Category: Double Consciousness

Derek Alton Walcott was a famous poet and playwright from Saint Lucia who is recognized for his contribution to literature in the Caribbean.as he showcase the authenticity of the Caribbean culture. He was a trained painter but his passion for writing led him to publish his first collection of poems at the age of fourteen. Walcott achieved many awards some being Queens Gold Medal in Poetry, Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service, Order of Merit in Jamaica and Knight or Dame Commander of Saint Lucia. The biography of Nobel laureate Derek Walcott by Edward Baugh illustrates his influence to the development of literature and culture in the Caribbean. The biography places emphasis on his contribution to the development of literature in the Caribbean, with his concern for the legacy of Caribbean history. The book is made of six chapters and one hundred and five (105) pages in total. Edward Baugh, the author is an Emeritus Professor of English at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Edward Baugh has garnered an international reputation as an authority on Anglophone Caribbean poetry. He is considered as the best literary critic to West Indian literature. In this book report, the researcher will give an evaluation of the text highlighting the context of the themes and how it is shows changes of emphasis on terms limiting the definition of the Caribbean history or history on a whole and Caribbean Civilisation. In Addition, the book will be reviewed based on the historical and social context. Subsequently, a discussion will be surrounded around themes that conceptualize the understanding of Caribbean Civilisation.

The book highlighted some themes that will be discussed throughout the analysis of this report. The themes are Diasporic Double Consciousness, Miscegenation, Eurocentrism and Caribbean Identity.

Throughout the book, Diasporic Double Consciousness was highly explored. Examples of this was shown in his poems an example of that is “the Prodigal”. Double consciousness is a concept Stonequist (1935) described as “The marginal person as one who lives at the interstitially of two (or more) cultural groups; one dominant, the other subordinate, and emanates from a cultural conflict due to either cultural or racial differences”. Double consciousness was also analyzed by W.E.B. DuBois. He deems it as the fluctuation of an individual between two sets of identities. Double consciousness makes it problematic for that person to have one unified individuality. Double consciousness implores the individual to take into consideration to point of view of the most dominant society’s concept as the correct way of seeing themselves. In the Caribbean, we do not term ourselves as ‘black.’ ‘The Prodigal’ speaks about Walcott’s traveling from one region to another to come to terms of what his identity entails rotating between the mainland and local land. This emphasizes on how Walcott felt when he betrayed his homeland by adopting European culture. “Prodigal, what were your wanderings about?” this line from his poem hinted towards Walcott’s mobility, his journeys of imagination across landscapes, cultures and history (page 65). An example of him wavering between identities can be found in Sea Grapes. These poems reflect on Walcott’s view of the United States of America landscape and how he envisions himself there. During one of his trips to the United States, he felt a longing for his home in Saint Lucia (page 23). Walcott displays signs of double consciousness as he wished to be home while residing in another country.

“Miscegenation is referred to as the theory of the blending of the races, applied to the American White Man and Negro” (2016) says Berny Sèbe. In layman’s term miscegenation is the mixing/merging of two or more races to create families. This was practiced from slavery days when plantation owners use to impregnate enslaved women. Walcott came from a mixed race, his grandmothers being African descendants while his grandfathers were European descendants. Examples could be seen on page 2, “I have Dutch, nigger and English in me…” and page 4, “A syndicate in which, far back, a negligible ancestor might have been a member, greeting me a product of his empire’s miscegenation in old St Martin”. These lines show that Walcott was from a mixed race.

Sam Richards and Paul Saba argue that European society and history is a point of reference in imposing external definitions of other societies so that they are considered ’backward’ or ’stagnant’ if their history doesn’t contain specifically European features. Eurocentrism is the belief that one’s culture(European) is superior to others. Eurocentric practice is the prerogative that European culture is better than others. It tends to belittle the culture of many regions like Africa. Eurocentrism was very dominant in the colonial era. Non-European countries are perceived as uncivilized because they do not contain little to no features of European culture. An example from the text was“…he knew he would not be welcomed, being too Eurocentric and not sufficiently black in his poetics” (page 33). Walcott thought even though he was from the Caribbean his poems focused mostly on Europe.

The social and historical context of the book is one in which persons of a certain descent have often been unrecognized these topic are very similar so they are hard to separate. The themes mainly illustrated in the book within a social and historical context were education, religion, class and color or race.

The Caribbean education system was structured like the European education system due to those countries being British colony. The education system in Saint Lucia is modeled after British education as they have levels of schools like the European society. The majority of the schools in the Caribbean practice praise time called devotion. Religion greatly impact the educational system as most schools were formed by churches. For example, the school Walcott attended was a Roman Catholic school (page 5). Socially education is to impart knowledge and remains the same in present times education is used as a means for a person to achieve social class mobility. This is evidently true based on Beth Akers who states, “Higher education is often seen as an important enabler of upward social mobility.” Persons who are considered to be low on the social class ranking use education as a means of climbing the social hierarchy. This allow for the attainment of power, social status and wealth. Historically, education in the Caribbean is rooted from the slavery period where it was introduced as Sunday school. Colonizers use this to their advantage by creating God-fearing believers and providing morality and education. When British slavery ended, education was used as the marker of respectability and upward social mobility. An example of Walcott receiving a British education was when he said, “For most of my sentence here, I despised the place, its jaded, predictable curriculum, for not being the University of the West Indies, as I watched Englishmen guide the direction in which I should go. The format was too familiar” (page 14). Even while attending the University of the West Indies, Walcott was still being taught under the colonial education system. He was trying to find a way to articulate the views of the ordinary folk people, ‘Caribbean people’, but the system was highly rigid and colonial so he felt trapped. This system tends to affect every year of your life as colonial value takes over leaving little to no room for Caribbean teachings or for Africa. Even the University of the West Indies favors colonial teachings. Walcott used his literature to create a sense of ‘Caribbeanness.’ So there was some form of identity for the region.

Religion played an important part in shaping the Caribbean as it is socially and historically relevant. Socially, religion is a way to help an individual cope with a challenging situation such as financial difficulties. However, the historical context speaks to the pre-slavery and post-slavery periods. Roman Catholicism was bought to the Caribbean by the Spaniards in the hopes of creating a better colonial society. While on the other hand, during the post-colonial time the purpose of religion was to gain power and dictate norms. In modern-day society, the practicing of religion has lost power to some extent as people hardly go to church and some persons only go because of tradition but social norms are still intact. Derek Walcott was a Methodist even though the majority of his country were Roman Catholic which he was fascinated by. It allowed him some amount of freedom in his expression but it still created an impact on his writing.

“To consider Derek Walcott’s family background is to recognize the problematics of color and class in West Indian society and culture” (page 2). This line show that color and race was a factor that also intertwine with social stratification. Social stratification is the classification of individuals according to the criteria that is deemed as acceptable in society in different levels of hierarchy. The main criterion is race. Individuals are placed into a social hierarchy in which they wealth, race and power decided their level of social status. The ranking is based on a person’s perspective of class, colour, race and ethnicity. The hierarchy is divided into three main classes, upper class, middle class and lower class. Social stratification has been embedded in our society since slavery when plantation owners was at the top of the social ladder and blacked or colored enslaved at the bottom but this system was more rigid with no form of mobility. Even now whites are still considered the upper class. The race has always been the determining factor of the class a person holds in society. It is evident in the post-colonial era race determines which job a person occupies in society but in modern-day society has changed as colored individuals are the face of most organizations and they can be seen working in banks.

