A comparison of black no more by george schuyler and the souls of black folk by w e b du bois Essay Example for Free

A comparison of black no more by george schuyler and the souls of black folk by w e b du bois Essay As African Americans who lived around the turn of the 20th century, both George S. Schuyler and W.E.B. Du Bois encountered the issue of race in the United States in the intimate fashion. The identity of the African American was an unresolved question during this period, and as prolific writers and social commentators, these two men constructed solutions to this matter through their respective literary approach. Schuyler composed a provocative narrative entitled Black No More, which offered an answer to the issue of race through satire. Du Bois alternatively held a more practical approach to dissolving racial barriers in the United States, which took into account the identity of the modern African American within a series of essays entitled The Souls of Black Folk. To the same extent that their literary styles differed, so too did their perspectives on race. Through fictional example, Schuyler regarded race as a quality among human beings which served to mislead, allowing it to be wielded as a tool for separation and disparity among the groups which is defined, while Du Bois’ insight into the Afro-American condition, both past, and present, uplifted race as being a stronghold of community and therefore a source of individual empowerment. In Black No More, Schuyler presented the quality of race as an obstacle that stood between African Americans and realizing their true identity. Schuyler understood, as did all African Americans in the 1930s, that the problem with race is the social pressure that being of a certain race can impose. Being of an inferior race, it can barricade an individual and a group’s collective aspirations. Race can be reminiscent of a smokescreen that hangs before one’s actual identity. If this is the case, race becomes something that we want to escape and to transcend. Given this confinement, Black No More presents the idea that if we were able to change our race, we should. As compared to finding a way for the black community to assimilate into the white community through social reform, Schuyler proposed an end to the color line by assimilating African Americans visually. Through Dr. Junius Crookman’s technological creation, known as Black No More, Inc., the skin of blacks ca n miraculously be turned white. In the book, the process is tremendously effective because the black people who undergo the Black No More process are not only white in color but become virtually indistinguishable from whites in physical appearance as well. This provided an avenue for many people to live a life of increased privilege without the anxiety of racial discrimination. In spite of all of the promise that this business scheme presented, by erasing the black population in the United States, Crookman effectively erodes the significance of race along with it. The dynamic of race changes from an inherent, inborn quality that all human beings possess to something that is constructed and we, therefore, have a choice in deciding. As the birth of black babies from seemingly white couples within the novel indicates, the race is still defined to be a genetic characteristic. In such a world where the color of one’s skin is mutable, however, the race has meaning only as something socially constructed. In alignment with the selfish views that many of Schuyler’s characters possess, we would all choose to be white because it is the race that is in the majority and provides the greatest personal advantage. In this context, the race is a fiction. Given this notion that race resembles a smokescreen that clouds our true identity, Black No More shows how race can be very misleading. African Americans living during the early 20th century felt their culture to be inferior to that of whites and the attitudes of black characters within the book are a reflection of that sentiment. Instead of promoting an inferior culture, the normative choice for them was to look for ways to become white. This ability to fully enter into white culture is what made Black No More such a lucrative business. Schuyler, however, was convinced that black culture was equal to that of white culture, and articulated this lack of difference through the intelligence that many of his black, or previously black characters possess in contrast to the white characters. Dr. Crookman, for example, is clearly very intelligent to have created such a powerful force behind the Black No More operation. Additionally, Max, the guinea pig of the operation, lives in a world tha t has convinced him that he is inferior by his skin color alone, yet he becomes a white man, who goes out to exploit droves of white men for his own personal gain. The setbacks which Max faced as a black man were not innate, but were imposed by society. Max is a smart individual, and the only factor that played into his social disparity before and after his transformation was the color of his skin. Yet, undergoing such a seemingly simple transition from black to white indicates the lack of a black culture. This lack of a black culture was seen through Max’s lack of self-evaluation when undergoing the Black No More process. There is no regret that Max encounters by turning his back on his kind, and neither do the individuals that follow him in the process. The only thing Max realizes is the lie that white culture perpetuates. For as much freedom and as many liberties as being white provides, the superiority of white culture in comparison to a black culture within the United States has misled him into thinking that white people are more interesting than they truly are, while that is simply not