This essay tells the story of two men who explore their racial differences. The one, Simple, is black, and narrator is white. They sit on the porch stoop and talk about the music that's playing. The narrator doesn't enjoy it because he can't understand it, while Simple explains that it's music made by black people for black people. The point of this essay is to prove that black people face difficulties that white people don't- which is obvious, but this essay provides a specific example that is relevant to today: police brutality. This was written in the year 1949, when racial discrimination was legal and segregation existed. It was written for white people to help them comprehend the struggles of being black, "White folks do not get their heads beat just for being white. But me- a cop is liable to grap be almost any time and beat my head- just for being colored." (Hughes,191) Today, the racial issue that has arisen is the idea of "Black lives matter" vs "All lives matter." What white people fail to understand, and what this essay helps to explain is that the Black lives matter movement doesn't put down white lives, but shines a light on what black people have to put up with because of their race. An important element that the author utilizes is the use of telling the story as a narrative. The characters put into perspective the differences between white and black people, particularly through the quote, "'Your explanation depresses me,' I said. 'Your nonsense depresses me,' said Simple." (Hughes 192) A white person finding out about what black people bo through is disgusted, while a black person is disgusted by white people's ignorance. The author is a black man who has experienced first hand the difficulties of being colored. He is able to successfully get his point across because he is able to put himself into his writing and convey emotions that can only come from experience.
The effects of police brutlity seen today.
Source: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-07-15-1468604858-4887989-march6.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment