To approach the colossal notion of American culture, it would be ideal to start with its inhabitants. The questions of what defines us and what we value are inherent challenges in themselves because the country is divided into many subgroups: by race, by class, by creed, by ethnic group, etc. Since this essay overly addresses minority culture, another challenge for these groups arises in terms of “achieving independent personal and group identity; access political power and economic opportunities; and find ways of thinking, speaking, and creating that are not dominated by the ideology of the oppressor” (Tyson 423). When we approach the topic of multicultural literature and its voices, an even deeper challenge arises. By default, it seems that white culture passed as the universal culture due to its strong literary and political influences from the country's beginning. “…while colonizers recognized the existence of indigenous culture, they asserted that such cultures were not worth maintaining in the face of the “superior” civilization offered by Europeans” (Tyson 424). White privilege has oppressed other identities, other values ​​and standardized our culture. Additionally, suppressing or concealing other stories made it seem like white people should only salute America's heritage, since history books, accounts, and biographies focused only on achievements. white Americans. Therefore, it is believed that the white voice is the most “accurate” voice. We still send the message of "cultural capital," as essayist Henry Gates calls it, and we are still directly affected by cultural imperialism: the takeover of a culture ("non-white" culture) by another (“white” culture). culture) in terms, more specifically, of the customs and values ​​of the economically dominant culture. So where are the other voices, and what do they have to say about all this? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There is a distinctive theme in African American literature, particularly regarding how this minority experiences economic and social limitations that hinder their success. As we know, Americans in general have a habit of internalizing their success as a form of identity. Essayist Leslie Hawkes explains that “the notion of new self-creation is profoundly American and indeed a founding principle of the country” (21). Self-creation and individualism are deeply rooted in the notion of the American dream. The critic Lois Tyson made the link between the discourse of the self-made man and the “success manuals” that were circulating at the time when the American dream was beginning to take shape. At the turn of the century, success manuals were created to give young boys an idea of ​​how to become successful by adopting certain practices and symbols of success. Gates's essay on assimilating our nation into "white" culture, strengthening the Ivy League and activities that symbolize the "upper crust," echoes these textbooks, and it seems that it is that's where the problem lies. Tyson states: "The self-made man narrative 'erases history' by choosing to ignore or marginalize the enormous character flaws of many famous self-made men while simultaneously defining self-made success as the product of character of each person rather than as a product. of its environment. The speech is imbued with the desire to escape history, to transcend the historical realities of time, ofplace and human limits” (308). These success manuals, like the Dream, erase history, allowing us to deny our past and ignore our flaws, as well as ignoring the extent to which we hide and continue to hide oppression and coercion. Ironically, the American Dream was built on the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans and, as we will soon discover, continues to thrive on the abuses suffered by immigrants and socio-economic barriers against people of color. The American dream was built on the poverty and limits of our cultures, which we have tried to hide throughout history. This essay will explore three short stories written by African Americans about African Americans, and its commentary will aim to show how the concealment of the past, the reliance on internalized racism, and the inaccessibility of symbols of wealth have set a barrier between African- Americans. and the Dream that their culture holds in such esteem.I. Looking Back In discussing American culture and its fascination with “ascending,” we must recognize that society aims to limit African Americans in this quest by obscuring the past. Nowhere is the theme of a hidden past more apparent than in Alice Walker's short story, "Elethia." The theme of forgetting and remembering sets a mood for its motif of disguised physical decadence on the part of Uncle Albert and gives us a broader sense of a fictional past and imagined history on the part of the testimony of slave. In “Elethia”, the corpse of Uncle Albert which decorates the window of a restaurant where blacks are not admitted recalls the false continuity with the present that the civil rights movement tried to break. The false past is alive in the image of the stuffed corpse. of Uncle Albert. All teeth, smiles and servitude, in reality Albert was a slave who had his teeth pulled out for defying slavery. “They beat him severely, trying to