While traversing the book it was seen that Caribbean Identity was a well-emphasized theme. An individual’s identity is based upon the person’s characteristics which prove to be a fundamental basis upon which that individual is recognized. It is heavily argued that the term identity is difficult to define and can be broken down into numerous groups. Identity speaks to a group situation where the features concentrated on are objective and individuals of the group share similar characteristics for example gender. However, the sense of identity is subjective and denotes to a person’s point of view of the world and his individual identity. Walcott’s fact of identity and sense of identity was illustrated in the book and I quote, “by way of his extra-curricular activities, the Mona campus also gave Walcott some pleasurable and profitable years that strengthened his sense of West Indianess” end quote (page 14). It was during this stage Walcott enhanced his sense of Caribbean Identity. The Mona campus also provided Walcott with persons who shared similar characteristics as himself who he could relate to. This setting creates opportunities for his writing and directing student activity in creative writing, theatre and painting that enriched his identity. These activities proved to be beneficial because it is through these activities that Walcott was able to write journalistic pieces that improve and portrayed West Indian literature and drama (page 37). Which was when Walcott aided in the development of Caribbean identity through his work. “I have Dutch, nigger and English in me, / and either I’m a nobody or a nation” (page 2). This quote expressed Walcott’s three sets of identities and his cluelessness about how to go about embracing these three sets of identities. An example of identity was when Walcott won the Nobel Prize. “The principal thing is that West Indian literature has been recognized internationally, and that’s good” (page 65). Walcott was pleased that he won this award for not just for himself but the Caribbean. Derek Walcott wrote poems and plays for the Caribbean to create an identity for us.

In conclusion, the writer used a very interesting technique of linking the themes and topics to Caribbean civilization while in some aspects he just skimmed the surface but hinted towards further reading. It was relevant to the course and allowed for better understanding of Caribbean Civilisation and how it develops a sense of identity for the Caribbean on a whole. Derek Walcott contributed a whole lot to the Caribbean through literature to the region a sense of uniqueness. Through the works of Derek Walcott, Edward Baugh commented on the topics and themes of Caribbean identity, Diasporic double consciousness, Miscegenation and Eurocentrism religion, education class, and race to give the reader an new angle to generate conclusions about societal problems that demine cultures based on their own norms and value to disallow an identity for that region.

Works Cited

1. Akers, B. Increase social mobility by reducing risk in higher education. “Brookings.” Brookings, 04 April 2016. Web. 12 November 2018.
2. Pittman, John P. Double Consciousness. “Stanford Encyclopaedia Philosophy.” The Metaphysics Research Lab, 21 Mar. 2016. Web. 16 Nov. 2018.
3. Richards, S., Saba, P. Colonialism and Eurocentrism. “Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line.” Class Struggle, Vol. 9, No. 5, June 1985. Web 16 Nov 2018.
4. Sebe, Berny. Miscegenation. University of Birmingham, U.K., (2016). Web. 05 Nov. 2018.
5. Smith, Michael G. Racial Problems and Social Stratification in the Caribbean. “M.G. Smith.” Unpublished Manuscripts Series, 1968. Web. 12 Oct. 2018.
6. Josias Alun, Disaporic Double Consciousness, creolite and coloured, Cape Town, (2015) http://gsblibrary.uct.ac.za/researchreports/2015/Josias.pdf

The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. This was one of the quotes by American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois had many occupations: he was a professor, historian, journalist, and others. He was the first African American graduated from the integrated public high school in Great Barrington; aside from that, he was also the first African American who earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University. In his book “The Soul of Black Folks”, he charged that Washington’s strategy kept the black men down rather than freed them. He also writes about how African Americans has been living under people’s eyes for so long. As the voice of the African American community, he fights for their identity and equality. My argument for this paper is to assert the relationship between Du Bois’s double consciousness, and support double consciousness is something that will affect not only African Americans but other races as well.

Before Du Bios really emphasize on his discussion of double consciousness. He addresses two important elements that are notably crucial for his novel. He talks about the veil, “Leaving, then, the white world, I have stepped within the Veil, raising it that you may view faintly its deeper recesses, — the meaning of its religion, the passion of its human sorrow, and the struggle of its greater souls.” (p.xxxi). With greater depth, Du Bois references the veil to be a metaphor for the literal dark color of their skin and the difference from the whiteness of their surrounding society. The word “veil” implies the visible segregation between the white and the black society, however, nothing has been done and has been treated as if racist does not exist. Potentially Black Americans identify with the veil to hide the color of their skin and to be able to assimilate and operate in the racist society, in this case, to assimilate with the White Americans. The ‘Veil’, another metaphor for the color line, is that with which African-Americans would live eternally. They would constantly live with the understanding that they were different and that others would see them with disrespect. Regardless of how hard they tried, they would never be able to rid themselves of this metaphor or of this distinct difference. It can be inferred that African Americans bear an unaccountable burden in their lives without them knowing it. Du Bois is actively engaging with the audience that what a problem is can be, which leads to my second point.

The second point is a question he asks, “how does it feel like to be a problem?”. Not only does this question contain a certain racist tone, but it is extremely demeaning towards African Americans. It is troublesome to assume African Americans were considered as “problems” in society. The American Negros was not only a problem but also, according to Du Bois, a symbol of struggle as he brought up the “seventh son”. He stated, “After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of the seventh son.”(p.3) This term furthermore looked down upon African Americans, as ‘Negros’ in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Du Bois realized that they held a low position within society. The struggle for Black Americans to strive for equality all seems to be pointless and in vain because of the”veil” that covers the true issue of the matter.

With prior knowledge, it is easier to understand double consciousness. It is the idea that originally comes from Du Bois, he explains as, “this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (p.3). This quote, it is a perfect illustration of how Du Bois requires his audience to comprehend the hardship African Americans have been through, especially regard with identity. The word “soul” connects with the title of the book where he condemns the society that keeps most Black American underclass. “Contempt and pity” are words mocking African Americans as if they are not underclass enough at the beginning of the 20th century. With these contexts explained, jumping ahead of some of Du Bois book, he speaks of how he fights for African Americans to regain their identity, thing like: education right, equality rights, and even thoughts that put Black Americans in deep turmoil.

