StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Notion of Racism in World Literature - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The essay "Notion of Racism in World Literature" focuses on the critical analysis of the notion of racism in two sources, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave by Frederick Douglass, and The Little Black Boy by William Blake…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.8% of users find it useful
Notion of Racism in World Literature
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Notion of Racism in World Literature"

Racism Found In World Literature It is arguably true that there in no absolute meaning of racism due to lack of agreement on the meaning of discrimination. However, we usually refer to racism as the differences in views, traditions, practices, and beliefs based on racial orientation. Racism uniquely favors members of a certain race making them more desirable and superior while making others seem inferior. Racism is a global social issue that attracts the concern of various organizations and governments due to the adverse effects it has on humanity. Indeed, it leads to discrimination, exploitation, and unfair treatment due to their racial identity. It may take various forms that may include denial of human and basic rights, discrimination, insults, destruction of property, and violence. Notably, racism has been alive since the ancient and today various people are still experiencing it across the globe. Nevertheless, modern racism adopts modern forms and varies from traditional racism although in all cases racism is illegal and inhumane. As such, racism is a significant topic worth detailed address. In this context, I will critically review two sources that include the, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave" by Frederick Douglass and “The Little Black Boy" by William Blake to address the question what is racism. Various literatures define racism in distinct ways. This essay will define what racism based on the critical analysis of the scholarly sources is named here in. Notably the, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave" by Frederick Douglass, is a story depicting the life of a slave and his ambition to gain personal freedom from slavery. Racism comes out from a first-hand experience as the author tells his story. The story portrays slavery as a form of slavery that Douglass encounters from the beginning of the book both in body and in mind. Douglass is born of a slave mother and a father who was a slave owner. He portrays the racial differences and suffering that her mother suffered from his white father for being black where they rarely stayed together. Indeed, Douglass did not know his father and thus lacked the fatherly love probably because his father did not want to associate with him for being black. Additionally, unlike the white children who could tell their age, Douglass did not enjoy that right (Douglass 14). Moreover, against the norms and for being black, Douglass did not get the permission to go to her mother’s burial (Douglass 15). Indeed, he portrays how the white slave owners practiced racism on the slave women by raping them for sexual pleasure and an increase in their slave populations (Douglass 16). Indeed, Douglass’s aunt equally suffers beatings from the white slave owners (Douglass 17). There was no treatment or equal association between the slave owners and the slaves due to the difference in racial orientations. The slaves were therefore fearful of the slave owners who ruled over them and mistreated them. Douglass shows how slave owners discriminated against the slaves by denying them the right to education. Indeed, Mr. Auld forbids slaves from seeking to know how to read to the advantage of the whites (Douglass 35-42). Moreover, we can experience racism from how the slave owners value the slaves. Indeed, the slave owners valued the slaves alongside the livestock after the death of Douglass’s master (Douglass 44-45). Douglass lived with Master Thomas Auld who is equally mistreated him and later lent him to a white farmer Mr. Covey for a year in exchange of food. Notably, Mr. Covey bears the title of a "negro-breaker," who mistreats and discriminates the slaves. We can see him overworking Douglass and brutally beating him many times until he collapses (Douglass 54-58). His search for help from his master Thomas Auld yielded no fruits as he referred him back to Covey who was assaulting him. We can also see him surviving on meager food rations and lacking proper accommodation for being a slave (Douglass 49-51). Indeed, the “negro-breaker” even goes ahead to murder a slave while hiding from the law enforcers and the community eye (Douglass 30-31). Douglass later works in a shipyard and he continues to experience racism where white people abuse him by nearly taking off his left eye. Additionally, we can see the law defenders also discriminating against the slave where a lawyer refuses to help the abused Douglass saying he can only help a white person (Douglass 78-83). These acts depict utmost racism against the slaves. As a result, we can see Douglass sympathizing with the black slaves who are in slavery and those who are free where he offers to teach them as education will enlighten them to fight against racism. Moreover, he writes many speeches and editorials against slavery and slavery after escaping from slavery (Douglass 91-93). On the other hand, “The Little Black Boy" by William Blake equally addresses the theme of racism. This poem manifests and equally condemns racism. We can see a black boy comparing himself to a white English boy and seems to hate the black race (Blake Web). The black boy associates the whiteness with goodness and innocence on the inside and outside. He sees himself bereaved of light for being black and sees the white boy as an angel (Blake Web). This comparison manifests racism in the society subject to racial orientations. However, the black child remembers that his mother told him that his black skin is only a temporary cloud and results from constant exposure to the sun. The mother relates the sun to the love of God. She claims that black color will remain until he learns to live in the presence of God’s love (Blake Web). This explains that racism is temporary and we can eliminate it. This leads the black boy to the idea that he will tell the English boy about the temporary nature of racism and his wish that one day they will eliminate racism and live in love. We can also see the black boy’s affection to the English boy (Blake Web), which seemingly manifests that the blacks do not abhor racism or discrimination. This reflects anti-slavery and anti-racism. Indeed, the poem suggests that the efforts of the black boy to live in God’s love will finally yield good result and the two boys will one day live in equal love marking the end of racism. Moreover, the poem suggests that the black boy will ultimately gain spiritual superiority to the white boy thus manifesting the victory of love and end of racism. Indeed, the black boy and his mother have voices that claim God’s love will one day make both black and white equal thus eliminating racism. Ideally, the poem revolves around slavery and slave mentality where Blake seemingly portrayed his views regarding the whites' racism and suppression acts against slavery through the black boy. The poem manifests race and its influences on our lives. Nevertheless, the poem portrays racism as a temporary aspect that humans have the capacity to eliminate (Blake Web). Works Cited Blake, William. The Little Black Boy. 2013. Web. 2 August 2013. < http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172927> Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave. 2004. Web. 2 August 2013. < http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/f-douglas/narrative-douglass.pdf> Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Term paper. What is racism found in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1483802-term-paper-what-is-racism-found-in-narrative-of
(Term Paper. What Is Racism Found in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Essay)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1483802-term-paper-what-is-racism-found-in-narrative-of.
“Term Paper. What Is Racism Found in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1483802-term-paper-what-is-racism-found-in-narrative-of.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Notion of Racism in World Literature

