Hurston vs Du Bois’ Realizations of Blackness

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Zora Neale Hurston’s account of realizing her blackness, as well as her response to it and the historical burdens it bears differs exponentially from that of Du Bois. In Hurston’s “How it Feels to be Colored me”, she recounts her earliest encounters with white people, as they pass through her town. Because Eatonville, Florida was primarily occupied by a black community, seeing white people was a spectacle for Hurston. She was also aware of the spectacle her black community was on the white tourists, but instead of cautiously hiding away from their view, she embraced it and encouraged their peering with performance. Hurston, aware of her blackness, innocently gave into the stereotypes of her race and entertained the brief guests with performative blackness–dancing and singing on command. As she matured, she reveled in the differences between herself and her white peers, stating “[…]to know that for any act of mine, I shall get twice as much praise or twice as much blame”. She took the attention that her skin color brought her in amusement and found excitement in it. In doing so, she disconnected her identity from the slavery that had only ended sixty years prior, referring to it as a price that her ancestors paid for her, but denying ownership of their struggles.

W.E.B. Du Bois recounts an opposing experience and perspective in his “The Souls of Black Folk”. The precursor to his recollection of the moment he became aware of his blackness is his feelings of what it is like to be a problem. This description of negative experience follow him throughout his realization of being a spectacle (as Hurston would have stated it), as well as throughout his growing up. Unlike Hurston, Du Bois was made aware of his societally perceived differences by being shunned for them, as opposed to others’ entertainment by them. He describes it as a veil which includes the suffering of his slave ancestors, tying into his current identity– a clear opposition to Zora Neale Hurston’s experience. Instead of reveling in it, he used it to work harder as a child, aiming to be better than his white counterparts. Du Bois describes seeing himself constantly through the eyes of others and does not enjoy the idea of others looking on in amusement. Hurston expressed her enjoyment of this idea, whilst Du Bois aimed to separate from it.

Blog 1: Lifting the Veil

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W.E.B Du Bois begins his seminal work The Souls of Black Folk with a forethought that directs the “gentle reader” that his book is about the meaning of being black in the 20th century. By address the reader as gentle it is clear Du Bois is speaking to a non- black audience. He says that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” By this, he means that the problem in modern times is the divide between races that ensure that black people receive inferior treatment compared to white people. He states that the line has been solidified since the time of slavery but it may be slightly unstable. Du Bois is suggesting to a primarily white audience who may assume that issues of race and racism are irrelevant to them that this is far from the truth because as long black and white people live alongside each other the line between them will fracture and eventually break in the face of blatant inequality. 

Du Bois then outlines his book and states “need I add that I who speak here am bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of them that live within the Veil?” Du Bois is clarifying to the reader and all the publishers he mentioned beforehand that he has personal experience as a black man. He ends his forethought dramatically to prove to the reader that he has been a victim of oppression based on the color of his skin and he too has lived in the Veil and experienced the injustices he is about to discuss. This gives Du Bois an added sense of ethos, that his work is credible due to personal experience. 

The most prominent symbols in The Souls of Black Folk are the color line and the Veil. While the color line is the physical representation of the divide between white and black people the Veil is the psychological manifestation of this phenomenon. The color line exists in the world and limits people’s access to opportunities, education, bathrooms, and even water fountains. The color line manifests in “whites only” signs like the one to the right. The Veil however lives in people’s minds. It is what compels white people to structure society in a racists manner. The Veil prevents white people from seeing black people as human beings with rights and privileges while also preventing black people from seeing themselves outside the negative frame of racism. This leads to the double-consciousness where black people view themselves through the frame of racism and through their own eyes which leads to internal conflict. The Veil is subconsciously in many people’s brains but they don’t feel as if they are doing anything wrong. This leads to a racists undertone in the way we structure society that still exists today. 

Although Du Bois wrote this book in 1903 his messages are still relevant today in 2020. We as a society have cracked the color line but we must individually work on the Veil in our minds. The color line is slightly broken but the Veil is completely intact as made clear by the Black Lives Matter protests of this year. We as individuals must work to be actively anti-racist rather than just not being racists. We must identify racial inequalities that an inherent in our society and champion anti-racist ideals that will demolish those inequalities. We have to stop thinking that we are simply not racists and confront the racist ideas that have been ingrained in us and that veil our thinking. 

Du Bois knew that the color line and the Veil were the biggest obstacles to equality. He also knew that the Emancipation of the slaves wasn’t the end of the struggle for equality. We as a society have begun to trudge past signs outside of restrooms but we have a long way to go to create an equal society and that process must start but breaking the color line and lifting the Veil in our minds. 

 

Blog 1

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Emerson mentions how the landscape is viewable by all men. However, he does specify that the poet owns the landscape. The landscape is owned by the poet because only the poet can properly do the landscape justice and reveal its deepest truths in a way that respects nature. He is able to respect nature by providing an honest and unfiltered perspective. Emerson says that only the poet can “integrate all the parts” of the landscape. This demonstrates his belief that poets have the power to implement the big picture while also all of the small details within their writing, whereas other owners might only see one side to the property. For example, a farm owner might only appreciate the produce his/her property provides him/her, while the poet, paying attention to all parts of the landscape, can figuratively show his/her gratitude of everything the landscape offers through their writing. In addition, Emerson mentions how the landscape is separated into different parts to show the significance of each section. The farm and fields provide food while the woodland’s creatures maintain a balance in nature. By doing this Emerson is able to emphasize how these different components need to come together to thrive as one setting: the landscape. This connects to the poet and his/her purpose in creating a flow that illustrates each part and its beauty while at the same time, portraying the entire system as a whole.

While property can physically be owned by a person with a contract binding relationship, the landscape belongs to the poet in a metaphorical way so as that the poet can cherish the landscape as any other owner would cherish their property. Another difference in the ownership relationship between the landscape and the poet is that the poet does not truly the own the area, meaning they have no obligations toward it. Their sole responsibility is to depict it so that others can see its purpose and virtues. Like nature, the landscape cannot be owned by man. Its fields can be watered and its soil dug but it cannot be owned as it is its own owner. So, the poet can own the landscape in the sense that they know how it should be seen in the public eye by describing it in their work in the rawest and purest way. The poet can never physically own it, because the landscape already belongs to nature.

Blog 1

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Humanity or Nature

In “Nature” by R.W.Emerson, the importance of nature, the discussion of spirituality, and the understanding of the world are discussed. In the introduction, Emerson speaks about how humans have beliefs and traditions that try to understand the world, and he begins to question why we continue to follow these beliefs. He begins to ask questions such as “why should we gripe among the dry bones of the past, or put out the living generation masquerade out of its faded wardrobe”(Emerson 1). This question is very important as the reader begins to see the message he is trying to deliver. Emerson does not understand why people are still holding on to old values and accepting these old values rather than living and experiencing the present and creating new traditions based on the present. He wants people to realize the importance of nature and how understanding it will help people understand the world. He is trying to tell the reader that the only way to understand the world is to experience nature and to create beliefs and values based on these experiences.

In this poem, it is clear that Emerson believes in God and also believes in spirituality. He believes that to understand the world, we must form a spiritual connection with the nature around us. Emerson wants people to perceive the world and nature in different ways to be able to establish a connection with them. We see this not only from the introduction but also in chapter one. He gives nature many spiritual connections and gives them significant meanings. For example, he goes on to describe the sky and stars, he says, “The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and what he touches”(Emerson 1). From this line alone, we can see the importance that Emerson has given the sky. He gives the sky a divine nature and also gives the sky a very important role in which it decides what the man looking at it can see and touch. Another example is the way Emerson describes the stars and the importance he gives them. This is what he says about the stars, “The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression when the mind is open to their influence”(Emerson 1). He tells the readers that the stars are always in the sky whenever and wherever they look at them but the experience that can be received from looking at the stars is different each time. He is using nature, in this case, the stars, to describe to the readers how understanding nature can help them understand the world. He reverts to the points he made in the introduction which was that we must be able to perceive the world in the present and forget traditions and values. If we do not learn to understand nature and begin to perceive the world differently, we will get nowhere in understanding it. Emerson wants humans to see the importance of nature and how divine it truly is, he wants the readers to realize that nature is not man-made and it is linked all together. Nature is one and whole, not separate.

This point made by Emerson is way different than the points that were made by Du Bois. In “The Souls of Black Folk”, he focused more on human nature and discussed perception with the reader. Du Bois wants readers to see his experiences as a “negro” and wants the reader to see how it affected him. Unlike Emerson, he focuses on changing human nature and years for a fair and equal world. We can see this is what he wants when he says, “He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face”(Du Bois 1). We can see the distinction between the two and how different their messages are. Even though they are both different it is interesting to see and read both of their works since they both cover “nature”.

Milky Way, Rocks, Night, Landscape, Silhouette, Sky

Blogging 101

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A central feature of this course will be the writing we do on this site.  In what follows, I will outline three things:

  • a rationale for why I ask you to blog in the first place, rather than write traditional essays
  • a quick primer on how to create your first post
  • a simple rubric to guide your writing + an example of a good-looking post

First things first: why blog?

1. Blogging is sharable: rather than have a private circuit between you and me, we have a much more dynamic conversation across the entire class.

2. Blogging is public, sort of: I like the idea that we are responsible for our ideas in front of broader audiences.  In practical terms, I doubt anyone is listening in most of the time, but I think it’s important that we roll up our sleeves and defend our arguments in an open and public forum as often as possible.  And of course, you can show your family/friends/pets what we’ve been up to in class.  For those who have reservations about privacy, note that a) I’m happy to help you get a username with some anonymity, so you have relative privacy beyond our class; and b) you are free to delete your posts at the end of class.  If anyone has serious reservations despite all this, feel free to contact me.

3. Blogging is sturdy: rather than forget the piece of paper once it’s been handed back, we can link back to prior statements or observations, or to each others’. If you like, you can leave your posts up for future students to see.

4. Blogging is responsive: rather than only getting comments from me, you’ll comment on and get comments on each other’s work.

So how do you post? Here’s a quick guide to posting on WordPress for newbies. It’s super easy once you figure it out the first time. So here goes:

1. Make sure you’re logged in: if you’re logged in, you’ll see your avatar in the upper-right-hand corner of the window. If you aren’t, you’ll see the text “log in.”

2. START A POST: there are several ways to post. Here’s the easiest: click the <+ NEW> icon in the top middle of the screen and select “post.” It looks like this:

Screenshot 2016-01-27 22.00.33

3. WRITE SOMETHING: “New Post” will take you to a basic text editor. So write something. If you want to get fancy, you can add italics, bold, indentation, insert images or other media, and whatnot. But most of the time you’ll just try to write some reasonable sentences. When you’re done, click PUBLISH on the right (see image below). Or, if you’re not quite ready, you can save it as a draft and reopen it later, via the “POSTS” section of the dashboard. Helpful hint: WordPress autosaves your work every few seconds, so it’s very, very rare to lose stuff. Nonetheless it’s not a bad idea to compose posts on a word processor and then paste them into WP just in case. I personally live dangerously most of the time and have never lost anything, but your call.

If you want to get really fancy, add a tag or two or some media. In the right-hand column, you’ll see a bunch of options. Most of the time you can ignore most of them, but “tags” allows you to add, say, the name of the author you’re writing about or a topic that you hit in the post. So for a post on Du Bois, you might tag it “Du Bois,” “SOULS,” and/or “double consciousness.” If you want to add media, for example a relevant image, click “add media” in the top left-hand part of the window and follow the prompts.

We’re good, right? Happy blogging.

What makes for an excellent post? For this class, posts should:

  • be between 400-800 words (use word count in WordPress or your word processor)
  • explain a given text’s argument (for secondary readings) or analyze its form and themes (for primary readings), using quotations and paraphrases of the text with page numbers in parentheses
  • engage a text critically, noting its limitations, its links to other texts we’ve read, its unstated assumptions, etc.

Here’s a simple rubric, adapted from Mark Sample, that I will use to evaluate your work (see how the academic blogosphere encourages sharing and exchange? I told you so!):

Rating Characteristics
A Exceptional. The post articulates a clear, original argument that is well-supported with textual evidence. The argument is “weird,” examining aspects of the text that will not be obvious to casual readers. It develops organically, leaving readers in a different place than they started, preferably with some gestures of introduction and conclusion. Where possible, it gestures to peers’ posts or other relevant criticism.
B Satisfactory. The post is reasonably focused, and provides textual evidence to support its argument. Its argument is coherent if perhaps a bit predictable.
C Underdeveloped. The post privileges summary or description over analysis,  without consideration of alternative perspectives, and may contain misreadings of the text. The entry reflects passing engagement with the topic.
D Limited. The journal entry is unfocused, or simply rehashes others’ comments; it fails to settle on any consistent argument.
0 No Credit. The journal entry is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.

Last but not least, here’s an example of a good-looking post.  I’ve linked to it in a Word doc so you can see some marginal comments that explain why it’s good.  And remember: it’s not an exercise in cookie-cutting: your results may vary, and there are lots of ways to write an excellent post.