Tahra Jirari
In both pieces of writings by R.W Emerson and Zora Neale Hurston, in their own way they both touch on their own ideas of identity and what does and does not contribute to it. However in order to be able to understand these separate pieces of writings and compare them, we must first understand the writings of Emerson that derive from a white man who has most likely experienced a life of privilege, and the story that Hurston tells as a female minority.
Hurston begins her story with the strong statement that we may believe will outline the entirety of the article with “I AM COLORED ME” yet juxtaposes a negative conjunction right after to almost stimulate the statement itself. These capitalizations continue as she tells her story of being a ‘negro’ in a ‘negro town’, but develop into “BUT I AM NOT” to “SOMETIMES IT IS” to conclude with “AT CERTAIN TIMES”. This portrays character development where she follows her last statement with “I have no race, I am me”. Zora has lived a life where she longs to be nothing but Zora and undoubtedly thought she was just that until she was thrown in a world with those with a lighter shade of skin are able to live a completely different life than her for that same exact reason. Hurston realizes however that her race does not define her and should never limit the endless possibilities she may be able to contain, the mere physicalities of her skin compare to nothing when she finds herself in her element and music. She belongs to nothing and should not have to identify or categorize as anything that will diminish this cosmic state of mind.
Emerson in Nature once he has become so completely engulfed in nature finds that there is no bounty able to class him. Racism, sexism or any classist feature of society can outwardly affect him, he has created his new identity, that can fit any humanly nature. “The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances,—master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance.” The simple mundane attributes of life are now one of no importance, he believes to have been promoted to a self that is no longer human but one that can be labeled as the “transparent eye”. This is something we have all touched on as children having not yet been affected by the trivial aspects of life that affect us as an adult, to finally achieve now, knowing what truly matters, a greater sense of the soul that only nature can grant.This higher sense of power is relatable to the one Hurston enjoys when she becomes embraced with music, despite these authors physical differences, once they have both reached a point where they find inner peace within themselves, they feel able to break all of the restrictions that society forces down on them and place themselves within no category.
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