Black Like Me Essay

Black Like Me Essay
Elton Truss HIST 1302 3B1 Ms. Celeste 7 November, 2016 Come on give me a smile After
reading the book BLACK LIKE ME by John Howard Griffin. My eyes where open to the great
injustice of the time and the general unknowing of the south and the rest of the nation. I will start
at the back of the book. John Howard Griffin was born in 1920 and died in 1980. He was an
American author, and is most famous for his book Black Like Me (1961), A Time to Be Human
(1977), and many more works that talked about the issues of the day. But like I said he was
known for writing Black Like Me where Mrs. Griffin makes himself a black man to find out once
and for all what is really happing to the black man. (GRIFFIN) I think the main idea that John
Howard Griffin is trying to make is that nobody had any idea what the black population was
feeling, or even doing. The white population was just content to think they were all happy and
smiling all the time. On page 166 Griffin says "if he did not do his yessing and grinning and act out
the stereotyped image, then he was immediately considered a "bad Negro,". On the same page"
...show more content...
The only thing I did not like was at the beginning he was so focused on how when he first saw
himself in the mirror as a black man. He hated it and how it was repulsing. He looks noting like
the old John Howard Griffin and he had step in a new man. I know he was trying to make a point
that it was a shock. But it almost made me not what to read the book. I will give him credit for
putting all his thoughts into the book. What I think anyone who reads this book should know is.
He is making a point. If you don't treat people as people, and then ask them how there doing. They
are going to lie, and then you have the idea we can then treat you worse. You then have this never
ending cycle that make a nation come to think it will always be this way, and there need to change
it. No progress can be
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Black Like Me Research Paper
Introduction–include the title of your book, the name of the author, the central question, and a
thesis statement, or position you will take in your essay. Have you ever noticed that the most
popular and successful novels often share many similarities? Have you ever felt as though the
variety in the most popular books on the market can sometimes appear bleak? In many cases, this
has to do with perspective, or the point of view that the book was written in. In this essay, I will
argue that the perspective that a book is written has an influence it's quality and popularity, and
the perspectives used to write Black Like Me, and The Book Thief have contributed to their
success and popularity. I will also be answering comparing and contrasting the perspectives used
in the two novels, as well as other elements used in their writing. The book that I decided to read
is a nonfiction novel written by John H. Griffin, called Black Like Me. It revolves around the story
of a white man who questions what life is like for African–American citizens, and what their quality
of life is like, therefore, the central question of this story is, "What is it like to be black?" I will also
be discussing a book that I read...show more content...
When Death tells the reader about the colors of the sky in the beginning of the story, he explains
that he observes the variety of colors as a distraction from the horrible things he sees as a part of
his job. From then on, whenever Death notes the color of the sky, you are silently reminded of the
things that lurk in the background of the story, because you know that Death is distracting himself
from it all. Death also makes a variety of dark jokes about the war, death, and tragedy, which
reminds us once again of the war and deaths that we may have forgotten. This narrator is used
throughout the novel in this way, reminding that even when bleakness has escaped our view, it
looms, just out of

Analysis Of Black Like Me By John Howard Griffin
"Black like Me" written by John Howard Griffin, who is also the narrator of this novel documenting
his experience of being a "Negro" in the Deep South during the 1950s. Griffin tells the story about his
journey of darkening his skin pigmentation consequently allowing him to truly encounter the racism
of the South. He frequently comes into contact with the racism of the privileged white southerners,
revealing the harsh extremities that the African Americans are forced to live through everyday.
During "Black like Me", Griffin sees learns the actual villainous enemy is racism caused by
ignorance, fear, and false propaganda. Firstly, Griffin presents the largest motive of the racists is
their ignorance that is blinding them to see the atrocious and destitute lives the black people of the
South are forced to live. The white, racist people of the South see the black as uneducated and
vulgar, but as shown by Griffin while he was riding with the many white folk willing to pick him up
and interrogate him, plenty of the whites have more sexual and idiotic thoughts than the blacks.
Their ignorance was encouraged by the erroneous newspaper and other media....show more content...
The media portrays only what they approve, which is the defamation of the African Americans.
Instead of presenting the meritorious actions of the black men, such as exceptional intelligence, the
white writers show untrustworthy activity from the African Americans that is rare and usually
insinuated by the white populace. Griffin speaks with P.D. East, a white writer fluent in racial
justice matters, about how he believes the worst men are not the ferocious racists who yell at the
black men, but instead the men in dominion who approve for all of this racist propaganda that fuels
the people to be

