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Racism in American Literature and Modern Life I believe that racism will always exist in the society, for it is humans nature, that a person who is not like us is viewed with suspicion or even hostility. Some suppose, that racism is inherent in people as much as xenophobia is peculiar to them. But xenophobia is spontaneous and sporadic, and racism implies some connected complex of views. The history of racism goes back to the era of great geographical discoveries.
There may be even named the exact data of its appearance 1492 - 1498 years: the discovery of America and India. Before that time white people had never met with the humans, so drastically different from them. People, whom European travelers saw in other continents, not only spoke other languages and worshipped other gods, but they also had other skin color. The phenomenon of racism became very evident and could not but be described in literature of many countries. In my essay I would like to concentrate on the three works: Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Doctorow's Ragtime and Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal. The three works represent different views, but both of them are connected with the problem of racism.
The main racial line of the Twain's book is between Huckleberry Finn and Jim, the black slave. Huck is raised in the society, in which racism is very well recognized, thats why he sees Jim only as a piece of his property. He thinks, that he is superior to Jim and treats him in this way. For example, when he asks Jim to tell him about his future fate, he doesnt give any money to him and this is very important, because it is said at the beginning of the book that Huckleberry has a lot of money, so this is the sign that Huck does not care about Jim. Tom and me found the money and it made us rich. (Twain) But everything is changed after Huckleberry runs away from his father and appears alone on the island, where he later discovers Jim. Their relations here become totally changed, as finally Huck starts to recognize Jim as an equal, though it doesnt happen at once.
He understands that Jim may become his saviour here, and he even begins to express positive attitude towards him. On the opposite, Jim takes Huck as his own son, and is ready to take care for him, despite his white skin color. And it is clearly understood that now they both need each other. Thats how Huck forgets that Jim is black, and that he is a slave, and starts to take him as an ordinary human. With time he starts to accept Jims role as a father, and there arises some compassion towards the people who had been his enemies. The story of racism between Huck and Jim is finished by Twain in the following way: Huck states that he always thought Jim was white inside, and recognizes him as his best friend.
So, here it is seen that love and friendship cant be limited by the skin color. Another story is Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. This story shows the inner nature of the American society.
The central figure of the book is the Family (without any names). But the main attention should be pointed to the character of Coalhouse Walker, a black musician, who decided to revenge on the people who had humiliated him. His image is used as a bright example of the drastic difference between the races at the beginning of the 20 th century. Coalhouse walker displays an example of a person, fighting for his place in the society, and being rejected by it for his black appearance, with the tragic end of losing his dream and his life.
His image is not characteristic to that of the real black people in 1900 s. He tries to cross the barriers which had been forbidden for black people to before. He finds his love in Sarah and is going to have marriage with her but all his plans are broken after the conflict with a fireman. He always thought he was equal in this society, but his thoughts appeared to be wrong.
After an incident with his car, he understood that every piece of New York City, where he tried to find a policeman, was working against him. After Sarah's death he turned to crime, he became alienated to the whole society being known as a colored mad man. Coalhouse Walker is depicted as a black man with tragic fate, who has come down to crimes in his wish to find the truth and revenge for having been offended. It is not an image of a usual black. The story rather shows the ways which are to be avoided by any men, not only black. But at the same time Doctorow concentrates our attention on the thought that the main reason of such deeds of people is the existing injustice of the society towards those, who look and behave in different manner.
The rejection of such people in fact turns them to the wrong path in their lives. Ellison's Battle Royal is a narration about the age of oppression, which was ruled by fear and ignorance. This short story has set Ellison as a talented enlightener of the African American issues. The central line of the story is the painful fight of the South American black people against oppression and fears of racist South. The Battle Royal is the boxing fight against African Americans.
This fight is very symbolic. On the one hand, it shows the fight of all African Americans for their position, money and welfare. On the other hand, it shows the fight as an instrument of white people to keep black from uniting. During the fight the narrator pretends to be blind, which is also symbolic of the Afro-American community of that age, when people tried not to see the problems of racism, not to be oppressed and humiliated. Ellison's story shows a call of all black people for uniting and also speaks about the social responsibility and the striving of black people to join the white community and to be equal in it. The racism, which has existed until the end of 19 th century, and was repeated in Germany between 1933 and 1945, may be called classical.