make him forget the past, make him smile, and act like a nigger” (Walker 309). He decorates the window of an entirely white restaurant. Considered a “model”, Elethia learns that the body is her real corpse. This reflects the weakening of the white community against the plight of black people: they believe in the triviality of the crimes committed – everything is only an allusion, not real. Elethia and her friends steal the corpse and burn it, aiming to rid the world of its false and stereotypical images of black people and to correct its misrepresentations, reclaim the past, and preserve the truth for those after her. The image of Uncle Albert in the window is racist; this downplays the severity of slavery and erases the past struggle and pain that Uncle Albert and all slaves endured. Elethia carries Uncle Albert's ashes in order to grieve and heal, much like one would for a deceased family member. She heals the damage done to Albert's corpse as well as the damage done to his ancestors. “Everywhere she looked, there was an Uncle Albert…. And she was careful that, no matter how convincing the hype, Uncle Alberts, in his own mind, was not allowed to exist” (309). Elethia attempts to preserve a cognitive relic, which was covered in sugar-coated brushstrokes to alleviate the plight of slaves. She realizes that it was not permissible to remember all the types of Uncle Albert because that would mean admitting a shameful and shameful past. Walker is able to find, through his themes of remembrance, a vocabulary for the personal grievances and personal grievances of the civil rights movement. concerns. “Elethia” represents the era of the civil rights movement and the tension between white and black societies. SOthat the white community, in the majority, seemed to want to perpetuate black oppression, the black community rose up to put an end to it. Elethia's mindset during this story is very similar to the mindset of the black community during this movement. Elethia and her friend's challenge against the older community's acceptance of the racial stereotype utilizes her ability to transcend the identity chosen for her. Charles Taylor wrote in his essay "The Politics of Recognition" that poor recognition of others can cause a group of people "real damage, real distortion, if the people or society around them reflect a restrictive image to them, humiliating or contemptible. of themselves. Non-recognition or misrecognition can inflict harm, can be a form of oppression, imprisoning one in a false, distorted and reduced mode of being” (75). The image of Uncle Albert is distorted, he is imprisoned and locked behind a glass window and forced into a humiliating and reduced expression of happy servitude: “His lips smiled intensely and his false teeth shined. He carried a covered tray in one hand…and over his other arm was draped a white napkin” (Walker, 307). Elethia, much like supporters of the civil rights movement, attempted to reshape the distorted past and bring these social issues back into the spotlight. They are essentially working against decades of misrepresentation, oral, psychological, literary, and as we see here, even Albert's physical presence is all-powerful: "Everywhere she looked, there was an Uncle Albert... in her textbooks, in newspapers and on television” (309). The Uncles Albert who “have no right to exist” give us an idea of ​​the invisibility of black history and culture. Not only are African Americans not recognized as victims, but their history and identity are essentially erased. Due to poor recognition, they are reduced and depreciated. As we now know, even though it prides itself on its diverse society, America has and continues to struggle with its racist attitude. From this obstacle arises the phenomenon of internalized racism, which has succeeded in paralyzing the success of African-Americans. In "The Death of Horatio Alger" by LeRoi Jones and Amiri Baraka, a young African-American named Mickey gets into an altercation with his friend JD over a pun that gets out of hand. Their three white friends are there and encourage them. Mixed into this external conflict are Mickey's internal troubles about white society and his isolation from it. This work deals largely with racial politics: exploring racial issues and the social and psychological effects of racism. The fight scene allows us to understand Mickey's preoccupation with white society's ideals of beauty, his acceptance of racism, and the stereotypes of black people that form his identity. It's clear that Mickey internalized society's ideals of beauty: "And it's a useful memory here, because such things were the vague images that, even so early on, helped shape me." Light freckles, sandy hair, tight, clean bodies. Even if no one lived where I lived” (155). He realizes that these white ideals are beyond his reach and that he will never “win”: “Or something a deacon would admit is beautiful. [A whiteboard.] Conscience rules against ideas. The goal was to be where you wanted and do what you wanted. After all, it’s “said and done,” all that remains are these sheepish constructions” (155). There's another layer to the fight scene here when Mickey informs us that he realizes he's beneath his friendswhite people because of the petty ideals of society. He