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Jungle

 

            
             In most people, underneath all of our morals, our common sense, and our ability to control anything instinctive lies something called the id. Our id allows us to act on our carnality and true animalistic nature. It lies within everyone. It is part of our composition and nature and is included in all of human personality. This can sometimes be considered horrific and can come out at anytime. In Toni Morrison's Beloved, this is described as a "jungle." The white however, believed that this "jungle" was only applicable to dark skin. They believed it was impossible for them to possess this kind of trait. The jungle that they feared would emerge from blacks was something they wanted to destroy and cleanse society of. It is the white man's mission to tear down every leaf and destroy every tree of the jungle that they fear. In doing so the result is the full emergence of their own animalistic and savage qualities. This jungle is not only relevant within the story Beloved, but relevant in all the history of slavery, in the literature surrounding slavery, and racism in general.
             The "jungle" that Stamp Paid refers to can be interpreted in several ways. The white people's idea that blacks possess these animalistic features comes from the fact that in actuality they were taken from an uncivilized and uniquely cultured society. Because of this they are dehumanized by the white race. They see blacks as "baboons, sleeping snakes, red gums ready for their sweet white blood." (208) Because of this they were looked down on as inferior to the white race and need to be segregated from the innocence of the white race. "White people believed that whatever the manners, under every dark skin was a jungle." (208) No matter how educated and well mannered the person is they still retain this jungle within them and must be tamed and kept away especially from white women. In contrary, treating black slaves so harshly and brutally, they are allowing for the emergence of what they fear most within themselves.


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