Double consciousness is such a prevalent term now even in the 21st century. As America is a country of immigrants, they are bound to have racial clashes. The book addresses the concept of domination where some people use their race to dominate others and utilize them. Such is evident in the world today, with race other than African Americans. Still, some whites are marginalizing minorities and alienating them in major aspects of the development of the American nation. For example, job interviews, Whites are easier to get jobs than Blacks with the same education level (cite)That implies that whites have not fully agreed that blacks or other races can provide much in advancement than do. Furthermore, some whites still discriminate the minorities and deny people with color immeasurable opportunities in education, social standing and in political issues. As such issues appear in society, minorities may begin to develop into a “white” thinking attitude undermining their original race and culture that depreciates their identities. On the one hand, American society today has undergone a such transformation, becoming more accepting than it was decades ago. However, identities in different races are fading, Du Bois states African Americans do not know which identity to choose from and then begin to lose themselves. While fighting for chances in school, the workplace or society, one mustn’t forget one’s true identity. Due to living in a white majority environment, everyone is being “white” washed. It is not a demeaning comment, it is the truth. When fighting for ourselves, whoever we are, the identity we belong to is crucial. Some people are still struggling with their identity and mixed cultures as was experienced by African Americans. For an equal society, everyone should be equal and not mistreat others with certain skin colors, while striving for a conscious self without wobbling between identities is what we seek for.

I myself took this class because I am a person of color. I did not think I would get this much inside from the very first lecture. I think it is only natural when I am able to connect myself with the topic. Even not as an African American. I am able to know very well the soul of every Black man in Du Bois’s book. When I was an international student in Canada, I had to go through some tough times by myself. Thinking back I was fourteen years old and I arrived in a remote Canadian high school. There were at the time, three Asian students including me, and the other two were not from my country. Studying was part of my difficulties. The worst was to be me, how to reclaim my self-identity. In short, I was being mocked of how I looked, dressed and talked, as a young student, I wanted nothing but acceptance. I spent days and nights staying mostly for a perfect accent and dressed more locally. In the end, it did win me some friends, but it was pathetic looking back now. Throughout the entire high school, I have been looking at myself through other people’s judgment, and that is what Du Bois is arguing with Black Americans. Now in college, I figured out how to walk away from the eyes of the whites and be myself.

Du Bois’s book was fascinating for me. He was able to write out the inexpressible pain and anger he was experiencing as a Black American. Not only that, he was able to conceive of a greater solution to the Black community. By incorporating double consciousness with examples for society, that is why this book is the most prominent piece of sociological American literature. In the end, as students read this book today, it might be alienated by Du Bois’s words. Although Black Americans are not haunted by the double consciousness as much as it was with those of some decades ago, it has not disappeared. People of color should realize this and incorporate and fight together for their true identity, not living in double consciousness.

In the novel “The woman of color” by anonymous, edith by Professor Dominique, Olivia Fairfield is the main character and the heroine. Olivia is a child of a slaveholder, and she must move from Jamaica to England to get engaged to her white 1st cousin named Augustus which is a will of her father or else she becomes dependent on his mercenary sister in law and elder brother. Olivia had to decide on the two conflicting situations. As she is making her decision, she recounts the impressions of Britain together with its inhabitants as only a black woman could give a record of the impressions. She gives scornful descriptions of Bristol, British, and London and also the progressive slavery and racism. The novel gives an account of the life of a black heiress after the slavery in British was abolished. Olivia give inspiration to reader about double consciousness and how the protagonist uses it to empower herself and not disheartened or lost confidence.

Double Consciousness of Olivia is done in the novel at a crucial point because her marriage to Augustus placed her in a situation where she could demoralize stereotypes and racial assumptions in England. Coming from an “inferior race”(53). Placing Olivia’s racialized body within the contexts of the white rich family poses a threat since the black female functions as the love interest of the white male. Olivia demonstrates double Consciousness since she is a black woman with confidence and integrity. Olivia conforms to the colonial stereotypes of the white and is now supporting racial equality. She is claiming that she has “nothing left to wish” and she is “quit at home”(105). After efforts of undermining racial stereotypes in the previous letters of Olivia, she changes her opinion, and the negative effects of Olivia representation as a wife to a white man are seen. She is mimicking those who are holding the social stereotypes and therefore, she cannot work for the deconstruction of the racial assumptions.

There is a reaffirmation of the Double Consciousness of Olivia through her new location at New Park with her servant. After, “Olivia eventually marries and rents a house at New Park, ‘Dido is delighted’ because the new residence re-establishes both her and Olivia’s rank in England. This move socially elevates both women; they become the top females wife and housekeeper in an English upper-middle, merchant-class household”(105). The new position of Dido and Olivia in the white society is confirming the double Consciousness of Olivia this is because the new home located in England echoes the societal position and the home she had in her country Jamaica with her father. “dear Fairfeild estate”(105). A resonance exists between her earlier home in Jamaica and the new home located in England, and the situation shows the simultaneous identification of Olivia, both as a white woman and a mistress from the enslavers of the West Indian. Similarly, there is the development of a parallel double consciousness by Dido. Dido, who is a servant, develops double Consciousness through acceptance of her position, which is semi-enslaved in the new home of Olivia while simultaneously accepting that she is free in the new home in London. Dido is asserting that “Dido was never a slave but to her own dear Missee, and she was proud of that.” Dido, similarly to Olivia, is oscillating between freedom and enslavement in her old home in Jamaica and currently in London’s new home. The situation is seen when the writer is arguing that the double Consciousness of the two characters is suggestive of their position because they are between the “racial Categories black and white” and, therefore, viewed as enslaved yet free. At this point, there is doubt about the letters of Olivia which regards her marriage with Augustus in terms of double Consciousness. Olivia is simultaneously dealing with her marriage and advocating racial equality goal. The continuation of the author to give reference to Olivia as swing between less than and greater than “half” shows her identity, instability, and predicts her marriage disintegration with Augustus. The woman of color” employs the use of various strategies in Olivia’s representation in an attempt of upsetting the traditional stereotypical ending for a mixed race woman. The main character Olivia, illustrates what is known as double consciousness space because of her tone which is in between and also the will of her father which make her move in the society of the white territory England.

The imitation of Olivia and her representation by the author are portrayed as double Consciousness. The representation of her wish is to show the white side of herself is an example of her imitation on the white woman. This is because she identifies herself as no less of a white woman than she is as a black woman. She is willing to be together with the white women and imitates their actions. The main character Olivia’s mimicry and the way the editor is giving a representation of her in the space is manifested in mind, and it is portrayed as double Consciousness. Here the authors representation of Olivia in the novel first half part as a “half”, which confirms the cultural intermixture and the doubleness of her Consciousness. Even Though Olivia tries to mimic the white woman, she still considered herself a English woman has her deceased father is English while she tries to embrace both cultures she is being stereotyped for her perfect English speaking “ You speak like a perfect English woman,” while continuing to say “I see have have imbibed our air” (111). Here Olivia defend her rights as a English woman and not as a mixed race, the double consciousness in her made her worthy of her title. Olivia Fairfeild is a resolute and she is determined to hold her place in her father’s country where she admirable gain respect and approval without the stake of her happiness.

In conclusion, “The woman of color” novel use some literal strategies, for instance, the double Consciousness and mimicry that is effective in the text to give a demonstration that either less present or absent women of colour might be significant. There is a demonstration of double Consciousness through individuals such as servant Dido and the main character Olivia as they both tries to seek comfort in their double consciousness. Double Consciousness makes a person in an oppressed society have some comforting effects as it safeguard them from oppression. Olivia is a true definition of racial stereotype, Olivia was judged based on her colour and demeanor not as a woman. She portrayed a strong and intellectual personality and as used her belief to internalise all the negativity that was thrown at her and intern uses it and advocate for herself and her people. Double Consciousness is a social philosophy concept which refers to the original source of an inward twoness which is expireced putative by Africam because of oppression based on racism and dis-valuation in society in a society which dominated by white. It is describe an experience which conflicts internally, and it is felt in a society which oppressive by the subordinate group.