the case. Even though Max finds the black culture more interesting, he still does not think twice about turning his back on his kind in exchange for greater prosperity and happiness. Considering that race can be manipulated to change one’s appearance and consequently, their liberties, race exists as a tool. One would imagine that the abolition of blackness in Black No More would result in an end to racism, the solution to the race problem in the United States yet, in a paradoxical twist, a color line must be fabricated. It becomes known that the extremely pale people are the black people who turned white. Pale individuals become the target of discrimination, which influences all people to collectively desire a darker skin color. Instead of being a bastion of values that has the ability to unite groups of people, the race is acknowledged as something divisive. This is signified by the droves of African Americans who turn their back on their kind with little thought and pay for the Black No More process day after day. In a capitalist society, the race ultimately matters more than class. As compared to a world where race is indicative of something beneath the surface, Black No More creates a reality in which race is controllable, and at the fee of $50, it is a tool accessible for all black people, even in a post-Depression society. To use race as a means of providing an underclass is a problem that is deeply rooted in our economic system, and cannot be purged without great social change. Schuyler conveyed the absurdity of this system through the public lynching of the book’s political figures. This event shows that even at a time when there is great social change, humans still possess a fundamental desire to discriminate against others based on the color of their skin. As a former socialist, Schuyler may have been making a point about the flaw of the capitalist system, but the oppression of others is an ethical matter that undoubtedly falls upon the shoulders of the American people. Instead of intending to fabricate a panacea to the tune of Black No More, Inc., Du Bois’ intent within The Souls of Black Folk was to flesh out the impediment that being black provided for the African American individual. Du Bois’ main concern in his essays rested in what he called the â€Å"veil.† This veil is a symbol of the ignorance of America towards the problems of blacks. It blocks insight into the problems of African Americans and serves to prevent blacks from taking their place in society as full American citizens. Until the veil is removed, argued Du Bois, the continuing schism between the two races will grow wider and wider. Closely tied to the concept of the veil is that of double consciousness, or the process by which blacks have two identities within one body. Du Bois historically charts the development of the ‘World Spirit’ through its many peoples: Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Romans and Germans. Of this 7th type, the African American, Du Bois conceives sort of the seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world†1 It is this seventh son, who possesses a distinct â€Å"twoness.† For Du Bois, the African American possessed no direct vision but was measured only by the tape of the white world that oppressed him. This seventh son lives as both an American and an African American. The trouble with this was not the possession of two identities, but the possession of two contradictory identities. To survive i n America, the black man must assimilate, yet he has bound to a unifying sense of community that his color provides. This duality of serving as a kind of self-alienation for the black individual. Although the African American alone shares this crisis of identity, Du Bois expressed that this uniqueness of boring a united community that was empowered by their shared experience. Du Bois noted that the black community was signified by a number of defining cultural developments. In particular, he gave credit to the African American church as an institution that served to bind the souls of black folk. He described the church as â€Å"a real conserver of morals, a strengthener of family life, and the final authority on what is Good and Right.2 While some churches had simply become places of business that aimed to avoid unpleasant questions both within and without the black world,†3 they still remained a place where social, political, and economic inequity could be addressed in a public forum. The development of African American spirituals, or â€Å"sorrow songs,† also spoke to a development in which hope and community had been forged from despair. Sorrow songs had a gr eat depth of meaning to them and were written at the intersection of history, poetry, celebration, sadness, and soul. They had been refined through years of repetition and were songs that brought together a group through the collective spirit that is embodied within the song. The ability for spirituals to reinforce the value of preserving a distinctly black culture may have been the reason for why Du Bois called this music â€Å"the greatest gift of the Negro people.