Black Like Me Analysis
During the book, Black like Me, John Howard Griffin turned himself into a black man to
experience the true discrimination of the south. His experiment is six weeks long. During these six
weeks he experienced many different kinds of people in the south and how the treated black people.
After he had finished his six week experiment he stopped taking the medication that turned his skin
darker, which then turned him back into a white man. After all, some people dispute the fact that he
actually experienced true treatment of a black man. I disagree with that that statement, because
although he was only a black man for six weeks he still experienced the hardship that the black man
faces every day of his life. Griffin traveled to many different...show more content...
One encounter that he had many times, was when people gave him the "hate stare". Griffin didn't
like it when people gave him the "hate stare", it made him feel uncomfortable and made him think,
how much different am I. Once again a "hate stare" drew my attention like a magnet. It came from a
middle–aged, heavyset, well–dressed white man. He sat a few yards away, fixing his eyes on me.
Nothing can describe the withering horror of this. You feel lost, sick at heart before such unmasked
hatred, not so much because it threatens you as because it shows humans in such an inhuman light
(Griffin 51). Throughout this book Griffin had many tough situations that he had to deal with, just
because he is a black man living in the south. One example of this was when he was trying to buy
bus tickets. When he went up to the ticket booth to buy his tickets the lady that was working it had
a great mood, but when she saw him walk up her mood turned very nasty, and disrespectful. In the
bus station lobby, I looked for signs indicating a colored waiting room, but saw none. I walked up to
the ticket counter. When the lady ticket–seller saw me, her otherwise attractive face turner sour,
violently so (Griffin

Analysis Of The Book ' Black Like Me '
The book "Black Like Me" presented a lot of interesting topics about racial diversity in the United
States during the 1960's. Howard Griffin embarked on a journey that no other man in this time
would dare do. H decided to leave his privileged life as a white man behind and travel to the South
and live as a black man, to really understand the pressures that they dealt with and to see things
from a different perspective. The only real way to do so was to become a black man. He began
taking medication that would darken his skin and the transformation that he made was incredible.
At the time, there was no tolerance for anyone that was not a white man. The world was a different
place and segregation was a real thing. It is hard for me to...show more content...
Making a remark or correcting the woman 's behavior would not have been action anyone would
dare do. Considering the social and cultural norms of the time, the woman 's reaction was not
abnormal. It was normal for white people to use different restrooms than the black people and even
eat at restaurants that black people were not allowed to occupy, the feelings that the white people
had toward the black people were expressed openly.
The idea of becoming a new person of a completely different race, especially one of which was
looked down upon seemed dangerous and scary to the people that Griffin confided in. The
doctors that Griffin spoke to, to darken his skin were hesitant because of the possible
implications. They knew that if people found out about the study that they would become angry
and that they might be putting their own lives as well as their families lives in danger due to the
sense of "going against the race" to anyone who sympathized with the other race. Griffin was
aware of the possible danger that he was putting himself in, and he made sure to keep his study as
much of a secret as possible. He separated himself from all of his friends and family in order to
ensure

Review Of Black Like Me By John Howard Griffin
The book Black Like Me is a nonfiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin. It is about a white
journalist who used medication to darken the pigment of his skin to expose the harsh truth about the
South and their discriminatory laws against blacks, in his case black men. Although I am not bold
enough to go through such a transformation, this piece of literature has allowed me to see how far
one has to go every so often in order to prove a point and uncover the truth while educating millions
of people. Having been previously taught with the British curriculum and now the American I have
come to the realization that the education of foreign countries ,other than the dominant ones, are
lacking. Although there are world history classes they