In high school, my family and I moved to an upper middle-class neighborhood in Fountain Valley where some of my neighbors automatically saw me differently since most of the neighborhood is white . They looked at me like they had never seen a Mexican-American teenager and somewhat shocked seeing me living in the neighborhood. In my mind, I automatically made assumption what they could’ve said such as “How in the hell they came here ?” or “They must’ve came from Santa Ana”. Living there for the first six months we’ve made friends with some of our neighbors and some still look at us foregin. In the excerpt “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” W.E.B Du Bois defines double-consciousness seeing yourself through the eyes of others. In the autobiographical text “No Es Suficiente” Fernandez recounted many life experiences growing up Mexican-American where she constantly discussed the stereotypes and expectations whites are accustomed too. Although there are differences in the experiences of Du Bois and Fernandez, the concept of double-consciousness connects to both authors, who describe having conflicting identities, due to being constantly stereotyped, depicted wrongly by others, and given certain expectations in society.

In the excerpt from “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” W.E.B Du Bois defines double-consciousness as where interaction with whites affected his identity in society by the division colored people faced. Du Bois explains his definition: ”Double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.”(4). His definition gives an insight on seeing the division between him and the other individuals who visualize him differently. Double-consciousness gave Du Bois a view on how living in America being a black man treated as an inferior being is not justified as he is an American. That is to say, Du Bois concluded that he has a conflicting identity since he’s depicted as an inferior colored man living in America. This experience allowed Du Bois to know that he was being deprived of being an American based on his skin color.

Du Bois defined double-consciousness involving seeing yourself through the eyes of others , he gives an example where he first experienced double-consciousness and how he developed the definition. Du Bois explains his interaction:“Till one girl, a newcomer, refused my card,-refused it peremptorily, with a glance. Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil.”(4). Du Bois notably described his interactions with a little white girl which was hesitant to exchange cards with him which he struggles to understand why he is experiencing this. He begins to make sense of the interactions with her, where Du Bois concludes that he is not like the others since the color of his skin is different and is seen as inferior. To that end he recognized that there are social barriers that divide colored people and whites , where they shall not interact.

After analyzing the autobiographical text “No Es Suficiente” Fernández recounted many life experiences growing up as a Mexican-American where double-consciousness is showcased with the stereotypes and expectations whites are accustomed to in modern day society. With this in mind, Fernandez family saw it vital that learning english was a priority living in America since it was an expectation from white people. Fernandez explains her reasoning: “I understood the privilege that comes with sounding white…People trust you…White people trust you.”(266). With learning and understanding english is considered a privilege as “sounding white” it made you trustworthy around whites. Aside from not knowing english you are considered not “trusted” and seen as an unworthy being in society. With Fernandez being involved in the film industry, she discussed that it was a racially profile environment where many white directors had certain expectations for certain individuals. Fernandez explains an event where her friend was racially profiled: “I know several of my African American friends have been told in auditions that they need to “black it up” or be “blacker” as if this white casting director even knows what “being black” means.”(270). Fernandez describes the situation as if white people know everything with the belief of “superiority” and have certain expectations for minority groups. In addition, double-consciousness is implemented as there is judgement placed on minorities and expecting them to show place common stereotypes to obtain a certain view. Significantly, Fernandez experiences helped her see how whites generalized many ethnicity groups by stereotyping them and depicting them wrongfully.

With Fernandez experiencing racial discrimination in modern day America, her incidents throughout her life create simialrities and differences to Du Bois’s views of double-consiousness with the wrongful depictions and sense of inferiority in society . Fernandez fundamentally shows Du Bois’s general description of double-consciousness where racism is the main view point. Fernandez share an experience of hers in the film industry: “When a white person suggests something be “more Mexican” or “more Latino,” I often ask them to show me what they mean,’cause odds are it’s odds are it’s stereotypical as hell.”(271). Fernandez explains that white directors like to depict Latinos a certain way which involves inferiority to show society their personal view of them. However to Du Bois view on the concept it differs by the oppressors saying to the victim unconsciously, but Fernandez experienced it purposely. Fernandez did not have a say in how Mexicans can be depicted or what roles she can be. It connects with Du Bois in the category by how a certain group create conflicting identities towards other groups to make them look inferior or degraded in society.

In addition to experiencing double-consciousness, Fernandez experience with double-consciousness differs based on being discriminated by her last name and her cultural background to Du bois’s color of skin. Fernandez explains education experience: “Everyone assumed I was Mexican…my ethnicity was always bubbled in on my standardized test, while others kids got to select what they identified as.”(269). Fernandez addresses the issue as a child when taking exams she was automatically identified as Mexican-American and was stripped from her freedom to choose whatever pleased to select. This example demonstrates the same meaning of Du Bois’s view where he discussed how he was stripped of the freedom of being identified a African-American, but seen as just an inferior colored man. It compares to Du Bois by him experiencing double-consciousness based on the color of his skin where many interacted differently because of it. Significantly, Du Bois’s and Fernandez’s experiences with double-consciousness created unwanted conflicting identities which portrayed them as inferior beings in society.

With the analysis of Du Bois’s and Fernandez’s articles on social disparity, the academic research written by scholars Lawrie Balfour and Samir Dayal showcase their academic view of double-consciousness. The article “A MOST DISAGREEABLE MIRROR”: Race Consciousness as Double-Consciousness” Balfour describes the inequality African-Americans faced in society and the racial hierarchy that whites are the superior race. Balfour’s article showcases the argument where political identity and racial identity were common issues for African-Americans as felt “excluded from the full enjoyment of American democratic promises”(346). The article “Diaspora and Double Consciousness” Dayal explains the concept of diaspora and double-consciousness on immigration. Dayal debates about multiculturalism and transnationalism on migrancy creating “the state-centrist model of allegiance to the host vs. the home country”(46).

Although double-consciousness having different forms throughout time, the general concept of double-consciousness implies having conflicting identities, due to being constantly stereotyped, depicted wrongly by others, and given certain expectations in society. In modern day society, the meaning of double-consciousness has developed into many media outlets where wrongful depictions have set a given standard for minority groups. To this end, when I first moved to Fountain Valley, the looks given to me could’ve been based on wrongful media depictions of Mexicans.

Work Cited

1. Balfour, Lawrie. “‘A Most Disagreeable Mirror’: Race Consciousness as Double Consciousness.” Political Theory, vol. 26, no. 3, 1998, pp. 346–369. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/191839.
2. Dayal, Samir. “Diaspora and Double Consciousness.” The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, vol. 29, no. 1, 1996, pp. 46–62. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1315257.
3. Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Project Gutenberg. 29 Jan 2008 www.gutenberg.org/files/408/408-h/408-h.htm.
4. Fernandez, Dani. “No Es Suficiente.” The Good Immigrant Limited, 1st ed., Edited by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman, Hachette Book Group, 2019. pp. 266–275.