†4 Both the church and sorrow songs provided an avenue for African Americans to turn angst and frustration regarding their racial barriers into strength through numbers. Only other African Americans could truly empathize with their struggle and this public recognition of their shared plight served to channel negative emotions into an atmosphere of hope. According to Du Bois, the mutual understanding of the black community did not only serve uplift the African American; it defined him. The solution to many of the problems that afflicted African Americans emerged for Du Bois in the form of education. Du Bois was an impassioned advocate for higher education. While Booker T. Washington focused on educating blacks for the trades and manual labor, Du Bois insisted that blacks should have access to intellectual education rivaling that available to whites. It was through enlightened public schooling that education would not only reach blacks but whites as well. Only through this mutual knowledge could this veil and consequently the affliction of the black individual be lifted. Although Du Bois received a classical education, as the numerous Greek and Roman allusions within his essays display, he did not believe every black should receive a classical education. He recognized that many are not up to the task, but a â€Å"talented tenth† could receive this type of education. These blacks would then go out and spread education and culture within the black community. Du Bois himself is an exemplum of his own ideas, by showing how a black can benefit from education and provide a common ground between black and white. During a speech which addressed the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy advised that we â€Å"tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.† This quotation serves to characterize the relationship that these two works share. Schuyler’s Black No More provides as a normative view for how people and the idea of race functions in a society, while Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk offers a prescriptive view for how all groups in the United States should behave with respect to the presence of race. By virtue of a sweeping and seemingly brilliant solution to the African American identity, Black No More serves to show that there is no immediate solution to problems of race. The most common trait among the characters within Schuyler’s novel, regardless of their race, is the materialist sentiment that they possess. The reality is that individual interests and aspirations of dominance over others will always motivate people. Even in a society with one race, there will always be an effort for individuals to stratify themselves through class. In light of these constants within society, we must uphold the ideals that Du Bois espoused. Whether race is a social construction or it is indicative of something more essential about who we are, its effects on society are very real. Du Bois provides us with a manner of dealing with the ubiquity of the color line, whether black or white. While African Americans may struggle to live with this twoness of identity, race can be an important quality to embrace because it provides the support of a specific community. Guided by the collective good of both races, Du Bois’ proposition for the availability of higher education would ease the social afflictions of black folk by allowing them to achieve greater prosperity and to provide white individuals the ability to better understand and appreciate their position within society. Works Cited 1Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 3. Print. 2Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 128. Print. 3Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 149. Print. 4Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 181. Print.

Navaids in Aviation :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How would pilots ever get around so easily without the help of navigation aides? Navigational aides have been around for almost as long as aircraft have been flying in the skies above us. The first navigation system was composted of just a high intensity-flashing beacon. These beacons were placed on the flight routes that were popularly flown in the mid 1920’s. With more time more of these technologies that help us navigate the world will be even simpler than today. This paper will explain how some navigational aides work and how some of them came into existence. Flight Management Systems Flight management systems are one of the best navaids in commercial aviation. The flight management system (FMS) is made up of four systems in an aircraft, the FMC (flight management computer), the autopilot and flight director, the auto throttle, and the IRS’s. According to Boeing the FMS could be defined as, being capable of four dimensional area navigation (latitude, longitude, altitude, and time), while optimizing performance to achieve the most economical flight possible. The flight management system can give you gross weight of the aircraft, and the best speeds (i.e. holding, approach, climb, cruise, descent, etc†¦) by taking inputs from the fuel summation unit when it is given the zero fuel weight and the MACTOW (mean aerodynamic cord at takeoff weight). The position of the aircraft can also be determined by referencing the IRS, along with GPS and the radio position updating. Global Positioning Systems GPS is a navigational aid that is satellite based. It is made up of a network of 24 satellites in orbit around the world. The first satellite was launched in 1978 and the last was put into orbit in 1994. Every 10 years another satellite is put into orbit because each satellite is made to last that amount of time. The system began as a military application but in the 1980’s the government decided to make it available to everyone, anywhere, anytime. The system finds your position by measuring the time it takes to receive the signal back to the satellite. It then does that with other satellites to triangulate your position in relation to the earth. To calculate a position in 2D the system has to be locked on to at least three satellites, but for a 3D representation you need to be locked on to at least 4 satellites. Once the position is found the GPS can calculate much more info like speed, bearing, track, distance, etc†¦ The GPS system is very accurate; Garmin (a leader in G PS technology) states that their newest receiver is accurate up to an average of 15 meters.