John Howard Griffin's Black Like Me Essay
Black Like Me
In the Fall of 1959, John Howard Griffin set out on a journey of discovery. A discovery of his own
nature, as well as a discovery of human nature.
With the help of a friend, Griffin transformed his white male body into that of an African–American
male body. Through a series of medical treatments, the transformation was complete. He spent the
next several months as an African–American traveling through the deep South of the United States.
What he discovered changed his perspective of himself, as well as his perspective of others.
On his journey, John Howard Griffin encountered what could be termed the dark side of human
nature.
He experienced racism in its purest form. He experienced what it was like...show more content...
That is to say, a human being will naturally be drawn towards the preservation of the self. (4)
During this time period, the white man viewed the black man as a threat to the white lifestyle. As
experienced through the eyes of John Howard Griffin as a black man, the white man would have
many questions as to the nature of the black man. (5)
Through Griffin's experience, he learned that there is no fundamental difference in the nature of the
white man as compared to the nature of the black man. There seems to be a desire to survive.
The white man attempted to survive by making the black man a "second citizen", which is to say
"lesser citizen". The black man attempted to survive by banding together as a race. This helped the
race survive through a feeling of empathy. If a human feels that he is not alone, it tends to give a
more powerful sense of strength.
Another interesting finding from John Howard
Griffin was that white children did not necessarily share their parents racial beliefs. This offers proof
that racism is not a part of human nature, but rather a by–product of the human nature of the fear of
the unknown. Since the white person was unfamiliar with the black man, there was a sense of fear
of the black man. Racism is merely a defense mechanism passed down from parent to child. The
white men in "Black Like Me" would teach their children to use racial slurs

Main Themes In Black Like Me
Traveling Through The Deep South John Howard Griffin once said, "He who is less than just is
less than man." (162) Black Like Me is a nonfiction autobiographical memoir written by John
Howard Griffin. This story was first published in 1961. Uniquely, this novel chronicles the
experiences of the author, John Howard Griffin, as he travels through the deep south of the United
States of America during the 1950s after undergoing a medical procedure to change his skin color in
order to pose as an African American man. Black Like Me has also won the Anisfield–Wolf Book
Award. John Howard Griffin decided he wanted to be an advocate for racial equality in the United
States after a trip to France during his time in high school. In France, he...show more content...
However, as his journey continues and he faces more and more oppression constantly, he begins
to understand how African Americans feel on a daily basis and comes to the realization that even
though we have no control whatsoever of the color of the skin we are born with it plays such an
integral role in how each person is treated and the opportunities that will be available to each
person during their lifetime at this point in history. When the author comes to this realization, he
states, "When all the talk, all the propaganda has been cut away, the criterion is nothing but the
color of skin. My experience proved that. They judged me by no quality. My skin was dark." (115)
Another theme that John Howard Griffin addresses is how people interact with one another when
members of differing races are not present. For example, until he went undercover as an African
American, John Howard Griffin had never experienced such hate from people of his own race
whereas that was the only side of his race that some African Americans ever observed. Black Like
Me is extraordinarily thorough in its portrayal of what life was like in the American deep south in
the 1950s for people of differing racial backgrounds. In my opinion, an author could not be any more
thorough in his attempt to understand something of this significance. As far as my general
understanding of this topic, John Howard Griffin did an excellent job at putting what

