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Recitatif And Notes Of A Native Son

982 Words4 Pages

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together” (Tutu). Prejudice affects relationships but, even worse, has much more implications in the grand scheme of things. In both Toni Morrison's "Recitatif" and James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son," the motif of racial identity plays a significant role in shaping the characters' experiences and perceptions of one another. For one, the utter absence of racial identification in "Recitatif" highlights, using the main characters Twyla and Roberta, the impact of prejudice on personal views, perceptions, and prejudices regarding race and wealth. Similarly, "Notes of a Native Son" explores the challenges of navigating racial identity as an African American in the larger American society. …show more content…

I didn't make that up. I really thought so. But now I can't be sure. I just remember her as old, so old. And because she couldn't talk- well, you know, I thought she was crazy" (Morrison 1099). Similarly to Twyla’s view of Maggie, in Roberta’s confession, Morrison challenges the reader's assumptions about race and how they shape one's perception not themself, but others. Roberta's uncertainty about Maggie's race suggests that racial identity is not always clearly defined and that people's assumptions and biases can lead to misunderstandings and confusion. Furthermore, Roberta's initial desire to hurt Maggie exposes not only the destructive power of prejudice and how it can lead to acts of cruelty and violence, but also the irony of getting mad over Twyla’s lack of motivation in viewing Maggie through a lens of …show more content…

In his own words, Baldwin states, "I had discovered the weight of white people in the world. I saw that this had been for my ancestors and now would be for me an awful thing to live with and that the bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me." (Baldwin 4). This quote exemplifies how external factors, such as societal norms and geographic location, could change Baldwin's perception of his own race and the white race as

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