Double consciousness refers to the phenomenon of experiencing one’s self-awareness as encompassing what others think, thus creating a sense of identity that is divided into multiple parts. Always measuring yourself through the eyes of others. This play “Dutchman” emphasizes the idea of what a black person should be and the mask that society forces him to wear; and the negro his true self. He wants to assimilate into white culture, and another wants to express his anger to the white culture. Clay struggles with trying to deal with both sides.

Clay goes through a struggle with Lula, who represents white culture. Dubois advocates for a merging of the American and the Negro souls. Baraka in response, argues that there is no reconciliation but instead that black men become victims of assimilation. Baraka explores sterotypization and the sanity of African Americans based on these stereotypes and limited opportunity to truly be themselves. Clay, in the American side of himself, shows his lack of desire in the way he dresses in a jacket and tie and his belief that he is “a black Baudelaire”. Lula continues to claim that she knows him like the palm of her hands. This assertion comes from the belief, as a representation of white society and culture, that all black men are the same type of person, specifically black men that attempt to assimilation into white culture. She claims he is a well-known type. To truly destroy Clay, Lula must make him see through the veil white society has out in place for him; she must make him remove the mask of the African American man. She does this by continually calling him uncle tom and a dirty white man. She made him believe that his kind could never be on the same level as white people. With this exploration, it is possible to see the internal struggle that is involved in Clays double consciousness.

Clays last speech before Lula kills him illustrates the internal struggle he deals with as he tries to form a personal identity in a white culture that wants him to adapt, but at the same time denies him the right to do so. Clay tells Lula to “let him be who he feels like being, even if that’s a middle class fake white man” (Dutchman 557). This is his will to be whoever he wants to be, fully aware of how he sees himself. Through becoming Lula’s victim, Clay becomes a victim of white culture by way of assimilation. Clay serves as an example to Baraka’s audience, as Baraka is trying to make them better able to understand that they are not only the brothers of victims but also that they themselves are victims. Clays death is Baraka’s way of showing the audience that assimilation into white culture only leads to loss of identity and eventual demise. Baraka makes a statement with Clay about the impossibility of assimilation into the white world. Through Lula, he also makes a statement about the scheming and conniving racism of white America in that the culture teaches black people to be white, but at the same time constantly reminds them that they are other. In his decision to speak honesty about his feelings despite his attempts to assimilate, Clay breaks the mold made for him as an assimilated black man. Lula’s seduction and murder of Clay is meant to expose the victimization of the socially assimilated African American. Not only does Baraka reject Du Bois idea that the American and negro sides of the black men can be reconciled, but he also argues that a reliance on the American side can only lead to death.

This play “Dutchman” emphasizes the idea of what a black person should be and the mask that society forces him to wear; and the negro his true self. He wants to assimilate into white culture, and another wants to express his anger to the white culture. Clay struggles with trying to deal with both sides. Both characters play a role in demonstrating the role of American Americans and Whites. Double Consciousness is being shown in this play among African Americans.

Du Boi’s notion of ‘Double Consciousness’ and why it was so transformative to social theory.

Du Bois was an American sociologist, activist, and author. He was born in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and graduated from Fisk University in Nashville and was also the first black American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard. Until recently Du Bois’ contributions to sociology have been greatly overlooked especially his ideas revolving around the notion of ‘double consciousness. Du Bois’ ideas and concepts of society were formed very shortly after the American civil war and the abolishment of slavery and Du Bois’ early years were spent in the black reconstruction in America. His own personal life experiences as an African American at a revolutionary point in history is why these concepts are so ground-breaking in the fight for racial equality. Throughout my critical analysis of Du Bois’ study of double consciousness I will focus on; the social constructs surrounding race including Du Bois’ notion of double consciousness and own personal relation to his sociological understanding of these concepts and ideas, as well as how it has impacted sociology.

Du Bois’ notion of double consciousness describes an individual who has been split into competing identities. It’s the internal rivalry of ‘alienation and disenfranchisement’ of one identity which is posed as inescapable alongside the ideal identities that appears unattainable. (Lyubansky and Eidelson, 2005). Du Bois poses this concept in his novel ‘The souls of black folk’ where he states, “One ever feels his twoness, -an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body” (W.E.B Du Bois, (1903, p.2). It is seen that social interaction is the process in which the self emerges and can be portrayed as the self-being developed from the internalized view that is held by society. (Itzigsohn and Brown, 2015). The gift of second sight is less of an occasional sensation but a constant form of persistent consciousness that is embedded in socio-culture as a theoretical construct and not an implication of biological race. (Pittman, 2017). The concept of splitting the souls is what Du Bois refers to as twoness; the feeling of being black and American. As a result, not fully fulfilling an integrated position in the whole community. Du Bois’ idea of twoness that has developed around the psychological demand in ‘soul splitting’ has been commented on in many scientific articles many stating the effect on individuals of marginalization in societies, Recognition is so crucial to one’s own subjective understanding that we may develop as many social selves as there are individuals that recognize us (James,(2010 p. 294). The overriding community rejects the subject’s humanity and community which then becomes a source of provision in the oppressive state that is the ‘veil’. The veil being the inability to see the humanity of the racially excluded by the dominant culture. Du Bois often supports his account of the problems of black people and deals with the issue of double consciousness with the concept that it commonly involves leading his readers “within the veil” and bringing clarity and a sense of the black experience to the white population. However, Du Bois’ concept of ‘double consciousness’ alongside his ideas surrounding ‘the veil’ have brought up several points of contention including Gooding-Williams argument of Du Bois’ freedom from double consciousness. If double consciousness is prevalent for people of colour or marginalized groups and a structural issue in society how has Du Bois conquered and acquired a “true self-conscious manhood” (Gooding-Williams,( 2009, p.85).

Du Bois’ work is seen by many to have changed the practice of sociology as a discipline through using his own insights as a black man in his work when using practical research methods while reflecting on how the color line and lack of social mobility affect urban communities that were so overlooked for such a long time. He was a pioneer of conducting comprehensive community social surveys, surrounding the documentation of black community life, and in exploring the theory of self through black-white relations. (Bobo, 2000). Du Bois created a new way of discussing racialization in his biographical writings in a style that combines his intellectual ideas with his frustration surrounding academic communication. Du Bois’ belief that the documentation of a racialized experience demanded an intense literary understanding is what fuelled his innovative writing and research style which is seen as a methodical experiment generated from the recognition that nothing written by itself could convey his feelings. However, there are arguments to suggest that his specific sheltered upbringing I the New England black community of Great Barrington is seen by some critics to be inauthentic because of its detachment from slavery in comparison to his time spent in the south, where Du Bois was able to effectively and authentically discover and internalize a new way of being black. In comparison to the criticism, many people including Gilroy believe that it is his background that made his discovery of the notion of double consciousness so transformative in sociology. “But turning my gaze from fruitless word. -twisting and facing the facts of my own social situation and the racial world, I determined to put science into sociology through the study of the condition and problems of my own group. I was going to study the facts, any and all the facts, concerning the American Negro and his plight, and by measurement and comparison and research, work up to any valid generalization which I could” (Du Bois, (1940 p.51). He saw a need for new analytical languages that would covey the issues between social relations linked to racial relegation and legitimize their approaches for surmounting it. This concept of gauging the complexity of social standing in relation to politics and conventional western morality “was also an important influence on the development of black literary modernism. “(Gilroy (1993, p.115). Du Bios’ was able to use his experience of being black as well as becoming black in two very racially distinct communities. He was honest about the privilege he grew up with as well as the way he had to learn the difficulties of racialized living for himself when he left the protected segregated environment of Great Barrington.

