Comparing the Theme of Race and Ethnicity - Research Paper Example

?Compare and Contrast the Theme of Race and Ethni Supervisor: Introduction These master pieces were written by two women who were born in America and one of them experienced high levels of racism unlike their counterparts in other countries globally. The two poems have been composed and written to educate the world on racism and discrimination evils and how they impact on people who suffered it. This happened before the start of civil rights era. It is unfortunate that this evil still exists currently in the society. It is intriguing how the two women passed through an era of racism and discrimination but were affected tremendously different. Each one of them had different beliefs from the other. Before anyone discusses racism, or ethnicity, it is indispensable to know what they actually mean. According to (Paul), race is inherited physical characteristics of an individual while racism means a member of a particular race who has the same characteristics that have been inherited and distinguish a particular group from the rest. Discrimination, on the other hand, is defined as being treated unfairly unlike other people because an individual is different from the rest on the basis of race, age and sex. Ethnicity is a combination of specific people who have similar aspects on the basis of language, and heritage which was inherited from a common ancestor. Minority groups are faced by these challenges every other day. They are treated unequally, isolated on the basis of their appearance and culture, and are often taken subordinates. (Paul) Abstract According to (Sweet), the two women have African blood flowing through them but have been significantly influenced by the American culture. The American culture confused the two girls and had a distinctive way of viewing themselves. Smith wished to identify herself with the African American culture while Levin Morales embraced her Latino origin, though she fits perfectly America. Could it because she had the white skin which looked like the rest of the majority population in America? Patricia smith In the poem written by Smith, a young black woman has been raised by a society which is full of racism and discrimination. She struggles through numerous changes both on her body and society. The society has made be ashamed of who she genuinely is. Her looks and her origin are inferior. She had to struggle with her body as she wanted to look like the other girls from the other race. She looks at her physique at the age of nine and notices that she does not look like her peers who have white skin and flowing hair. She thinks there are a lot of things which went wrong with her physique. The society taught her to think in that way. The society does not want to accept the way she is or looks like, because she has the wrong skin type. Smith is a young woman who is trying to become something that she is not. She brings the idea that when a woman is black, all she ever dreams and feels is that she desperately wants to white. “It’s dropping food coloring in your eyes to make them blue and suffering their burn in silence. It is popping a bleached white mop head over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of mirrors that deny your reflection.” According to the above phrase, it seems like smith never truly loved to be who she was. It is true that all girls at some point in their life never loved something about their bodies. It could have been their body weight, their eyes, and the color of their hair, just to mention but a few. Clearly, a critical mind will partly agree with Smith’s observation. This phrase paints a real typical black woman, who would like her hair to be as flawless as that of the white woman. Many African women prefer using extensions, or relaxing their hair to give it a smooth feeling. By using such a phrase and directing it to black girls only, she was belittling the dignity and pride of the black African woman. Notice how she talks about black women and their men in this phrase: “It’s finally having a man reach out for you then caving in around his fingers” This paints the African woman as being desperate to be under the protection of a man. It also says a lot about how Smith grew in an environment where women were discriminated by men. Therefore, in her poem she not only talks about racial discrimination, the gender aspect creeps in, as well. Aurora Levins Morales Morales , according to (Eason) “Child of the Americans” is a poem written by a woman who came from a background with mixed cultures though she identifies herself as an American. “I am a child of the Americas, A light-skinned mestiza (Mischling) of the Caribbean, A child of many diasporas (verstreute Volker), born into this continent at a crossroads” (Morales). According to this phrase, she clearly states that she is a product of an immigrant. She takes this to be a unique feature, but she still identifies herself an American. Apart from the Indian Americans, all culture found in America migrated from elsewhere around the world. In Morales poem, she uses diversity of cultures found in the United States as a driving power to write her intriguing poem. Diversity gave birth to the United States of America. Notice how she uses metaphors to talk about diversity in the 4th stanza: “I am not African. Africa is in me, but I cannot return. I am not taina (Name eines Indianerstammes). Taino is in me, but there is no way back. I am not European. Europe lives in me, but I have no home there.” (Morales) The diversity of the American continent makes the Americans. Europeans were the first people to set their foot on the American soil. Note that they were running away from oppression and were in search of freedom, which they found the American soils, and felt at home. They are proudly and currently known as Americans. The Spanish had an opportunity to migrate to America and have largely influenced the American culture through their food, religion and tradition. Many Spanish immigrants who settled in America passionately embrace their culture to date, though they are still referred to Americans. Africans were exported from Africa to America to work as slaves in the white man’s land. They were forcefully transformed to Americans through visionary men who fought for their rights. Although they have adopted the American culture, Africa