Novels are often used to exploit the political and social issues that regularly plague society as a whole. This is exemplified in the book A Gathering of Old Men. In this book, author Ernest J. Gaines illustrates the social tensions between African Americans and the white population in the Deep South during the 1970's. In his story, a white Cajun man is shot in the front yard of an African American man on a plantation. When the sheriff gets there, he finds eighteen old African American men all with the same caliber shotgun and empty shells. The sheriff has to figure out who did it before a man named Fix comes up and tries to lynch one, or possibly more, of the old men. He uses many literary elements to explore the issue, which is essential …show more content…
He gives an insight to the minds of multiple African Americans who live on the plantation as well as the minds of a few white residents, including those sympathetic to the situation, and those who were not. In one chapter, he has the character Lou Dimes think, “I turned from her to look at those old fools around me. I didn’t know who I felt the most pity for. I knew she hadn’t done it, and she would get out of it. But somebody had to pay for Beau’s lying there.” This statement gives us an idea of how some white southerners, who sympathized with the African Americans, felt about the racial tensions at that …show more content…
The reader gets to look through the eyes of Lou, Candy's boyfriend, and see how an average white citizen might feel at that time. He does sympathize with them, but he would rather save his own skin then try to help them in a situation involving a murder. The reader also gets to see into the family of Fix, a southerner who was known for lynching African Americans. The murder was done to his son by this group of African Americans, and yet he doesn't attack them. This is because of the view of his son. He says that his father’s way of handling African Americans was a way of the past and that people didn't do that anymore. This gives the views of the generation, and how they often viewed racism towards African Americans. All these views from white citizens give the reader a second side to see and a way to understand how people felt about the racial tensions of that time and what contributed to
In their memoirs, Eubanks and Wilkie discuss their upbringings in Mississippi with an emphasis on the issue of race during larger historical events. Eubanks and Wilkie’s historical autobiographies both portray a man coming to terms with his southern legacy and its redemption. Throughout both authors’ memoirs, the comparison of their lives are portrayed through their upbringings and outlooks on historical events in Mississippi. “Like most of Mississippi,” Eubanks and his family lived on a farm “which was made up of eighty acres of rolling green pastures and dark rich fields planted in vegetables and fruit trees – all common in our part of Mississippi, except that we were black” (Eubanks 24). Eubanks was the child of educated professionals and claimed that some might say that he “belonged to a privileged class of people, blacks with a sense of noblesse
The way he talks about the black slave’s actions towards the whites and how blacks have a kinder soul than the whites. He says that “… there is a solemn awe in the hearts of blacks, as it respects murdering men: whereas the whites, (though they are great cowards) …, they murder all before them…” (pg. 24). In the story, he tells about the black woman helping the white man runaway this how he explains it. He sees that even though blacks have that kind part in them that to live and go against the whites being nice ever so little will hurt the whole operation. This article really spoke to the blacks about unity and that the only way to achieve that is to only care for one another and not the whites.
In the story, “A Gathering of Old Men” Ernest J. Gaines writes a story about a woman and her groups search for justice after a man was killed. After many hardships, the problem is resolved even though there are some punishments. The group's teamwork and drive for justice is shown many times throughout the book. There are many ways justice can be achieved and expressed in many situations.
n Ernest Gaines’s A Gathering of Old Men , Gaines brings up many examples of bildungsroman. The book largely focuses the coming of ages and how characters largely change after time. Gaines sets the story in a society where racism was tolerable and discrimination was accepted.
Justice In “A Gathering of Old Men,” Ernest J. Gaines’s character Candy Marshall develops a plan to protect long time plantation worker Mathu. The plan is to gather former or existing plantation workers to help Mathu with his case and lie explaining that each of them did the murder. Candy understands justice by organizing a plan, the justice is successful because none of the plantation workers are arrested, and justice is significant because the plan has worked but consequences will follow. The theme is the redefinition of black masculinity, the old men on the plantation had spent their days running from trouble.
He explains that an African American man likes and does the same things as a white man, for instance when he says “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life” (l 21-22). Society doesn’t view the truth that African Americans are the same as everyone else. The speaker states “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races” (L 25-26). He explains how he feels about other races in society viewing him as being different just because he is African American (l 34-36).
How come people are treating African Americans differently than how they treat white people? People believe that we treat African Americans differently is because of their skin color and because they think that they are bad. American people are just as bad, people think just because their skin color that they are “up to no good.” In the modern world people don't separate them as much as they did back then. In this book there is something bad that happens.
“You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence”. His letter also discussed the idea of discovering one's self not through the sentiments of others, but rather through the conclusions of oneself. I feel like he is not just cautioning his nephew, but the black community in general of such society. I believe that his letter was a plea to the black community to “accept the whites with love” for “they are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand”, while in the same token, not giving in to their stereotypes of black identity like his father did.
This chapter focuses on the depiction of prejudice, oppression and brutality in the novel under study. By analyzing the content of Black Boy we come to know about the different types of hardships and discrimination as experienced by the Richard Wright. 3.1 POVERTY AND HUNGER The text throws light on the neediness and the starvation as experienced by the black characters that are monetarily disempowered by the afflictions of racial segregation. The black population is deprived the right for equivalent work prospects.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that takes place in Macomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. As a result of the Great Depression most of the residents of Macomb are poor with the exception of the few wealthy people. Although this may be true there were families in this book that had it the worst out of most of the families. The families are the Cunninghams, the Robinsons and the Ewells. The Great Depression affected many families in the South.
What is courage? According to Webster’s Dictionary, it is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Douglass demonstrated how he put his courageous heart to the test in multiple ways. This novel is just one example. Douglass, along with many other souls lost to slavery, lived very cruel, inhumane lifestyles.
During the time period this story was written segregation was a major social issue. Blacks did not get the same treatment as whites in any establishment. Dubois reaction to this issue was based on the fact that integration was a fight to be fought at a gradual pace. Although, blacks could not recieve the same benefits and treatment whites do they would slowly win that fight a little at a time, by first being allowed on the same bus as whites, then same schools and so on.
These people have a passion for what they are protesting for, and the fight for rights will never die off until the black people of America have the equal rights and respect as a white man. Just like king said, “And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the negro is granted his citizenship rights.” The way he states his idea of unrest of the nation till rights are granted really puts an urgency into his ideas, and makes them seem as they are, which is the most important issue in the nation. This idea also develops his central idea in a deep way that says he wants everlasting equality, and there will be an everlasting fight until rights are granted. This really persuades his audience to realize that his idea he is putting in the reader 's head is really the best choice for the nation, and says that America will continue to be fair and equal, because there will be nothing unjust or unfair to fight about.
In society, there are very few people who have the unwavering dedication to stand up for what they believe. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man was convicted and accused of a crime he didn 't commit, raping a white women, which is not in anyway tolerable in society. In Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird, the author used point of view and symbolism to acknowledge how the the several social divisions which make up much of the adult world are shown to be both irrational and extremely destructive. To begin with, the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, used point of view to show how the many social divisions in the world are irrational and destructive. Scout; a first grade student at the time, was telling the story from her point of view and what had occurred from her childhood perspective.
He believed that white people were to blame for the desperate conditions of the blacks. That still is true when he is older, expect he now believes that people of all races, not just white, can be horrible people. He also later on believes that is blacks want a better life for themselves, they have to go out to get it. They cannot rely