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Stereotypes In William Tillman's 'Dreamland Burning'

1392 Words6 Pages

Eleanor Wong 4.26.24 Rianda 1 Literary Essay Echoes of Inequity James Baldwin, an American writer and civil rights activist once proclaimed, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Baldwin's words emphasize the significance of confronting social injustices, including inequality, as a prerequisite for change. Reflecting these sentiments, the renowned novel Dreamland Burning, by Jennifer Latham forges a dual narrative, each reflecting the conflicts thriving in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the 1920s, William Tillman, a bi-racial 17-year-old grapples with his Osage ancestry and conflicting values concerning race; meanwhile, Rowan Chase, a 17-year-old African American girl from the present explores the …show more content…

Rowan's struggle with identifying biological differences between races reflects this internalized prejudice, despite her logical understanding of Geneva's explanation. Her discomfort echoes the systemic stereotypes ingrained within the medical community, which historically justified racial superiority. Rowan's emotional turmoil, depicted by her feeling ‘dirty,’ suggests the lingering influence of prejudice, despite efforts towards integration. Her experience with internalized racism is contrasted with the more overt prejudice of William's era, highlighting the enduring impact of segregation and integration across both perspectives. Latham contrasts William and Rowan’s encounters with institutionalized stereotypes and norms to display the profound impact of segregation and integration. By juxtaposing Rowan and William's experiences of legal segregation with social separation, Latham highlights Tulsa's social inequity and the delicate balance between integration and community in the past and present. As William depicts the work-life of African American Tulsans, he finds that “.colored Tulsans had built a boomtown of their own. Come quitting time, the ones who didn’t live in quarters behind their white employers’ houses went north to sleep in homes of their

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