A Close Reading of Race of A Small Place

*The summary of the first section*


In the beginning of In a Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid is describing her country to the reader by telling us how tourist see the country as beautiful, but the people who live there see their county for what it really is, trash, a bad corrupt place to live. Kincaid displays several raciest views and ideas in the opening part of the book. We first see this when she states, “since you are a tourist, a North American or European – to be frank, white- and not Antiguan black returning to Antigua from Europe or North America with cardboard boxes of much needed cheep clothes for relatives, you move through customs swiftly” (4). As you can see in this passage, Kincaid specifically picks out white people to talk about as tourist. I find this funny because is it not true that there are blacks in North America? Is it not true that there are blacks in Europe? A few pages later Kincaid writes, “So you needn’t let that slightly funny feeling you have from time to time about exploration, oppression, domination develop into full fledged unease, discomfort; you could ruin your holiday. They are not responsible for what you have; you owe them nothing; in fact you did them a big favor and you can provide one hundred examples. If it were not for you they would not have a government house, Prime Minister’s office, and Parliament building and embassy of powerful country” (10). This quote really shocked me as a reader. I feel that Kincaid is using sarcasm to make the tourist feel remorse for something they never did. Yes the black people of Antigua were once slaves for the British that owned the island, and they should be ashamed of themselves, but why demand remorse from the tourist that visit the country today? Were they themselves ever slave owners on the island? If yes, then absolutely they should be remorseful, but otherwise they have no need to feel guilty like they were one-slave owners of these
People.


*The Native Black Vs The White Foreigners*

The Mill Reef Club is a club built by an American. Antiguans are not allowed to enter this club except the workers. Clearly you can see the separation of black and white. The indigenous people are all black and the Americans and Europeans stick out. There is no doubt who is black and white. It’s extremely ironic that the people who actually live in Antigua are not invited to be in this club. The people of power in this white dominated country are never native.
The Barclays Bank is another example. We see a company ran by all white people while blacks are not even allowed to work in the branches. People of Antigua remember specifically when the first black person worked at the bank. This is a very backwards type of racism.
The government is primarily white, often Europeans and some Americans. They are generally believed to be crooks and they often take money from the country and use it for their own personal benefit. The black citizens of Antigua see the Europeans as rude and without manners, not necessarily racists. There is defiantly a “halo-effect” when it comes to the Antiguans. Nearly all the problems that the Antiguans face are blamed upon the white leaders.
The white government officials have pushed their culture onto the people of Antigua. When the Queen of England came to visit the country the roads and buildings, which she would visit, were all fixed. The stamps that were printed often had her picture on them. There are multiple examples of British culture and how it was forced upon the natives.
According to the narrator of this text we see how the white people have negatively affected Antigua as a country. There are many examples of the corrupt leaders and their actions or lack there of to revive Antigua into what it can be and what it once was.


*The language of Race of A Small Place*

Jamaica Kincaid takes on many epic struggles in this work. Kincaid does something that is hard for many writers to do. Through her words she takes us somewhere we have never been before, using her simply and to the point language. It is no wonder Kincaid taught creative writing at Bennington College and Harvard University. She has been criticized for her stern and up-front language. Kincaid’s writing style relating to race has been called out as too abrupt and that she puts the blame on a particular race. The novel is very subjective and expresses the opinions of Kincaid. This is important to note because the opinions are believed to be fact and are intended to appear as fact; however, the point of view of the novel indicates that the nature of the information should cause the truth of some of the statements made to be questioned.
A common theme throughout the novel, particularly the second and third sections, is the need for development in Antigua. Kincaid starts with criticism of the hospital and school and then expands into many other things such as the effect slavery had on the Antiguans. She mentions that Antigua has no sewage disposal system, and therefore, wastes are released into the ocean surrounding Antigua. The main commercial enterprise of Antigua appears to be tourism, which makes the natives miserable because they envy tourists' ability to escape their lives, even if it is only temporary. The first few pages of the novel we are made to believe the novel will be about beautiful Antigua, and the experiences of the tourists who have the luxury of visiting such a place. A Small Place is an opinionated essay cleverly disguised as a novel. There are no acting characters, nor is there a plot. Kincaid’s gives her opinions of the many events and difficulties that have happened to the natives of the island. A Small Place is a subjective description of the government corruption and the lack of concern that the people of one nation has for the people of another. A Small Place also investigates the effects of slavery when the emancipated slaves are never taught how to be ordinary people. The question still remains; are the thoughts expressed by Kincaid fact, or is she simply that great of a writer that we believe everything we read?

By:Daniel, Taylor, Andrea, and Marie

Race in Popular Culture

Race in Popular Culture by popular demand!

By: Allison Price, Jennifer Leever, Andrea Smith and Casandra Willett.

In some ways the effect of race in popular culture is obvious. However some in other areas the effect of race seems to be based on perspective. Through television, music, video games and movies we tried to gauge the impact of race in popular culture.

Television
It is an undeniable fact that television is one of the most enveloping and influential roles of American culture. Nearly every household in America has at least one television. Between the dramas, comedies and reality shows, almost every person in the nation is influenced by what we see on television. The way that race in popular culture plays out in television does not help us have a good perspective of either.

Shows about African Americans are constantly being harped on saying the producers are always doing something wrong. When we go back to older shows like Bill Cosby, many people said it dominated the television world. It was a show that focused on an upper-middle-class black family. Unlike other black families previously seen on television and situation comedies, “the program avoided one-liners, buffoonery and other standard tactics designed to win laughs” (Hunt). It instead found humor in “realistic family situations... Thus episodes generally shunned typical sitcom formulas by featuring, instead, a rather loose story structure and unpredictable pacing” (Hunt). Many critics said that it was more of a white family painted black. They didn’t believe it portrayed a typical black family. Studies found that “black viewers tend to embrace the show for its positive portrayals of blackness, but express misgivings about the Huxtables' failure to regularly interact with less affluent blacks” (Hunt).