All Souls: A Family Story From Southie Essay

A national bestseller, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie (Beacon Press, September 1999), won an American Book Award and a New England Literary Lights Award, as well as the Myers Outstanding Book Award administered by the Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America. With All Souls MacDonald writes a gripping memoir about his life growing up in the Old Colony housing projects in South Boston, a predominantly white Irish Catholic neighborhood. He writes about the crime, drugs and violence in his neighborhood in the years following Boston’s busing riots, and of his brothers and sisters, many of whom fell prey to drugs, crime, and suicide. The book introduces his mother, Helen King (Ma), a feisty woman who raised her ten children while living in the projects. (An eleventh child died in infancy.) Additionally, the book often mentions Whitey Bulger, a gangster and FBI informant in Southie, who brought the drug trade into the neighborhood, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of young people due to suicides, murders, and overdoses. Despite all that is bad, MacDonald writes about how proud and loyal the residents were to be from Southie, excluding MacDonald himself who admits in the book he told those he met that he was from Dorchester and how some of the best elements of the neighborhood have been wiped out along with the worst due to gentrification. Michael Patrick MacDonald (born March 9, 1966) is an Irish-American[1] activist against crime and violence and author of his memoir, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie. Since being involved in activism, he helped to start Boston’s gun-buyback program, founded the South Boston Vigil Group, which works with survivor families and young people in Boston’s anti-violence movement. MacDonald was the recipient of the 1999 Daily Points of Light Award,which honors those who connect Americans through community service. Michael had been awarded an Anne Cox Chambers Fellowship at the MacDowell Colony, a Bellagio Center Fellowship through the Rockefeller Foundation, and residencies at Blue Mountain Center and Djerassi Artist Residency Program. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and devotes all of his time to writing and public speaking on topics ranging from â€Å"Race and Class in America† to â€Å"Trauma, Healing, and Social Change.† MacDonald is Writer in Residence at Northeastern University in Boston.

Analysis Of The Movie Booker - 1276 Words

Booker, 18, was out job searching, trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He kept trying to find a job to help out his mom since she was getting old and sick. Booker’s father was one of the 900 dead in the First Battle of Bull Run. His older brothers were out already fighting in the war and were sending money to their own wives. But Booker never liked violence. He was a pacifist. Everywhere he kept hearing to just join the army, go to war, that’s what all his friends did. But after weeks of not being able to find work, he was forced into the war due to the draft. Booker never left New York in his life; it was his home. Booker had no choice but to go to war; his mother needed money and he didn’t have the money to get out†¦show more content†¦The journey took weeks and food was running short along with water. All the men were getting tired of the constant marching, the gear was getting heavy, and the hot sun wasn’t helping them at all. To Booker’s surprise, some of the men already went down due to these terrible living conditions. They finally met with the confederates in the Henrico County, Virginia for the Battle of Fair Oaks. Booker went to take a position secluded from as many people as he can, hoping that he wouldn’t have to kill anyone. He was up on a slightly elevated part behind a few trees laying down, watching as the men got closer to each other. Finally after they reached a position close enough to each other, the battle began. Booker couldn’t believe how loud it was. He turned away and heard the screams of men getting shot. He heard the artillery being fired and crashing down on a group of soldiers. He didn’t know what to do. Booker never wanted to fire his gun. Eventually he looked back through the rifle and saw a bullet fly into one of his fellow soldier’s head; the bullet entered the man’s head and was stuck there. Booker saw the pieces of the man’s skull flying through the air, blood running down his head, Booker even heard his screams. Booker threw up immediately afterwards. Eventually Booker finally was able to look through the sniper scope again. He saw hundreds lying there, dead. Some were lying and screaming for help. He saw medicals group rushing