Black Consciousness in the Twentieth Century Essays

Black Consciousness in the Twentieth Century Essays Black Consciousness in the Twentieth Century Essay Black Consciousness in the Twentieth Century Essay Essay Topic: Black Boy I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Ralph Ellison began his 1952 novel with the sentence ; I am an unseeable adult male. ( Ellison 3 ) These five words summed up the manner in which the bulk of Black Americans felt about their topographic point in society at the clip. The Civil Rights Movement was still old ages off. and the caste of American society had placed the Black American near the underside. The self-awareness of the Black American was limited to merely what the white constitution would let – and in the bulk of the state. that was really small. However. the kernel for the alteration that would happen had already been born. The waking up. in the late fiftiess. of the Black American would take topographic point in faith. political relations. self-awareness and literature. This would go exemplified by the mode in which adult females in the black communities were treated. The rise of domestic force was an issue. even in 1950s America – and in both the places of inkinesss and Whites. There would be. though. differences in which this waking up would attest itself. For some. like those who would process with Martin Luther King. non-violence and pacificism would be the dominate tool to their waking up. For others. the rousing would come in the signifier of a spiritual metempsychosis. and strong averment of their topographic point in society. Those who would come to look up to Malcolm X would see him as a visionary. a warrior. and a sufferer to the cause of equality. Malcolm X was born in Omaha. Nebraska in 1925. His early life would be marred with force at the manus of racialist onslaughts on his household. One such event. as Malcolm himself would chronicle in his autobiography took topographic point when he was four old ages old. Two white work forces set fire to his place in the dead of dark. Our place was firing about us ; he recounted. ( Ten 3 ) His male parent. a curate. would give pursuit and shoot at the two work forces. but they would get away. The probe into the incident would see more attending placed on the gun which his male parent used to support his household. than on the two aggressors who about killed them. While his male parent was a big and strong adult male. Malcolm recounted that it was his female parent who enforced the subject in the household. I’ve said that my female parent was the 1 who whipped me . Malcolm X wrote. ( 7 ) This early differentiation about the functions of authorization would impact his maturity. The following of import female influence would come in his teenage old ages. As a Numberss smuggler for a local book shaper. Malcolm would the former secretary to famed Mafia adult male. Dutch Schultz. The married woman of his foreman. along with her associate Gladys Hampton. as Malcolm would state. were the lone two adult females I of all time met in Harlem whose concern ability I truly respected . ( 117 ) There would be a huge alteration in the life of Malcolm X in his early maturity. Merely before he was to turn 21. Malcolm would be sent to prison for expansive larceny. His clip in prison would see him lose all religion in God. and be called Satan by his fellow inmates. ( 154 ) His last old ages of prison life would be spent. at the way of Elijah Muhammad. reading and educating himself about history. civilization and the ways of the universe. This instruction into the history of the Black Culture. and the ways in which it had been subdued by the dominant white bargainers. would fix him for his eventual initiation into the Muslim religion. The alterations that over took Malcolm X would attest themselves in a manner the enabled him the assurance. thrust and dignity to go a curate for the Nation of Islam. The importance of taking the harm done to the Black adult male. by the white constitution was paramount to the metempsychosis of Black civilization and the rise of Islamic traditions in the United States. The jobs that plagued the Black population. harmonizing to the positions of Islam were the fact that the white adult male has brainwashed us black people to fix our regard upon a blond-haired. fair-haired The nazarene! ( 222 ) This brainwashing came to make the rift between the black members of society. and between the adult male and adult females of that civilization. The black adult male needs to get down today to shelter and protect and esteem his black adult females! ( 223 ) This quotation mark from one of X’s early discourses illustrated to of import issues in the black civilization. First. that there was a duty being neglected in the function of the black male to continue his topographic point of health professional to his married woman and household – every bit good as to the community as a whole. This was an of import issue to recognize. as the instructions of Islam would state. The white adult male wants black work forces to remain immoral. dirty. an ignorant . ( 223 ) This would take the rigorous codification of behavior that was as the bosom of day-to-day life in the State of Islam. However the 2nd issue that this construct created was the hierarchy within the State of Islam. As with the white Christian religion. the work forces of the religion were officially of a higher order than that of the adult females. While the religion would prophesy protection of adult females to work forces. it would non learn the adult females to stand for their rights as strongly. Though the State of Islam would non learn the subjection of the adult females of the state. they would non be inspired to accomplish the degrees of strength or power as the work forces were. The other side of the waking up is illustrated from the point of position of Maya Angelou. From early in her childhood. as she would tell in I know why the caged bird sings. there were huge differences in the ways that misss and male childs were seen – even within the black civilization. One early illustration of this came when she and her brother were moved to their grandmother’s place in Stamps. Arkansas. When I was described by