When we step forward to some present African American shows, like Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, which is a complete opposite of The Cosby Show, we also see a show that gets tons of criticism. Many say that the characters are over exaggerated. When looking at comments on a website, Television Without Pity, many said it is “poorly written” and a “monstrosity” with the “consistent ‘thud’ of joke after joke after joke”

As we can see, no matter what shows are about, if it’s a show about African Americans, it is always getting criticism. If it’s a show about African Americans acting out, it gets complained about saying it’s an annoying show, or it doesn’t portray them in the right way. Then when we turn to a show about African Americans being conformed, it gets criticized saying they’re acting more like a white family. So why is it that every African American show gets tons of criticism? Have we not reached the era of equality between races? Television shows us that we have not.


Music
If you want to know whether race impacts Popular Music the first step is to look at the Billboard Music Charts. Scanning through the top 50 lists you can almost segregate the music into genres by race. For example, the top 50 songs by Country artists are all white bands while the top 50 R&B/Hip Hop are predominately African American.

This is not a coincidence. Prior to the 1950’s Cultural Revolution in America the Popular Music scene was all white. African American singers, musicians, and bands were subject to having their songs rewritten to be played down and popularized by the white majority. While the Cultural Revolution dimmed the Color line between musical genres, it is easy to see that it still exists. While rap became popular in 1979 with the Sugar Hill Gang, there were very few white rappers.
R&B, originally called “race music” due to its African American artists, was coined by Jerry Wexler, in an effort to de-race the genre. Still, today R&B is stereotyped as African-American. In an interview with Billboard R&B artist Robin Thicke describes how he is still hitting the color line:

“When I did a recent interview with Vibe magazine I asked, "Why can't I get the cover? This is a magazine I love. If there's one magazine that I'd want to be on the cover of, it's Vibe." Their response was they don't have white artists on the cover; that the only white artist they've had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that's what it is, it is what it is. And I respect
that because I live in a house with a black woman. I won't use the word "racism." I will say it's a tough—but rewarding—fight.” (Billboard)

We may call music a universal language, but it will not be universal until the industry stops categorizing it by race.


Video Games
Nothing best represents the issues of race in video games than the latest installment of an incredibly popular series, Resident Evil 5, a shoot-em-up zombie game that takes place in Africa. Since it takes place in Africa, the zombies are African.

I’m not sure where the problem lies- The fact that the main character is white as the driven snow or the fact that the zombies aren’t the same race as him. “The white man’s job is to destroy [the Black zombies] and save humanity… This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages”, according to Kym Platt at Black Looks (An online blog regarding issues concerning African women).

But should race be such a concern in video games? I have never paused during a gang raid in Grand Theft Auto, thinking “Oh goodness, I’m killing African-Americans, aren’t I? I should stop.” No, I have thought “OMG, QUIT SHOOTING AT ME! LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT, BIATCH!” That is what Resident Evil 5, nay, most video games are about: Killing the beings that are trying to kill you. It’s not racist, it’s not offense-worthy, and I can’t wait until the time that I can go online and NOT run into twenty topics on how “OMG, this game is racist!”

Movies

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (2009)- This movie has an all black cast. The main character, Madea has anger management issues and gets sent to jail. Another character has drug problems and she is a prostitute. To better understand you can watch the following trailer. You will see quite a few negative stereotypes of black women. Not only is it black characters but the only in trouble are all women. Why do movies like this, Barber Shop, and many other movies that Tyler Perry is in like Tyler Perry’s Meets the Browns show such negative stereotypes? I don’t believe that African Americans are portrayed truly in these films. Madea Goes to Jail

Movies like Akeelah and the Bee and Finding Forrester show how young African Americans are smart and able to succeed overcoming some of the negative stereotypes of popular media. Dream Girls and Cadillac Records show how African Americans were discouraged from doing well but overcame the hurdles. Dream Girls

The movie Crash has a main focus on race which brings many different races while each character crosses path they discover something new about themselves while also displaying racism that is hidden and in the open. This is one of the few movies that’s sole purpose is the discussion of race. Crash

Whether it is left up to individual perspective or intended by the industry, it is obvious that race plays a part in popular culture. The magnitude of this part will depend on society’s ideals. Hopefully, one day, those ideals will make race history vs. popular.

Poster's Note:
The Poster (Allison Price) couldn't let her 'Race in Popular Culture' pass by without the following video. This by no means reflects the opinions of the group or the other group members. But enjoy nonetheless.

Thank you and goodnight.


Works Cited

Movies.yahoo.com

Kym Platt, “Resident Evil 5”. 11 March 2009
< http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/07/resident_evil_5.html >

“Darnell M. Hunt.” The Museum of Broadcast Communication. 12 March 2009
<>.

Television Without Pity. 12 March 2009.
< showtopic="3142323">.

“Robin Thicke: White Like Me.” 9 Sept 2008. Billboard.com. 11 Mar 2009 < http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003852980 >.

“Hot Country Songs.” Billboard.com. 11 Mar 2009. < http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=Hot+Country+Songs >.

“Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.” Billboard.com. 11 Mar 2009.
< http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=Hot+R%26B%2FHip-Hop+Songs >.

Close Reading of Race in Crash

In the film “Crash,” there are many racist, discriminatory, and stereotypical actions presented. However, it is valuable to decipher between being racist/stereotypical and discriminating against someone. There are certain situations within this film that do just that: some situations occur because of racism, and some occur because of discrimination.

Racism is the belief that one’s own race is superior to another’s race. Such is similar with stereotyping: it’s an image or conception that one has of someone because of the generalized opinion that one acts or speaks for the whole. Discrimination is the actual act that someone commits against another due to their race or ethnic background. There are two situations in Crash where the difference between these is evident.

Racism is evident throughout the whole film. Each act of discrimination is because of the racist opinions that each group has of each other. For instance, in the event that officer Ryan pulled the African American couple over, he initially did this because of the racist stereotypes he has of African Americans and how they have affected his life. The act of discrimination is a result of this, one act being assuming that these people were doing something wrong and proceeding to molest the woman in front of her husband while threatening to arrest them both. This same officer speaks of his racist opinions when talking to Shaniqua Johnson in her office: he is upset at her for not being able to assist him with his father’s surgery, and in turn voices his opinion of African Americans and how a white man could have been a better suit for her job. This discriminatory act is a result of how African Americans, or “people like her,” have burned him in the past.

