Country: White People Essay

Since African American literature started game in the 18th century, the majority of these writings mainly thinked on racism, ethnicity, and the struggle of bleak people. Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith are except two contributors to this compass of literature. In my paper I will compare and contrast the bypass base by Nadine Gordimer, Country L every channelises, and the poesy, What Its wish head Being a Black Girl, written by Patricia Smith.In some(prenominal) pieces of literature, the focus is put on the racial background and ethnicities, con boldnessring that the main characters or protagonists are unforgiving women, dealing with some degree of discrimination because of the color of their skin. It is rough-cut knowledge that racism has been a major issue which has tainted fraternity, and the African-American people, particularly pistillates have been dealing with the effectuate of racism, and have experienced the effects of discrimination and racism. (Clugston , 2010).In the utterly figment Country Lovers, a dis every last(predicate)ow love between a black girl named Thebedi and a snowy male named Paulus, is pull outed. In the story, two main characters are brought together since advance(prenominal) childhood, sp wind uping much of the childhood days with each different. As they sire up, they became even closer, eventually falling in love. They soon realize that the racial politics of the clock time would not allow them to maintain their race scarcely because, Paulus, being the son of a white farm owner and Thebedi, the miss of a black farm workers, would be unable to show or share their love publicly.I lay out that there were many salient effect through kayoed this entire story. For example, when we read ab bulge out the part were Paulus is release way to school, This usefully coincides with the age of twelve or thirteen so that by the time early adolescence is reached, the black children are making along with the bodily c hanges common to all, an easy transition to adult forms of address, beginning to press the gray-headed playmates missus and baasie little master. (Clugston 2010).When Paulus watches Thebedi wading in the water, is the part of the story where I cloakpreted the deviation of innocence and the description of a nix love. The schoolgirls he went swimming with at dams and pools I may bring farms were bikinis but the site of their dazzling bellies and thighs in the sun sparkling had never made him looking what he felt now when the girl came up to the bank and sit down beside him, two drops of water beading offer dark legs the only points of light in the earth -smelling blockheaded shade.They were not afraid of one another, they had cognise one another always he did with her what he had done that time in the store room at the wedding, and this time it was so lovely, so lovely, he was surprised And she was surprised by it too he could con her dark face that was part of the shade, with her big dark eyes, shiny and indulgent water, watching him attentively as she had when they used a huddle over their teams of mud oxen, as she had when he told her about attention weekends at school. (Clugston, 2010). It is towards the end of the short story where you realize the racism.It begins when Paulus arrived back home from college over the holidays, and finds out that Thebedi had given birth to a child. When he decides to go and see Thebedi and the child, he said, You havent been near the house with it? (Clugston, 2010). His reaction alone reiterated the accompaniment that such a thing would not be tolerated in his community. As the story continues, Paulus returned to the head later on it states, She thought she heard teentsy grunts from the hut, the kind of insufficient grunt that indicates a full stomach, a deep sleep.After a time, long or short she did not know, he came out and walked away with plodding stride (his fathers gait) out of sight, towards his fathers house (Clugston 2010). For me as a reader, it became apparent that Paulus rattling killed the child. After analyzing that particular part of the story it became evident that Paulus was afraid the relationship between him and Thebedi would become common knowledge, so in murdering the child, it would serve as a cover-up as if goose egg happened between two of them. In the ending of the story, the police assumed the babys body and charged Paulus with murder.During the trial, the story states that Thebedi took the stand. She cried hysterically in the witness box, saying yes, yes (the gilt anchor ring earrings swung in her years), she saw the accused pouring liquid into the babys mouth. She said he had threatened to shoot her if she told anyone (Clugston 2010). A year later, when she returned to the lawcourthouse, she tells the court that, she said that she had not seen what the white man did in the house (Clugston, 2010). Because she neutered her testimony, The verdict on the accu sed was not guilty (Clugston, 2010).In the poem What Its Like to Be a Black Girl seems to depict a very similar theme. In the poem, Patricia Smith tends to use determined and strong words in order to show the seriousness of the upshot she is writing about. From the very beginning of her poem, First of all, I sense of how the story is going to be told and is laid out for the reader. It presents the audience with a epitome of a early days black girl transitioning into black womanhood, a place where being a black girl as well as being a black woman is often not a welcome thing.To help the reader understand the thoughts that run through the object of this puberty stricken issue girl, she writes, Its being 9 years old and feeling comparable youre not finished, same your edges are wild, like theres something, everything, wrong (Smith, 4) This particular poem, in my conviction, is how racism and discrimination, some(prenominal) of race and gender, affects this young girl as she is transitioning from a young black girl, into a young black woman, while trying to accept all the changes that are happening to her.In the line, Its popping a coloured white mop head over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of mirrors that deny your reflection. describes how this young girl wishes to look like other girls in order to be accepted in society. I found several tones in this poem that included not only pain and paltry, but courage is well. The poem discusses this young ladys loss of innocence as a position result of being ravish.In the line, Its dropping food coloring in your eyes to relieve oneself them turn blue and suffering the burn in silence, in my opinion is the showing of this young girls pain of being raped by a white person. Since the color blue plays a operative role in this line, it shows not only this suffering, but the despondency this young black girl is experiencing. In both the poem and a short story, the main characters have been negati vely affected by the discrimination of a society in which the color of their skin is not accepted.Both of the female characters lost their innocence, the only difference being, that Thebedi lost her virginity under the mask of the veto love, and the young girl in the poem lost her virginity is a direct cause of her rape. The sufferings of both characters is basically the same because the color of their skin and nothing else. The gender plays a very important role, but only later on the race they belong to, as well as the alarming post of the issue is accurately brought into the light and both of these literature works. It clearly indicates the suffering in the pain both these women experience.(Fluehr-Lobban, 2010). The mindset of a common young black girl is accurately presented in the poem What Its Like to Be a Black Girl, and shows the effects that the society leaves on the mind of young black girls who wish to have the appearance like white girls hardly because white girls ar e accepted in the society and the black are usually misused, refused, and disrespected. (Clugston, 2010) Both the story as well as the poem distinguish ethnicity and radical backgrounds, as well as explaining how women experienced cruelty for white racists.I found limited withdrawal between race and gender issues within both authors work simply because they elaborated the accompaniment that they could not, and would not be on the same side with sexists or races. While reading Patricia Smith poem, it gave me the impression she was demonstrating her anger to the fact that white patriarchy confines and limits black women. Black females have been excruciate by discrimination racism, and ethical and racial discrimination, as characterized in both the poem and short story can be affirmed as a depiction a reflection of racism and its effects on society.(Dovidio, & Gaertner, 1996). In conclusion, I truly feel that both authors share the same sentiments. First and foremost, both of their main focus was on the role of the black female. Not only did the Explorer the victimization of the black woman, but similarly brought to light their emotional struggles as well as her experiences. I also feel that both authors were the obstacles of racism and feminists society that same time denotative that defeat does not mean giving up, but offers the opportunity to smite negativity in life. References Clugston, R. W.(2010), Country Lovers, Nadine Gordimer. In Journey into Literature (ch. 3) retrieved from http//content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2/ branch/h3. 2 Clugston, R. W. (2010), Poems for Reflection. In Journey into Literature (ch. 12. 2) retrieved from http//content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2/section/12. 2 Fluehr-Lobban, C. (2010). Race and Racism An Introduction, Rowman Altamira pp. 111-116 Dovidio, J. F. , & Gaertner, S. L. (1996). Affirmative action, unintentional racial Biases and inter group relations. Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 52, pp 51-75