black like me Essay Example
Giancarlo Orlando
English, Block E
5/28/13
Is Prejudice Forgotten?
In the novel Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, one of the biggest themes in that blacks and whites act differently towards one another while in each other’s company. This theme is expressed many different times in the novel, especially when Griffin is hitchhiking and experiences talking with other blacks and whites. Griffin experiences many different attitudes and prejudices towards blacks while doing his experiment, which affects Griffin’s experience dramatically. Blacks were brutally discriminated by whites and even by other blacks during the Civil Rights Movement, making Griffin yield to the different prejudices presented to him by the black and white community. The lady on the bus spat out, “What’re looking at me like that for?” (20) with her sharpened blue eyes. After Griffin hears this and recognizes the hatred in her tone, he realizes how easy it is for white women to find something to accuse a black man of, no matter how small. This shows how judgmental and irrational white women can be toward black men, making Griffin be more careful and respectful around white women, even if that means not looking at them. As Griffin is strolling down the street, he encounters a young white man who yells, “I’m going to get you, Mr. No-Hair. I’m after you. There ain’t no place you go I won’t get you. If it takes all night, I’ll get you-so count on it” (34). Griffin is startled by this white boy and he sees that whites are very cruel towards blacks and they will show hostility to them, even if they have done nothing wrong. This demonstrates the cruel prejudice between races and shows that whites will go completely out of their way to torment and harass black people. Griffin comes into contact with another Negro on the bus who says “This place stinks. Damned punk niggers. Look at all of them-bunch of dirty punks-don’t know how to dress. You don’t deserve anything better. Mein
English, Block E
5/28/13
Is Prejudice Forgotten?
In the novel Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, one of the biggest themes in that blacks and whites act differently towards one another while in each other’s company. This theme is expressed many different times in the novel, especially when Griffin is hitchhiking and experiences talking with other blacks and whites. Griffin experiences many different attitudes and prejudices towards blacks while doing his experiment, which affects Griffin’s experience dramatically. Blacks were brutally discriminated by whites and even by other blacks during the Civil Rights Movement, making Griffin yield to the different prejudices presented to him by the black and white community. The lady on the bus spat out, “What’re looking at me like that for?” (20) with her sharpened blue eyes. After Griffin hears this and recognizes the hatred in her tone, he realizes how easy it is for white women to find something to accuse a black man of, no matter how small. This shows how judgmental and irrational white women can be toward black men, making Griffin be more careful and respectful around white women, even if that means not looking at them. As Griffin is strolling down the street, he encounters a young white man who yells, “I’m going to get you, Mr. No-Hair. I’m after you. There ain’t no place you go I won’t get you. If it takes all night, I’ll get you-so count on it” (34). Griffin is startled by this white boy and he sees that whites are very cruel towards blacks and they will show hostility to them, even if they have done nothing wrong. This demonstrates the cruel prejudice between races and shows that whites will go completely out of their way to torment and harass black people. Griffin comes into contact with another Negro on the bus who says “This place stinks. Damned punk niggers. Look at all of them-bunch of dirty punks-don’t know how to dress. You don’t deserve anything better. Mein