The Role of Race and Racism in Literature - Essay Example

Comparing Role of Race between Rodriguez in ‘Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans’ and Baldwin in ‘Stranger in the Village’ Rodriguez viewpoint and experiences of race and racism Race is separate from culture and ethnicity: Rodriguez addresses the issue and dilemma of American immigrants and the changing notion of race at a period when cultures spread beyond a nation’s borders. He admits that immigration would continue to facilitate racial variety to introduce people of different cultures and origins in the complex American society. As a result, Rodriguez points out the diminishing differentiation of a black and white race in America and demonstrates the transforming America, where residents and immigrants acquire new identities through categorization. Irrespective of the racial variety, he emphasizes that racial mixture should serve as a point of pride and promote diversity through culture assimilation and reinvention, rather that maintaining the separate thought of ‘selves’. Rodriguez supports American categorization as introduced by late president Nixon, convinced that it’s not about race, but blending people with more of their cultures, ethnicity and environment. This would ease the tension of racism and assist sway people away from the idealized black-white divided thinking. For example, categorization of Black, Hispanic and Asian among others introduces the ethnic and cultural elements. While Black is a race, Hispanic is more of a culture and related to environmental origins and only fits in the definition of the North American world. Hispanics could be black, Indian, and from different countries hence not a specific race. Viewed in this sense, racial mixture is not a negative thing in a society. Race and assimilation: Rodriguez strongly argues that the former ways in which Americans used to identify themselves by race are constantly changing, due to cultural assimilation and fluidity. Despite the border demarcation, he recognizes that cultural assimilation occurs naturally. The residents and immigrants’ interaction leads to merging of numerous cultures together to re-invent new ones. Rodriguez states that “the border is over.... culture is fluid, culture is smoke, you breath it, you eat it, you can’t help hearing it” (143). The idea is that cultural boundaries will always be broken; hence people of different origins or races would not be able to keep their cultures separate from those of others. Through this, people will strip off their differences by naturally mixing and adopting the ways of others to fit with other Americans. For Rodriguez, despite that fact that a distinction (say race or ethnicity) exists, it is the culture that one is immersed in that he will most define himself with in the changing society. Cultural assimilation gets stronger with time and has helped to hamper racial distinction and racism. Experience of racism and American transformation: Rodriguez demonstrates the impact of racial distinction and interaction in communities. When talking to Laotian kid over Mexicans, he discovers the dislike and attitude of people of one race over another. It’s almost inevitable that one would talk ill of the other culture in preference to their own, because of their cultures and practices (what they do and not). This is just similar to the black and white compartment thinking. Nevertheless, races will influence and shape each other’s’ behaviors and cultures through interaction to re-create a new world. Rodriguez explains himself as a Chinese, having interacted, liked and adopted their culture despite his skin color. Talking to the Laotian kid, despite the racist altitude, he realizes that the boy does speak English and has a Spanish accent (Rodriguez 144). Similarly, races have intermarried; the children can best re-invent a language to describe themselves, which is a turn in revolution and reinvention of America. This shows that beyond racism barriers in the world history, races will always impact each other subject to revolutionary and re-invention of the world, where people would be defined by their cultures and not races. Persistent racial black and white themes: Analyzing the two articles, the authors express a common form of racism experiences in two related worlds. They both portray the outstanding racial conversation in America and Europe (the western world) concerning the black and white members of the society. Rodriguez admits that the black and white associated conversations have remained over time, while Baldwin’s experience in Swiss depicted the altitude and treatment of the black (African natives and Negro) to that of the European white man. Baldwin’s viewpoint and experiences of race and racism Race, Racism and European notion Embedded racism in history: Baldwin in convinced that racism experienced in Europe for the blacks and whites was well entrenched in their historical experiences. African black and white men races and their relations tend to differ in the two different worlds (America and Europe), but influence how people perceive and imagine others. Baldwin said that “history was nightmare.... people are trapped in history and history is trapped in them” (2). One, the assignment of Negro word to the black immigrants in America and their suffering remains a fresh wound to the people of the African and black American communities. Second, the master and slave relationship both in Europe and America that served to oppress the African community. Third, racism embedded in the unique European history of black possession and colonies. Race and color: Baldwin introduces his reflection of a stranger from another race based on his skin color. The society he visits has evolved for years without accessible and enough interaction with people of black color. He hence stands out and is treated as stranger in a foreign land inhabited by white men. However, race and racism treatment is different from the dominant notion in America. Coming from the American part, the ascribed ‘negro’ people had become an integral part of the American culture, despite the inescapable attitude directed to them. In contrast, a black man in Europe (the Switz) seemed surprising to cause a variety of reactions. Rather than the brutality and attitudes as in America, the white population expressed their curiosity in actions wanting to know him more. Incidences where one rubs his skin to check if the color came off, touching the hair to feel the hard texture, and children shouting at him the name ‘Negger’ were very racial, yet performed in innocence and out of curiosity. Racism based on what other’s actions define them to be: Baldwin visited Swiss again and even after years of residence with the European community, his attempt to fit into the culture is affected by white man’s perspective, which caused their curiosity to another level every time they saw him. He’s defined to come from a race (African) already defined by the Europeans. That is why it is impossible for the people to admit that he came from America. Baldwin writes, “what one’s imagination makes other people is dictated by master race laws of one’s own personality.... what the white man imagines the black man to be, the black man is enabled to know who the white man is” (4). Races viewed each other in the same way; whites considered the black race to be of uncivilized people, far removed, needing conversion into Christianity, but more so as possession and inferior, while the white man had total supremacy. Baldwin points that the white and black relations are affected by historical experiences and this will remain to be a problem of both communities that needs to be addressed. Works Cited Baldwin, J. “Stranger in the Village.” uwm.edu. n.d. Web. 27 October 2014. Rodriguez, R. “Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans.” dvusd.org. 2013. Web. 27 October 2014. Read More