Du Bois’ foundational work surrounding race came at such a crucial time in history, especially with the industrial revolution, economic growth and the black reconstruction in America in the late 1800s when race was such a fundamentally structural issue, ‘race is not only a field of study but something that is at issue in the fundamental structure of social knowledge’ (Bhambra.G. K, 2013 (quoted in(Meer and Nayak, 2013) ). In addition to the historical importance, his work surrounding the concept of double consciousness broke down the false claim that black people and marginalized groups are responsible for their own mobility and formation in society and offered an explanation that in the modern world of our dominant white society we project our own Ideas onto people of color and manipulate their own view of themselves and their value in society. Du Bios states in his study ‘The Philadelphia Negro’ is that what keeps ‘the negro’ and his children out of decent employment is a ‘dislike for his blood’(The Philadelphia Negro, 2010, p.322). This central idea of the process of racialization is why his social theories surrounding race and double consciousness is so transformative in sociology as it presents the experiences of a group of people alongside the wider social context, “his work goes beyond treating race as a discrete concept and instead situates the process of racializing and racialization at the core of the formation and the organization of the modern world.” (Itzigsohn and Brown, 2015). With this idea of racialization, it allows modern-day Sociologists to expand on his concept and idea of the veil which is representing the oppressive nature of societies to stereotype racial groups (Smaje. C, 1997) and link it with twoness the idea of living with two natures into other areas of social inequality including gender and class as well as race. For example, with the rise of feminist sociological theory in the 1990s there have been arguments to suggest that female is another competing identity in an androcentric world and can also be linked to the growing concept of intersectionality (Collins, 2010) when layering these identities. (Thomas, 2020). “Feminist writers, for instance, have suggested that “female” is another competing identity, and therefore that the Black female consciousness is triple, the Black female Hispanic consciousness quadruple, and so on.” (Rawls, 2000). Furthermore, Du Bois’ theories surrounding colour have been revolutionary in society in aiding to mold our knowledge of the ways that racial practices are acted out through structuring and how the color was fundamentally unavoidable in the face of white supremacy and its desires for racial exclusion. In conjunction with this radical notion, Anna Brand believes that “we can trace the ways that racial processes are constituted and resisted across different temporalities of racism.” (Brand, 2017).

In conclusion, Du Bois’ work was so transformative to sociology because it change the practice of and showed new ways to produce and reflect on ideas including innovative analytical language, and perceptive personal and historical references in his work while using empirical research and quantitative as well as qualitative analysis. He also makes a huge contribution to our philosophical understanding of race and the race problem, because he treats it as a philosophical discussion instead of a scientific concept. (Gooding-Williams, 2017). I believe his notion of double consciousness is still incredibly important in our current society as a tool to perceive how self-formation is constrained in a racialized civilization. Du Bois was also transformative in social theory as he submerged himself in his hypothesis and lived through his own revelations and concepts which is an innovative part of his sociological ideas.

Reference list

1. Bobo, L. D. (2000) “Reclaiming a Du Boisian Perspective on Racial Attitudes,” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 568(1), pp. 186–202.
2. Brand, A. L. (2017) “The duality of space: The built world of Du Bois’ double-consciousness,” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 36(1), pp. 3–22.
3. Du Bios, W. E. B. (2007) The Philadelphia Negro, Google Books, Lightening Source
4. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William E. B. and internet archive (1968) Dusk of dawn; an essay toward an autobiography of a race concept, Internet Archive. New York, Schocken Books, p. 7.
5. Du Bois, W. E. B, ANDERSON, E. and EATON, I. (1996) “Front Matter,” in The Philadelphia Negro. University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 1-4.
6. Gilroy, P. (1993) The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness, Google Books. Harvard University Press, p. 114,115.
7. Gooding Williams, R. (2009) “Front Matter,” in In the Shadow of Du Bois. Harvard University Press, pp. i–vi. Available at: https:www.jstor.orgstablej.ctvjhzqcr (Accessed: December 21, 2020).
8. Gooding-Williams, R. (2017) W.E.B. Du Bois (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy), Stanford.edu.
9. Hill Collins, P. and Bilge, S. (2020) Intersectionality, Google Books, Wiley.
10. Itzigsohn, J. and Brown, K. (2015) “SOCIOLOGY AND THE THEORY OF DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS,” Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 12(2), pp. 231–248.
11. James, W. (2007) The Principles of Psychology, Google Books, Lightening Source.
12. Lyubansky, M. and Eidelson, R. J. (2005) “Revisiting Du Bois: The Relationship Between African American Double Consciousness and Beliefs About Racial and National Group Experiences,” Journal of Black Psychology, 31(1), pp. 3–26. doi: 10.11770095798404268289.
13. Meer, N. and Nayak, A. (2013) “Race Ends Where? Race, Racism and Contemporary Sociology,” Sociology, 49(6), pp. NP3–NP20.
14. Pittman, J. P. (2017) Double Consciousness, Sydney.edu.au. Available at: https:stanford.library.sydney.edu.auarchivesspr2017entriesdouble-consciousness#DoubConsSoulBlacFolk (Accessed: December 21, 2020).
15. Rawls, A. W. (2000) “‘Race’ as an Interaction Order Phenomenon: W.E.B. Du Bois’s ‘Double Consciousness’ Thesis Revisited,” Sociological Theory, 18(2), pp. 241–274.
16. Smaje, C. (1997) “NOT JUST A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: THEORISING RACE AND ETHNICITY,” Sociology, 31(2), pp. 307–327.
17. Thomas, T. (2020) The Double, Double Consciousness: Gender Construction in America – Vol 2, Number 1 SummerFall 2020 – African American Studies Journal – CCSU Newsletter.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the main character in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by British writer Robert Stevenson. Jekyll used the secret medicine developed by himself to separate the evil in his human nature. However, it is unexpected that the separated evil turns into an independent personality and shows itself, and then kills people on a large scale. Fight Club is one of the works of director David Fincher. The plot of the film develops with the collision and interweaving of jack and Taylor’s two personalities. Both of these works revolve around the two sides of each person. My goal in this paper is to talk about dual personality, I think everyone has two sides. It’s our bright side and our dark side. We are all a community of contradictions between good and evil.

