Essay on "Marlboro Man Migrant Prejudice"

Essay 7 pages (2280 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Hurston, more than any of the other three authors, yearns to be recognized not as African-American, but as a human being. She does not want to fragment herself into artificial race-based categorizations that naturally beget prejudice. Instead, she states, "I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries." Hurston at times feels "I have no race, I am me." Her feelings conflict somewhat with Angelou, who concludes her narrative with the remarkably empowering assertion of black survival. She refers to the "wonderful, beautiful Negro race," (32).

Thus, there are different ways of experiencing and overcoming prejudice. All four of these writers discuss ways of overcoming prejudice through self-empowerment. For Hurston, overcoming prejudice comes from digging deep and finding one's connection to the "Great Soul." It is important to extricate oneself from labels, because labels of race perpetuate the problem. Her method of coping is similar to that of Staples, who states that he has tacitly accepted the problem of prejudice in urban America. Instead of fighting the power, Staples has come to realize that he can simply take "precautions to make myself less threatening" (2). One of the ways Staples has made himself "less threatening" as a black man is to give people a "wide berth" when he walks (2). Another way is, ironically, to play into white stereotypes by whistling Vivaldi. Staples is being facetious, but he is admitting that coping with prejudice often amounts to taking the ego out of the situation and recognizing the racist society for what it is. Kinkaid has similar sentiments. After her trip to England, Kinkaid realizes how engrained racism is in the fabric of British colonial society. Racism is a feature of a generally twisted culture that Kinkaid cannot relate to, and which she feels colors her worldview.

Prejudice is displayed as a personal and a collective experience. Hurston, Staples, Angelou, and Kinkaid all describe their personal experiences of prejudice in their life. However, these personal experiences cannot be distanced from the historical and cultural backgrounds in which they take place. Staples writes from an urban American postmodern perspective. Angelou and Hurston both write from a rural Southern American, modern perspective. Kinkaid writes from a Caribbean perspective. Their genders and cultures influence their experiences of prejudice, and the stories they tell reflect their unique backgrounds. Furthermore, prejudice is not just something that individuals of color experience. Prejudice affects the entire community. In each of these stories, the individual is presented as a member of a broader community. The community is divided into two distinct zones. On the one hand, each author recognizes membership in the community of color. Each has a shared identity with other African-Americans or Afro-Caribbean people. Their collective identity comes from shared experiences of prejudice, even when there are other differences such as gender or socio-economic class. Prejudice therefore has the potential to bring together otherwise disparate individuals and unite them under the "race" rubric. Hurston does not necessarily want race to become a category of distinction; Angelou does not mind as much.

Collective experiences of prejudice also inform the personal approaches to self-empowerment, which is the primary solution to institutionalized racism. Institutionalized racism is the way social institutions like schools, politics, and the market economy are hierarchically structured with white men at the very top. Angelou's experience of institutionalized racism came during her high school graduation, where she realized African-Americans need to stick together and discover the means by which to create social pride. In fact, all four of these authors in their own unique ways discover that a sense of pride and personal power can help both individuals and other members of the community overcome prejudice too.

Works Cited

Angelou, Maya. "Graduation." "Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay." DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Boston, MA: Thomson Heinle, (2008).335-342. Retrieved online: http://ap-english-language.phoenix.wikispaces.net/file/view/Maya+Angelou+Graduation.pdf.

Hurston, Zora. "How It Feels To Be Colored Me." "Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay." DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Boston, MA: Thomson Heinle, (2008). 159-161. Retrieved online: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/grand-jean/hurston/chapters/how.html.

Kincaid, Jamaica. "On Seeing England For The First Time." "Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay." DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Boston, MA: Thomson Heinle, (2008).720-727. Retrieved online: http://www.hamiltonunique.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/OnSeeingEngland-Kincaid.pdf.

Staples, Brent. "Just Walk On By." "Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay." DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Boston, MA: Thomson Heinle, (2008). 153-155. Retrieved online: http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/staples%20just%20walk%20on%20by%20text.pdf. READ MORE

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