Democratic presidential candidate Obama won the U.S. presidential election to be the 44th President
of the United States, and he is the first black President in American history. The election of Obama
causing a big stir inside and outside the United States into politics, but also aroused the culture
reflection about the status of Black Americans again.
The changes of the American black culture status and the development of black–America films are
also experiencing the progress that since the birth of the first black films and to mature. The
development of the black film has gone through a journey of more than 90 years. During this period
of time, black filmmakers always be with unremitting efforts with their natural art talent and
tenacious national characters. Also, the history of black filmmaker constantly prove their worth, the
The Movie "Black Like Me"
In the fall of 1959, Howard griffin went to my friend's house in New Orleans, Louisiana. To take
care of a dermatologist, once, griffin accepted the solution of large oral doses of the anti – vitiligo
drug methoxsalen Oxsoralen trade names, and spend 15 hours a day in an ultraviolet light (Snopes).
During travel, griffin abide by the rules, he would not change his name or his identity, if asked who
he was and what he was doing, and he would tell the truth. (John 3) in the beginning, he decided to
speak as little as possible (John 23), to ease his transition to the southern United States black social
environment. He has become used to receive white every where's "hate".
After he camouflage themselves, many people know Howard griffin is a white did not recognize
him. Blacking named sterling Williams in the French quarter, griffin is regarded as a person's
friends, not now and his appearance, he is black. Because griffin wants to aid to the black
community integration, he decided to tell Sterling, he was actually white met before. He first
suggested that he wear the shoe as unusual as anyone else, (John

Literary Analysis Of ' Black Like Me '
University Of South Florida
A Literary Analysis of "Black Like Me"
Raed Margushi
Academic Preparation
Lisana Mohamed
4th of December, 2015
A Literary Analysis of "Black Like Me"
John Howard Griffin was a writer who wanted to write about the truth. In dealing with the racial
discrimination problems in the United States, Griffin wanted to write about the realities of the
situation. However, he was a white man. He empathized with the black people and wanted equality
for them as well however he lacked the experience and exposure to the truth. He decided that the
best way to write about this was to be a part of the black community. He consulted with a doctor
about making his skin darker so that he can be physically identified as a black man. His doctor was
successful in providing him medicine that would make him dark–skinned.
After making the transformation, Griffin went on to immerse his self in the black community. He
chose to go to Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama. These were the known states back
then that was deep in racial discrimination. The setting of the book included these places. These
are the places where the events in the book happened. These places were carefully chosen in order
to achieve the goal of the book. It was really important for the writer to go to these places because
this is where the racial discrimination in the country was really heavy and he wanted to experience
that for the things he wanted to write about.
"Black

"Black Like Me" Essay Have you ever wondered what life is like in someone else's shoes? John
Howard Griffin is walking in his own shoes as a different person, or so everyone thinks. In his novel
Black Like Me John Howard Griffin changed the pigmentation of his skin to discover what life is
like for an African American in the deep south of the United States. Not all of his discoveries are
pleasant about how whites would treat Blacks, but some are completely astonishing. The first
quotation expresses John Howard Griffin's problems that he faces just because of his color of skin.
Whites show pure hatred to certain Blacks because of what other Blacks did. "I glanced back to see
the boy halted at mid–block, leaning against the wall. 'I'm in trouble,' I said to the couple. They
ignored me" (Griffin, 38). The reason why the couple completely ignored him was because of the
color of his skin. During this time period, Blacks were not treated equally to whites. It was unfair
because they were not treated as individuals, they were treated as an inferior race to whites. John
Howard Griffin experienced the racism towards him as soon as he went into public, just because of
the pigmentation of his skin....show more content...
"We might as learn not to expect nothing from Southern Justice. They're going to stack the cards
against us every time.' Sterling said" (Griffin, 51). Even the Government officials show the hatred
towards blacks by restricting them from becoming citizens. Blacks do have the titles of "Citizens,"
but they have no were near as many rights as Whites for