My paper is mainly divided into four parts. Firstly, it discusses The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Then introduce the film’s interpretation of the dual personality. Finally, compare the similarities and differences between the novel and the film. In my opinion, I don’t believe that there is completely good or complete evil in the world. As the beloved and respected doctor, Jekyll. He invented a special potion that allowed him to twist his body into another person — the other side of doctor Jekyll, Hyde. Doctor Jekyll drank the potion and became Hyde. He had done all the wrong things in Hyde’s body. In showing the contrast to this evil side of man, the author depicts Dr. Jekyll as an individual who is able to control his actions and remains rational all the time. Despite being engaged in the bad, he’s able to project his actions to the right most of the time. It is not possible to be encompassed of one half of the being that’s good or evil, but humans are made of the two. As the book says, “did you ever want to be someone else? Are you looking at someone you know and thinking, ‘he can do whatever he wants, why can’t I? Do you ever want to be someone else who can do whatever you want, even if it’s just for one day? No one is going to accuse you of that because no one knows it’s you — it’s not you anymore. How exciting it would be to be someone else!” (35). When his body no longer restrained doctor Jekyll, the dark side of his heart burst out unbridled. Some people think it was the potion that made the handsome doctor grow short and ugly, from good to evil, from Jekyll to another man. But I don’t think Hyde came out of nowhere. He had been hiding in doctor Jekyll’s body, co-existing with him before he took the potion. The terrible power of the potion was that it did not strengthen the evil side of doctor Jekyll, but it made the good side of doctor Jekyll disappear completely. This is why the mere sight of Hyde in the book causes everyone to feel a visceral revulsion and intense revulsion. Hyde is the absolute embodiment of evil, without any of the goodness or goodness of human nature that we celebrate. So, before the potion was invented, Doctor Jekyll’s two personalities conflicted, and he recognized the profound duality of human nature. He professed to be as sincere on both points: ‘I am myself when I throw aside all restraints and plunge into the scandal, as I am when I toil in learning or alleviate the pain of others in broad daylight.'(25) As for the reason why doctor Jekyll has more distinct good and evil than ordinary people, and why the duality in his human nature becomes a disease, I think it is like this: it is related to doctor Jekyll’s unaccepted and unrealized desire.

Good and evil are opposites, but in the novel, the noble and respected doctor and the devil Hyde are one and the same. This also highlights two sides of people. Doctor Jekyll has had great ambition since he was young, and he is talented and diligent. He has a high personal position, wants to achieve great achievements, and wants to be respected and admired by others, so he tries to suppress and cover up his like the writer examines restless love, and pleasure desire. In the book, he said, ‘the great ambition I set for myself made me almost look at and cover-up this abnormal state with a kind of a morbid shame.’ (17) When he later achieved and became a respected doctor, his inner debauchery and desire need to be carefully hidden from the outside world. Jekyll’s entanglement lies in this. His identity conflict shows the conflict between two classes, one discarding the other, separating from the other, loathing each other, and attracting each other from different angles. Instead of being forgotten over time, these desires are subconsciously kept in the back of our minds. They gather energy like living volcanoes until one day, they explode. Doctor Jekyll is more restrained than most people in hiding his dark side. The more he wanted to pursue indulgent freedom, the more the two personalities pulled him apart, forming a state of a split personality. Hyde’s evil is actually the evil side of the doctor’s personality, but with such a status, he will always want to hide the evil, but once he has a face no one knows, his evil will burst out unbridled.

For the movie, Jack, the hero of the fight club, is an ordinary employee in a car company. His dull work and life are depressing. He yearns for freedom, has a strong desire for destruction, and severe insomnia and mental distortion have split him into another personality, Tyler. Tyler is full of rebellious, cruel, and crackling ruffian hero; he represents the heart of Jack the system’s perverse unruly personality. Tyler founded the fight club and grew it, creating a legion of antisocial, destructive mindless believers. Jack discovers that Tyler is out of control and eventually discovers that he and Tyler are the same person. Even for a few minutes, he showed great greed for his companion’s company. ‘How do I get Tyler’s attention’ (Fight club). He genuinely wanted to embody all the characteristics of Tyler Durden; ‘Tyler and I look more and more alike. We both punched the flippers out of our cheeks. Our feelings have lost their memory. After we were shot, we forgot where to slide back ‘(Fight club). In these two narratives, the characters’ visual perception of the other self is different. There is also the urge to do the wrong thing. He has an evil side, ready to explode; He would say. ‘That grown man is not real. But the real two ‘(74). Unfortunately. He would misbehave in any video. A terrible sense of guilt would form in his mind. Doctor Jekyll was willing to admit that he could see. ‘Two competing natures in my field of consciousness (74). Dr. Jekyll then decided to apply his findings to the idea that people can be divided into two personalities. In the end, jack kills himself by swallowing a bullet that flies off his cheek. The film ends with a whole section of skyscrapers collapsing. With split personalities as the theme, both Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde end in self-destructive tragedies. But the fight club is a comedy from beginning to end. The films incisively and vividly display dual personalities and warn people that they are confronted with the problem of inner emptiness under the circumstance of gradually enriching material life. Maybe we all need to talk to ourselves and see if we can see ourselves in a ‘Fight Club’.

‘Fight Club’ as a novel and movie of dual personality, and I think it is partly influenced by the classic book ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Unlike Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Tyler’s character in the film isn’t exactly evil. He’s smart, unusual, and untouchable, always aware of his goal and attacking with all his might. Doctor Jekyll had his demons. There is also the urge to do the wrong thing. He has an evil side, ready to explode; He would say. ‘That grown man is not real. But the real two ‘(74). Unfortunately. He would misbehave in any video. A terrible sense of guilt would form in his mind. Doctor Jekyll was willing to admit that he could see. ‘Two competing natures in my field of consciousness (74). Dr. Jekyll then decided to apply his findings to the idea that people can be divided into two personalities.’It’s all so far away. A transcript, transcript, transcript.’ Insomnia distance everything. You can’t touch anything, and nil can touch you ‘(Fight club). He described it as an out-of-body experience. And some of the richness later revealed in the narrative. When he fell into a state of insomnia. He’s under the control of Tyler Durden as Tyler said. ‘Every time you fall asleep, I run away and do something crazy.’ Crazy stuff. It’s all in my head ‘(Fight club). Taylor explained that the longer it took Joe to wake up. Lupus will he will fight to get his head back. This meant that he began to visit Tyler more and more frequently without his knowledge or free will. In both of these short stories the idea and theme of waking up emerge as another self-importance for you. Now at the fight club. The only time the main character turns into Tyler Durden is when he goes to sleep and wakes up half-asleep. Strange to say, doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Doctor Jekyll invented an elixir of life that he could take away Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson said when he questioned Dr. Jekyll’s control over Mr. Hyde. ‘The moment I chose. I can get rid of Mr. Hyde ‘(58). Dr. Jekyll, however, overestimated his ability to control animals. Sometimes he wanted to prove that he didn’t have to play Mr. Hyde anymore. But he is certainly tempted to do animals to get stronger every piece. This vision is similar to the way Joe embraced Taylor in his heart. How he wanted to be with Tyler.

