Comparison of the Themes of Oppression and Slavery in American Literary Works
Equality is something that United States is seen as a representation of, yet has been unable to deliver to its own people. The United States of America was founded on the ideas of freedom, liberty, and justice for all; however, these ideas have only been upheld for the white individuals of America. To this day, racial discrimination occurs, even though the issue was supposed to be resolved in the country for decades. This recurring oppression can be seen in literary works such as “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” Black Boy, and “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”
Black Boy, written by Richard Wright, is a narrative written to show the hardships and ordeals that the members of the black communities face at such a young age, and how it shapes and sets a precedent for the rest of their lives. Certain racially discriminatory events occur that cannot be comprehended at such a young age, and as African Americans grow older, they realize they went through a traumatic and racist experience.
On page 21, Wright is reminded of an instance where a black boy in his neighborhood was beat by a white man, and the confusion that came from it: “And when word circulated among the black people of the neighborhood that a ‘black’ boy had been severely beaten by a ‘white’ man, I felt that the ‘white’ man had had a right to beat the ‘black’ boy, for I had naively assumed that the ‘white’ man must have been the ‘black’ boy’s father.” Wright also exhibited the different lifestyles associated between African Americans and whites, as he resorted to stealing to cope with his financial dilemma, but ended up feeding into the ‘typical black male narrative,’ as seen on page 45: “I did not break the habit of stealing and hoarding bread until my faith that food would be forthcoming at each meal had been somewhat established.” Oppression surrounding people of color has been going on for centuries and has carried on today, from slavery in the past to present-day killings of young African Americans.
In “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” Douglass reflects on what it was like to be a slave and not be in control of yourself. On page 85, he says, “I have observed this in my experience of slavery, – that whenever my condition was improved… it only increased my desire to be free… I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision… to annihilate the power of reason… he must be made to feel that slavery is right; and he can be brought to that only when he ceased to be a man.” He also speculated about how he was denied the basic privileges, or rather rights, that white people were not. “The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege,” (Douglass 1). He was forced to endure this treatment for the majority of his life, treated as close to garbage and denied things that others took for granted.
the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. used his elaborate ability to manipulate words in order to protest the inequality going on in the nation. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter,” (King 1208).
His clever use of words due to his higher order of thinking allows him to exhibit his displeasure towards racial segregation in the “land of the free.” Although an advocate for a civil protest, Dr.King says, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will… when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society…when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading ‘white’ and ‘colored’… then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait,” (King 1208).
His point is further emphasized when he himself is murdered and taken away from his own family. Malcolm X, another powerful and political activist, also echoed his statements and beliefs as he states in his speech, The Ballot or the Bullet, “The economic philosophy of black nationalism only means that we should own and operate and control the economy of our community. You would never have found—you can’t open up a black store in a white community. White man won’t even patronize you. And he’s not wrong. He got sense enough to look out for himself. It’s you who don’t have sense enough to look out for yourself.” This demonstrates how African Americans are well aware of the civil injustices that they face everyday.
