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Racism and ethical perspectives
Analysis of black woman poem
Black woman poem analysis
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“What is the purest color in the world?” — Undoubtedly, many people will answer: “White.” Truly, there is no color purer than white. White is an angel with the purest soul. Oppositely, people may think of black, the color that is considered to be evil, terrified and hopeless. However, there is another meaning of black and white. Obviously, some wars with weapons are destroying so many lives in some parts of the world while the racism is killing uncountable souls in everywhere in the world at any time. Crueler than a war with weapons, it is racism. Does the color of the skin really matter? Both of the poems “Blood White Woman” by Patricia Smith and the poem “Brain on Ice” by Michael Warr answer in a same way: “Yes, it does.” Both of them are …show more content…
The poem “Blonde White Woman” is the acceptance of self while the poem “Brain on Ice” is the non-reconciliation of reality. First of all, in “Blonde White Woman,” Ebony magazine is promoting Smith to question her own skin and hair through the advertising so that she should not be satisfied with herself. After realizing that she is unable to change the reality, Smith turns to appreciate herself. She states: “even crayons fail me now—I can find no color darker, more beautiful, than I am.” Finally, she recognizes the love she has for her own Mother and an acceptance of self, "My name is Patricia Ann." Even though there is a “snowstorm,” the snow is shaken from her black hair—black can be as pure as white, beautiful as well. Contrarily, Warr is more negative. What he wants is not only the nice appearance, but also the successful achievement. Sadly, the subway is the micro world of the reality of metaphor—racism gives him an empty seat. Surly, this seat is not dirty, but every withdrawn and introverted passenger will view the person that sits there as potentially dirty. He believes that fear is irrational, and often predicated on lack of knowledge. He knows clearly that being humans cannot escape it. His hopelessness displays snidely since he similes himself as a murder who can hurt …show more content…
If definitely it is, why “Black” is not? Although both of Smith and Warr know that because of racism, being underestimated is an unalterable reality, no matter what they do, they stand for two groups who are being despised: acceptable and hopeless. Sometimes, of course, the conflict of racism may be simply a matter of aesthetics. There is no doubt that white is always shown in beauty, like snowing and wedding. Nevertheless, black can accomplish solemnness, abstruseness and steadiness. Historically, white people occupied a dominant position, which created the horrible hell for African American. Being enslaved, African American had no proper right, even the meaning of living. God prays for people, hopefully, every mistake should be forgiven by the time passing by. However, it is extremely unfair that people keep ignoring the crying from African Americans. People are the same of living and different from races, which integrates the world into a perfect form. After all, black is as wonderful as
In Tim Seibles' poem, The Case, he reviews the problematic situations of how white people are naturally born with an unfair privilege. Throughout the poem, he goes into detail about how colored people become uncomfortable when they realize that their skin color is different. Not only does it affect them in an everyday aspect, but also in emotional ways as well. He starts off with stating how white people are beautiful and continues on with how people enjoy their presence. Then he transitions into how people of color actually feel when they encounter a white person. After, he ends with the accusation of the white people in today's world that are still racist and hateful towards people of color.
Skin colour means nothing but identity. Many people use it to discriminate against others whereas they have equal intelligence and sometimes the person being discriminated upon could be having sharper brains. This book is also written for kids and immigrants to learn more about the past of where they live. I recommend that every person should see the other as a partner but not as superior to the other and that there will not be any discrimination in our society.