Essay on Ethics in Black Like Me by John Griffin
Black Like Me is the incredibly interesting story of John Griffin, a Caucasian man who decided to
try being African American in the south during the 60s. In this analysis paper I will be addressing
the ethics of this project, his potential self–deception, his ability to pass unnoticed as an imposter,
along with his courage for attempting such a dangerous project in the Deep South. His project was a
success and a remarkable accomplishment for such an individual.
Racism violates universal rights, and therefore is ethically wrong says Asking Ethical Questions.
John Griffin when disguised as an African American experienced a great deal of racism. Undeniable
what he experienced was ethically wrong, but was his experiment also ethically wrong?...show more
content...
In addition when he is switching back and forth from black to white he mentions how he could
sponge the dye off and return to white. At the start of the book he mentions how the only thing the
same about him was his sweat. If the dye could so easily be removed by the sponge then wouldn't
him sweating and wiping the sweat away remove some dye? Or his sweat would be a much darker
color. At the end stops taking his pills and is relying merely on the dye.
One thing that really stuck out to me in this book is where he says "racists are not the pipe
smoking type." The reason this quote really stood out to me is that it's such a blatant stereotype on
the author's behalf. His whole idea is to see the other side of racism. An issue with racism is the
belief of stereotypes. His own use of stereotypes makes him seem less credible. In Questioning Our
Egocentrism self–deception is defined as humans living with the unrealistic but confident sense of
fundamentally figuring out the way things actually are. Undeniable Griffin saw much more of the
lives of African Americans than any other Caucasian American at the time. However I think he was
self–deceptive. If you pay attention to the time frame of the events his actual time as an African
American went from November 7th 1959 to December 14th 1960 this means he was an African
American for 396 days. Actually it's even less then that as he

The main theme of Black Like Me is Racism and the social problems that come with Racism.
Initially, John Griffin the author of this book, shows how painful it is to be discriminated against
due to someone 's skin color. He Also, he shows the ugliness of racists, and their personalities that
have been distorted by hatred. While experiencing the events of this book, Griffin endures hate
stares, threats, harassment, and humiliation. In retrospect, he is unable to find a job and, in
accordance with segregation, he is also unable to use restrooms or enter many establishments due
to the color of his skin. Through John 's experience, the only employment he was able to find was
as a shoe shiner and he only found this due to the kindness of one man, a black man. Likewise,
John also had to walk far out of his way just to be able to find a restroom or even a establishment to
eat in, which are basic human needs. In like manner, John also learned that, racism even exists
among blacks themselves, who value lighter skin over dark skin. Thus, making someone in your own
race feel lesser, because they are darker, which is know better than the white racists in this book.
Moreover, darker skin blacks were not only treated different by whites, but also by their own race.
One would think that black society would know how it feels to be judged by the color of their skin,
so why would they segregate between

Black Like Me Book Report
Black Like Me. By John Howard Griffin. (New York: New American Library, 1962. Pp. 1 + 200.
Preface, epilogue, afterword.)
Black Like Me tells the tale of an astounding individual with a different view on racism in America
through the 1960's. Set in the south during a time of segregation, John Howard Griffin brings the
reader to two completely different worlds. One world, white America, and the other, black America,
are seen through the eyes of a man who simply wants to find the truth behind this ideal of a "lesser
race." Griffin takes the reader through his unforgettable experience as a white man disguised as
black, and shows how cruel some of the ways and words of segregation truly were. This book was a
journey from beginning to end, and a book that I couldn't put down until I was finished completely.
He travels to New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama with a coat of black on his skin and the
best of intentions in mind. He sees that the way he is treated when white is, obviously in a time
of segregation, very different than the way he is treated when he is black. He has to walk miles
just to find a decent meal or an available bathroom. His time as a black man is spent on endlessly
searching for a job to no avail. Griffin's journey leaves him feeling broken and depressed, ultimately
leading him to finish his report on black American life and return home to a neighborhood of
skeptical

Literary Analysis Essay On Black Like Me
Black like Me Formal Essay In the novel, Black like Me by John Howard Griffin, elevated
language and education truly transcend race for both whites and blacks. As blacks become more
educated and apply use of elevated language, not only do the whites begin to take them more
seriously, as seen on page 92 when Mr. Griffin has an intelligent conversation with a white man, but
also they learn to do something about the race issue rather than letting the whites treat them badly.
As whites become more educated they begin to open their minds to blacks and take more action
to help fix the problem. Although some people will never change their views on race, as
education furthers racial equality does as well. "When we stop loving them, that's when they
win." (page 98) This was said by the elderly black man who opened his home to Mr. Griffin. In my
opinion, he somehow was more educated than other blacks. He was the first to recognize that
hating the whites would get them nowhere and would just completely ruin the race. He said,
"We're supposed to get our rights in a proper way." Martin Luther King has the same approach as
this man and leads the blacks in "peaceful protest" really showing the whites that the blacks are not
savages like they're made out to be....show more content...
Griffin's friend P.D. is a great example of an educated white man who has opened his mind to
blacks. He is a journalist who speaks the truth of the race issue which makes him very hated in his
community. Opposed to most whites who believe the generalizations and assumptions about the
black community, he opens his eyes to the idea of equal rights. Throughout the novel there are tons
of white men who tell Mr. Griffin that they pity the blacks and don't think they're treated fairly but
still will not acknowledge him as an equal or take action towards the racial issues like P.D. does
because they refuse to open their