Racist Skinhead Subculture

literature review Historical perspective of the racial Skinhead The start of the skinhead head movement can be traced in the UK back in the 1950s and the 1960s.... Within America, the rise of the skinhead subculture in the late eighties has majorly been racial from the very start....
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay

A Variety of Ways Wherein Race Influences Various Social Mechanisms

racism, for the critical psychologist, occurs through the use of discursive means that facilitate, allow and cultivate racism.... Can social psychologists contribute to mitigating racism?... If so, how should social psychologists approach racism?... Therefore, social psychologists need to be careful how they approach research on racism so they do not add to the problem.... New RacismThe new racism argues that it is the shortcoming of Black individuals that are the root of their difficulties, not the emergence of prejudice and racism, and slavery that is believed to have been completely abolished....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Global Structures and Local Cultures

The very word racism connotes some feeling on the basis of race, but since over the history, we have observed such feelings by the majority, as only the majority could execute such feelings, the notion of racism is made limited, by the people, only to those who have such prejudices and are in a position to execute them.... In the end, we would be inquiring for the reasons of such a continuous racism in the human history.... This is a commonly held belief and the issue of racism is always looked from this very dimension, however, there is an emerging need to look into the details of the issue in order to shatter the idols of stereotypes regarding the racism that prevails in our society....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Racism Problem in Australia

On the other hand, the investigation of racism in the 1990s has been pioneered by cultural... In the contemporary period, racism in Australia has been mainly talked about during the supposed race debates in the latter part of the twentieth century, related to the ascendance of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation Party.... The Hanson-led resurrection of racism, and what could be referred to as mainstream assimilation, has compelled significant deliberation about Asian culture....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Culture, History, and Literature

Since race is seen as an element of social structure and a dimension of human representation, racial formation implies the process of transformation of racism in a period.... In this sense, it can be analyzed that the society presented by Morrison in her novel Home includes the nature of racism through social prejudices, differences, inequalities, and violent oppression....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Race, Cultural, and Ethnical Diversity

The paper seeks to show that in a profoundly unequal world, pursuing difference may lead to exacerbation of such inequalities.... Lastly, the paper seeks to show that in a profoundly unequal world, pursuing difference may lead to exacerbation of, and accommodation to, such inequalities....
15 Pages (3750 words) Coursework

Racism Cases on the Football Field

It is clear that racism in football is a challenge especially in European countries.... This paper seeks to discuss the contribution made by journals on how to eradicate racism in football.... With its objective of encouraging supporters and clubs to come up with their own strategies to deal with racism in their clubs, the CRE and PFA campaign provided action plans that the clubs were needed to adopt Gratton and Jones, 2005.... Another trigger of racism was the tragedy that occurred in the 1970s where 39 people died while escaping from Liverpool fans....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

The Concept of Everyday Racism in Australia

The paper "The Concept of Everyday racism in Australia" describes that respondents believed that there are certain groups of people that did not fit the Australian society.... The concept of everyday racism in Australia can be traced back to historic constructions.... Scholars investigating everyday racism in Australia have concluded that ethnic diversity has resulted in the increase of poor ethnic relations Everyday antiracism on the other hand can be described as the opposition of every-day racial inequality that makes up the popular culture....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us