Racism in education is when one sees the condition of the books that the state gives to the Great Faith School. This is where Little Man, being his first day, is extremely excited, as shown by what Cassie narrates to us, ‘face lit in eager excitement.’ As excited, as he may seem, it is very short lived when he realises the condition of books that he is given and what is written on the front cover. The cover of the books shows that the book is ten years old, and further more it was the belongings of a white pupil when it was new and only when it was in a bad condition was it given to a black pupil. There has to be a limit to the amount of racism a child can take, first to be singled out due the pigment of his skin, then to be given a book which is ten years old, to add to this being called a Niger is taking it too far. The fact that all this has happened causes a lot of frustration n the mind of Little Man and he becomes increasingly angry, he says, ‘That one is dirty’, to Miss Crocker when she hands hi the book.
This shows the unfairness in the two different cultures education standards.
Another example of racism in education is when Mrs. Logan, a teacher at the Black school, starts to cover the labels of the book and to teach the pupils things other then she is supposed to. She demonstrates to me that she is completely against the idea of used books and wants to maintain her integrity. When Miss Crocker quizzes her as to why she is doing the covers, she says that the pupils don’t have to ‘accept them’. Due to all of this, when Harlem Granger comes to the school, he sacks Mrs. Logan. (He is tipped off by TJ because she failed TJ). This is another example, which has a very big impact and effect on the education of the blacks because they lose the will to study, because a good teacher has been sacked for teaching what is right and what she believes in.
JOBS
The next cause of racism is the fact that the white folk hate the black people who own their land. The fundamental building blocks of the novel lies on the black ownership of land. The novel tells us that the Logan family owns two hundred acres of land and has another one hundred acres of land on mortgage. The land, for the black family, is the only security they have. That and the fact that her family died fighting for it is why Big Ma is so adamant on keeping it. She says that ‘they bled in this land’. In the south, the shear thought of Blacks owning land was provocative, it provides an increase in Racist Hatred and also increases the motivation that some of the white folk have for physical violence. A very good example of this is when the Wallaces attack Papa and Mr. Morrison on their return from Vicksburg. I fell that a lot of the hatred by the whites against the Logans derives form them being very prominent figures in the Black Community. As I have stated below, Big Ma I adamant to keep the land, when Harlem Granger threatens her, she puts the land in the name of her two sons. It is because Harlem Granger is white that he feels that it is his God given right to own the Logan’s land. In a nutshell, due to racism the black people are not allowed to own their land in peace.
The main occupation of the white people is businessmen, owning their own retail stores. The main actors in the novel of white members being the Wallaces, the Barnets Mr. Jamerson, Hank and Mr. Grime, all of which have a successful job, The Wallaces and Barnets each owning stores, and Mr. Granger the land owner, and Mr. Jamerson the lawyer. He being the only person whom is white not having a problem with the Logan’s and isn’t involved in any racism towards them, in fact he helps them in the novel.
With a majority of the shops owned by white people, the Logans have to shop some where. On one day in the novel the children are sent to get some shopping from Barnet Mercantile Store in Strawberry. Despite the Logans giving then business they still show hatred and arrogance towards the children shows how they are inferior to them.
The situation was the children had been waiting in the store to get the shopping, they informed Mr. Barnet that they had the list of things they required, however for a long period of times he ignored the children and carried on serving other customers whom were white, even if they had just walked into the shop, having the children there still waiting. The children then became aware of this, how ever due to there age there minds were still not fully developed and a little naïve, they thought that it was just because they were children, not adults, and even that he had forgotten about them. They then reminded him, and then nonetheless after a long time they informed him. ’You were helping us, and we have been waiting for a long time” Cassie said to Mr. Barnet, backing away from the counter
“Well, you just get your little black self over there and wait some more” he said in a low, tight voice
After that the situation only got worse by him calling her a Niger. This clearly shows how they think they are better than the black people, as if there was none racist in the community at the time, they would be delighted that they were getting customers, how ever they know that this is the only place that they can shop, and no matter what they say or do to them, they are just going to come back, as that is the way it was, whites have more power than blacks.