Self Analysis : ' The ' Black Like Me '
Dialogical Self in Black Like Me
Covering the Dialogical Self Theory entails an encompassing understanding of how the self
functions and exist. It is also imperative to have a comprehension of what self denotes and the
manner dialogues apply to self. This concept is a complex one to perceive, in as much as we
conduct ourselves through our daily lives in appreciation of the Dialogical self–theory. Throughout
Griffin's Black Like Me, there is an illumination of the Dialogical Self– a mentality that allows the
author to see himself as both black and white, often living as both races simultaneously in his mind.
In a person's usual handling of affairs, it happens that after having an experience, one usually falls
back in his alone time to assess the details of that happening, thinking and meditating upon it to
develop a critique of it. The mind offers ground for such an experience. It is also imperative to
mention that the mind creates the comprehension of oneself. Dialogical Self Theory, therefore,
propounds that a person's mind creates a conversation within the self, aiming at finding purpose and
meaning to things that occur within its surrounding to achieve the design of identification (Hermans
147–160).
The Dialogical Self comprises multiple 'I' positions, each of which interacts with the others and each
of which has a unique view on the person's experience. The 'I' has the prospect to move through
space from one point to the other concerning situation and time. The 'I' in

Black Like Me is a biography about a middle–aged white man who wants to discover the challenges
and lifestyle of a black man in the Deep South. The theme of this novel is obviously different views
of skin color. It is overall about how your identity in society can be altered whether you are white or
black. The author, John Howard Griffin tries to convince his audience thatwhite people aren't aware
of how hard it is to live like a person with color. It is a lifestyle of abuse and hardship.
Black Like Me is about a man, John Howard Griffin's journey as a temporary black man.
He sets out to discover the hardships and little opportunities a black man has. His findings in his
research will be used to write an informative article for the famous, Sepia Magazine. John
underwent...show more content...
During this time John starts to experiment even further. He stops taking his medication so that the
dark
Jordan Adams:
pigment in his skin fades away. He then will take his medication again, and visit different places
as different races to see how differently he is treated. It then is brought to his attention that as a
white man he is treated with respect and dignity. As a black man he is only treated with respect and
dignity by other colored individuals. As a black man, he is treated with hostility, aggression, and
hatred from white people. This lead him to the conclusion that racism is an act of society in which
the colored and the white do not understand each other, this problem is a state of mind that should
and can be altered.
John Howard Griffin makes his point and his findings very clear throughout his novel. He explains
his fears and his feelings toward his experience very well. The book wouldn't have been as
convincing if he didn't experience both races in the same places. This experiment truly

Essay On Black Like Me
Journalist and author, John Howard Griffin, takes the reader on a journey through the South, in the
late 1950s. "Black Like Me," published in 1961, a memoir of his personal six–week experiment in
social and racial perceptions, as an international bestseller printed in sixteen languages, has sold
millions of copies. It opens a new chapter on the topic of racism and segregation in the Deep South in
1950's America, as his most successful and controversial book published.
A well–educated white man from Texas, John Griffin shocked and awed friends, family, and
colleagues alike, when he decided to take on the appearance of a black man, and immerse himself in
African– American culture leaving behind what he knew as the real world. Submitting himself to
medical treatments that included, medications, skin dyes, and ultraviolet light treatments, he
transformed his physical appearance to that of a dark skinned man that would blend into the world
of the average black man. A total change of life as he had known it forces him to look at himself,
not only in the mirror, but also deep within himself as he struggles with his own remaining ideas of
racism.
Written in the...show more content...
While racism and segregation were major issues of the time, Griffin also explores the poverty, living
conditions, humiliation, and violence toward African–American culture. The inhuman experiences
of the author, as well as personal insight and opinions, make this a read that is easy for the reader to
connect with personally. Drawing on the reader's beliefs and emotions, it becomes easy for one to
put themselves in that situation, self–criticizing and asking themselves what they may have done if
faced with the same scenario under those

