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March By John Lewis And Mexican Whiteboy Essay

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Rafi Magdon-Ismail Ms. DiNuzzo English 9 26 May 2023 Both March by John Lewis and Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña are excellent novels that highlight important issues from the past and present. The novel March by John Lewis is a graphic novel trilogy depicting Lewis' life and his pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña follows the story of teenager Danny Lopez, as he navigates his dual cultural identity and strives to find acceptance and belonging in both his Mexican heritage and the predominantly white community he resides in. In each novel, the main protagonist faces experiences that challenge their ideas and values. Both Danny Lopez and John Lewis are trying to find their identities and their …show more content…

His journey begins in rural Alabama, where he experiences racial injustices that occur in his community. Lewis is committed to nonviolent protests and civil rights activism as he believes it will lead to a more equitable society. In the text, Lewis reflects on his motivations and inspirations, “Then on Sunday morning in early 1955, I was listening to WRMA out of Montgomery when I heard a sermon by someone unknown to me… A young preacher from Atlanta. I didn’t catch his name until the very end… Dr. King’s message hit me like a bolt of lightning. He applied the principles of the church to what was happening now, today. It was called the social gospel… And I felt like he was preaching directly to me” (55-56). This quote clearly shows young Lewis listening to a message preached by Dr. King, and him feeling inspired by this message. This is a critical moment in Lewis’ life as it is one of the stimuli that provoked his interest in the Civil Rights movement. A few years later Lewis applies and gets accepted into the American Baptist College. He attends …show more content…

I became restless” (65). This quote shows Lewis being happy that he is at college learning about his passions, yet him also feeling guilty for not doing more to make justice happen. This is imperative to the development of Lewis’ identity as it is what will lead him to start his work in the Civil Rights movement. These details and explanations show how Lewis’ experiences helped him to discover his identity and place in society. Similarly, in the novel Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña, Danny Lopez embarks on a journey of self discovery as he explores his heritage and culture. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, Danny struggles to fit in and suffers from isolation as a result of his Mexican heritage. Danny spends his summer with his family in San Diego in hopes of connecting with his roots. In San Diego, Danny’s cousin Sofia introduces him to her

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As a college student, would you ever consider yourself reading a book like March? March is a graphic novel written by co-writers John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell. The novel is a direct description of John Lewis’ life and the struggles he faced fighting for civil and human rights. The book includes many details and visual pictures, that explain Lewis’ story and its effect on black history. So the novel is to inform others about the story of Mr. Lewis and how his accomplishments were mainly a result of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Segregation and civil injustice was prevalent and none of the politicians go out of their way to remedy that. So he decides to take matter into his own hands and reaches out to Dr. King. Fortunately, Dr. King sees determination in Lewis and supports him in his “march.” Later the rural community of Alabama exemplifies the notion of a tight-knit community. This was due to the protest let by Lewis and Jim Lawson, and also because a small town in Alabama stood up for civil right when no one else in history had.

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Danny should be seen as an intimate person by his height but since he is such a worrying person about the things he does; people around him might slowly notice that he isn't comfortable being in places that will make him overthink. Still, he needs to be there to find a connection with his Mexican heritage and find the answers to his questions. To finally stop feeling neglect from his culture, he has to make a sacrifice of talking and meeting new people that may collaborate to resolve this issue. Danny starts to meet people but is shy and accepts that fitting in is hard. Danny being in uncomfortable situations makes him turn to self-harm.

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Melba Pattillo Beals’ novel, Warriors Don’t Cry, takes on an amazing first-hand account of the integration of Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. Melba’s work is formed as she recounts many of the stunning events that she and the other eight students were forced to go through that challenged them and pushed them beyond their limits. Because of the discrimination, taunting, and other racial injustices these students had to go through, the nine students were indeed Warriors because Warriors themselves must face great hardships in times of battle. And though this battle was a tough one, Melba found confidence in continuing with the war for integration in herself and her grandmother.

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In the book Mexican White Boy, Matt de la Pea looks at the challenges of cultural diversity, identity, and belonging. The story which is set in suburban California, follows the journey of Danny Lopez, a young man who battles prejudice and assumptions as he tries to understand his mixed-race origins and find his place in society. In the book, diversity and cultural identity are the main themes. Danny experiences a sense of displacement and uncertainty about his place in society as a result of his mixed heritage, he is half-Mexican and half-white.

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In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

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The first major turning point that Lewis experienced was his trip to Buffalo with his uncle. During this time, he learned that he did not have to live in segregation at his hometown and wanted to make a change. In March book one, Lewis states, “I couldn’t believe it, they had white people living next door to them.” (Lewis and Aydin 43).

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses personal experiences throughout his letter to create an emotional connection to his audience. In order to build his connection, MLK begins his letter by giving a brief history on his role as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and what led to his incarceration. This information gives the reader the opportunity to humanize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The reader is able to see that MLK is an African American man who is trying to stop the

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Ellison writes primarily from an encouraging standpoint, nudging people to stand up for what they believe in and to not cower in fear when things blow up in their faces. Ellison encourages his readers not by giving them a look at the bright side, but instead giving them a close look at the dark and shameful side, showing people that it is possible to rise up and become great, even when the majority is against them. Ellison’s heavy use of ethos, pathos, and descriptive detail serve to instill the values presented in this story into the minds of readers. Even readers who have not been down the road of racial discrimination can relate some of the examples presented here to their own lives, and can take courage knowing that people like Ralph Ellison have had it much worse and have come out much better. The author’s own personal story has a direct correlation to writing’s purpose, and that is to rise up...

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The common theme touched upon in this novel is identity. At the time, discrimination ran rampant in the United States and ambitions for the country’s African Americans were crushed by other people sabotaging their lives or

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