Intolerance...Caused by Parents or Time in History?

In “The Old Order” by Katherine Anne Porter, the past is a huge theme that is prevalent, especially in reference to the Grandmother and Nannie. Their entire lives and worlds revolve around talking about the past. Porter writes, “They talked about the past, really-always about the past. Even the future seemed more like something gone and done with when they spoke of it.” Their pasts, although described as bitter in this short story, were something of importance to them because the past is what was familiar to them. It was a time that defined them and shaped them into who they are now. It was what they were used to and comfortable with.

I feel that it was because of the fact that they were so comfortable with the past that they were so judgmental of the younger generations. Their children and grandchildren were looked down upon by them because they were not following the same standards that they were used to. For example, when Grandmother’s son married a “new” woman, it was unacceptable and unbearable to the grandmother even though the woman was very much like herself. I feel that the Grandmother was so disapproving of this because she was used to the ways of the past where woman were submissive and did not speak out. They did not have the right to vote, nor did they earn their own living. This was not acceptable. I feel that even though she herself was such a strong woman, it was only because she had to be in order to provide for her family after her husband died. It was not a fate that she chose for herself, it was simply one that was set before her and she had to accept for her children.

I believe that this theme of past versus present also goes along with Grandmother and Nannies’ views on slavery. They both know their place within society, as they were taught when they were younger and as a result they fulfill their roles even after slavery has ended. Not that they feel that the freedom of slaves is wrong, it is just that they are not accustomed to it. Even when they argued, it was said that they “fought on almost equal terms.” It was still for them, even when they were the closest of friends, that they were ALMOST equal, not ENTIRELY equal. This is simply because it was ingrained in them since they were born. It is along the same lines of being told that you are ugly all your life until one day you are told that you are good looking. Would you believe it? Of course not, because you have become so brainwashed since you were young that it just controls the way that you act and do things and probably even has affected who you are as a person. The way in which you are raised, along with the time in which you grow up defines you as a person and an individual and it can affect you in ways that are impossible to understand. This is why Grandmother and Nannie were so set in their ways, intolerant to new things, reminiscent about the past and stubborn as all hell not to change.

I leave you with a few questions to think about on this manner: Are your very own grandparents as tolerant to other races as you are? What causes them to be intolerant? Are they just ignorant or do they not know any better? Was this intolerance caused by what their very own parents taught them or by the types of attitudes that surrounded them during this time in history?

Faulkner's September Gone Bad

A few distinct points stood out to me when we discussed “Dry September” by William Faulkner in class. For example, the two scenes where Miss Minnie Cooper was described in left me feeling as though Faulkner was trying to send a subtle message to his readers. I felt that she in fact did make up the story of the "Negro” named Will Mayes startling her or maybe even raping her. Faulkner was trying to drive the point home that she could have easily made it up in order to gain social recognition once again. He was trying to show that there was enough considerable doubt to show that no one in town knew for certain what actually happened, and yet they were still peer pressured into going on this “witch hunt” of sorts to find Will and kill him. All of the men in the barber shop just got caught up in the moment and became angry about a common cause. They took out their aggressions on an innocent man without even getting the facts. Even in the end of “Dry September” when Minnie’s “friends” were asking her to tell them what really happened, it is certain that no one actually knows what took place that night, or even what Minnie’s actual claims were.

In Part Two of Faulkner’s short story, Minnie was described as a woman “of comfortable people” who “was still on the slender side of ordinary looking”. Right away Faulkner gives you the feeling as though she is not the best looking woman and probably does not have many true friends. Minnie came off to me as a sort of loner, the kind that longs to be in that upper social class or society but who can never truly get there because she does not fit in. She seemed to be always putting on new summer dresses and shopping, yet could never impress anyone. This probably got to Minnie, for everyone wants to be noticed by someone, whether they choose to admit it or not. Minnie, as Faulkner made quite clear however, was never acknowledged. It was said that even when se walked by store fronts that “men did not even follow her with their eyes any more.” I feel that this section alone just shows that Minnie is desperately in need of attention and probably would do anything to get it.

