In "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" tells the first-person narration of James Weldon Johnson. This autobiography shows a contemptuous point of view about skin color. Johnson clearly expresses his way of thinking as being purely acceptable in that time period. Johnson claimed that it was "most natural" to have children with people who had lighter skin. The problem throughout the novel is a man trying to find his identity which becomes the main theme of the book. In the book, "I finally made up my mind I would neither disclaim the black race nor claim the white race; but that I would change my name raise a mustache, and let the world take me for what I would"(Johnson 490). By saying this it meant that the ex-colored man could live fearless and from the white man and have a better life than a black person. .
There were many reasons Johnson had for wanting to pass for a white man. The world was set on this idea that a person had to be white in order to be successful in life. Unlike most blacks, Johnson was very educated so it was easy for him to adapt to the white culture. In the book though, he has the advantage of experiencing the good and the bad of both black and white cultures. When the book was published in 1912 there were very few opportunities in America for African Americans. The most success a black man had back then were those who were porters for the railroad. Johnson, however, was an artist and a scholar as shown by his cigar rolling apprenticeship in Jacksonville. Johnson has very high ambition considering the position that he is in. His fair skinned complexion allows him to live his dream and put his ambition to work. .
In the beginning of the book, evidence is given stating why Johnson thinks as he does. Johnson's mother tells him, "The best blood of the South is in you," (Johnson 400) when he asks who his biological father is. His mother showed very clearly that she loved, and perhaps was still in love with the white man who gave her a son.
Autobiographies are books written about oneself. ... An autobiography is written by the person the story is about. ... In his autobiography he portrays none of this. ... She only mentions once of a good white man that she encountered. ... They both talk about themselves but every autobiography does that. ...
Franklin Autobiography and Crevecoeur Letters from an American Farmer, self-conscious reshapings, respectively, of inherited conventions of autobiography and the philosophical letter, are characteristic American "fictions" which anticipate the works of nineteenthcentury novelists. ... Each writer consistently associates the claims of his discrete individuality with those of a representative cultural identity, and in order to emphasize the sense of common possibility implied by such an association, each chooses to address his audience through a rhetoric of elaborately contrived simplicity.1 A...
Quicksand by Nella Larsen and The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Johnson have dark background information, but they both end on a positive note. ... Both Quicksand and The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man share the theme of a homecoming to rid them of the evils they have eating at them. ... In James Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, the main character was introduced during a time of anxiousness and dread. ... In The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, the setting of beautiful France offered an escape for the narrator while he was there. ... Both Quicksand a...
James Johnson ends his book, "The Autobiography of and Ex-Coloured Man" with a paragraph containing the statement, "[these men] are men who are making history and a race. ... Should this be the case , should the author's intent be more instructional than biographical, then one must examine the instances of tutorial to uncover the true intentions behind "The Autobiography of and Ex-Coloured Man". For example, the beginning of chapter 2 includes the statement, "[the black man] is forced to take his outlook on all things, not from the view-point of a citizen, or a man, or even a human bein...
Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Black Man In Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Black Man the author James Weldon Johnson tells the story of a black man passing as a white man. ... By saying this, the ex-colored man can live his life free of fear from the white man and lead a better life than a black would. ... Witnessing the lynching of a colored man, the ex-colored man quickly responses to his idea of passing as a white man. The ex-colored man figures it's better to be on the white man side than be against him, which the ex-colored man makes a good point. ... The ex-colored man didn&...
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin revealed a tale of success that portrayed a remarkable man, who lived a life of great virtue in tumultuous 18th century America. ... He later went on to become a civic leader, states-man, and diplomat. Upon a man of those careers, he was a strong force in developing the new nation of America. His political views showed him to be a man who loved freedom and self-government. ... As a young man, Franklin became the leader amongst his friends. ...
The Autobiography of Malcolm X was a great book. ... The autobiography was an illuminating piece of work. ... In the autobiography I found the detail of his life events exciting. ... In conclusion The Autobiography of Malcolm X was illumination, informative, and exciting. This book informed me that Malcolm X was no different then any other man he had problems he was in trouble before. ...
The Battleground for the Self Man's scheme in the universe fills a vast array of emotions and passions; living in a world of time and change automatically subjects his experience to joy and turmoil, boasts and sighs, pleasures and sorrows. ... Through the theme of suffering, the true relevance of the autobiography, as a genre of literature, emerges. ... Above all else, the autobiography is a means of self-discovery for both author and audience. Within the genre of autobiography, suffering provides the strongest medium for the theme of self-discovery. ... William Wordsworth's autobi...
James Weldon Johnson's first-person narrator in his fictional interpretation, "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," a skeptical, point-of-view about skin color. The narrator, decides to pass for white after numerous variations between assuming his status as a black man who wants to stand for the rights of black people and adopting the identity of a white man. ... Therefore, the Ex-Colored Man would hardly be treated as a black boy, if it were not for him and for people around him being told that he is not white. ... Therefore, throughout the novel, he goes from the impersonation...
