Toni Morrison and bell hooks: Fighting for TruthIn a society where harsh generalizations and inaccurate stereotypes of African Americans are present in everyday life, two authors attempted to trying to make a change in the way white people perceive black people. In their conversations with Toni Morrison and their essays written by bell hooks, these authors help the American public become aware of the socially incorrect views displayed by our culture. In mainstream American culture and literature, inaccurate depictions of African Americans have created false distortions within society. The Black Death and the role of black people in society contributed to the negative representation of African Americans in our culture. In bell hooks' essay "Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket," she examines Hollywood's negative portrayal of African Americans in film. Hooks argues that in films, Hollywood downplays the effect of black characters' deaths. The death of an African-American character evokes no sympathy from the audience. Hook's essay says, "dying that makes the audience contemplative, sad, aware of the transient nature of human life has little appeal" (99). She says the painful death of a black character in a film doesn't interest most viewers. Hook also notes in his essay that in many Hollywood films the Black Death is often very violent. Black deaths are often downplayed, and Hooks notes that "there can be no serious depiction of death and dying when the characters are African-American" (Hooks 99). She argues that black lives are worthless to the public and that the death of an African American is like dead meat. Bla...... middle of paper ...... should not be taken lightly, as sexist/racist thinking can seriously harm a culture. In both essays, bell hooks and Toni Morrisons address the issue of racial inequality in their depiction. from Hollywood's point of view towards African Americans. The lack of emphasis on the representation of African American death can lead to cruel generalizations and stereotypes about an entire culture. White Hollywood screenwriters need to step back from the social norm and accept reality. They need to understand that the violent Black Death might be a box office hit, but it in turn shapes our inaccurate views of African Americans. In the work of Toni Morrison and bell hooks, we see a common theme that originates in American culture and that depicts the lack of education we show towards our country's African American population..