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Discussion of Baldwin

 

             In one quote Baldwin is saying that no matter where white people go or wherevery they are, they can't be strangers. They can't be strangers because so much of the modern world ha sbeen modeled after the white man's world. In this quote he describes what it means to be the village. It also relates to the short story, "shooting an elephant," because in this text thw thie man is not a stranger even though he is the only white man in the village.
             In another quote Baldwin is saying that the American culture has shaped him and in this way they control him. The culture causes him rage and anguish, but how can they be blamed for the past that has shaped their culture? This quote describes the interaction between the stranger and the village. It relates to the short story, "invisible woman," because in that text in talks about how she doesn't blame people for forgetting she's Iraqi because she knows they want to include her in the village. However, at the same time, it causes he grief that people forget she's Iraqi or that she might not look Iraqi. In the quote and in the text, the villages cause the strangers pain that they village doesn't know it causes.
             Another quote describes how the rage of the people who get put on a lower level is fruitless;pointless. People dont' understand thier rage, even those whose rage feeds them. People don't understand the rage that feeds them ona daily basis. The quote describes what it means to be the stranger and it relates to the short story, "housekeeping," because the girl gets upset that she would be asked such a question and makers her feel as if she's on a lower level. At the same time her rage is pointless because her co-worker would not understand and in the end she learns from it and grows.
             Another quote describes how black people want to be seen as normal human beings and this is hard for white people because it forces them to lsoe their naivete and recognize black people as human.


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