Shattered American Dream

The dispositions of William Jones and of his son Sam are the central topics of this blog. Jones is a man who lived vicariously through Sam. Sam was on the verge of prosperity until he was drafted by the military and sent to camp in Georgia. His son's accessibility to an education plus taking advantage of the opportunity by graduating from high school was a triumph for the Jones' especially for William. The struggle of William toiling away at his simple yet hard work gave him reason to believe that his life had a purpose after all. The American Dream comes to my mind when William talked about how Sam "wasn't going to his living with a mop and a broom. He was going to earn it wearing a starched white collar and a shine on his shoes and a crease in his pants." There are so many William and Sam Joneses in this country. Unfortunately, William's American Dream was crushed by the monster called racism. This tragedy is equivalent to the depicted in "Within Our Gates." Education was seen as the doorway that would elevate one African-Americans' family to a higher pedestal until a mob of white people levels their dream to the ground. I can say that things have changed for the better for African Americans. Or have they? It seems like education continues to be inaccessible for black people and the majority dwell in our prison systems. Who knows? Racism should probably be blamed for these setbacks. Though, like early 20th century South, it is the fault of their limitations and not of politic's.

From Good to Worse

The conclusion to the movie "The Day of the Locust" is the focus of this blog. Eagerly, many fans await the arrival of the actors and actresses who will see the premiere of their own film. Fans are in jubilation once they step outside of their limousines. Cameras are flashing while they walk the red carpet. The Hollywood scene is perfectly staged to the delight of everyone participating. A man named Homer Simpson is pelted with a rock by a little girl. His yelling startles the spectators. Soon, they see Homer covered with blood next to the little girl he has slaughtered. Chaos ensues. Looting, fighting, and burning take place as they pummel Homer to his death. The celebrities of the night become targets of the angry mob as well. The focus from Homer to the film actors and actresses is due to them being at the moment when they can release their true feelings. In the early 1900's, black people in Tulsa, Oklahoma were experiencing wealth unlike others from their race. White people greatly envied them like the fans who envied the celebrities who started the riot in "the Day of the Locust"The white people of Tulsa were not rich like the spectators in the movie. The progression for black people and the fantasy world of the spectators were taken away in an instant by vexation and envy.

Lynchings

The lynchings of the South were monstrous acts of subjective and objective violence. "Every groan from the Bead, every contortion of his body was cheered by the thickly packed crowd of 10,000 persons" is a sentence in Ida B. Wells's The Red Record which demonstrates the subjectivity of the lynchings: thousands of pain seeking witnesses watching an African-American man die before their very eyes. The pictures of white people huddling around a hung or burning black person's corpse depict subjectivity as well. The popularity of the lynchings is something I specifically I can not pinpoint. Perhaps, they are popular because the South is a region dominated by white supremists who use them to bolster white pride. The "punishment" put on by these lynchings is in connection to power. If, white people have the power to inflict pain whenever they want, then black people should always beware. The objectivity of the lynchings lies behind the mentality of the Caucasians who initiate this ritual. The mentality is jurisprudence does not exist for African-Americans. The law of the South is in the hands of ordinary white southerners. There is no legal protection for black people. This intends to strike fear in their very hearts. In the 19th century United States, the racial identity of white people is that they are the prey while black people are the hunters. Apparently, it is the other way around. I can not believe this kind of reasoning persists throughout the South for so many years. This is truly a sad period in U.S. history.

Violence in America

The interpretation of the Declaration of Independence is the subject I will discuss in this blog. The Declaration of Independence is a document synonymous with democracy and freedom. The part which associates these two American specialties can be seen at the start of the second paragraph: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." I believe this piece is widely known among many American citizens. Though, close reading should be exercised in order to fully comprehend the meaning of this document. It is a lesson I learned last Thursday. Also, I learned that the use of violence is a major component of the Declaration of Independence. One example is shown in the second section: "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it." Immediately, violence is condoned in the first section of this historic composition: "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth . . . a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." The successful detachment from England is connected with these examples. It came at a high price for thousands perished in the name of freedom. To achieve utopia, one must give up something to get something. It seems as if that something is always human life.