adhered to the notion of racism, which critic Lois Tyson called "a belief in racial superiority, inferiority, and purity based on the conviction that moral and intellectual characteristics, like physical characteristics, are biological properties which differentiate the races. (360). Mickey’s identity is shaped by white society: “We are named by everything we will never understand. Whether we can fight it or not…” (156). And he suffers from internalized racism. “Victims of internalized racism generally feel inferior to white people, less attractive, less valuable, less capable, and often wish to be white or appear whiter” (Tyson 362). Because Mickey shapes his narrative with his inner feelings of futile inferiority, the fight between him and his other black friend becomes a source of racial mockery and entertainment for Norman, Johnny, and Augie. The battle scene ensues and the three white boys laugh. the show. With racial lines drawn, the conflict between Mickey and JD seems, on a larger scale, to depict the struggles and humility of African Americans trying to define and defend themselves, as well as the contentment and resulting insensitivity by white society by controlling and stifling their progress. Since the conflict initially begins between two black men, it symbolizes the difficult struggle for equality of black culture and their efforts to overcome the oppression born from the persecution of segregation. Mickey is clearly torn between two worlds, his personal life and culture and the culture of white America. The battle between him and JD becomes something bigger for Mickey than an argument over name-calling; it becomes a war between the camps: a conflict caused by his inability to live harmoniously in a mixed culture. WEB DuBois was the first to describe a phenomenon experienced by many African Americans in The Souls of Black Folk as double consciousness or double vision, the awareness of belonging to two contradictory cultures: African culture and imposed European culture by white America. DuBois calls it “a special feeling... We always feel this duality: an American, a black man; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled efforts; two ideals at war in a dark body, whose stubborn strength alone prevents it from being torn apart” (89). Norman, Johnny, and Augie look from the sidelines and laugh, and we get a sense of the white men's feelings of superiority and Mickey's awareness of his duality. Additionally, white men can vicariously experience their desire to be less civilized through struggle. The fact that fighting for them is a spectacle and a source of entertainment represents the state in which white men in society like to keep black men in a state of inferiority, conflict and oppression through manipulation. Mickey seems to be ashamed to buy. in the stereotype. Additionally, Mickey is ashamed of his internalized feelings. "And I was first aware of my dad saying, 'Go ahead Mickey, hit him.' Fight. And for a few seconds, under the weight of this plea for my dignity, I tried: “…[B]ut JD hit me when he wanted” (157). The latter was not a literal “denigration”, but a symbolic one. JD had to show Mickey his own shame of his blackness. Mickey and JD attack their three white friends who were watching and cheering them on, but the final image of Mickey's frozen hands gives us an idea that while this is progress on Mickey and JD's part, they have tried to strip away their alienation, it only leaves them in a frozen state. Mickey's "frozen hands" at the end that might "notnever thaw” (157) speak to his position in his society as well as his conflicted identity. Since fighting with JD, he has bought into the white stereotype of blacks and the white stereotype of what is beautiful: “The niggers and the Italians beat me and made me, and my allegiance is there. But the triumph of romanticism is the parquet floors and the yellow dresses. , gardens and blond hair, I must have felt the loss and I couldn't stand up against a cardboard world of black hair and linoleum" (156). Even if he would like to fight for himself and for his race, he bought into the stereotype of white people. This reinforces the notion of his duality. He wants to rise up against his own people so that he can be part of the “beautiful people of white society”. , but he cannot do either; he is frozen between the two worlds. He cannot belong to the white world (which he aspires to be) and he cannot reject his own. black world. Charles Taylor says: "...the refusal of recognition can be a form of oppression" (81) and Mickey's refusal to recognize himself "The Death of Horatio Alger" speaks largely in favor of the. social construction of race and identity Because we are by nature a nation of conflicting cultures, there is a conflict between race that is produced socially rather than biologically. In this story, there is a struggle to find one's identity amidst these warring influences as well as a struggle to demystify or fuel society's racism and social expectations of "lesser" races. Mickey cannot, at this time, break the social expectations imposed on him. He cannot essentially “make a name” for himself or his race. He is fixed and limited, incapable of progressing normally in a society passionate about progress. During the