This chapter was entirely about race and how it affected
people’s perspectives about the people around them. When Janie and Mrs. Turner
talk about race, we can clearly see how Mrs. Turner is biased towards white
people and scorns black people. She claims that she hates black people because
they are poor and they don’t attempt to change their lowly status. She also
mentions that white and mixed race folk, like Janie, have beautiful hair and
skin.
In this book, race is not just the grouping of people with
similar physical characteristics; race is portrayed as the most defining
characteristic that these people have. It rules their life, either becoming a
stigma or a blessing. To people like Mrs. Turner, blackness is a stigma; it is
something to be frowned upon. Blackness ruined your chances at becoming someone
with huge amounts of power. This was the mentality of many people, black and
white, during this time period. This is because people believed that blacks
couldn’t accomplish as much as whites because they were dumber, because their
color somehow displayed their work ethic and IQs. There were also people who
believed in the beauty and power of whiteness. Being white “made” people
beautiful, desirable, and powerful. It “made” them wealthier and more
prosperous, which is why Mrs. Turner believed that worshipping them would bring
her closer to the whiteness she desired.
“To like an individual because
he's black is just as insulting as to dislike him because he isn't white.”
-E. E. Cummings
Change this quote to better suit the Mrs. Turner’s view of whites/
the mixed race/ blacks. Also, what does E.E. Cummings mean when he uses the
word “insulting?” Do you agree with this
quote? Why or why not?
From Mrs. Turner's point of view, the quote would probably sound like, " to like someone because they are black is just as insulting as to dislike someone because they are white." By changing the quote, it makes Mrs. Turner seem prejudice towards black people, which she is, and that "dis-liking the white person" is disrespectful. (In her view) When E.E. Cummings says the word "insulting" I think he means that it is equally as wrong or just as rude to not like him because he is not white. I think his point was, even if you like him because he is black, it is equally as wrong to not like him because he is not white. I do agree with this quote because it is kind of hypocritical of a person to say "i like you because black but I also don't like you because your not white." A person can't help what their nationality is and they should celebrate their heritage and be proud of it! Although, there are some very discriminatory people who think otherwise, like Mrs. Turner.
ReplyDeleteBecause Mrs. Turner believes that disliking someone for the purpose of being black, the quote would probably sound more like, "To like someone because he isn't black is just as reasonable as to dislike someone because he isn't white (although when switched it's a little repetitive)." In this quote, E.E. Cummings means that we shouldn't judge people either positively or negatively based on the color of their skin, and that any judgement based just on skin color should be frowned upon because we need to judge people on character only. I definitely agree with this quote. Peoples skin color shouldn't play any role in the way we view other people. It's just as ridiculous to automatically like someone due to skin color as it is to automatically like someone due to skin color. Racism is defined as "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement," and although racism normally involves looking down on other races as being inferior, even making positive prejudgements about someone based on skin could be considered racism.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Turner would probably say, “To like an individual because he’s white is just as good as disliking him because he isn’t black.” Mrs. Turner doesn’t necessarily have to like Janie for Janie because in Mrs. Turner’s point of view, anyone who ISN’T black should be revered, even if the person isn’t 100% white. I think Mrs. Turner has this point of view (which is different from E. E. Cummings’) because she is sort of on the border between black and white and wants to be included in the whites.
ReplyDeleteE.E. Cummings uses the word “insulting” because even if the person likes black people, it could just be based off of racism in the context of a person only liking someone for being a race they are not. He finds that insulting because the notion of “I like an individual because he’s [insert race]” still comes from the thought that, “I like you because you’re NOT [insert another race]”, which means it’s still racicst.
I sort of agree with this quote. I think it’s correct in that it is possible for someone to say they like another based off of racism, but at the same time, I don’t think that holds true for every instance.