YlianaHuidor

ProfessorLo
RaceandSocialJustice
10Nov.2015

ReadingQuestionAssignment#1

In,
PlayingintheDark:WhitenessandLiteraryImagination
,

author,ToniMorrison
discussesthepersonaldilemmasshehaswiththecountlesswaysthatAfricanAmericanshave
beenunjustlyconstructedintoAmericanliteratureandofferstheinsightfulandbluntconclusions
thatshehasdrawnfromthoseissues.
Morrisonbeginsbyaddressinghowwhenonethinksofliterarygreatnessoneseldom
correlatespeopleofcolor,specificallyBlackpeople,tothat.Shegoesontoexplainhowdoing
soisincrediblydamagingandproblematicnotjusttotheAfricanAmericancommunity,butto
peopleofallracesbecauseitisexcludingasignificantpartof[American]historyfromthe
worlddoingthisinsinuatesthatBlackpeopledontmatterandfurthermore,suggeststhatBlack
peoplearenotproficientenoughtobecomeorbeapartofthisliterarygreatness.Moreover,it
makestheappallingsuggestionthatBlackpeopledonothaveanyinterestingstoriestoofferthe
world,acommonandignorantfallacythatmanyunfortunatelyhave.Morrisonjustifiesthat
claimbynotingthatoneoftenandunderstandablycontributesimportantAmericanliteratureto
authorslikePoeorTwainbecauseBlackauthorsareleftintheshadows(11).Conversely,she
doesacknowledgethepresenceofBlackcharactersinAmericanLiterature,butthoroughly
explainshowthisisperhapsthegreatestpredicamentshehaswiththeissueoverAfrican
AmericansandAmericanLiterature.Morrisonpointsoutthatinthroughoutthehistoryof
AmericanLiterature(gothic,romantic,sermonic,Puritan,etc.)Blackpeoplehaveonlyservedas
supportingcharacterstheironlypurposeorservicetothestorylineistoaddconflictordrama
duetothecoloroftheskin,inmanywaysdehumanizingthem.ShefurtheralludeshowBlack
peoplehavedonerelativelynothingtostimulatetheimaginationoftheWhiteauthorby

demonstratinghowAfricanAmericanweredepictedasotherthanobjectsofanoccasionalbout
ofjunglefever,otherthantoprovidelocalcolorortolendsometouchofverisimilitudeorto
supplyaneededmoralgesture,humor,orbitofpathos(15).Theauthorisexemplifyinghowin
Americanliterature,Blackpeoplewereexplicitlyobjectifiedandusedtobenefittheauthorin
somewaywhetheritwastoadddiversityorasplashofcolortothenovel,itwassolelyfor
thebenefitoftheWhiteauthorandhadverylittletodowithrepresentation,butmoreso
presentationorinotherwords,theauthorsimage.AnotherconflictMorrisondiscussesthatshe
hasfrequentlyencounteredwithinAmericanliteratureistheliterarycriticalblindness(23).
Morrisonclarifiesthatcolorblindness,notseeingoracknowledgingtherace/colorofliterary
characters,isnotasolutionbutratherahurtful,evendegradingquagmireinitself.Aftercareful
considerationofalltheissuesshehasencounteredwithinAmericanLiteratureandasanAfrican
Americanwomanandwriter,sherealizesthatactionmustbetakentochangethefateofBlack
peopleinliterature.ShesuggeststhattheAfricanistcharactershouldbeviewedasmorethan
justasurrogateandenabler(51).MorrisonconcludesthatthedialogueofAfricanAmerican
charactersinliteratureshouldbeseriouslyreexamined(52).Sheextendsthatnotebyexplaining
howBlackcharactersareoftensuchtrivialrolesandpresentedassuchinsignificantcharacters
lackingdepthanddynamics,completelymisrepresentingBlackpeopleasuninterestingasifthey
didnothaveanyeyeopeninginsightsorworthybackgroundstoriestosharetheyaresimply
therefortheWhiteauthorsadvantageandprivilege.ShethusadjudgesthatAmericanwriters
needtoanalyzethemanipulationoftheAfricanistnarrative(53).Here,Morrisonisconcluding
thatwritersshouldalltakeinitiativetopaycarefulattentiontothewaysinwhichtheyare
representingandappropriatingBlackcharactersinnovels,encouragingwriterstogiveBlack
peopletherolestheydeservenotjustrolesthatareforpureentertainmentpurposesbutsuch
rolesthatdisplaythehonestdepthofAfricanAmericansandmostimportantly,rolesthatpresent
illustratethemnotasobjectsbutasthehumansthattheyare.
ReadingQuestionAssignment#2