civil rights struggles of the early 1960s through the mid-1970s, African Americans became increasingly aware of the consequences for blacks as a whole when some blacks adhered to their civil rights. white middle class values. “Many African Americans engaged in unified group efforts that created a sense of community and established ethnic pride, while others associated individually with privileged whites but never fully became part of the privileged society, instead creating a divided subset of the African-American community” (Champion 69). In Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson," a group of black schoolchildren embark on a field trip to FAO Schwartz in Manhattan that ultimately creates that aforementioned division within the African-American community. Additionally, the contrast between the poor children and their new environment creates a commentary that parallels the absurdity of the presence of economic inequality and the American dream. Significantly, our narrator Sylvia does not immediately follow the other children into the store because she feels "funny, ashamed." But what do I need to be ashamed of? I have as much right to enter as anyone” (93). When children enter the upper class store, they quickly become aware of their limitations and begin to use similes that suggest they are becoming aware of class divisions and their inability to obtain these symbols of "exchange value". of sign” and signifiers of wealth. . Sugar asks if they can fly, while Sylvia berates a white lady for wearing a fur coat even though it's hot. It is also interesting to note that when exposed to their extravagant lifestyle, Sylvia never assumes a hierarchical economic structure. Rather than respecting and admiring the privileged,she makes remarks such as “White people are crazy” (89). Junebug says she doesn't need a $480.00 clipboard because she doesn't own a desk. Flyboy claims he doesn't need an office because he's homeless, a claim that disgusts Sylvia as she believes he only makes such comments "to keep white people away and feel sorry for him." » (148). When Miss Moore asks her if she is angry, Sylvia says that she won't give her the satisfaction of expressing her emotions. This scene demonstrates the increasing tension Sylvia experiences as she becomes aware of the unequal distribution of wealth. “While in other circumstances she and Sugar would laugh and talk together, representative of camaraderie, when exposed to the capitalist economy, they would immediately separate” (Champion 74). As they leave the store and board the train home, Sylvia's comments begin to resonate. “Me and Sugar, in the back of the train, watched the tracks go big, then small, then get swallowed up in darkness. I think of that delicate toy I saw in the store. Cost $35…Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen's boy. Thirty-five dollars and the whole household could go visit Grandpa Nelson in the country. Thirty-five dollars would be enough to pay the rent and the piano bill too” (150). The sunken train tracks certainly represent the spirit of capitalism, speeding past and exploiting the less privileged. Sylvia associates the image of the train tracks with the $35 toy and the connection made with the reader is that black people who aspire to white middle class values ​​will never be part of the privileged class, because they are destined, in a society with racial prejudices, to allow itself to be “swallowed” by racist attitudes. The larger question at hand, of course, is: why should black people even desire to be part of a social system that has historically oppressed them? As Hamlet would say: “Yes, that’s the problem. » "Even though Sylvia is unaware of the complicated ramifications of the lesson, readers understand that over the course of a sequence of lessons, Miss Moore will eventually teach the students the full scope of the social problems indicative of capitalism, of which she n 'has given so far only a glimpse' (75). At home, Sylvia lets Sugar run in front of her, rejecting her offer to run: “She can run if she wants and even run faster. But no one will beat me for nothing” (152). Sylvia seems to understand that her and Sugar's limitations put them at odds. Close friends at the start of the story, their new awareness of their limitations caused them to naturally compete and divide, much like the fight in "Horatio Alger", and redirected their attention towards obtaining class symbols superior. By adhering to the Dream, Sylvia and Sugar feel alienated because of a battle already lost, only deepening their oppression and confining themselves more deeply to their place in society.II. Perspectives We have found through the experiences of the black community a vocabulary to identify how the American dream has failed, not only for this group, but for all minorities. America's desire to transcend history, deny the past, invent new life, and deny the historical realities of socioeconomic class makes us "never grounded and there is nothing that connects us to the earth” (Hawkes 23). “America has suffered, and still suffers, the consequences of its attempt to mix utopian ideals with notions of materialistic satisfaction. She still believes in the utopian dream but sees this dream with much less innocent eyes. THE :.