Racism and discrimination also occurs the other way in this film as well. Two young African American criminals tend to steal cars that look very nice to them. They believe that all affluent, racist, white families drive these cars, and find it easy to take advantage of them and steal their cars. They carry out these racist opinions through their theft, and this eventually gets them into lots of trouble, even death.

Racism and discrimination are very evident topics in Crash, and it is believed that Crash is one of the best cases in which these two topics are shown to exist in every day life.

The issue of internal and external racism appears not only in the movie Crash but also in everyday life. Internal racism refers to a person hating his or her own race while idolizing another race. External racism refers to a person hating another race while placing his or her own race higher in terms of superiority to the other race. The movie for the most part focuses on external racism to show the impact of racism in generally. Ironically the two characters that show the most external racism are Officer John Ryan and Officer Tommy Hansen who are suppose to uphold the law and equality for everyone regardless of race. While Tommy doesn’t show racial discrimination whereas John blatantly makes it clear he’s a racist Tommy in the end proves to be the most racist and narrow minded when he kills Peter who he believes is reaching for a gun. These characters are clear examples of external racism. External racism is a huge problem not just in our country but all over the world. These racist thoughts are usually fed with stereotypes such as the stereotype that all Mexicans are criminal gang bangers who will rob your house after they fix your locks such as the scene between Jean Cabot and Daniel Ruiz. These stereotypes feed hatred and fear into people which then causes racism. When people are afraid of someone that looks different the general idea that they get is that everyone who is that nationality is just like them. If we could get rid over the fear of others who aren’t exactly like us then we could possibly take the right step towards eliminating racism altogether.

Internal racism on the other hand is much more detrimental to the race that it is affecting. There is a great character in Crash that stuck out in the movie and that was Cameron Thayer. Despite the fact that Cameron has a well paid job and has a good life he is still targeted by the police and others with prejudice because of their definition of “black”. We see him get fed up with this when Anthony and Peter try to hijack him and he puts up a fight. Cameron is an interesting case because he experiences both internal and external racism throughout the film. The reason he fights back against Anthony and Peter is because he is frustrated that even his own race is out to hurt him. He gives us a great example of internal racism when he lets Anthony out of his car and tells him “You embarrass me, and you embarrass yourself.” Cameron is the greatest example of both of these terms and probably one of the characters most greatly affected emotionally by racism. Internal and external racism are huge issues in our country that have been with us for hundreds of years. The question is, though, is racism going to outlast everyone?

A Small Place and the story that Kincaid reveals to us is set around the island of Antigua. To better understand the island and the way Kincaid represents it, we researched the history of Antigua when Kincaid resided there.

Kincaid lived in Antigua until she was sixteen years old before moving to New York City to become a writer. A Small Place is an effective work that shows her view of the island and how it was affected by European colonization and tourism today.

Columbus first settled on Antigua in 1493. In 1632, the English settled there and Antigua was colonized by the United Kingdom. An island mainly known for its sugar production, Antigua was controlled by the British for a long period, and for a short time was occupied by the French. African slaves helped in the upkeep of the island.

Antigua was eventually granted independence in 1981 after only having a semi-full government until then. Today, Antigua is associated with the Commonwealth of Nations as well as the United Nations. Known as the “gateway to the Caribbean,” Antigua is inhabited mostly by those of African lineage; descendants of those aforementioned slaves that were brought to help the sugar plantations flourish.

Kincaid lived in Antigua until she was sixteen years old before moving to New York City to become a writer. A Small Place is an effective work that shows her view of the island and how it was affected by European colonization and tourism today.

As we see in A Small Place, Kincaid has a long standing grudge against Europeans. Although, in the novel, she is more bitter towards Europeans than Americans, in her life, she has recently settled in Vermont. In an interview, Kincaid states that, “What I really feel about America is that it's given me a place to be myself - but myself as I was formed somewhere else." Kincaid relishes in the fact that she grew up in Antigua. That is her background and her roots. In A Small Place, she mentions the need for Americans to not necessarily be surrounded by the culture, but to see some of their own when they travel. For example, in the novel she talks about how Americans, when traveling to Antigua are have different expectations of culture and experiences during vacationing. She says that we expect to pay for things in the native currency and are somehow surprised when cab fares and dinners are charged in American currency. It’s just due to the fact that Americans and even Europeans, for that matter, are not necessarily open to the ideas of other cultures. She even states the irony of how Americans state how the love how the roads in Antigua are rough compared to the “splendid highways [you] are used to in North America.” Kincaid uses this idea of the close mindedness and only seeing what you want to see throughout her novel, A Small Place.

Class and race discussions occur a lot throughout A Small Place usually comparing the white European tourists who are wealthy and clueless of what life is really like on Antigua and the actual residents of Antigua who have no choice but to stay on their island that is slowly falling apart from a corrupt lazy government. Antigua itself was found by Christopher Columbus and colonized by English settlers. England kept a control in Antigua up until 1981. Kincaid compares the white tourists as pastry like fleshed people who have no idea what the real Antigua is like because they only see what they want to see while they’re on holiday. At no point does Kincaid talk negatively towards the black citizens that mostly populate Antigua. You can definitely tell by how Kincaid talks about these tourists and founding white colonists that she believes that all of Antigua’s problems stem from rich white colonists that didn’t belong there in the first place.

In A Small Place Kincaid, discusses the corruption caused by the white government citing examples of drug smuggling and the deaths of multiple government ministers. There is other examples of liberated countries that were once controlled by white governments that have failed such as Rwanda which use to be ruled by the Belgians until they gave up power in the 1960’s. Leaving a corrupt government that eventually led to the horrific Rwandan genocide that took place in the late eighties into the early nineties. When a high class government gives control over to a low class government problems are bound to occur due to the fact that when most countries give up power to another they usually don’t care about what will happen to the newly founded country.

