Black like me Essay Example for Free

Black alike me EssayA middle-aged unclouded man from Mansfield Texas named John Howard Griffin is the main character and author of Black like Me. He was a man deeply committed to the cause of ending racial discrimination. In 1959, Griffin decided to get word a pertinently extreme measure in effect(p) to understand the plight of the menacing people. He underwent aesculapian ploughment to change the color of his skin and temporarily become a barren man. Griffins experience was funded by George Levitan, the owner of Sepia, a black oriented magazine in return for an oblige about it. Griffin sets out for New Orleans. He finds a contact- Sterling Williams, an articulate, soft-spoken, and engaging slip shiner. on the way, Griffin experiences oppression, hardship, and hurt. It is impossible to find a job, he is forbidden from ordering a drink at the soda fountain and he wasnt allowed to use a restroom used by lily-whites. Clerks scorn to cash his checks as well. Griffin tra vels to Alabama and into the Deep South and Mississippi and finds that the condition is even worsened for blacks.He finds their condition alarming. Black communities seem defeated and run down. All day long, the word common raccoon seems to echo everywhere he goes. After two months of a depressing life as a Black man, Griffin stops taking his medical specialty and lightens his skin back to its original color. He notices that when he is a white man, whites treat him with respect and blacks treat him with suspicious fear when he is a black man, blacks teat him with generosity and charity and whites seem to look at him with contempt and hostility.The article is published in 1960 and he was called to do interviews. The article is published around the world and he receives both congratulatory mails and hateful reprisals. Mansfield consists of many racists so Griffin and his family moved to Mexico in August of that year. Griffin issues a plea for border and understanding between the races so as to avoid the possible outbreak of terrible violence. II. A reexamine on the book Black like me is more of a memoir rather than a novel it is an autobiographical memoir in particular.It springs out from the authors real experiences as well as his personal opinions rather than from mere imaginations or artistic creativity. The book itself stared from a research project. Griffin obviously desires to experience hoe it is to be like a black man so that he may understand firsthand the hardships and obstacles that they encounter in their daily lives. The books main theme is racial discrimination. Griffins quest for equality and social justice led him to temporarily change his identity from a white man to a black angiotensin-converting enzyme.This transition is one clear proof to the crucial importance of ones skin color as a factor in determining ones position in this world. Griffin writes about the hardships of finding shelter and food as a black man the difficulties of c ashing a check despite the fact that he didnt change his identity equitation a bus or even just finding a restroom where blacks are allowed to use. Blacks and whites take over differently when in one anothers company. Whites look at blacks with contempt and hostility and blacks treat whites with suspicious fear.This behavior is different however when they are with their groups and just among themselves. They treat each other with respect, kindness and generosity. Neither race has an understanding of the other. Griffins Black like Me explores the themes of segregation, racism and the capacity of mankind to love their fellowmen. In this novel, there is the presence of men who made a different stand. P. D. East, Sterling Williams, George Levitan, Adele Jackson, and surface-to-air missile Gandy support Griffins advocacy A proof that there is some goodness in this world.Black like me is a short book, but considered one of the finest pieces of literature ever produced. The social messag e of the authors experience is clearly advocated through the narrative structure of the book. III. 3 incidents that I personally find enkindle and why? When Griffin underwent a medical treatment the ultraviolet radiation combined with oral medication to darken his skin pigmentation. I find it personally interesting because it is a rare occasion that a person will consider doing the same experiment as Griffin did.He did a pertinently extreme measure just to feel exactly how it is to be like a black man. The medical procedure that Griffin underwent is neither tested nor safe. He experienced pain and other side make from his exposure to the ultraviolet as well as with the medication. When Griffin spends the day working on the shoe shine booth together with Williams and Joe and that they only have raccoon meat and rice eaten out of a tin can for their meals.This spells the gap between a white man eating in a luxurious restaurant and a black man who regards having enough to eat, no matter how crude the meal is, as a mark of dignity. When a white bully follows Griffin around, calling him names and be him. This incident only proves the material difference between whites and blacks. This incident portrayed the constant threat of violence, prejudice and oppression. In this particular scenario, he is treated like an animal being chased away just because the color of his ski is black.