The second section that stood out to me was Part Five. In this section, Minnie goes out to the movies with her “friends” after Will had been killed. I interpreted this scene a little differently however than we had discussed in class. I thought that Faulkner put this section in his piece to show that Minnie did in fact make up the story (or at least could have) and was now enjoying the “fruits of her labor” so to speak. I also felt that she was a little feverish because of the fact that she knew deep down that she had done something wrong, that a man had died in order for her to be noticed and feel good about herself. For example, the mixture of feelings that she was experiencing was described in the passage: “…and soon life began to unfold, beautiful and passionate and sad.” I thought that this was a representation for her being happy, yet disappointed with her own actions at the same time. I also felt that her uncontrollable laugh and trembling was caused by this internal confusion that she now had, along with the weight of the guilt that she has to carry around with her. The guilt of course, for the life that was taken one night because of her lies.

I felt that William Faulkner put these two sections into “Dry September” to highlight the fact that an innocent black man died just for a white woman to feel good about herself. He wanted to show the cruel and inhumane events that took place just because of the intense racism and hatred that was present in the South at this time.

What if?

While reading the short story "Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin, many different thoughts came flooding to mind. I found it to be a very unique sort of story that threw me for a loop at the end. I love that Kate Chopin incorporates her thoughts and ideas about racism into her work, yet does not even state a thing about it at the same time. She shows with this twist, that people should not be judged based on the color of their skin and it is not always easy to tell or as "black and white" to tell when someone is of African American descent as those of the early American South would have liked to have thought. It was very difficult to even pick out and distinguish when the "one drop rule" was present, as in the baby in this story.

In the end, after putting the book down and just taking the whole story and letting it soak in, I found many "what ifs?" coming to mind. For example: 1) Had Desiree known that Armand Aubigny was half black, would she have disowned him as he did her, since she had a similar elitist upbringing to him in regards to the separation of classes by race? 2) Based on her own reaction of killing herself when she thought that she was black, does this show how she truly viewed people of a race different than her own, even though she enjoyed it when her husband was softer and less harsh on his slaves? 3) Was Armand less harsh suddenly on his slaves because he was happy that his son was born or was it because he saw that his very own son was of similar race?

I am still personally pondering these questions and am not quite sure what would have happened especially if Desiree had stuck around for the discovery of the letter in the very end. It is so mind-boggling that one little note could change your whole perspective of a situation and your opinion of a character. For me, this letter really made me re-evaluate things and even the sort of person that Armand was for banishing his own wife and child, meanwhile he was the reason that their baby was a quarter black. As i despised his character from the moment that he shunned them, the letter from his mother to his father only made the feelings of disbelief and almost disappointment with him as a person grow deeper. "Desiree's Baby" left me hanging on a cliff, similar to "The Storm", yet wanting to scold Armand for being so arrogant and blind.

As discussed in class, Frederick Douglas never concretely states his feelings towards different people that he knew, or different situations that he was put in. It was even stated in class, for example, that fight scenes are not clearly described, nor are there any emotions connected to them. I feel however, that Douglas does this for a reason. Frederick Douglas, although he does not come right out and share his opinions and feelings, I believe that he slips them very subtly into his writing. For example, when Douglas describes his first overseer named Mr. Plummer, he describes him as "a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer, and a savage monster." From this description alone, we know that Douglas clearly does not care for the man. He does not have to come right out and say that he despises the overseer. He just implies it.

I believe that this lack of feeling is due in part to two factors. The first of which is that Douglas is now older, and trying to recall and write about things that took place in the past. Therefore, his memory of such events and people must be a little foggy. The second however, is that I do believe that Douglas wanted to see how others would react to his writing. I think that no matter how uneducated he was said to be, that he could still want to get a reaction or response from those who read his writing. I feel that no matter who you are, you are always looking for others' approval in some way, shape, or form. I believe that by not putting his own thoughts into his writing, Frederick Douglas was trying not to put a bias on the story. I feel that by then seeing others' reactions to reading his story, he would then receive the readers' approval of his life and his escape from the harsh life of slavery that he was looking for. Douglas wanted to have the satisfaction of knowing that readers would give their own honest viewpoints of his life's story, without being influenced. In this way, they would also come to the conclusion that slavery was wrong and unjust, but only on their own. I feel that Douglas left his writing this way, so that it would leave a much stronger impression on its readers.