HOUSES
In comparison to other black families the Logan’s are more privileged than the other black families during that period of time. Not only do they own there own business in the cotton industry, but they also own a standard family home, which is better than the normal black families.
The Logan’s home comes with 400 aches of land. Described by the narrator Cassie ’as warm and comfortable rooms with doors and wood and pictures’
This description of which was the opening sentence to what the Logan family home was like, gives us a first impression and enables you to visualize what it is really like.
The quote suggests that Cassie rather likes her house and that she is proud of it, in the way she describes it as warm and comfortable, as if it is what is expected.
More into the novel a better description of the Logans home is given and you are then able to take into account everything they have in contrast to other black families. If we take into account another black family that are known in the novel the Avery’s. There housings is some what different to the Logan’s, in the fact that they live in wooden sacks that compromise of one or two bed rooms, in which the sack is small and dingy. They do not own there own home, and they work as shared croppers on the Granger land.
The Granger’s who are presumably the wealthiest in the novel maintain their high status in there housing as well.
They’re family home stands out from the rest being spacious and modern and having the up to date furniture, having their business attached to the home, which also compromises of a posh car on the drive.
Evidently the Granger’s have it all, a family home and business highly status and being white! They are the most respectable family at the time in that area.
The Wallace’s and the Simm’s are also wealthy white family in the novel, both having there own business’s and homes.
The store consisted of a small building with a gas pump in front of it and a storage house at the back. This is the only real description given about the Wallace store, this description doesn’t give a clear vision to what it is really like, however predominantly it will be some what better than the Logans home.
Religion is an important issue to the black community in the novel.
They see this as a form of escapism from daily routines, wealth and poverty issues that they have. They see it as their way of creating unity and something that the whites cant take off them. Religion provides them with a political platform away from everyone else. I feel that during the novel they relate and turn to religion to get them through certain issues.
“Oh lord, no child” exclaimed big ma
This is when the Logans are having problems with their mortgage, Big ma prays to the lord several times during the novel, this shows how she turns to him for support and to get her through certain situations and hard times.
Important issues
During that period of time, things came at a cost. During the novel the only health issue that arises is with Pap’s broken leg, in which bigma is to the rescue.
Big ma has historical education from her ancestors, and has herbs and remedies; this is her kno9wn status in the novel, something that takes her self away from every one else, having a special quality about her, that no one else has.
The novel being in the 70’s when racial and discrimination were about, sets the scene that the law and order was dominated by the white society. There was total injustice, where the white mans word went, if it was right or wrong. The law turned a blind eye on the black people, even if their story was correct.
What one has the other doesn’t, and wealth and money is one of them, the whites have, the blacks don’t. The blacks have to rely on credit or store receipts to get by on the general basic supplies, which is totally racist and dis-honest. The two different ethnic societies are living two totally different live styles.
If you have money you are able to buy land and receive respect, this is what Granger has! This entitles you to power over people; this is supported by the actions that Granger takes out during the novel. Despite this statement having land is power, this isn’t the case for the Logan, whom do own there own land and home, but do not have the same power as the whites but do have more power than most blacks.
Though out the novel racism and discrimination are in the novel, which divide the two ethnic societies.
What one has the other lacks in many situations that arise in the novel and in the general way they carry out their lives and every day activities.
The white people are better off than the black society economically, in the way that they own there own land and houses and have money, not having to worry if they will have enough money to get by next year.
Reluctantly they are treated better by the rest of the community and better respected for being the colour that they are; being as they live in the 70’s the period of racial and a none equal society, the law is always on there side. In the event of misconduct the law turns a blind eye to the doings of the Whites against Blacks.
Nonetheless there are two sides to every dilemma.
The bond that the blacks have towards on another is stronger than the white society has with each other. They know how they are miss treated and are not treated equally to the white so they stand together with one another to try and fight against it, not with each other.
With the law being on the opposite side to them, they blacks have a better sense of right and wrong. By this I mean the whites try to provoke the blacks into doing wrong and to try and cause arguments with them, however the blacks have sense of this and rise about this, knowing that by them doing what the whites expect of them, they stay clear and keep out, knowing that the justice wont do them any good.
