Category: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man challenges the status of race relations in the United States in the early 1900s. Written on the heels of the Plessy v. Ferguson decision which legally established segregation in the United States, the novel depicts the life of a mixed-race narrator in an effort to argue that racial divisions are a contrived concept. Early in the novel, the narrator, then twelve years old, meets his father for the first time. In the passage describing the meeting, Johnson uses a dark writing style reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe, juxtaposes the emotions of the narrator and his mother, and symbolizes white America through the father to underscore the discrimination faced by multiracial individuals.

Johnson begins the passage immediately with a dark tone as the narrator reflects on what the word “father” has meant to him, calling it a “source of doubt and perplexity.” This is reflective of the romantic writings of Edgar Allen Poe, who believed in a deeper noumenal world filled with chaos and evil. His sublime worldview often came forward in themes of confusion in his works, much like Johnson’s focus on confusion in this passage. Johnson, in fact, frequently imitates Poe when referring to race relations in the United States.

At the beginning of Chapter 2, Johnson describes being called a racial slur for the first time as a “transition from one world into another,” of “dwarfing, warping, distorting influence.” Here, Johnson again makes use of the idea of a chaotic, noumenal world beneath our own. Johnson continues to reflect Poe’s writing as the narrator explains that he feels ominously as if there is something he is not being told about his father, but that he is probably happier that he does not know what it is. The suggestion of a hidden aspect to his father also parallels the hidden nature of the noumena in our phenomenal world. Readers at the time would have been familiar with the works of Poe, and would have known to associate his writing style with ideas of darkness and evil. By frequently invoking Poe’s writing style when discussing the narrator’s relationship with white Americans, Johnson is suggesting that institutional segregation was evil and must be looked at critically by all Americans.

As the passage progresses, Johnson juxtaposes the reactions of the narrator and his mother to the arrival of the father. Johnson clearly explains that the mother was overjoyed for her son to meet his father. The narrator believes the day “was one of the happiest moments of [his mother’s] life,” and that she romantically hoped to see her son run into his father’s arms. The narrator, however, felt apathetic, feeling no “need for a father.” The mother sees the occasion as joyful because she sees it as an elevation of status for her son. His father’s status of having “the best blood of the South,” elevated her son, in her eyes, to a white social status.

The son is apathetic, however, because his father’s white bloodline is in fact powerless to elevate him out of the discrimination he faces. This juxtaposition is reflective of the plight of the mixed race man – he is accepted by neither the black or white communities. He has been forced to either reject the paternity of one of his parents or find no acceptance from any racial community; the narrator will eventually choose the former. This predicament is designed to seem absurd to the reader. If race were not a trivial human concept, the narrator could find acceptance in both groups. The narrator’s rejection again calls into question whether there is truly a grounds for separation of different races.

The narrator’s father is used in a symbolic sense in this passage to represent the majority of white Americans at the time. When the father first speaks to the narrator, he means to be friendly and welcoming, but “could not have had a worse effect” on the narrator. At the time when the novel takes place, the United States was filled with well-meaning white men like the father, who despite being generally good people did nothing to fight against discrimination and segregation. The narrator’s father is one of these well-meaning men. He seems to bear no prejudice against his son, and sends money to make sure he is cared for. Yet by not taking a firm stand against the discrimination his son faces, the narrator’s father is unable to give him the thing he needs most – freedom from an oppressive system.

Just like the father, many excused themselves from fighting against racial segregation because they believed they were not as prejudiced as others, and thus were not at fault for it. Although they meant well, they were in fact instrumental in the establishment of segregation because they remained silent. Johnson uses the narrator’s father to challenge those of all races who believe themselves to be good people to take a stand against segregation, pointing out that their well-meaning silence has actually only made things worse for the black community.

Johnson’s establishment of the suffering of a mixed-race man in this passage helps to set up the entire structure of the passing novel. The idea of the narrator abandoning his identity in order to find a better life is a powerful challenge to segregation. In order to be successful, however, Johnson must first establish how much he suffered as an African American and the contrived nature of that discrimination. Johnson employs literary techniques reflective of Edgar Allen Poe, juxtaposes the narrator and his mother, and uses the narrator’s father as a symbol to establish a foundation for his passing novel, ultimately creating a powerful critique of segregation and race relations in the United States.

In the book titled The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, by James Weldon Johnson, the topic of race and identity are discussed through the experience of a biracial American. When this man, the protagonist, is introduced the concept of race does not seem to affect his day to day life until a moment when he is grouped together with the coloured children. This occurrence is then followed by a scene when the protagonist examines himself in detail for the first time. This scene is a pivotal moment in the protagonist’s life because it ignites his curiosity and determination to understand his identity. This moment also completely shifts his view of himself, the people around him and the society in which he lives. Therefore, I will argue that the mirror scene is the catalyst for the protagonist’s self-conception due to the way it completely shifts and molds his understanding of his identity.

The author conveys this realization through his interaction with his mirror and the diction used to describe his appearance. In literature, mirrors are often used to symbolize illumination and wisdom since they reflect light as well as the world around them. They are also often seen as reflecting truth. This is one way the mirror is used in this scene. When the protagonist comes home he grabs the mirror so that he can examine himself, but he admits that he is afraid to look at first. This fear manifests due to the mirror being a place that holds and reflect truth. The mirror is going to reflect his image without bias or manipulation therefore it is going to shatter his preconceived idea of being white. When examining himself he admittedly appears whiter, but he is aware that there is something “strangely fascinating” about him image. The mirror exposed this difference in his features, that reflect his ethnically diverse heritage, that he had not noticed. This realization effectively changes the protagonist view and understanding of himself resulting in him questioning his race, and by extension his identity, with his mother.