Fight club is not just about destruction. Because of the great pressure in modern society, everyone needs to ‘vent.’ The reason why fight club exists is that people need to vent their frustration with pain. It was only later that Tyler went further. At the end of the movie, Jack’s personality overpowers Tyler, which is the opposite of Jekyll and Hyde. Split personality is certainly not the only theme in the book, and Dr. Jekyll’s split personality reflects the struggles of good and evil in each of us. The best part of the book, I think, is in the last chapter, the doctor’s confession. Doctor Jekyll’s account describes a great deal about the struggle between the two personalities. The conflict between doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was only one between achieving a normal state before his reputation was ruined. He searches for elements that may help his metamorphosis back to his primary self. This did not work out as planned and ended in Mr. Hyde’s self-destruction. It was to save him from the embarrassment of being exposed or to face the struggle of facing trial and being sent to the gallows.

These two different confrontations occur in two different ways because Tyler Durden’s presence is the result of the psychological needs felt by the main character at the beginning of the novel. I feel sleepy. I’m too complete. I’m perfect. I want a lifestyle ‘(Fight club). He created Hyde in his own mind, and doctor Jekyll created Hyde in the immoral material expression of his own heart. Now a physical transformation is more difficult than a mental transformation. Thus, the novella ends with both characters trying to commit suicide, while the hero of the fight club shoots himself in the process. Not me. But when he thought about Tyler Durden, he made it. From the initial transformation to release myself to the description of desperate resistance that could not be changed back due to overuse — from the initial release, happiness, and freedom to the final fear, despair and anxiety, I deeply felt a sense of despair and cold powerlessness in the process of reading.

I think the universe, the bottom of the sea and the human heart are the three most amazing beings. ‘Know yourself is one of the eternal questions of mankind, but everyone looks at himself as if he were in a fog. So, I really admire Freud and Stevenson for their profound analysis of the duality of human nature. Our exploration of ourselves will never end, and how should we balance our inner good and evil and face our own desires? I think this requires us to explore and think more deeply.

At the heart of W.E.B. DuBois’s concept of double consciousness lies Saussure’s structuralism. At one point in time, society decided that a person with light skin would be called a white person, therefore giving the color of someone’s skin a sign, white, thus the signifying aspect being the lightness of their skin. Therefore the “other” were those with darker skin, who in America throughout much of the the 19th, 20th, and indeed 21st century were the black people. Based upon their intrinsic differences, the white society has placed a negative connotation to those with darker skin, which has resulted in blatant racism and many microaggressions that have manifested into double consciousness. The black people of America feel the otherness of their sign of blackness much more than the white people of America, who benefit fully (and oftentimes unknowingly) from the positive connotation of their sign. In this, the black people of America see the world differently as their situation requires them to. As W.E.B DuBois puts, living in America is like a prison house, “walls strait and stubborn to the whitest, but relentlessly narrow, tall, and unscalable to sons of night” (DuBois). There is a constant uphill battle based upon the otherness of a black person’s skin and their relation to American society as a whole. Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Thing Around Your Neck”, a short story about a Nigerian woman moving to America, is a real life tell about that examines how structuralism has led to double consciousness.

Not even 5 paragraphs into Adichie’s story, does the audience see exactly what it means to be black in America as she puts the audience in her shoes. Her time in America can almost best be summarized by her experience at the local community college in an all-white town. Here, she is “gawped at” (Adichie,) because her hair is different. The white woman want to know if it stood up or if she used a comb, they wanted to know if she had lived in a real house in Africa or ever seen a car. This creates two interesting levels of double consciousness. First, is the one that W.E.B DuBois knew so well of just being a black person in America, as seen by the white people’s microaggressions towards her hair, in which they (most likely) unawaringly point out their differences and inherent sense of superiority by pointing out that her hair is different and unlike theirs. With this the character in Adichie’s short story has to face head-on the fact that she is different because her hair is unlike theirs, which brings it back to structuralism. The character in Adichie’s story also faces another layering of double consciousness, that of being an African black woman. She faces the ignorance of white Americans who believe she wouldn’t have lived in a “real house” in Africa or have ever seen a car, because again structuralism. Long ago, America was given the name of the United States of America, which is signified as the great land of the free, an amazing country. Whereas, Africa is not America, therefore, in the eyes of many Americans it is not a great country just because it has differences. While this is undoubtedly not true, these higher education level women do not understand how Adichie’s character must feel to know that she comes from a place deemed less civilized and modern. From this, she knows she will always be viewed as lesser.

DuBois faced a different kind of double consciousness than Adichie’s character. He faced white discrimination as a black man, a much different specimen than as a black woman. While both are equally as a wrong, they definitely have different aspects to it. This can be seen even within the own black community as evident by Adichie’s character’s interaction with her “uncle,” in which he tries to force himself upon her. She doesn’t allow this to happen, to which he replies, “If you let him he would do many things for you. Smart women did it all the time. How did you think those women back home in Lagos with well-paying jobs made it? Even those in New York” (Adichie, 117). The uncle is implying that as a woman, no less a black woman, she is already disadvantaged as is, therefore the only way to become on equal playing grounds is to utilize her sexuality. Here she adds a new layer to her understanding of double consciousness. Not only does she have to see the world through the eyes of a black person, but also a black woman. She is different and mistreated because of her skin color, but also sexualized and repressed because of her sex.

After the incident with her uncle, Adichie’s character fled to connecticut and became a waitress. Here she faced much more discrimination as a person of color. The most alarming incident she mentions is that everyone thought she was Jamaican, as she snarkily comments, “because they thought every black person with a foreign accent was Jamaican” (119). However, not every encounter at the restaurant is negative like this one as she meets a man that will become her significant other for sometime. The only thing worth mentioning of this man is that he is rich and white, therefore has travelled the world, spending a considerable amount of time in Africa, which is how he initially impresses her by asking if she is Igbo or Yoruba. From there, he pursued her and finally she allotted him a date, which began an interesting relationship. When in public, Adichie’s character claims that they were an abnormality based on everyone’s reactions, whether it be old white men and women showing disgust, young white men and women showing support to showcase their open-mindedness, and even discontent or signs of solidarity from within the black community. Her relationship with this rich, white man falls into double consciousness as she is viewed through the frameworks of a black woman in an interracial relationship. The world sees her as different because it is not the normal relationship the world has signified, white with white, black with black. This is something different and some view it as negative and others view it through a forced positivity.

The rich, white man is not perfect as it is inferred through the short story that, while he does have feelings of some sort for her, he is also infatuated with her just based on the fact that she is an African woman, an exotic trophy. In some instances, he tries to pander to her by bringing her to an African shop and telling the store owner he is African. It cannot be argued that he doesn’t have good intentions, but as she points out, they are often times self-righteous. Even in her most comfortable relationship, she must view the world through the lens as a black African woman that is being romanticized based upon her ethnicity and color, thus meaning she will never fully feel comfortable in America, which is ultimately why she left without him to go back to Africa.

Double consciousness through structuralism has created a hard world many people of color in America. They are viewed as different based on arbitrary signs that were put in place years before their time. This has led to a feeling of unease and discomfort based upon this inherent prejudice for being darker skinned as the lighter skinned humans have all of the more positive connotations in America. The character in Adichie’s story “That Thing Around Your Neck” details this concept perfectly, unfortunately, as she struggles in America to find her footing as she is either ogled at or romanticized for being this different skin color. She is forced to view the world through the lens of someone else’s eyes, with a double consciousness.