remains their heritage though they are proudly Americans. On the last stanza, Morales quote that: “I was born at the crossroads And I am whole.” (Morales) This she quotes to mean that even though there is a mixture of culture and it is difficult to find a typical American in the United States where she was born, she still feels whole. It is alright with her. She sees as if a new culture, which is the American culture was formed as a result of the mixed races coming together to live in one continent. No race is supreme to the other, neither does any race among the mentioned own America. Every race has an equal share on the mentioned continent and should be treated with the same integrity. Every American citizen was born at cross roads. To Aurora, diversity is power. She believes that home is everywhere where one lives. Comparing the believes of the two women Despite the fact that the two women were raised in a multi racial society, Morales views this as an advantage while Smith looks at it as if it was torture, a complete mistake to be born at “crossroads” just as Morales puts it. The back ground of the two women is quite different. Morales was highly supported by her mother in writing numerous poems: Proof that her mother liked what Morales did. On the other hand, Smith was never supported by her mother. She goes on to say that her mother was even horrified at what she used to write. Stories of how weak their race was and a life full of lies and broken hearts. Smith goes on to say that her mother had several of her books which she just kept in the house for decorative purposes, but she never intended to read them because he was afraid of what she might find out as she read them. She has even written about the day her father was murdered and sexual escapades. Her stories tell of the negative side of life and how other people from different races found it hard in settling in a new space under racial diversity. She talks of hardships and challenges encountered by people who live among racists. (Smith) Many of Morales poems are embraced and accepted in the American society. She talks of how she saw the positive side of life through situations that would have been challenging to other people like Smith. Her poems give a real picture of most of the American population. In this poem, she embraces the fact that she is American though she is a product of many races across the world. This fact identifies with most of the American population. On the other hand, many of smith poems talk of the black race and hardships encountered. It mainly identifies with the black race and her poems are likely to receive criticism from her audience who may be proud of whom they are. She hates to be born in America, or rather she hates the fact that she is black, and would do anything to change her race so as to fit in the white race. The society has molded her to be that way. Morales poem is lively and cultivates a happy mood filled with pride. Smith’s poem brings a sad mood filled with shame of who she is. She views herself as a generation of slaves, and that is why she faced so many challenges. Similarities The two poems mainly talk of ethnicity and race. They talk of the type, and color of skin which makes them be who they certainly are now that they have grown into mature women. Ethnicity and race drives them to have different perspectives of what it is expected of them in the society. All the two poems used strong forceful words, which captivates, and brings the audience in to the poems. Conclusion The poem “What it is like to be a black girl” paints a strong picture of a girl who notices herself at the age of nine and goes through some body changes. The fact that she grew up in a society where her race was minority makes her struggle against all odds so that she can fit in, even though her physique identifies her discriminated ethnicity. Smith lived in times when African Americans were just recovering from slavery and its effects. This is the reason why she talks of racial divide, and segregation which they had to go through. During slavery, there was no unity amongst people who did not have the same skin color, neither was there unity between men and women. No one was treated in a better way unless one had a white skin. The black people were thought to be diseased, inferior and filthy. They were dirty and tainted, and their identity was ugly unlike in the poem a child of the Americans. Morales feels so proud of herself and loves who she is. Coming from a multicultural background did not mean much to her. She was American. That was all she was sure of, despite what the society called her (Eason). Even though, racism still exists, it is terribly wrong to discriminate other people. Many works written with such insight inspire people to respect each other and not to cause harm to the other in spite of race or any other form of segregation. Nobody owns America. Everyone living in America except for the red Indians have no clear heritage. No race is superior to the other, and everyone deserves to be treated with the respect they deserve. Job opportunities and other life improving opportunities should be available to all qualified humanity. All children should be allowed to grow in an environment and a society which accepts, embraces, and teaches them to value themselves and treasure who they undoubtedly are. Every child deserves to be taught fundamentals about life. Parents and guardians should play a significant role in building the self-esteem of their children. References Eason, Cynthia. http://leecustodio.hubpages.com/hub/Child-of-the-Americas-An-analysis-on-a-Poem. January 2012. 3rd October 2012. Morales, Aurora Levins. Puerto rican literature in the United States:http://www.uhu.es/antonia.dominguez/pricans/aurora_levins_morales.htm. 3rd March 2007. 3rd October 2012. —. Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/aurora-levins-morales?before=1335061403. nd. 3rd October 2012. Paul. All best essays:http://allbestessays.com/Social-Issues/Compare-Contrast-%E2%80%9CWhat-It%E2%80%99s-Like/14943.html. 5th December 2011. 3rd October 2012. Smith, Patricia. Poetry foundation: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/patricia-smith. 2011. 4th October 2012. Sweet, Latosha. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Comparison-Paper-Of-Child-Of-The-628599.html. March 2011. 3rd October 2012. Read More