Sunday, May 17, 2020

Passing in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of...

In 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man was anonymously published by James Weldon Johnson. It is the narrative of a light-skinned man wedged between two racial categories; the offspring of a white father and a black mother, The Ex-Colored man is visibly white but legally classified as black. Wedged between these two racial categories, the man chooses to â€Å"pass† to the white society. In Passing: When People Can’t Be Who They Are, Brooke Kroeger describes â€Å"passing† as an act when â€Å"people effectively present themselves as other than who they understand themselves to be† (Kroeger 7). The Ex-Colored Man’s choice to ultimately â€Å"pass† at the end of the novel has been the cause of controversy amongst readers. Many claim his choice to â€Å"pass†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Thus, he is convinced â€Å"passing† for a member of the white society would safeguard him from a life of uncertainty and violence. He is ashamed to be â€Å"indentified with a people [the black race] that would with impunity be treated worse than animals,† affirming his want to be treated as a white person to omit any violence being inflicted onto himself (Johnson 101). This observation coerces the narrator to ultimately decide to â€Å"pass† to the white society. While he declares he will neither â€Å"disclaim the black race nor claim the white race† but he would change (Johnson 101). He will â€Å"let the world take [him] for what it would,† because he refuses to go about life amidst a â€Å"label of inferiority pasted across [his] forehead,† which would occur should he claim the black race (Johnson 101). He recognizes that by intentionally â€Å"passing† he will keep himself out of harm’s way and safe from having such treatment being inflicted upon himself. â€Å"Passing,† for The Ex-Colored Man gives him an initiation into a â€Å"freemasonry of†¦race;† gaining access to a secret knowledge that is out of reach for most individuals (Johnson 59). His ability to view the world from both races enables him to experience â€Å"the attitude of the whole [community] to change,† when he is â€Å"passing† as a black; he is treated differently than when he is â€Å"passing† for white (Johnson 95). This â€Å"freemasonry† is what convinces him the white society is the dominant culture. Success can only beShow MoreRelated James Weldon Johnson Essay654 Words   |  3 PagesJames Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), was a highly talented and celebrated African American writer. He was a poet, songwriter, novelist, literary critic, and essayist. Along with his wide-ranging literary accomplishments, Johnson also served as a school principal, professor of literature at Fisk University, attorney, a diplomatic consul for the United States in Venezuelaand Nicaragua, and secretary for the NAACP from 1920-1930. He is considered one of the founders of the HarlemRead MoreJames Weldon Johnson s The Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man And Nella Larsen s Passing3489 Words   |  14 PagesThe Theme of Passing, Racial Prejudice and Internalized Racism in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Nella Larsen’s Passing The concept of racial passing refers to the occurrence in which an individual is able to transcend racial boundaries. During the Harlem Renaissance, the term â€Å"passing† meant to signify mixed race individuals who were light skinned enough to pass as white and mingle freely within white society, almost completely undetected. This was significantRead MoreThe Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man Essay2265 Words   |  10 PagesMcGivern, 328). However, issuing social categories based on race or ethnicity links to biased regulations and practices. Johnson’s novel, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, examines ways racial identity is socially constructed through the segregation of Jim Crow Laws, the act of passing off† another race, and through practices of lynching. The Autobiography of an Ex Colored Man explores the way racial identity is socially constructed within legally sanctioned forms of racism and discriminationRead MoreRacial Segregation And Jim Cro w Essay2143 Words   |  9 Pageswhite supremacy place on African American life. Racism and Jim Crow were always backed by the threat of violence, moreover, the southern race relations† (Holloway, â€Å"Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America since 1940†). The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man takes place during the Jim Crow era displaying the challenges and obstacles African Americans faced during this time. â€Å"Johnson devotes much of his attention to the black middle and upper classes, their constant struggles to hang ontoRead MoreThe Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man By James Weldon Johnson Essay2267 Words   |  10 PagesThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson’s novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man was first published in 1912. This novel is one of the highly celebrated works during the Harlem Renaissance although it was published prior in 1912. Johnson graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 1894. He was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt as United States consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua. He also was highly involved in the Harlem Renaissance with hisRead MoreOf An Former Colored Man By James Weldon Johnson Essay2163 Words   |  9 PagesIn James Weldon Johnson’s â€Å"Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man,† the is written narrator to be perceived at face first as an average white male, when in fact he is inherently of colored descent. Consequently, in regards to society s principle of the one-drop rule, the narrator then faces an identity complex in understanding whether he is black since society has categorized him on the account of his bloodline, or white because of his exter nal appearance. For at the end of the novel, he makes the consciousRead MoreJames Weldon Johnson s Narrative Of An Former Colored Man By F. Scott Fitzgerald2191 Words   |  9 PagesIn the James Weldon Johnson’s â€Å"Audio biography of an Ex-Colored Man†, Jonhson’s narrator at face first is written to be perceived as a white male, when in fact he is inherently of colored descent in regards to societies principle of the one drop policy. Consequently, the narrator is faced with an identity complex who finds it difficult to understand whether he is black because of societies has categorized him on the account of his bloodline, or white because of his appearance. For in the end of the

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.