James Baldwin And Zora Neal Hurston

Identity is not something that you born with it is the function of location that can be shifted. Identity can be explore by language, knowledge and also be adopted by the culture. James Baldwin and Zora Neal Hurston are the greatest African-American writers explain the term identity of blacks from their different perspectives. James Baldwin write various essays about African-Americans to convey the meaning of Identity through language however, Zora Neal Hurston defined identity of African-Americans by the term of knowledge. She also acknowledges that, if Black people does not have any language to identify there self’s, and have lack of knowledge, then why do Master depend on the slave.
Baldwin’s essays are well written in formal English where he discusses the real problem of socially constructed idea of the Negro’s. According to Baldwin, language is an important to group identity, further connected to the power of the black’s identity. According to the James Baldwin essay If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?, demonstrate that the language is something through which you convey your message to others. The native language can also be called as a

secret code. For instance, African-American protect themselves from danger through language. “The danger in which I was standing from the white man standing just behind me, and to convey this with a speed, and in a language, that the white man could not possibly understand it….He cannot afford to understand it.” (Baldwin 782)
Baldwin believes that the educations has not sufficiently facilitated the African-Americans in the way to grow up. Because they are not able to ask questions from the society. “The purpose of education, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, to say to himself that this is white or this is black… To ask questions of the universe and then learn to live with those questions, is the way he achieve his own identity. But no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around. What societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry which is simply obey the rules of society.”(Baldwin 678-679)
Whereas, Mules and Man by Zora Hurston, is based on oral tradition. She uses Black’s English to interpret the stories or folktales that she collected from African-American experiences in Florida. Hurston also define Identity through different aspects. According to Hurston, knowledge is the power of identity. For instance, How to write a Letter by Hurston supported one of her argument that identity is not something you learn from school, it is something you learn from you surrounding or the experiences that you faced. When the man sent his daughter to school for seven years and tell her to write a letter to his brother. However, the daughter could not able to spell some word even she have schooling for several year, “you been off to school seben years and can’t spell? Why Ah could spell dat myself and Ah ain’t been to school a day in mah life.” (Hurston 41)
There is another example, supported that the knowledge is the power, by one of the Hurston folklore, The First Colored Man in Massa’s House. This folktale is about when John came to Massa’s house first time and was asking about things that Massa had in his house. Massa gave the wrong information to John, he though giving him the right information does not really matter since he will just follow the things in my way. However, in the last when things were too complicated to handle John went to Massa’s and said, “Aw, you better git up out dat bed and come to down stairs. Ah done sat dat ole cat afire and he run out to de barn and set it afire and dat ole Jackass is eatin’ up everything he git his mouf on.” (Hurston 80) Depict that even though John has not these facilities as Massa do but he has the information since he live in the world and have adopted their culture and their language.
According to the above example it showed that, white people believed that Negro’s or African-Americans are not educated the way American do. To further support the knowledge that African Americans are not illiterate Hurston mention the example from one of her folklore, John and the Frog, “There was a great big ole bull frog settin’ right on de edge of da spring, and when John dipped up de water de noise skeered de frog and he hollered and jumped over in de spring.” When Massa asked john what happened did he get water for me, John explained really well that what he saw near the pitcher. “Massa, he had two great big eyes lak balls of fire, and when he was standin’ up he was sittin’ down and when he moved, he moved by jerks, and he had most no tail.” (Hurston 10)
Zora Neal Hurston also shows the concept of identity through the status of slave and the master. John is the slave, who is appeared throughout the text, shows that slaves are present throughout the history and always stays under the master. However, the master is named as Massa. The folklores reveals that even though the slaves are under the master but the point that derived the attention is that how master depend on the slaves. Some of the African-American folklores shows the time where master is depending on the slave John. Without the support of slave master could not easily spend his life. For instance, “John, I’m thirsty. Ah wants a cool drink of water, and Ah wants you to go down to de spring and dip me up a nice cool pitcher of water.” (Hurston 9) Whereas, John refused Massa since, he saw a booger near a pitcher, “No, indeed, Massa, you and nobody else can’t send me back there so dat booger kin git me.” (Hurston 9)
The Fortune Teller, is another folklore that shows how master is depending on the slave named as John, Ole Massa told the landlord, “I have a nigger dat kin tell fortunes.” But the landlord doesn’t believe it. He said, “I bet my plantation and all my niggers against yours dat he can’t tell no fortunes.” Ole Mass says: “I’ll take you bet. I bet everything in de world I got on John’ cause he don’t lie.” On the day of bet there was a huge crowd of people, just come to know that how come the nigger tell fortune. Ole Massa said, “John if you tell what’s under dat wash pot Ah’ll make you independent, rich. If you don’t, Ah’m goin’ to kill you because you’ll make me lose my plantation and everything I got.” When John gave the right answer, Ole Massa jumped in de air. He said: “John, you done won another plantation fo’ me.” (Hurston 81) This situation reveals that Master was fully depend on John.
How the Negroes Got Their Freedom, shows how smart Negroes are, Ole Massa is gointer hang me under that persimmon tree.

Now you get three matches and get in the top of the tree. Ah’m gointer pray and when yoy hear me ast God to let it lightning Ah want you to strike matches.” (Hurston 83) This situation depicted that how Negro trick his master by using his mind. Also depict that he is not stupid, if someone would try to interfere in his business he will tackle him by his mind. "The white man is always trying to know somebody else's business. All right, I'll set something outside the door of my mind for him to play with and handle. He can read my writing but he sho' can't read my mind. I'll put this play toy in his hand, and he will seize it and go away. Then I'll say my say and sing my song."(Walters

349)
Baldwin used formal English in his text while, Hurston uses Black English. Zora Hurston an anthropologist came to Florida to collect the folklores from African-Americans. As she moved from one place to another she changes her identity. “Her personal connection to it exists only in memories of songs, so she employs the songs, symbolic of her personal connection to the area, to mark her familiarity with it.” (Nwankwo 54) She used Black English to build a friendly relation with the black people to make them feel comfortable while collecting the folklores. "What Hurston rigorously shows is that questions of difference and identity are always a function of a specific interlocutionary situation-and the answers, matters of strategy rather than truth" (Walter 347) Hurston shows that how identity is shifting while moving from one place to another. She wants to convey the exact message of black people experiences to the world. She used Black English because she wants to let people know that Black English is also a language.
Both writers James Baldwin and Zora Neal Hurston are agreed that the formal schooling is not enough to educate children. “The Negro child has had, effectively, almost all the doors of opportunity slammed in his face, and there are very few things he can do about it.”(Baldwin 681) They need to learn more about their own culture to figured out there real identity. “Negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic.” (Baldwin 679) Because he/she born in the country of freedom but are not able to contribute in anything nor ask questions because of being Negro. “Children, not yet aware that it is dangerous to look to deeply at anything, look at everything, look at each other, and draw their own conclusions. They don’t have the vocabulary to express what they see”. (Baldwin 679) Then what is the purpose of getting formal schooling to Negro if they have no independent freedom.