Preview

Racial Tension And Segregation In A Gathering Of Old Men

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
283 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Racial Tension And Segregation In A Gathering Of Old Men
The image of racial tension and segregation in A Gathering of Old Men is portrayed by the setting. The setting gives way to many important themes throughout the novel, one of them being the redefinition of black masculinity. The novel is set around the mid 1900s on a sugarcane plantation in rural Louisiana. This southern setting displays the tension occurring between blacks and whites. African Americans now began to demand equality and would not be suppressed by whites.
One theme of the book, the redefinition of black masculinity, is greatly shaped by the setting. At this time, Blacks were evolving to no longer being tolerant of abuse and punishment inflicted by white men. This “new” black man decided to not be submissive; he would now speak

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Just as a book cannot be judged by its cover, Sheriff Mapes, in A Gathering of Old Men, by Ernest J. Gaines, should not just be judged by how he is in the beginning of the novel because he changes his perspectives throughout the book. The story is set in a fictional “Louisiana sugarcane plantation in the 1970s” (back cover) and focuses on the murder of Beau Boutan, a member of a white farming family. Sheriff Mapes, who is white, is set to arrest Mathu, a proud, old, black man, for killing Beau Boutan. Once the gathering of old, black men all claim they shot Beau, Mapes needs to determine the truth. In doing so, Mapes slowly develops over the course of the novel, altering his views and opinions, gestures, and actions toward the black men in the small southern town they share.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a fictive tale, the novel leaves one speechless and appalled by the ignorance once held prior to reading, wholly unaware of the horrors individuals faced in the North, and the cruelty that even free African Americans were exposed to, one could not be blamed for harshly judging individuals, like Frado, who look racially ambivious, for choosing to pass as a European American. After receiving an enlightening re-education, one who reads the work of James Weldon Johnson, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, may not choose to judge the novel’s protagonist as a criminal, as he does, but view it as a mechanism for survival. Johnson’s novel shares similar themes with Our Nig regarding identity, race and freedom to an African American individual of racially ambiviliant appearance. Wilson’s work allows the reader to sympathize with Johnson’s unnamed narrator, and his betrayal of the African American race by passing for a Caucasian American, even though he is unable to forgive himself.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The story takes place in a small Cajun town in Louisiana in the 1940's. The story mainly takes place in the Quarter, area on the plantation where the black people who work there reside, and in Bayonne, the town nearest the plantation. Life for African American people in this era was one of segregation. Though slavery was over, they still were not treated with respect or equality.…

    • 1837 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    James Baldwin paints a picture of the struggle between white men and black men. Baldwin points out that, “the white man prefers to keep the black man at a certain human remove because it is easier for him thus to preserve his simplicity and avoid being called to account for crimes committed by his forefathers, or his neighbors” (p2). At this point Baldwin was contemplating on the idea that “the white man never recognize a black man as an actual human being” (p3). The lack of recognition can cause hate in any human, but Baldwin remains claim.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Society knows perfectly well how to kill a man and has methods more subtle than death”(Andre Gride) Through out the 1930’s, the Jim Crow era was commencing within the south which lead to the great numbers in Blacks that were being suppressed. Black Boy by Richard Wright demonstrates all the obstacles that he has to overcome in his childhood. Black Boy introduces Richard as a child facing violence, racism and the low self-esteem that is depicted by the people around him. Richard moves from place to place, trying to find the ideal place where he can feel comfortable. Yet life seems as though it always gives the cold shoulder to Richards dream, constantly being silenced by hatred and…

    • 1422 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    BON Essay Topics

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Please chose ONE of the following, and write a literary essay. The essay must be about 1500 – 2000 words. Your essay must be formatted in MLA Format. You DO NOT need a cover page. You must cite the novel only. Your essay will be due: Wednesday December 14h.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The equality of blacks versus white and Cajuns after the Civil Rights Movement was something still to be achieved. Although blacks had most of the same rights whites had, they were still treated poorly. This is portrayed in Ernest Gaines’ A Gathering of Old Men by the character Fix and his friends. They still believed in lynching blacks and treating them like inferiors. There is still hate and disdain towards blacks because of their skin color, even though the Civil Rights Movement brought freedom to them (Joey). Some whites however, treated blacks as equals and friends. For example, Mathu, an aging black man, raised the white woman Candy and lived on her land.…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being black, which led to prejudice was a main theme in this entire book. There was not only a prejudice between whites and blacks, but between lighter-skinned and darker-skinned blacks. Lighter-skinned blacks tried to act as if they were higher class to the darker skinned blacks.…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the years there has been much of conflict and segregation among the people, but over the century people have started to cooperate with each other. This novel takes place in during a time period were there was segregation between races existed. Scout a young innocent, intelligent, girl has started to grow and is describing much of the racism that she sees in…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The conflicts between man and bigotry have caused casualties within man, which caused them to become victims. In the novel Black Boy Richard Wright explores the struggles throughout his life has been the victim of abuse from his coworkers, family, and his classmates, due to this he is able to return his pain and he becomes a victimizer.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Jim Crow era was at an extremity in the 1930s. Segregation and discrimination was the norm across the whole country and white people in the South had a desire to keep races “separate”, but far from “equal” as possible according to the Plessy v. Ferguson standards. 1931 was not such a good for the country after suffering from The Great Depression, but it also was not a great year for nine young African-American males in Scottsboro, AL. On March 25,1931 nine African-American teenagers boarded a train to travel through Alabama and a young black male by the name of of Haywood Patterson and a young white male had an altercation. The young white male stepped on Patterson’s hand. Patterson had friends that was aboard the train that was also African-American…

    • 245 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Walkers novel 'The Color Purple' she discusses the issues of racism, domestic abuse, sexuality, tradition, gender roles, family, love and spirituality in the 20th century African American culture, drawing on personal experience from her own life and understanding. Through the eyes of Celie, a poor, barely educated, 14 year old black girl, we are introduced to this past community and through Celies interpretations we gain a better understanding of it. A major theme in the novel is the topic of masculinity. Walkers portrayel of masculinity becomes controversial when it is projected to us through the characters of Mr., Harpo, Celies father and Mr's. father. These characters are all african american men and are revealed to us as essentialy weak, abusive men, without understanding of the emotional needs and struggles of the women with whom they share their lives with. These men are made to represent all of the african american men of this time period.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Black Men in America

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I am writing about black men in America. Today's black men have a struggle. They are struggling with colored men and stereo-type. The one thing about black men in America is that they are fighters. They won't give up without a fight. They will try to prevail in anything that they want do.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The N Word

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Black, D. P. (1997). Dismantling Black Manhood: An Historical and Literary Analysis of the Legacy of slavery. New York: Routledge.…

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Analyzing male-female relationships in African literature enables a better understanding of how African writers view the gender roles including the application of religious aspects, marriage and identity, midwives and slave women, nationalism, and migration. In earlier works, the female gender was often perceived as “the Queen Mother.” Many African writers portray women in traditional roles whereas articles written in the past few decades analyze male-female relationships with a more feminist approach. This paper will analyze articles by leading African writers concerning the representation of the male-female relationship.…

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays