Growing up I always heard of this idea that everyone is equal in this country and that we all deserve “equal rights.” When I think of equal rights I picture equal education, health insurance and life conditions but little did I know the suffrage color people had to live through in order to achieve something slightly higher than they had before; not even at this point in life are people equal in this country. As I was growing up the history teachers only gave me a quick view of what Americans had done to this minority group, segregation, but never went to depth of what this group of people did to each other to feel more empowered. But as I started to read “Song of Solomon” Morrison gave a different perspective that is not taught in school. He showed how among the black community they suppressed each other when they could be at a higher level.
Morrison gives an empowering view because she allows us to see what segregation caused among themselves. Morrison uses Mrs. Bains and Malcon to portray one of the many similar cases that happened during this time period. Malcon having property and owning where Mrs. Bains lives allows him to feel superior than this old later even though they are from the same color. Before reading this book I though only whites feel superior than color people and that color people tried to help each other out but I can see a difference in this case. Not everyone was willing to help each other out but they will looking how to step at a higher level and become accepted among other people. Money was an important factor during this time period that brought inequality. It was surprising to learn that before the civil war people were willing to go back to free capture slave but later people weren’t even willing to give up some of their money to help out the ones in need.
After all, this perspective build on the idea that I have that as we try to become equal with people of different cultures without knowing we suppress our kind and don’t take in consideration into what extent we have to change in order to fit in and feel power. However, the way I view American education has evolved; I feel like the government “protects” its citizens from knowing the real situation therefore teachers omit so much of what happened in reality. The way Morrison incorporated the different ways people interacted among each other was an interesting way to see how depending on the money you had that was how much power society gave you. Money was an important role at this time period because people of color who had property was view at a higher level from the blacks perspective but for the whites they will always be inferior no matter how much property they owned or how much money they had. Student should be able to analyze these events from different perspectives and understand why people acted in different forms.
No comments:
Post a Comment