The Artificial Nigger - Essay Example

Their trip was filled with conversations, with each grandfather and grandson asserting his wisdom. One point in particular that the child said is, the trip is his second, the first being when he was still a baby. Moreover, he insisted that he would know what a nigger looked like once he saw one because he was born in a city where they abound. The old man said he could not have known any of what he was talking about because he did not have the intelligence then and the boy got his first test on the train when Mr.

Head asked what kind of man was the one who passed them by. When he did not get the answer he was expecting, he pointed out to the boy what he previously said, that he would be able to know a nigger when he sees one but then he proved not to be able to do so. When they got off the train, the old man who looked at himself as a sage who is supposed to fill the mind of the young boy with learning soon discovered he also had a lot to learn. Nelson in turn learned the lessons his grandfather authored for him and more and therefore decided not to go back to the city.

The aforementioned circumstances came about due to an instance wherein the boy was placed in a dilemma when he hurt a woman who was carrying some groceries when he went frantic looking for his grandfather who left him at a distance, trying “to teach him a lesson”. When Mr. Head was threatened by the women who were trying to seek justice from the accident his grandson caused, he denied that he knew the boy. Nelson, who looked up to him as a savior at such a dire situation was angry that his own grandfather would disown him.

When the two continued to find their way to train station, the old man learned how it felt to need mercy and forgiveness because this was still the first time he had ever failed his grandson. Nelson in turn learned how he needed his grandfather. The story is meant to show how an educator needs to be educated as well. The grandfather does not just represent old age but also wisdom which should be gained through years of experience. Mr. Head knows that his grandson should learn many things about his birthplace and decides to make him experience how it is to live in the city.

His intention is to make Nelson see that there is nothing to boast about in being born in the city so just as he gained wisdom through experience he contemplates that the best way to open the eyes of the young boy is to let him experience a day in the city. Although Mr. Head only meant the trip for the learning of the boy, he is to find out that there is also a lesson waiting for him. The grandfather, being an old man, always thought he is better than his grandson and when they got lost, he still was too prideful to admit his mistakes.

He insists on concentrating in teaching Nelson that the place they are in is where he was born and that there is nothing good about it that he should be proud of. When the two realize that they left their lunch at the train, the boy blames his grandfather of getting them lost and leaving their food. However, instead of admitting his lack of judgment, the old man tried to blame things back to the young boy. The old man is too proud to stoop down and admit his mistakes to his young grandson. On the other hand, the young boy learns little by little