What Is The Autobiography Of An Ex-Colored Man By W. E. B Dubois

W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk (1903) is a non-fiction pastiche of autobiography, sociology, and philosophy about race in the Twentieth century. Du Bois focus is on the problem of color in America; while introducing the concept of the double veil consciousness. Double veil consciousness as Du Bois defines is the “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eye’s of others,” (page 694). James Weldon Johnson’s novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912) tells the story of young, gifted protagonist who figures out he has “negro blood” in him. Once he founds out that he is biracial, he denies his African heritage. He begins a journey to find out more on the topic of colorism in America. In both texts, there is a similar

It wasn’t until his teacher told him that he was different. The scene takes place at his elementary school when one day the principal walks into his class asking for all the white students to stand up so the protagonists not thinking anything by this stood up with his classmates. It wasn’t until his teacher called him out by his name and said: “You sit down for the present and rise with the others.” The protagonist was confused by this statement to he replied with “ma’am.” She repeats again, “You sit down now, and rise with the others.”(page 808). This scene describes the first indication that the protagonist is different from his other classmates. The protagonists now in shock goes home to find out if what his teacher said is true. He walks into his house and studies himself in the mirror. “I was accustomed to hear remarks about my beauty; but now, for the first time, I became conscious of it and recognized it” (page 809). This shows that for the first time in his life he really saw himself as different. The different features he possessed, the color of his, the shape of his mouth, he recognized himself for the first time as