our playfellows as shit colour [ her brother Bailey ] was lauded for his velvet-black tegument. ( Angelou 23 ) The differences that the immature Angelou would see in both her tegument colour and her gender would impact her greatly throughout her childhood. She would tell how her grandma. who she would turn to name mama and her gramps. would be ordered around their little food market shop by the local Whites. They called my uncle by his first name and ordered him around the shop. He. to my weeping shame. obeyed them in his gimping dip-straight-dip manner. Here’s sugar. Miz Potter. and here’s baking pulverization. You didn’t purchase soda last month. you’ll be likely necessitating some. ( 31 ) The scenes of most emphasis came to her from the twit of the white kids. While her grandma was the mark of the most name naming and rancid events. she was personally affected by the ability of immature white misss to pique and tease an grownup with no effect. Her early exposure to sexual individuality came through the intrigues of her brother. He early sexual feats consisted of enticing the impressed. the funny. the adventuresome into the grey shadows [ †¦ ] to play Momma and Poppa. ( 173 ) In the backyard of their place. Bailey had constructed a collapsible shelter of sticks and old sheets – where. during these escapades. Maya would play kid and stand guard. Though she had recognized the construct of sexual individuality with her first crush. it was witnessing her brother’s pathetic struggles ( 173 ) that finalized her apprehension. The importance of faith besides played a strong function in her early life. Many of the values that were passed on to her from her grandma were those of the Christian church. Many events in her young person were influenced by the spiritual philosophies of tolerance and celibacy. While her brother felt it necessary to research his animal pleasances. Maya held herself house with lone notes from her suer. The penalty for his unfaithfulnesss. would be illustrated by the contemplations of his girlfriend’s aunt. after she had run off with a rail-road steward: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away . she told their grandma. ( 179 ) However. as she would age. the ghost of racism would turn once more. In her adolescence. she would develop a really bad pit in one of her dentitions. While the usual method of caring for such things was to hold her grandma pull out the piquing tooth with a twine. this instance would necessitate a tooth doctor. Dentist Lincoln was the lone tooth doctor in town. and a friend of mama. She had Lent him some money when his concern was non making good. and Maya’s grandmother felt that he would assist them in this clip of demand. However. his policy of non handling Blacks took precedency over the Acts of the Apostless of kindness that had been shown to him: Annie. my policy is I’d instead stick my manus in a dog’s oral cavity than a nigger’s. ( 225 ) While the rage that would come from her grandma would stop the concern of Dentist Lincoln. she was cognizant. with no uncertainty. that there was a strong and definite differentiation between Whites and inkinesss from that clip on. The following strong case of racism came during World War II. Her household had moved to Los Angeles. and was so witness to the Nipponese internment that followed the bombardment of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese were non whitefolks. Their eyes. linguistic communication and imposts belied the white tegument and proved to their dark replacements that since they didn’t have to be feared. neither did they have to be considered. ( 250 ) This blunt illustration of the power and hatred that could be mustered by the white constitution instilled within Maya Angelou a feeling of authorization and thrust. Though she would pass some clip educating herself and going the state. it was non with out the love of a boyfriend that she could to the full understand her topographic point in the universe. What I needed was a fellow. A fellow would clear up my place to the universe. and. even more of import. to myself. ( 334 ) Though apparently a defeatist point of position. the authorization that Angelou felt when she realized that she needed to be needed. and defined would work to demo her as a strong and feminine character. The usage of a adult male as a opposite number to her ain self-definition was a tool by which she was able to go valid to the universe. This brotherhood would climax in the birth of her boy – and the definition of her as a adult female. Though there was no matrimony. and a mark of shame fell on her household. it was the justification of her ego as a female parent that allowed her to experience the power she held as a individual. The lives of these two of import historical figures illustrate the demand for self-identity within the Black American civilization. Without this individuality. one is an invisible man . as Ellison said. The seeking of personal apprehension. be it through the eyes of spiritual philosophy. the function that accompanies maternity or some other signifier of personal exoneration. it is a necessary portion of going human. The invisibleness that Ellison spoke of was non physical but of societal ignorance. The deficiency of individuality that the inkinesss of the United States were allowed to hold was caused by the restrictions placed on them by the white constitution. Peoples like Malcolm X over came this by making a character of power. based on the power of faith. Or. through the self-government of Maya Angelou. where the power of personal apprehension can get the better of the bounds that are placed on a individual by society. The sexual restrictions on members of minority groups besides create more battles for the civilization. However. as seen with the success of Maya Angelou and the rise of the Nation of Islam as a powerful and popular organisation. these issues are being overcome as good. WORKS CITED Ellison. Ralph. The Invisible Man. Random House Inc. New York. 1952. Angelou. Maya. I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings. Chivers Press. Random House Inc. New York. 1969. Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Grove Press. Parallax Publishing Co. Vermont. 1965.