The mirror is acting as a channel for the truth, but it also symbolizes the bridging of the conscious and unconscious mind. Well the protagonist is looking in the mirror he expresses that before this self examination in the mirror he was not aware of his appearance apart from what his mothers’ customers said about him. The mirror provided him with a way to become “conscious of it, and recognize it”, meaning himself and his physical appearance. The mirror in this scene awakened his conscious so that he could view himself in a different way. The switch in consciousness through the self examination in the mirror changed his perception of himself causing him to question his physical appearance and his social image with his mother. The mirror provides a method in which to view himself with clarity, this in turn ignites his interest in his self-conception and social image. The mirror is a powerful tool used to change the protagonists view of himself and works as a method to start his journey to navigating a biracial existence in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Another method the author uses to highlight the shift in self-conception is in that language used when he is describing himself. Diction or word choice can be an effective way to emphasize meaning, ideas, or themes to the audience without outright stating them. In addition, this can be especially effective when trying to create a tone, image or evoke a certain emotion in the reader. In this scene with the mirror the protagonist takes time to describe himself in detail sharing with the audience his facial features. When he describes his skin, he makes a point to say that it is ivory white giving the reader a distinct image of an off-white tone.

By comparing his skin to the colour of ivory that is not only beautiful off white, but a luxurious item brings an air of prestige to the description. This description invokes this kind of understanding due to the history and status associated with white skin. This is contrasted with his observation of his dark features; these features include his “liquid dark eyes”, “long black lashes” and “glossy dark hair” (Johnson 8). None of the descriptions regarding his “dark” characteristics are paired with any terms or items that would indicate status. They are simply stated with no terms of endearment. This in contrast shows that lighter features or whiter features are desirable and have a status associated with them and that dark features are understated. Furthermore, it shows the divide between whiteness and blackness within the protagonists’ identity. His blackness is hidden due to the lack pf physical representation in his features. By having his blackness under stated it also reflects the way in which he previously saw himself and the shift in that view after he saw himself in the mirror; and then realised that his features where “strangely fascinating”, acknowledging the blackness in his features that he is now conscious of. This use of language shows the shift in his understanding of his identity from a state of misunderstanding to an informed state now that he has more knowledge and understanding of his mixed ethnicity.

Throughout this paper I have draw upon the tools used by the author, such as the mirror and diction, to prove that the mirror scene works as the catalyst for the protagonist’s shift in self-conception. The authors ability to use the mirror as a method for the protagonists to see himself and change his understanding of his identity through physically seeing himself; allows the readers to understand the contrast of his understanding of his identity before and after the mirror. Furthermore, the use of language to highlight and understate certain elements of his appearance allows for the conflict between his former white self and his enlighten biracial self to show the transition from uninformed to informed.

This story and scene is still relevant to discussion about race but also to individuals that are biracial and experience moments like this in their lives. It provides a unique look at what it means to be biracial and the struggle that racial identity can pose when you are both and neither at the same time.

Passionate. Ruthless. Complicated. Champion. These are some of the surplus of words and expressions used to describe the genius that is Kobe Bryant. Born in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, and raised approximately 5,000 miles away in the suburbs of Italy, this memoir depicts the life story of Kobe Bryant; from his upbringing as the youngest child in a sports-oriented family, to his eventual triumph within the National Basketball Association.

Unlike some athletes, his success story wasn’t handed over to him on a sliver platter. Growing up as a little boy in the streets of Italy, Kobe always seemed to find himself as the odd-man-out; the eccentric outsider that was never supposed to be presented in the picture. As one of the few African-American individuals continually participating in his basketball tournaments and leagues, he struggled to maintain a common connection between his peers. This issue would then come into fruition 7 years later, after his father Joe Bryant decided to retire from the game of basketball, and opted his family to move back to their hometown of Philadelphia.

Being a predominantly-based Italian speaker for a majority of his life, Kobe struggled to cope with the contrast between Italy to that of the United States. Due to this cause, in spite of all the work he tirelessly had to commit to in order to fit in, he had been placed once again in a position he so desperately wanted to break out of, becoming an outsider within his community. At this point in his life, undeterred by the social constraints that had been established against him all his life, he found his common denominator, his true love. A sport that was meant to be played with passion and passion alone; a sport that bridged teammates with the values of cooperation, teamwork, and unity, regardless of race, background, or financial capabilities. This sport was basketball; a sport he found so much solace and relief in, he became one of its greatest legends

Throughout the entirety of this literary work, it is evident that the topic of race plays a vital role within the narrative of Kobe’s life. From this new perspective, the reader is given a clearer view of how the concept of racial discrimination continually divides and separates the worldwide union we all hope to attain.

Regardless of the setbacks and limitations that may have been presented to him within some stages of his life, the author decides not to empathize on the detrimental effects this type of discrimination may have on a specific individual, but gives light and appreciation towards the accomplishments and accolades that this young man had genuinely achieved throughout his life in spite of it. It can be noticed emphasizes on how true passion and heart authentically surpasses any kind of constraints that may be traditionally accepted by society, regardless of the color of skin an individual may have.