One of its main features was direct naivete. It postulated in simple-hearted manner the priority of white above everything non-white mental, esthetic, or cultural. The racist theory has never concealed its instrumental character: it has always served the racist practice. The content of this practice has always lied in the banning of inter-racial marriages. And this ban has been abolished in the United States not so long ago. This was made formally.
But non-formally, this ban is not abolished until present time. It is valid in America, where inter-racial marriages constitute no more than one percent of the whole marriages number. So, racism is the full player of the present day society. Black people still have to fight for their position in life, equal to this of white people. They need to prove that they are humans and are worth being understood and accepted, as it was with Coalhouse Walker in Doctorow's Ragtime. It is clear that successful fight with racism needs clear understanding of what the race is and what racism is.
Modern anti-racism often takes his opponent inadequately. The main reason for this is that the term racism has lost its traditional content through the recent years, and has acquired more unclear character. Thats why in order to fight with racism effectively, it is necessary to define, what is implied in the notion of racism. The definition of racism, which was used by anti-racism fighters in the past, implied that races were objective reality. And in our days there exists an opinion that the models of human behavior are defined by racial or ethnic affiliation. These very ideas are the roots of racism today.
Though there are laws, which presuppose punishment for racism, in reality it does not influence the fact that racial categories still exist in our life. In modern life there are different displays of racism. The first of them is Skinheads. Today their most hostile attitude is directed at black, Jews, foreigners and homosexuals. Their attacks of foreigners became usual in many countries. And though recently many scientists have spoken about the recession of this movement, but the biggest part of those who research it, suppose that this is something more than simple game, which is proved by the fact that skinheads have existed for more than twenty years, and it still continues to get response from the youth.
The reason of racism is not the color of skin, but human mentality. Thats why the elimination of racial prejudices and intolerance should be found in destruction of false ideas, which have been the sources of wrong conceptions about priority or lower position of some groups among humanity. In all three literary works discussed, the problem of wrong attitude is the main reason of the black peoples problems. Their striving to prove that they are equal and that human stereotypes towards them are wrong, led them through different pat 5 hs. In case with Jim and Huck, it was a very mild and peaceful way of solving the problem, it may even be said that life itself helped both of them to understand the reality. In Battle Royal the way of solving racial problems goes through fight and blood, which was more realistic at that time, and Ragtime is the most tragic story of the unavailing attempt to break the existing barriers.
The latter story is the most radical display of the fight of black people for their rights, which, to be honest, was not characteristic to the black society, but is also shown as an anti-example of human behavior. All people are equal in front of the law, and they have equal rights to be protected by laws from any kind of discrimination. Any theory of superiority, based on racial differences, is false in scientific aspect, reprehensible in moral: unfair and dangerous in social one. There can exist no justification for any racial discrimination either in theory or in practice. Discrimination of people according to their race, skin color or ethnic roots is the barrier to friendly and peaceful relations between nations. It can lead to the breach of peace and safety between peoples, and harmonic existence of different people inside one state.
The existence of racial barriers is contradictory to the ideals of any human society. And state should play a leading role in solving this problem. The state should provide equality of any person in front of the law, without any difference according to the skin color, national or ethnic origin. Racism does not need any explanation or analysis. Its existence des not need any grounding.
This is a categorical statement, which is absolute and cannot be proved. Racism has got all features of an axiom. Racism has taken significant place in literature of all countries. At present time many different world organizations, including cultural societies and football leagues, take preventive measures from displaying any racial attitudes. Racial antagonism is a return of society towards an early and primitive conception of what identity is and what difference it makes.
It is easy to understand that anything like language, culture, or citizenship may be changed, and race cannot. But to be frank, modern racism is the rationalized ideological trend, it is structured and it appears rather in advanced societies. In out time the notion of racism has infected many world cultures. Depicting racism in literature may serve as one of the ways of fighting with its existence in our life. It may show the ways of solving racial problems and may help people understand that there are no substantial differences between different races in terms of character, attitudes or civil rights.
It should be understood that any theory of superiority of any race above another one, is artificial, wrong and false. It raises the hostility and hatred between people. Despite us being modern society, we have hardly been able to find any means of eliminating the notions of racism from our lives. On the contrary, it continues its living with us, finding roots in more and more world cultures. There should be found strict measures, preventing racism, and this should be done through state policies and bans. And probably fiction, having depicted real life of black people in white society, will lead to the better understanding of the problem.
Free research essays on topics related to: huckleberry finn, coalhouse walker, skin color, battle royal, inter racial
Research essay sample on Racism In American Literature