Class and race definitely play a huge part in this novel as well as in Antigua. Kincaid typically describes the wealthy white royal family members of England as being unattractive and overall useless to the government of Antigua but yet at the same time they demand an enormous amount of attention while letting the country slip into disrepair. These enormous class differences are normally portrayed as being the cause of Antigua’s current condition. The fact that the white class is the higher class connects race and class together which is why Kincaid is constantly hounding the white tourists especially the European tourists for Antigua’s current condition.

In the works of Ms. Kincaid, the reader if often left with a strong understanding of where she stands when it comes to race and identity. In her books, Lucy, A small Place, and Annie John, she provides the reader with both the image of tragedy and beauty when she talks about her native land and history in comparison to how it relates to race. For her, race and identity have been taken away from her by the non natives. For a native like her, her identity isn’t associated with the typical individual from her memories of history.

After reading an article that she was interviewed in, she states “There are so many things that make up a person and one of them is not ‘an identity’…ones identity should proceed from and internal structure, from one’s own truth”. (191) however she defines race differently. She says “race is a false idea. It’s just an invention to enforce power. So I never talk about race. I talk about the inflammatory thing which is power”. In her adult life this is proven to be true by her marrying Allen Shaw (now divorced), a white man making her children bi-racial. In all of her books, it seems as if she wants to get across the message of what power does to the idea of race and identity. How power can change everything within a heartbeat, and how power has changed her life. A strong Caribbean Writer forced to the world of America because power took over her native land.

Work Cited
Allan, Vorda, ed. Face to Face: Interviews with Contemporary Novelists. Houston:
Rice UP, 1993.

Ferguson, Moira. Jamaica Kincaid: Where the Land Meets the Body. Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1994.

Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. New York: Penguin, 1988

A Small Place Review

A small place, a book by Jamaica Kincaid was written in 1988, describing her life as a Caribbean. It is often seen as a highly personal history of her home on the island of Antigua. Throughout the book Ms. Kincaid maintains a bitter and sarcastic tone. Over all anger is the books prevailing mood. The book being from her perspective only has eight characters, some of which are groups. The only family is her mother and the others we are introduced to have come to the island to visit. Kincaid being the main character tends to focus on her life as a child compared to one of an adult. Her life as a child spent bored out of her mind so she found it in books to clear her mind. In addition to herself and her mother, we are introduced to the prime minister of the island and the librarian where she spent most of her time.

In the next section of her book, Ms. Kincaid gives great comparison about what her island was like before; “bad English men” took over her country. Within this section she often talks about the differences between the natives of Antigua and the tourist, “me and you”. Installing the idea that Antiguans live with this distorted image of their lives. She emphasizes that Antigua is a “small place” trapped by the big world around them. It is within this part of the book that Ms. Kincaid gives us a visual image of the beauty of her island. At the same time you, as the reader, will notice that during her childhood her relationship with her mother grew apart while the family size increased. By the help of her ambitious ways, Kincaid moved from her home island to the big city of New York. This is where she got her start.

The middle part of A Small Place is more focused on the way Antigua is today as opposed to the English control over the small country. In this section, she begins to analyze why the country is what it is and how it became that way. A lot of the blame for this is placed on the Englishmen. For example, in 1974 there was a devastating earthquake that destroyed many parts of the island, including the town’s library. Since the disaster occurred in 1974, the same sign has sat in the window stating, “THIS BUILDING WAS DAMAGED IN THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1947. Repairs are pending.” She hosts a discussion based on the fact that the old library was so grand and beautiful, just like the island before the English took control. The Mill Reef Club, a club for the wealthy, has funds to reconstruct the decrepit library, but only if it is completely rebuilt, not restored. To Kincaid, this is turning their backs on the old Antigua and focusing on the new, touristic aspect of the beautiful island. In her mind, this was a rouse used by the members of this club to recreate the past of Antigua when it was controlled by the English.

Also in this section, Kincaid discusses the corruption in the Antiguan government and the need for a Minister of Culture. According to Kincaid, Antigua is a small island that has succumbed to be defined as a tourist destination. On page 49 of A Small Place, she talks about the lack of culture is what establishes a need for a Minister of Culture, “in countries that have no culture or are afraid they may have no culture, there is a Minister of Culture.” She is saying that by appointing a Minister of Culture, a culture does not appear and grow. It has to be given the room to do so and with groups of people like the Mill Reef Club who look down on the blossoming of the unique Antiguan culture, it is difficult for it to be able to grow.

The last section of A Small Place summates the book with Jamaica Kincaid’s elaborate description of the incredible physical beauties of the island. She describes the beauty as being so intense that it is “unreal”, like a “stage set for a play.” (pg 77) She, then, goes on to explain how this beauty is a mixed blessing to the Antiguans. An important quote that seems to sum up Ms. Kincaid’s thoughts regarding being an inhabitant of Antigua is found on page 79. It states: “It is as if, then, the beauty—the beauty of the sea, the land, the air, the trees, the market, the people, the sounds they make—were a prison, and as if everything and everybody inside it were locked in and everything and everybody that is not inside it were locked out. And what might it do to ordinary people to live in this way every day? What might it do to them to live in such heightened, intense surroundings every day?” This statement, actually, seems to be the sum of the entire book. Throughout the four sections, she has explained the idea that Antigua’s outer appearance and beauty is not a reflection of the everyday struggles that it takes to keep it that way. This quote reinforces this thought of Antigua’s mixed beauty. Since Antigua has no natural resources, it must depend on its natural beauty in order to bring in money. The inhabitants are only a part of the unchanging scenery of poverty, and those who are not inhabitants are “locked out” from really knowing what their lives are truly like.

A last point to note about A Small Place, would be the way Ms. Kincaid chooses to end the book. In the last paragraph, she describes the slaves that where brought to Antigua by force. She explains that they were victims and therefore, noble, but those who live in Antigua now (their descendants) are just simple human beings. It is important to note this because through this whole book, she is trying to get the reader to see Antigua as more than a tourist attraction. She wants the reader to realize that even though it may be a vacation for some, the life and poverty that the inhabitants go through is real life. It is not fun and games for them; it is their lives and they go through the same problems and challenges of human beings everywhere.

Posted by Mia Berman, Megan Peters, Charlene Winburn

Works Cited

Byerman, Keith E. "Anger in a Small Place: Jamaica Kincaid's Cultural Critique of
Antigua." College Literature 22 (1995): 91-102.

Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. New York: Penguin, 1988. (Book Cover) (small.gif)

http://www.coverwbrowser.com/. 7 Mar. 2009.

Crash Wildcard: Transformation

After a car accident, people change. Why do they change? Is it because the shock of the crash caused fear and panic? Or Because of the money that has to go into fixing the car? No matter the reason, and no matter who is at fault, a definite transformation occurs when people crash into one another.

In the movie Crash many of the characters go through transformations as their lives intertwine. When these exchanges occur, change is inevitable. The only question is, is this change for the better or for the worse?

We begin examining these character transformations with Jean (Sandra Bullock), the wife of the district attorney. Jean starts out as a very cold character that is preoccupied with material things. She thinks that wealth and superficial objects bring happiness. We are introduced to Jean when two black men, who proceed to steal their car, hold her and her husband at gunpoint. This incident caused an already insecure woman to be even more skeptical and stereotypical of minority groups. Some examples of Jean’s stereotypical manner after the incident include her treatment towards the locksmith, and her housekeeper. The Latino locksmith comes to change the locks on all of the doors in Jean’s house. She freaks out to her husband, accusing this man of being in a gang and says he is going to sell copies of their keys to his gang friends. This irrational behavior shows that she is stereotyping a man she doesn’t know based on his looks and his tattoos. Also, throughout the movie Jean is very disrespectful towards her housekeeper.

Although Jean seems pretentious, her transformation occurs when she reveals the truth about her life. During a conversation she is having on the phone with a friend, jean tells her friend that she wakes up angry everyday and she doesn’t know why. Her friend abruptly cuts her off and ends the conversation. Soon after, she falls down the steps and needs medical care. The only person she was able to get a hold of to take her to the hospital is her housekeeper. During the end of the scene, Jean hugs her housekeeper and says the housekeeper is the best friend she has. This shows her transformation from an angry, materialistic person to someone who realizes that money and wealth do not define who she is. She realizes that her best friend, and the person who is ultimately there for her in the end, is the housekeeper, who deserves more respect than jean gives her.


One of the characters who is responsible for stealing Jean’s car is Anthony
(Ludacris). Anthony’s first appearance in the movie indicates his severe racial views of the world. When noticing that Jean was afraid of him and his friend, he states that if anyone should be scared and nervous it should be him and his friend. Just after complaining about others stereotypes of associating fear, violence, and guns with black men, he and his friend hold Jean and her husband at gunpoint. The two men eventually steal their car and sell it to a chop shop.

Throughout the rest of the movie Anthony continues to make very racist and stereotypical remarks, most of which make no sense at all. Anthony’s transformation in the movie comes when he tries to steal a car from a black man but fails (something Anthony specifically said he would never do). The man tells Anthony,“ You embarrass me, you embarrass yourself”. This quote makes Anthony think about his way of life and his racist views. Anthony’s defining moment comes when he steals a van and takes it to the chop shop. When he gets there he realizes that the van is full if Asian immigrants. The chop shop owner offers him $500 a piece for each immigrant. Instead of selling them, he sets them free in an Asian-cultured area. This shows that a man the audience saw as a racist thief, does have a kind heart and is willing to do the right thing, even when it involves members from another culture.


Another character in the movie who verbally shows his racist views is Officer John Ryan (Matt Dillon). This man is portrayed as one of the most racist characters in the movie, as he verbally and physically commits acts of racism against an innocent black couple. His maltreatment causes his partner to feel uncomfortable and Officer Ryan warns this man that he will one day be racist, just like him. He also yells at a woman from the insurance company because his father’s HMO plan will not cover further treatments on his illness. When Officer Ryan discovers the woman’s name is Sheniqua, he immediately assumes she is black and racially assaults her as well.
Officer Ryan’s transformation begins as he comes upon the scene of a crash. The woman inside the upturned vehicle is the same woman he racially violated earlier. When the woman realizes that the man who molested her is trying to save her, she begins to scream and cry. Officer Ryan has a transforming moment as he realizes the consequences of his actions. We get to see a softer side of him and we hope that from then on he changes the way he treats people of other cultures.



Officer John Ryan’s partner is Officer Tom Hansen (Ryan Philippe). He experiences one of Officer Ryan’s racist and bigoted moments, and promptly asks to be removed from riding with him. He will not tell the head officer his reasoning, which shows how cowardly he is. He holds so much racism and prejudice inside, but he wants to act like he is open-minded and impartial to race. He tries to exemplify this by letting a black man off with just a warning after he resisted the officer’s commands. We see officer Hansen’s stereotypical views as he picks up a black man who is hitchhiking. When this black man begins to comment on Officer Hansen’s country music, and begins to talk about writing a song, the Officer laughs at him, thinking it is a joke. The Officer then proceeds to get angry in thinking that the black man is mocking him as he laughs about something to himself. The Officer then gets upset and asks the black man to leave the car, and when the black man went to pull an object out of his pocket, the Officer shot and killed him. The officer is stereotypically and habitually assuming the object was a gun. He then disposes of the body and burns his vehicle. This shows Tom Hanson’s transformation takes a turn for the worse, as his seemingly innocent personality is ultimately destroyed when he kills a black man through his stereotypical views.


Similar to Officer Hansen, Farhad, the Persian storeowner,uses a gun in his own rage and defense. When Farhad discovers a broken lock on the back door of his shop, he realizes the danger and buys a gun. When he calls someone to fix the lock, the repairman informs Farhad that the lock is not the problem, but rather the door is, and in order to fix the problem so that his door shuts and locks, he has to buy a new door. Farhad believes the locksmith is trying to cheat him and these two men get into a verbal argument until finally the locksmith storms out. The next morning Farhad arrives at work to find that his shop is broken in to. His shop is completely robbed and destroyed, left with verbal slander on the walls and trash scattered on the floor. Farhad is livid when he finds out the insurance company isn’t going to pay for any of the damage because the locksmith told him that he needed a new door.
As a way of revenge Farhad goes to the locksmith’s house and points a gun to his face demanding money. Just as this is happening, the locksmith’s daughter jumps into his arms to protect him and Farhad fires the gun pointed directly at the girl. After seeing that the girl was not wounded from the bullet, Farhad believes she is an angel. This moment transformed Farhad, causing him to be at peace with himself and the situation that fate brought him.

