Sunday, November 7, 2010
Analyzing Characters
McBride writes, "Mommy's contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. White folks, she felt, were implicitly evil toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best education. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably substandard... She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it." Do you think these contradictions served to confuse Ruth's children further, or did they somehow contribute to the balanced view of humanity that James McBride possesses?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i believe that james mothers contradictions did confuse her kids all throughout their lives.they had to deal with the confusion of not knowing whats wrong or right.ruths contrsdictions make it hard to for her kids to believ anything she says.
ReplyDeleteShe sought the best for her children (a balance in society), yet she was stuck in between two lives. Ruth knew the both and give whatever she could to help her children grow mentally and morally. You see, back in the 1960's, interracial families had problems on segregation. Ruth states in Chapter 23 that her marriage wasn't accepted by some blacks and whites (232). She felt left out of both races. Along with this, Ruth wasn't given many choices anymore. So she went with what she could use. Imagine, if all you had was a door to open, and the walls are starting to squish the life out of you. Would you stay inside and die or leave through that door and take the unexpected? Ruth lived like this all her life. Which bring up a question...HOW did she survive through the tempest?
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Stacy because when Ruth's children were young, she would hide the truth from them. She would try to influence them to think about character instead of race. One of the examples comes up in Chapter 6 when James asked his mother what color is God (50 and 51). She tells him the truth. God is the color of water to us because no one in the terrestial world has seen him to describe him completely. Or seen the Lord at all.
ReplyDeleteYes i believe that Ruth's contradictions did mess around with her kids thoughts and feelings. It made them grow up insecure full of questions that never got answered. She always told them not to say their life business to anyone so they basically thought that they couldnt trust nobody. Another example is when Ruth and her kids will go out to the street Black and White folks would say ewww look at that white lady with those black kids so i think that at that moment her kids will be like oh now i see why we shouldnt trust white and black folks (because their mean). So in my opinion I believe that Ruth's contradictions were clear but unclear at the same time.
ReplyDeletei agree with lesly because it did make her kids believe they couldnt trust anyone
ReplyDeleteI think that those constradiction did confuse her children even more but i believe they learned to get around it. Like for example in chapter 8 "Brothers and Sisters", page 73, James talks about Helen and how she talks about change. I think Ruth did confuse her children but as they grew up they started understanding things better.
ReplyDeleteI think the mothers contradictions helped balance the humanity of the children, it set a standard that everyone is equal to their minds. due to she being white and in a way being on the balcks side.<3
ReplyDeleteI disagree with all of you guys. I do because if it confused them they would have been saying they disliked whites, but no they dont. Instead the found a place for the love of white because of their mother, dispite all the racism the whites inflicted on the blacks.<3
ReplyDeleteYes, i do believe that Ruth's contradiction did affect her children's thoughts.Ruth thought that just because her children were little she could hide the truth. Thats why her children grew up with that mentality of being very insecure of who they were not only that , but also who their mother was. It made them grow up with alot of questions that thier mother refused to answer.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Lesly because it did make here children believe that they couldn't trust anyone, not even their own mother.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ruth did confuse her kids because she never allowed them to inform other of who they were and where never allowed to talk to other kids. In CH8 it talk about how James siblings want change. I think her kids want change because not knowing where their mom race makes them not relieve that in a way they are hurting their mom, by wanting to make white folks pay for the way they have treated African-American folks.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Joseph because I think that if Ruth would have informed her kids about her background they wouldn't have wondered so much.
ReplyDeletei agree with noemi because,the kid had right to know and they bwere so curious so she should of told them
ReplyDelete