Shelby, T. (2002) “Is Racism in the Heart?” In G. L. Bowie, M. W. Michaels, and R. C. Solomon (Eds.), Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (479-483). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Featured in the upper right hand side of the sketch are several tables of white females and males dining. Humor can be found in the depictions of every white character. The first table shows a man and women sitting together drinking beverages in small, fancy cups. The man in this image is talking while pointing at the newspaper referencing to the Rights Bill. Both he and the woman next to him have raised eyebrows and tight, closed lips. If both faces were to have a title, the title would shout "white supremacy". Sketched above, is another character Baldy manipulated to enhance whites ' pretentious attitudes. This time there is a single man dining alone at a table. His face is practically identical in expression to both the man and women at the other table. Collectively, all the customers are large in appearance and narcissistic in attitude. To audiences, the whites’ presentation is humorous and unrealistic. Baldy deliberately designs the white society in a consistent, unfavorable fashion in an effort to mock white societies appearance. Beneath the simple pen marks on newsprint paper, lies a much deeper symbolic meaning. Baldy cares. Baldy cares about injustice, American rights, and the future direction of our country. He demonstrates this through decision to incorporate
“…it is said that there are inevitable associations of white with light and therefore safety, and black with dark and therefore danger…’(hooks 49). This is a quote from an article called ‘Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination’ written by bell hooks an outstanding black female author. Racism has been a big issue ever since slavery and this paper will examine this article in particular to argue that whiteness has become a symbol of terror of the black imagination. To begin this essay I will summarize the article ‘Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination’ and discuss the main argument of the article. Furthermore we will also look at how bell hooks uses intersectionality in her work. Intersectionality is looking at one topic and
The “red earth, black earth, yellow earth, [and] white earth” describe different races that are present in the world (l. 12). However, this imagery is not confined to signify races, but can also refer to different genders, religions, nationalities, and so on. The juxtaposition of the various colors emphasizes how different people can be from each other. However, the repetition of the word “earth” emphasizes how the earth is a common factor among all people and unites the human race together. All kinds of people are present in the world and each characteristic that defines humans adds to their identities, yet there is always something that connects everyone together. For example, one’s heritage is a significant factor in determining an identity. Each person is “evidence of her [their mother’s] life, and her mother’s” and so on (l. 8-9). Heritage highlights traits that have been passed down from generation to generation, further accentuating the importance of remembering one’s past – or ancestors – in order to help justify characteristics of their
The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing. The author states, “I am the darker brother” (2.2) Here Hughes is clearly speaking on behalf of the African American race because during the early and mid 1900’s African American were oppressed because of their darker skin color. No where in the writing does Hughes mention the word racism, segregation, discrimination. No where in the poem are words like Civil Rights Movement or Harlem Renaissance read. Yet, the reader knows exactly what Langston Hughes is referring to. This is because the writing talks about a darker brother being told to eat somewhere else. This leads the reader to put the point of view of the poem into play. Because it talks of such a brother and because Hughes’s was a revolutionary poet who constantly wrote on the struggles of the black man, then the reader is able to easily interpret the poem as a cry for the African-American man. Langston Hughes’s writing as an African American then makes the narration very probable and realistic.
Murphy expresses how justifying bad deeds for good is cruel by first stirring the reader’s emotions on the topic of bullying with pathos. In “White Lies,” Murphy shares a childhood memory that takes the readers into a pitiful classroom setting with Arpi, a Lebanese girl, and the arrival of Connie, the new girl. Murphy describes how Arpi was teased about how she spoke and her name “a Lebanese girl who pronounced ask as ax...had a name that sounded too close to Alpo, a brand of dog food...” (382). For Connie, being albino made her different and alone from everyone else around her “Connie was albino, exceptionally white even by the ultra-Caucasian standards... Connie by comparison, was alone in her difference” (382). Murphy tries to get the readers to relate and pity the girls, who were bullied for being different. The author also stirs the readers to dislike the bullies and their fifth grade teacher. Murphy shares a few of the hurtful comments Connie faced such as “Casper, chalk face, Q-Tip... What’d ya do take a bath in bleach? Who’s your boyfriend-Frosty the Snowman?” (382). Reading the cruel words can immediately help one to remember a personal memory of a hurtful comment said to them and conclude a negative opinion of the bullies. The same goes for the fifth grade teac...
Muhammad Ali, a famous boxer, once said, “Hating People because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. I’s just plain wrong” (Goodreads, 2015). For many centuries, ethnic conflict between the humans have existed immortally due the never changing differences of culture and values, spinning the cycle of war. Fortunately, some have ended however some still remain immortal in the eyes of those who have experience struggle to this date. The lack of awareness of problems in a cultural crisis concerning those who fall victim to a system and society that discriminates and alienates. With assistance of Critical Race Theory, this essay will examine how the role of race with has affected has caused consequences within the lives of marginalized groups within society through the lives and their relationship with those in their communities.