Although many of the characters transform by the end of the movie, we still do not see how they act upon their changes. We only hope that the characters previous notions on race and life will change forever because of all the “crashes” that occurred in their lives to cause change. Just when the point of hope comes at the end of the movie, when Anthony commits a selfless act and frees the Asian immigrants, we see another crash. This crash symbolizes the circular pattern of events that occur and the blindness and racism that goes along with it. Although this pattern may continue, we can only hope that with every crash comes a transformation. And with every small change, progress can be made towards and culturally accepting world.

“It’s the Sense of Touch. Any real city you walk, you know? You brush past people. People bump into you. In L.A nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just so we can feel something.”

Post by: Daniel Jackson, Micheal Viox, and Ashley Woltermann

Class Survey: Favorite Work

This quarter we've studied a range of texts--Absalom, Absalom, Playing in the Dark, Jazz, Passing, Crash, and A Small Place. As your final word for the term, please discuss here your favorite text. Why is it your favorite? Did it encourage you to think about race, identity, etc., in a new or different way?

Crash Review

Summary
People are born with good hearts, but as they grow up they learn prejudices. "Crash" is a movie that brings out bigotry and racial stereotypes. The movie is set in Los Angeles, a city with a mix of many nationalities and cultures. The story begins when several people are involved in a multi-car accident. From there, we are taken to the days before the crash, seeing the lives of several characters, and the problems each encounters during that day. Later we realize the people’s lives connect in more ways than they will ever know. A racist cop is trying to get medical help for his father, but he is having problems with an African American HMO clerk (Shaniqua Johnson) who won't give his father permission to see another doctor. Frustrated he utters racial slurs to the woman, her stereotypical name is criticized and he insults her intelligence. He in turn takes out his frustration on a black couple during a traffic stop. A bitchy socialite and District Attorney couple are carjacked at gunpoint by two black teenagers. Mrs. Cabot takes out her anger on a Mexican locksmith who is changing the door locks to their home. Later that night, the locksmith is again robbed of his dignity by a Persian store-owner. The store owner has his locks changed by the Mexican locksmith and tells the store owner that he also needs his door fixed. The store owner does not understand and in turn his store is robbed and trashed that night. Who is to blame? The Mexican locksmith. That same day the locksmith and little girl’s lives are threatened but are saved by the magical cloak. Many of the characters switch from being bad-person-to-hero in many surprising ways. Crash plays into the many stereotypes of African Americans, White Europeans, Hispanics, Mexicans, Persians and Asians. This movie has received many prestigious awards, three of which were Oscars)for its boldness to show the realities of life and happenings that otherwise would continue to be shun by the world.

Overall, Crash is a great movie. The movie points out hatred of racism, loathing of man’s inhumanity to man, empathy, self-reflection, and an awareness of how one’s own prejudices may affect others. The movie demonstrates the consequences of widespread attitudes harboring racist, discriminatory, and stereotypical overtones. It is hard to blame any one person in this movie. Everyone is guilty; no race, gender, class, or ideology is spared.

Characters
Sandra Bullock-Jean Cabot
Brendan Fraser-Rick Cabot
Ludacris-Anthony
Larenz Tate-Peter Waters
Don Cheadle-Detective Graham Waters
Terrence Howard- Cameron Thayer
Thandie Newton- Christine Thayer
Laretta Devine-Shaniqua Johnson
Matt Dillon-Officer John Ryan
Ryan Phillipe-Officer Tom Hanssen

Negative Criticisms
Some critics have said that iin the movie, Asians are portrayed in an overwhelmingly negative light, and Asian stereotypes were reinforced and lacked any manner of development of its Asian characters. To an extent this is true. European American, African American, Hispanic, Mexican and Cambodian's stereotypes were challenged and given insight on; but Asian stereotypes were simply noted.

Reviews


In 2004, the controversial film Crash brought to light issues and topics that are usually brushed to the side. It was called, “Thrilling and Provocative!” from Ken Tucker of the New York Magazine and “A Knockout” by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone. Although it received good reviews, the subject matter was offensive to some viewers. This movie showed the raw reality of racism and had no intention of sugar coating it. The movie did not dance around issues or tip-toe around feelings. Because of this, the reactions to this movie were mixed, but the audience could not escape the universal message of discrimination. This movie openly shows that racism is not slanted towards a particular race or group of people. Racism and discrimination affects us all and everyone has thoughts of other people based on their outer appearance and the way they carry themselves. Every character was influenced by the way other people viewed them. It was interesting to see how each character struggled with the roles of their own façade. Rick Cabot, Brendan Fraser, struggled with his actions based on how others would perceive him because he held office. Cameron Thayer, Terrence Howard, struggled with how to identify with his race. The ignorance of people and the unwillingness to educate themselves on other cultures and people becomes a vicious cycle. One wrong deed often leads to another and then another. The actions can not be justified with blame because the results are not possitive. Ria, Jennifer Esposito, begins the movie by insulting the Asian driver and mocking her speech. Then, when Ria is called Mexican, she is offended. We learn that her mother is from Puerto Rico and her father is from El Salvador. She uses stereotypes and she is part of a stereotype. When you hurt others, it often comes back to haunt you. This movie is a morality play about cause and effect. This film addresses the way people impact each other, directly and indirectly. The positive interactions and the negative interactions have weight in the other character’s lives. One small action, like giving a daughter an invisible and protective cape, could lead to the unimaginable, like a death of a child. Knowing the outcome and results of every one of your actions is impossible, but it is important to think that even the smallest of actions can alter someone else. This film brings up the timeless moral of not judging a book by its cover. Possibly everyone has said something a little racist in their lives.


It's True!