Essay on Sociology: Black Like Me
Part A– [Structural Functionalism]
One argument made by Structural Functionalists is that society should be a meritocracy. People
should be rewarded based on their abilities. (Class notes, SOCI 201, Winter 2010)
An example to illustrate this argument from Black Like Me is found on page 39. The elderly
owner of the Y cafГ© complained to Griffin about how unfair the economic system was toblack
people. Many brilliant black students graduated with great marks, but still ended up doing the most
menial work or very few selected jobs. Many black people, therefore, chose not to educate
themselves. As a result, the whites said they were not worthy of first–class citizenship and
everything continued in a vicious circle. (Griffin, 1996: 40)
This...show more content...
Something as little as looking at a picture with a white girl in it could get him into trouble.
Trouble for a black man in this part of the country could very likely lead to a sever beating or
death by the hands of an unruly mob. He needed to be "educated" to know his roles in various
situations, so he could behave "decently" in order to stay away from such troubles.
The discriminating social stratification in 1950's developed a set of servile behavior on the
blacks. They were thought to be inferior to whites, and were treated accordingly. Moreover,
different parts of the country had various ranges of sensitivities while dealing with the blacks. For
example, in Mississippi things were particularly tense after the Parker lynch case. No black man
would dare look into any white man's eyes in fear of the repercussions. On the bus, a man warned
Griffin to watch himself closely until he caught onto Mississippi's ways. In an extreme case like
this, it was vital to learn about their roles and behave accordingly.
Part B – [My Sociological Insight]
One thing that I found sociologically interesting about Black Like Me was how dominant ideology
affected people's behavior and how people took it for granted.
Any racial prejudice or discrimination nowadays is considered extremely offensive. However, the
whites, by common consent,

Dialectical Journal: Black Like Me Essay
Reading Notes| Comments and Questions| They were apparently friends one minute then then
something would come up and one would get slashed up with a knife (pg.8)| I think of it as
having your whole family against you when you have important decisions to make. If they, who
are always supposed to be there for you turn their backs when you most need them, then who will?
Just like race we tend to trust those within our own people who have the same background, but if
you can't trust them then you can you trust.| Though street cars are not segregated in new Orleans, I
took a seat near the back. (pg.12)| Even after all they blacks went through to be able to ride the bus
and not be segregated they still decide to segregate themselves...show more content...
A mom and her two kids when toy shopping and told them they couldn't touch they toys unless
the asked first. So one of the kids reached out to touch a toy and looked at the mom and she got a
death glare and immediately put their hand down.| If you stop and sit on the curb, a police officer
will pass and probably ask you what you're doing. I have heard none of the Negroes speak of
police harassment, but have warned me that any time the police see a Negro idling, especially
one they do not recognize, they will surely question him.(pg.43)| This is sort of like the law they
made in Arizona about regular police officers being able to ask you for citizenship if they have
suspicions that you are in this country illegally. I don't see why the police had to question them
they were just sitting on the curb, but because of their skin color they automatically get judged.| A
woman watched me with sympathetic anger, as though she in no way approved of this kind of
treatment. However, she did not speak.(pg.44)| People get bullied and judged almost every day and
most of the time there are always bystanders watching. They know, inside, that what they are doing
is wrong but they don't speak up because their scared of what society might think of them.| Reading
Notes| Comments and Questions| The Negro's only salvation from complete despair lies in his
belief, the old belief of his forefathers, that these things are not directed against

Black Like Me Essay

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