Black Like Me is an account of what life was like for an African American man in the South in 1959. The first-person account is told through the eyes of the author, a white man, John Howard Griffin, who decided to temporarily dye himself black with the use of medication and a sun lamp, to experience racism in the South firsthand. Griffin’s unique perspective as a formerly privileged white man allows him to compare his experiences with the two races on a deeper level since he has experienced both sides. During his time as a Black man, Griffin experienced segregation, racism, and hatred. Black Like Me was published in 1961 and was met with extreme backlash for exposing the truth about the prejudices against African Americans in the South. By …show more content…
He left it open until I reached it. I was ready to step off when the door banged shut in my face. Since he had to remain there waiting for a clear passage through traffic, I asked him to let me off.He waited another full minute, but refused to open the door.He drove me eight full blocks past my original stop and pulled up then only because some white passengers wanted to get off.”(Griffin 44). This evidence proves the thesis because it is an example of racial injustice and pure cruelty based only off of the color of Griffin’s skin. Secondly, another tool Griffin uses to strengthen his thesis is the format of Black Like Me. Griffin chose to format his book into diary style entries. This choice gives the reader a concept of time and reinforces how truly often black Americans faced racial discrimination in their day to day lives, thus proving his thesis. Leaning off of this point, Griffin’s style of writing and literary tools also worked together to strengthen the thesis. Griffin’s inclusion of dialogue in his memoir paints a vivid picture of interactions for the reader,”Well, you people don’t seem to have the inhibitions we