Taylor Espy and Dione Hardin

Jazz the music and Jazz the book

by: Clayton Mandly, Emma McGirr, and David Odenwelder

Jazz (the music) and Jazz (the novel) are very similar in style and structure. Both are always changing but rooted in a particular style. Jazz music is improvisation-based and therefore the performers have to feed off of one another. There are many different instruments that are used to play jazz music and each instrument has its own individuality. Just as the performers are individuals, the instruments they play have specific roles and work together. The text is almost rhythmical, giving a variety of different tempos and timbre, which contribute to the distinctive qualities of each instrument or player. Throughout the book, there are many different narrators who are used to enrich the detail of the story. Each character has their own story to tell and the reader can see their individuality, which is pieced together in the novel to form a collective and collaborative piece of writing. This multiple voice and multiple perspectives is the same with jazz music. Each instrument adds a little more something to the big picture of the musical piece that they are performing.

In Jazz the novel, the narrator observes what is taking place in the novel while making presumptions about what the outcome of the characters’ lives will be. But, the narrator learns that their lives were not predictable. In the end of the novel, the narrator was surprised that the outcome he was expecting did not occur. One could compare the narrator to an audience member watching jazz music. Jazz music is not predictable. It is made up of a set path that will be loosely followed and during the journey down the path different instruments will improvise, creating music and rhythms on the spot. The audience may try to guess at what the musicians will do next. But again it is hard to predict an improvisational art. Even the musicians do not always know what to expect.

Morrison’s format of the book is also reminiscent of jazz music. She uses a single blank page to separate the sections in the book. She also does not label the sections or title them. This makes it very similar to jazz music because the music flows from one point to another without complete stops. It has section changes when one instrument starts a solo, but no real apparent or drastic stop to a new movement. In the novel, Morrison makes the sections flow well together. For example at the end of one section, she writes, “She buttoned her coat and left the drugstore and noticed, at the same moment as that Violet did, that it was spring. In the City” (Morrison, 114). Then at the start of the next section she writes, “And when spring comes to the City people notice one another in the road” (Morrison, 117). These sections are connected but at the same time it switches focus on a related subject.

Jazz music began its development in New Orleans during the early 20^th century and then broadened its’ reach to other major cities. The novel Jazz is set in a place called “the City” in the winter 1926. It is set in during the time when jazz music was spreading and very popular. Though the city described in the novel is never specifically identified, it is possible to stay that it was New York City. This novel took place during the time of the Harlem Renaissance, which was an explosion of African American culture in the arts including the blues and jazz music.

The idea of double-consciousness is apparent throughout the novel and can be noticed when analyzing the characters of Joe and Violet. We learned about this idea while reading Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark and Morrison stresses the idea a lot in Jazz. Double-consciousness can also be applied to jazz music and the varied meanings of the musical piece being played. One example from the novel is when Violet is contemplating saying, “No! That Violet is not somebody walking around town, up and down the streets wearing my skin and using my eyes shit no that Violet is me!” (Morrison, 95-96).

One difference between jazz the music and Jazz the novel is the concept of the “not me.” The “not me” is considered to be one way people identify themselves by projecting all the qualities they don’t like onto a person of another race. The “not me” doesn’t exist in jazz music but it does in Toni Morrison’s novel. In Jazz, the character Golden Gray has grown up thinking that he is a white man and when he learns that his father is black he goes to find and kill his father. Golden Gray makes assumptions about what his father is like and gives him all negative qualities because he is of another race. In contrast, Golden Gray’s father Henry Lestory projects Golden Gray as the “not me.” When addressing his son for the first time he says, “Be what you want – white or black. Choose. But if you choose black, you got to act black, meaning draw your manhood up – quicklike, and don’t bring me no whiteboy sass” (Morrison, 173). Henry Lestory is assuming the white characteristics to be weak and prissy. Jazz music is a collaborative art form and calls for everyone to work together despite their differences resulting in the nonexistence of the “not me.”

Jamaica Kincaid

Jamaica Kincaid’s real name was Elaine Potter Richardson. She was born in St John’s, Antigua in the West Indies on May 25th, 1949. She lived with her mother, Annie Richardson Drew, and stepfather, David Drew, who was a carpenter. Elaine never knew her biological father, but was told that he was a taxi driver named Roderick Potter. Richardson was very close to her mother as she was the only child for nine years. She attended school and received a British education in Antigua. Elaine was most often at the top of her class. Elaine’s mother had three more children, all sons in a very quick succession, beginning when Elaine was nine and with this, Elaine relationship with her mother changed. After her brothers were born, she was treated poorly and neglected by both her mother and step-father.

“I don’t know if having other children was the cause for our relationship changing- it might have changed as I entered adolescence, but her attention went elsewhere. And also our family money remained the same but there were more people to feed and to clothe and so everything got sort of shortened not only material things but emotional things, the good emotional things I got a short end of that. But then I got more of the things I didn’t have, like a certain kind of cruelty and neglect. In the end it didn’t matter. When I was first a young person it did matter a lot because I didn’t know what had happened to me. If I hadn’t become a writer I don’t know what would have happened to me; that was a kind of self rescuing.” Jamaica Kincaid

In this audio, Jamaica Kincaid talks about her relationship with her mother. She discusses how she became such a wonderful reader and so interested in books. Since her mother was very interested in reading she taught Jamaica how to read at a very young age. This allowed Kincaid’s mother to still keep her freedom of reading and being involved in stories and not have to be disturbed by Jamaica.

Listen: Web Extra: Kincaid on How Reading Empowered Her
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At the age of seventeen, Richardson’s step-father became ill and could no longer support his family. Her mother pulled Richardson out of school, even though she was very intelligent, and sent her to Westchester New York to work as an au pair to an American family. She was supposed to make money for her family but she refused to send it back to her home land, and she did not talk to her family or open her mother’s letters.

Richardson, while working as an au pair, was supposed to be studying to eventually become a nurse. Richardson later resigned as an au pair, quit nursing school and began looking for new jobs. Her first writing experience involved a series of articles for Ingenue magazine. She also had a job as a fact checker with Forbes magazine. She became friends with a professor Myles Ludwig. Later in her life she wrote him asking for a job, and he hired her to work at Art Direction magazine. With this job Richardson went to the New School for Social Research where she studied photography. She also attended Franconia College in New Hampshire for a year, which later leads to her being eligible to work at the New Yorker.

