Althuizen 1

Shelby Althuizen
Ms. Gardner
English 10 HON Period 4
7 November 2014
Controversy of Racism The Horrific Impact on our Everyday Lifes
"America in Black and White." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
This novel, written by Google Books, provides historic information about racism during
the times on the Civil Rights Movement including the Jim Crow laws in the southern
states, the causes of slave systems, and why so much of the souths population was black
compared to the north. Significantly, it explains the seriousness of racism; although still
an occurrence is America, it needs to come to a point of full equality no matter your
ethnicity.
Ultimately, this novel offers disturbing information to raise awareness of seriousness of
racism in our American culture. The author is direct with the information making the
readers understand how twisted the history of racism in America truly is. The author
uses precise diction to emphasize the pain cause to many African Americans during the
Civil Rights Movement. Using an ominous tone throughout the sentence patterns
creates tension that reflects the relationship between black and white citizens as whites
control every aspect of the lives of its black victims in order to extract maximum
profits from their toil (27).
"Porch Talk with Ernest Gaines." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

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Gaines book offers a series of emotions in the nature of his writings and lines, which
includes the emotional stabilities of colored citizens throughout the Civil Rights
Movement that are caused by the universal failures of social equality. Taking an
emotional path filled with jokes and sorrow of the realities that rest in a black mans life
he explains that the emotions the readers experience is not intentionally meant to make
them cry or laugh, but rather states that throughout the struggles and laughter in his
books it is based on how he feels internally. Therefore he creates the tension in his text
by supplying words and experiences that will move him, not what will make others
react.
Ultimately, as Gaines put forth honest advice for struggling with the idea of how the
readers react, the writer must deal and incorporate their emotions before worrying
about the people who read their novels or books. His most important project
throughout the text is experiencing his own emotions, but not the readers actions to the
words. Gaines states that if he wrote about murder he wouldnt want people to act
based on his text and point guns at the innocent, but rather feel the emotions through
his writings letting the readers struggle with their own feelings in the process. The
independent approach to his novels regarding feelings to honest perspectives and
history lets readers deal with their own opinions of the imperfect humanity that exists
within the community.
"Porch Talk with Ernest Gaines." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

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Gaines book offers very honest advice of the nature of writing that is complete with its
failures, insecurities, and struggles. Relating himself to other American writers as he
approaches obstacles that are relatable being a strong writer. His novels are shown in
first person, rarely third, regarding the internal struggle when it come to expressing
emotions when stuck using the third person. The interview states sane advice as writers
tend to have a problem with not including their experiences and direct emotions. Gaines
includes the differences of emotional impact on the reader when using first rather than
third person.
Ultimately, Gaines includes sane advice and evidence for those with struggling with the
perspective in their novel and the anxieties that follow. His main goal; however, is
providing is to guide the reader with the realities of staying away from incorporating
ones emotions when writing in the third person. Humanity involves the everyday
feelings of people, but to veer away from that and make the reader experience emotion
and have an opinion is what really makes a writer thrive. Rather than sculpting the text
and story to fit actual human experiences and emotions through third person, first
person tends to be easier to reveal emotion to readers because of its way of giving one
the ability to engage with the text by letting one have an opinion.
"Project MUSE - "You Think a Man Can't Kneel and Stand?": Ernest J. Gaines's
Reassessment of Religion as Positive Communal Influence In A Lesson Before
Dying." Project MUSE - "You Think a Man Can't Kneel and Stand?": Ernest J.
Gaines's Reassessment of Religion as Positive Communal Influence In A Lesson
Before Dying. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

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Author from Project Muse describes the society as it reacts to church and religion
throughout the Civil Rights Movement down in Louisiana; although the majority of
citizens had a strong relationship with God some emotions differed. Taking a serious
and ominous approach on the subject Gaines includes the thought of death throughout
his words making the individuals question the lord for putting such an innocent human
being in the hands of the devil because of the color of his skin. The book is filled with
insecurities and failures of the black community that offer the steps to gain faith in god
although it is hard living in such a harsh society.
Author from Project Muse shows a contrast of the spiritual ways that take up the
Souths society, but his main message portrays the churchs teachings throughout the
Civil Rights Movement which is also in Gaines book, A Lesson Before Dying. The
inappropriate mannerism shows that the formal teaching of faith contrasts to the
emotions of the colored community as blacks realize there is little to no equality that
lives within the community. As they get accused of committing heinous crimes it is hard
for them to find faith in God when he isnt going his job of protecting them. Yet the
words that are displayed dont always represent the love of God-- although
powerful and moving-- the words of the community mark an everlasting struggle of the
blacks trying to feel equal as they are staged for taking part in terrifying actions.
Staples, Robert. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
This book, written by Robert Staples, provides clear information about the justices
systems in the time of the Civil Rights Movement, including the relationship between
crime and race, lifestyles that could cause hurt to one another, conditions that might
make people act harmfully, self definition of prisoners, and black communities that are

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controlled and lead by the superior racial groups. Significantly it informs use why
whites people continued to get favored when it comes to justice systems and how they
always defeat the colored communities and individuals.
This book offers precise information for those who are curious about why white people
are favored over colored when it comes to fighting for justice. It is a part of the human
nature for lifestyles to affect the way we go about struggles and obstacles; however, that
shouldnt determineif one if guilty or innocent, yet it is something to note if events get
suspicious in the case. The author organizes the information so that there is controversy
between whether the lifestyles should or shouldnt affect the justice systems, but
provides the information of the low standards colored people live in. The article uses
clear diction in order to depict the control whites have over colored citizens and how the
whites take advantage of the justice systems in order for the blacks to get locked up.
Our society and country could either benefit from the words or manipulate the text
displayed in this book either making the justice systems better or worse.
"Washington, Jefferson, and Grant: Redundancy and Irony in Gaines's A Lesson
Before Dying." - Making Connections: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Cultural
Diversity. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Michael Berrys book offers the background of the irony of Gaines writings of how the
word lesson is included in the title to go along with all the things to be learned
throughout the novel. Taking a very direct approach to the irony, he puts forth different
perspectives makes no universal argument, yet lets reads divide into three different
opinions which are influenced by: the readers experiences, what they emotionally learn
from the text, and/ or the history from the context of the book. Berry

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also includes the thought of lessons being learned throughout the book, but also the
feeling of death as it occurs in the title through the word dying and our everyday
lifes.
Berry offers the different perspectives that could be taken throughout the course of the
novel, but his main point is including the readers state of mind as the events of readers
past, learning experiences from the text, or history which they sat through their whole
high school years and how it affects ones experiences when reading the book. Although
he is direct with his thought of
irony of the words lesson and dying as the readers learn from the lessons and the
deaths shown in the text, he offers many opportunities for the reader to get involved
with their emotions and ideas as they read the novel.

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Works Cited
"America in Black and White." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"Porch Talk with Ernest Gaines." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"Project MUSE - "You Think a Man Can't Kneel and Stand?": Ernest J. Gaines's Reassessment of
Religion as Positive Communal Influence In A Lesson Before Dying." Project MUSE - "You
Think a Man Can't Kneel and Stand?": Ernest J. Gaines's Reassessment of Religion as
Positive Communal Influence In A Lesson Before Dying. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
Staples, Robert. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"Washington, Jefferson, and Grant: Redundancy and Irony in Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying." Making Connections: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Cultural Diversity. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
Nov. 2014.