Me is a book about the intense racial tensions in the profoundly segregated deep south of the United States written by John Howard Griffin. The book focuses on the life experience of a disguised white man as a Negro in the South during the 1950s. The story narrates the struggles that an African-American has to endure in order to survive the hostile world of the segregated South filled with racial tensions. The book describes in detail the life experience of John Howard Griffin as a “Negro” during his six-week journey through the segregated world of the South.…
The critical piece of literature, “A Black Feminist Statement” by the Combahee River Collective, provides its readers with the backbone of what Black feminism is. The Combahee River Collective is a collection of Black feminists that established itself in 1974. Their fundamental cause is fighting “against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression” (A Black Feminist Statement 210). The Combahee River Collective, in other words, sees Black feminism as “the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppression that all women of color face” (A Black Feminist Statement 210). The theory of Black Feminism found in “A Black Feminist Statement” prepares an essential foundation for the novel Corregidora.…
“The Struggle for Black Equality” by Harvard Sitkoff, summarizes the key elements in the fight for the civil rights of African Americans from 1954-1980. The book was set up in chronological order, each chapter embodying the new step to gain equality. The first chapter is titled “Up from slavery,” it consists of the small actions that took place slowly to assure the equal rights. By the end of the first chapter, the concept of equal rights was introduced more prominently, opening people's eyes to the problem. Nevertheless, there was still doubt in the system and people who did not agree.…
In “The Contours of Black Political Thought”, Michael Dawson attributes the development of a black “counterpublic” within the United States to “the historically imposed separation of blacks from whites throughout most of American history and the embracing of the concept of black autonomy (independence) as both an institutional principle and an ideological orientation” (Dawson, 27). This term and its classifications originate from key differences between the races in the ways that they perceive and experience their social and political worlds. While technically considered a part of the American public, black citizens have historically, and presently, been excluded from important discussions in the nation’s public sphere. As a result, this “counterpublic”…
Privilege in relation to society view is an influential social grouping where some individuals have massive advantages over other groups. This term is frequently associated with social inequality most especially in relation to various types of groupings such as social class, gender, race, and disability among others. Importantly, individuals’ gender, race, as well as social class are undeniably the imperative determinative of the people’s general level of privilege. In terms of the societal perception, privileged individuals are considered as the norm, since they gain immense invisibility and ease in the entire society whilst others are seen as inferior variants (Karsten, 2006). The noteworthy and specific examples of privilege in my life consist of, white…
The institution of slavery was part of a significant portion of American history, along with human history. Additionally, it is also one of the greatest human tragedies of the New World and the United States. The White Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States was written by Winthrop D. Jordan and tells the history of racism in the United States. The author discusses the very origins of racism and the nature of slavery within the United States through the attitudes of the white slave owners. In the book, the author addresses the problem of slavery through the negative stereotypes, racist laws, and the paradox of Thomas Jefferson.…
In “The Power of One”, written by Bryce Courtenay, Geel Piet is a Cape Colored man who was born in District Six and worked in the Barberton prison. He was a dangerous criminal, a rascal, who has been in and out of jail for forty-five years just because of his race. In the novel, Geel Piet is one of Peekay’s best friends who were described as "the grand master in the art of camouflage" and “a conniver, a generous friend, and a stellar boxing coach”(SparkNotes). Throughout the novel, actually, there are several examples of racism as apartheid takes root in South Africa. Geel Piet is one of the characters who take the brunt of much of this racism.…
There are many concepts discussed within Dr. Maulana Karenga’s book Introduction to Black Studies, but I will be thoroughly discussing Black Studies as a discipline, Black Liberation Theology, Black Womanist Theology, Religious Thrusts, the wealth and income and its influence on political empowerment, the reversal of ghettoization problem, economic and political empowerment of African Americans, Black on Black crime, Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, and Psychopathic Personality (2010). Fundamentally, I will discuss the challenges Black Studies creates for the traditional American education. Black Studies challenges the traditional education in every way. It challenges the fact that all knowledge is based on one particular race—White.…
Paulina Clemente Dr. O’Toole SOA-110-P1 11/14/17 Racial Healing: Confronting the Fear Between Blacks & Whites by Harlon Dalton is a book written to help the reader look sociologically at the realities of society when dealing with race. It highlights the superiority that white folk have in society compared to blacks, or other people of color, and how it’s important to acknowledge this in order to talk about and heal the racial wounds of America. Dalton gives suggestions for both whites and blacks alike to improve the social situations in society while also being able to adjust how blacks continue on with their lives by keeping in mind that it’s all right to maintain their culture, and that they should come together as a community to work through…
The story “Brownies” by ZZ Packer is centered around racial conflict between two Brownie Troops. One troop being all black, and the other all white girls. We are told the story through the eyes of Laurel, one of the girls in the black troop. The theme of culture jumps out in this story due to the obvious ideas of racial prejudice presented by the girls. Especially Arnetta, who starts the whole conflict by claiming the group of white troops used racial slurs against the black troop.…
Coates’ Argument about Black Identity in History “Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body—it is heritage” (103). The novel, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a book that capitalizes on the identity black males but also the lives of all black Americans. Coates uses this book to describe his journey and concern for his son growing up in America.…
The context of Canadian history and national building can be understood by several social structures. The article published by Andrea Smith Heteropatriachy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy, highlights significant views of why an individual would have to leave their homeland and what structures produced it. In the article Smith discusses how different groups are oppressed by white supremacy and that there are several paths to freedom. In addition she states that there some structures that are set up to benefit one group and oppress another. Smith article stresses the importance of understanding the structures of society that prevents individuals to have solidarity and peace.…
In Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family, Saunt explains how the Grayson family tree became a tale of avoiding, dismissal, and denying a part of ancestry as well as family history. In a broader context, it can be traced to America’s denial of being related to African American slaves. As well as the idea that many families ancestors slept with their slaves and created a family tree that connect families together. Saunt mentions in a broader context of brother vs brother, white supremacy, the work that occurred to keep American Indians with African ancestry from having rights, as well as the denial that some families go through.…
In the poem “White Papers [1]” Martha Collins discloses her past, present, and future understanding of racism. Collins use of sound, language, and other literary devices reveal to the reader the process of which the United States has, is, and forever will be going through to amend racism and racial bias. In this poem the speaker travels through her lifetime finding the indirect influences she experienced from childhood to adulthood that resulted in her thoughts on race. The impression that the speaker received through these influences resulted into her believing that racism progressing in a positive direction was not plausible. In the end, Martha Collins reveals that the nation has progressed despite her predictions, and because of this…