Richardson decided to change her name to Jamaica Kincaid from Elaine Potter Richardson so she could write anonymously. She knew that her family disapproved of her writing and so by changing her name the people of Antigua would not know it was her. Kincaid found a writing job with the New Yorker magazine and wrote in her own column “The Talk of the Town”. She met the editor of the magazine, William Shawn. He encouraged Kincaid to write fiction, which were then often published as installments in the New Yorker. Kincaid resigned from the New Yorker in 1996, after the death of her youngest brother Devon, died from AIDS at the age of 33.

This audio has Jamaica Kincaid explain how she became a writer. At a young she began “writing” and she soon realized that the reason she was fired from many of her jobs because she was not dedicated to these, but instead writing. Kincaid was not confident in her writing, but she knew that “this” was the way that she wanted to write. She doubted that she would ever succeed as a writer, but she would not let this stand in her way.

Listen: Web Extra: Kincaid on Becoming a Writer
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While Kincaid was working for the New Yorker and being encouraged by her editor Shawn, she married his son Allen. Together they had two children, Annie in 1985 and Harold in 1989. Kincaid and her family now live in North Bennington, Vermont, where she lectures on African and African American Studies and on English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University. Kincaid has received many awards and honors. From the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, she won the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award for her work At the Bottom of the River. She has also received the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund writer’s award.

Works Cited

Emory University---English Department "Where Courageous Inquiry Leads" 3 Mar. 2009 .

Intersections: Jamaica Kincaid and the Literature of Defiance. 2 Feb. 2004. Npr. 27 Feb. 2009 .

JAMAICA KINCAID. New York State Writers Institute. 2 Mar. 2009 .

By: Sarah Burns and Lindsey Sanders

A Close Reading of Race in Jazz

While reading Jazz I found that there were many times I needed to remind myself that I was reading a story about African American characters. Toni Morrison wrote Jazz in a way that did not make race the main theme. However, race definitely was a theme covered throughout the book. All but one of Morrison’s main characters in Jazz are at least part African American. Each of these characters takes the stage and is in control of telling their own story. They are able to each explain who they are as a person, as well as discuss the experiences that they have had during their lifetime. Some of these experiences include how their race has affected their life, but not all. This is because Morrison wanted to make Jazz not just a story about race, but other themes as well.



Toni Morrison defines race in a couple different ways throughout this novel. She shows the way African Americans are treated by whites to show one type of race. Another type of race Morrison describes is how African Americans see themselves being black. These two types of race occur often throughout Jazz. When race is discussed in either of these ways it is easy to pick up on and understand.

The way African Americans are treated by white people is one of the ways race is portrayed in Jazz. On page 74, Morrison’s narrator is describing Alice Manfred and the story that goes with her. Alice is Dorcus’s aunt and we are told that Alice now feels very unsafe after Joe shot Dorcus and even more unsafe because Violet stabbed Dorcus’s dead body at the funeral. Even though Alice feels unsafe there is nothing she can do, she says “she would have called the police after both of them if everything she knew about Negro life had made it even possible to consider.” This quote shows Alice knows that because she is a black woman the white community, and the things that are run by the white community, for example the police station, will not be able to help her. She has decided that it is not worth her time or effort. The color of Alice’s skin is what keeps her from calling for safety.

Another example of the treatment that the African Americans receive from white people is illustrated on page 102. This page is describing how African Americans from all over were coming to the fields to work. It then goes on to describe how the African Americans were paid for their hard work, “nine dollars a bale, some said, if you grew your own; eleven dollars if you had a white friend carry it up for pricing. And for pickers, ten cents a day for the women and a case quarter for the men.” If the African American worked hard and grew his own he was paid a decent wage, but if he had a white friend carry it up, it was worth more. The workers are the ones that do all the time consuming and hard work, and they receive only a small amount in comparison to what an African American would make if he grew his own. This quote is a perfect example of how the whites treated the African Americans, it shows that Morrison saw that throughout our history we have not been treated as equals.

On page 106, there is another example of Morrison describing the way whites treated African Americans. On this page the narrator is describing the wealth of the whites in the city of Baltimore. The African American narrator explains that “white people literally throw money at you--- just for being neighborly: opening a taxi, picking up a package. And anything that you had or made or found you could sell in the streets.” This passage goes on to say that the African Americans line the streets with items that are either made or used that they can sell to the wealthy white people of the city. Morrison shows the reader that she is aware of how the whites and African Americans are treated differently.

Morrison not only sees race as a difference between two different races, but within one race as well. In Jazz she has the African Americans go through events that would leave them questioning what would be the “right” thing to do. One of the first examples of this occurs when Joe and Violet are on the train headed for the city. The train has just passed through Delaware, a state in which the whites and African Americans had to be separated with a curtain. Now that they are in a free state the attendant came through the car of African Americans and informed them that the breakfast car was open and they could go in as they pleased. It is stated on page 31 that the attendant “wanted the whole coach to file into the dining car, now that they could.” This passage is one that shows just how hard it is for an African American to accept that he or she is a free man or woman. It is very hard for them to just stand up and walk into a dining car, when for so long they were not allowed and they know it will not last forever. I think that this section in the story really shows how the color of your skin could cause many problems, both within society and yourself.

Another example of how Morrison added inner conflict within the African Americans occurs on page 77. In this part of Jazz, Morrison describes the weapons that African American females choose, “black women were armed; black women were dangerous and the less money they had the deadlier the weapon they chose.” This quote portrays more than just the theme of race, but also feminism, economic status and violence. Dealing with just the race issue though, it is clear that Morrison knew that many African Americans were armed and dangerous because they had many unfair opportunities compared to whites. You can tell that this is an inner conflict that Morrison wants to touch base on because after she is finished describing the African Americans who are armed and dangerous, she goes on to describe that they are the ones have “found protection in church and the judging, angry God”. Morrison has the African Americans decide which side they want to be associated with and how they would protect themselves if they needed to.

Morrison, Toni. Jazz. 1992. Vintage International.


By: Sarah Burns and Lindsey Sanders