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  • Essay / Racism in Song of Solomon, Push and Life of Olaudah...

    Expressing Racism in Song of Solomon, Push and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah EquianoAfrican Americans are often discriminated against and suffer from a barrage of racially motivated remarks, and even experiencing acts of racially motivated violence. Unfortunately, this crime against humanity cuts both ways. Those who are oppressed may fight back to defend themselves, sometimes becoming that which they despise most. In many cases, the black man is forced to develop racist morals against the white man because of past history and the fact that white people discriminate against them. The victim of oppression can become the oppressor and, in fact, this “reverse racism” can easily transform into a sense of superiority for black people. Although both parties, black and white racists, suffer from the belief that their own race is better, one could argue that the black community is often more justified in their beliefs. The black writer Sapphire was quoted as saying, “One of the myths we are taught is that oppression creates moral superiority. I'm here to tell you that the more oppressed a person is, the more oppressive they will be” (Walker, Fall 2001). I believe this not only creates a more oppressive group of people, but also a group that believes itself to be morally superior. This moral superiority is evident in the writings and personal lives of Olaudah Equiano, Toni Morrison, Sapphire and Maya Angelou. These authors display a view common to many African Americans: Africa versus America, white morality versus black morality, and racial inferiority versus racial superiority. African Americans often make comparisons between Africa and the country where they lived. forcibl...... middle of paper ...... and the Middle Passage. Ed. Maria Diedrich, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Carl Pedersen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: 47-56. Davis, Jane. The white image in the black mind: a study of African-American literature. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. Equiano, Olaudah. “The interesting story of the life of Olaudah Equiano.” Classic slave stories. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Putnam, 1987: 1-182. Mandville, Sir John. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1983, p.64. Morrison, Toni_Guest. Personal interview. Jet August 31, 1998.www.findarticles.com (September 10, 2001). Morrison, Tony. Song of Solomon. New York: Penguin Group, 1977.Sapphire_Guest. Personal interview by Carletta Joy Walker. www.foodcoop.com (September 13, 2001). Sapphire. Push. New York: Random House, 1997.