“Black, white and brown are merely skin colors. But we attach to them meanings and assumptions, even laws that create enduring social inequality.”(Adelman and Smith 2003). When I first heard this quote in this film, I was not surprised about it. Each human is unique compared to the other; however, we are group together based on uncontrollable physical characteristics. Eyes, hair texture, and skin tone became a way to separate who belongs where. Each group was labeled as having the same traits. African Americans were physically superior, Asians were the more intellectual race, and Indians were the advanced farmers. Certain races became superior to the next and society shaped their hierarchy on what genes you inherited.
The Association of Black Psychologist (ABP) (2013) defines colorism as skin-color stratification. Colorism is described as “internalized racism” that is perceived to be a way of life for the group that it is accepted by (ABP 2013). Moreover, colorism is classified as a persistent problem within Black American. Colorism in the process of discriminatory privileges given to lighter-skinned individuals of color over their darker- skinned counterparts (Margret Hunter 2007). From a historical standpoint, colorism was a white constructed policy in order to create dissention among their slaves as to maintain order or obedience. Over the centuries, it seems that the original purpose of colorism remains. Why has this issue persisted? Blacks have been able to dismantle the barriers faced within the larger society of the United States. Yet, Blacks have failed to properly address the sins of the past within the ethnic group. As a consequence of this failure, colorism prevails. Through my research, I developed many questions: Is it right that this view remain? How does valuing an individual over another cause distribution to the mental health of the victims of colorism? More importantly, what are the solutions for colorism? Colorism, unfortunately, has had a persisted effect on the lives of Black Americans. It has become so internalized that one cannot differentiate between the view of ourselves that Black Americans adopted from slavery or a more personalized view developed from within the ethnicity. The consequences of this internalized view heightens the already exorbitant mental health concerns within the Black community, but the most unfortunate aspect of colorism is that there is contention on how the issue should be solved.
The proverbial denial of white theologians to engage color, at least from Cone’s analysis, revealed how deeply embedded racism was in the thought forms of this culture. The need for a God of color proposes a shift in defining “being concerned.” Cone appeals to the generosity of some white Christians and their wanting to lend a helping hand to the poor. He does not view this as a tangible effort of solidarity but more as a “white way of assuring themselves that they are basically [a] “good” people.” In contrast, Cone’s idea of “being concerned” is “being on the side of the oppressed, becoming one with them and participating in the goal of liberation.” The end result is that the colorline becomes obsolete if everyone is identified as black. This is the motive behind the notion that everyone must become black: blackness becomes the centrality of the love of God. If blackness is removed or deemed to have no value, then those who are making concerted efforts to remove blackness must be titled
A social issue Toni Morrison emphasizes in the bluest eye that majority of people believe whiteness as the symbol of beauty and disdain those who are different. Sometimes people do discrimination without realizing that and hurt others’ feelings. Morrison shows this by telling how light skin people feel that they are superior to those of darker skins even in the same race. First, Morrison uses the symbol of white doll, white God, and white movie actresses to reveal that whiteness is the symbol of beauty. Second, Morrison shows people’s crucial and unrespectable behavior towards those who have darker skin. Finally, Morrison shows that people feel proud if they have light skin as opposed to others in their race and how much important they feel
Through the selected readings it becomes clear that race is not only a social construct but also a value that changes depending on the region in which one inhabits. Despite the lack of scientific support for race as a biological phenomenon, race still results in misfortune for many minorities. This present throughout everyday life in terms of job opportunities, education, and life experiences.
As a housewife and a mother, Godwin's protagonist leads a fairly structured life. Her activities are mostly confined to caring for her husband and child and caring for their home. Though she is obviously unsatisfied with this, as shown by her attempts to discard this role, she is not comfortable without such a structure. Even when she has moved into the white room, she develops a routine of brushing her hair in the sun each day. When she decides to write a poem, she shies away from the project once she realizes how many options are open to her; the idea of so much freedom seems to distress her. Even when she thinks that "her poem could be six, eight, ten, thirteen lines, it could be any number of lines, and it did not even have to rhyme," the words themselves are rushed, the pacing of the sentence communicating her nervousness and discomfort.