Inthearticle,BlackBodies,WhiteScience:LouisAgassizsSlaveDaguerreotypes,
author,BrianWallisanalyzesandquestionsthescientificevidencefortheaudaciousclaimthat
statedthatracesofmankindhasbeencreatedseparatelyandasdistinctandunequalspecifies.
WallisbeginsbyquestioningthelegitimacyofsuchaboldassertionbyexaminingLouis
Agassizs,aprominentscholarandbiologist,daguerreotypesandtheevidencebehindthe
scholarsdiscoveries.Wallispointsoutthattheevidenceisnotevenscientific(Wallis165).In
orderforresearchtobeconsideredscientificitmustbeempiricalAgassizsevidenceissolely
basedonhisowntheories,logic,andbeliefs(171).Furthermore,hisevidencecannotbe
consideredvalidbecausetheywereneverreplicatedandneverunderwentanyextensive
researchawhitescholarlymanmadeaclaimanditwasnotquestion,ratheraccepted.The
authordemonstrateshowinessencetheseclaims,basedoffphotographs,weretoprovethe
superiorityofthewhiterace(165).HealsohighlightshowAgassizsworkwastaintedwith
biasandlaterrevealedthatAgassizhadapersonalrepugnancefortheblackheencountered
(167).Duetothispieceofevidence,Wallisbeginstoconcludethattheevidencepresentedisnot
sufficient,credible,orevenvalid.Healsoindicatesthattheevidenceprovidedwassimply
designedtoanalyzethephysicaldifferencesbetweenEuropeanwhitesandAfricanblacks
(166).HereWallisjustifieshowtheevidenceisunsatisfactorybecauseitisbasedon
observationscomingonlyfromwhitepeople,thereforeitisopentobiasinterpretations.He
explainshowthesescientistswouldcurvetheseinterpretationsintheirfavortoconfirmthe
findings.Aswhitepeopletheywouldconsequentlywanttoofficiallyprovethatwhiteswerethe
superiorrace.Scientificevidenceprovidescredibilityandpeopleseldomquestionclaimsthat
haveundergoneextensive,scientificexaminations.

Duetotheseclaimsbeingbasedonevidencethatwassubjectedtobiasesandunscientific
experiments,Wallisverifiesthattheevidencepresentedisnotsufficientnorisitvalidor
credible.

ReadingQuestionAssignment#3
In,
IndiansandAnthropologists
,author,ThomasBolasianalyzesandcritiquesHaviland
SchudderMekeel,ananthropologistwithgenuineemotionalconcernforthedisadvantaged
NativeAmericans,empiricalfindingsonthelivesandculturesofNativeAmericans.Bolasi
beginsbynotingtheironyinMekeelsresearch.Meekelconstantlyraisedhisconcernsforthe
underprivilegedandminoritygroupsandwasalsoaproudadvocateforendingracismtoward
NativeAmericanshowever,hisethnographicfieldnotesconverselyshowedthathehimselfwas
racistandutterlybiased(Bolasi134).BolasithencontinuestocriticizeBolasihypocritical
findingsbyacknowledgingthatthecontrastmaybeinterpretedasanindicationofthe
contradictionandambivalenceinherentinthis[Mekeel]individualsselftohighlightthathis
findingsweremostlikelyplaguedbyhisownbiases(149).HealsoacceptsthatMekeelhadhad
noreallifeinteractionswithNativeAmericanssowhenherealizedthathispreconceived
perceptionsofthemdidnotmatchuptotheimageshecreatedhewasnaturallyalarmed.Despite
thatfact,BolasiassertsthatMekeelsfieldnotesshouldnotbeseriouslyconsideredand
evaluatedbecausetheyareallapersonalaccountcontainingnoscientificevidence.Healso
pointsoutthatperhapshisfindingswouldhavebeenacceptableifMekeelwouldhaveinserted
otherpeoplesperspectives.ThereasonwhyMekeelsfieldnotesareproblematicisbecausethe
notesareconsideredandevaluatedasapieceofscientificevidencewhentheyareaactuallya

singularpersonalaccountwhichmeansitcontainsopinionsthatarestronglyinfusedwithbiased
andseveralexperiencesanddescriptionsofNativeAmericansthatareopentointerpretation
withoutanyproperscientificevidence.However,Bolasimakesagreatfallacyinsayingthat
MekeelsfieldnotesandresearchonthelifestylesofNativeAmericansshouldbediscredited
andnotevenconsidered.Heiscorrectinstatingandexplaininghowtheworkisnotscientific
evidenceduetothelackofcontrol,hypothesis,andoverallperformancebuthemakesacommon
misconceptioninsayingthatbecausetheevidenceisnotempiricallyscientificitshouldnotbe
considered(139).Mekeelsevidencemaynotbeabletocontributetothescientificstudyofthe
historyandcultureofNativeAmericans,itcanhelpinunderstandingtheaveragewhitepersons
perceptiononNativeAmericans.Becausemanywhitepeoplehadnotbeenexposedtosuch
cultureanddiversitysuchenvironmentsasthosethattheNativeAmericansinhabitedwereseen
asstrangeandsavage.HisfieldnotesmayalsohelpNativeAmericansunderstandtheracismand
hatreddirectedtowardthemfromthewhitepeoplebecausealthoughtheiractionsmaynotstill
bejustifiedorright,theycantoocanlearnhowtheworldviewsthemandbeexposedtothe
differentwaysinwhichpeopleareabletoperceiveforeignpeopleandhabitatsthatare
unfamiliartothem.Thus,itisafallacyfortheauthor,Bolasi,tosuggestthatMekeelsresearch
becompletelyrepudiated.