After reading 4 different essays on Autobiography of Ex-Colored Man, you will submit 2 annotations here. Each should be a minimum of 250 words. They should include direct quotes from the essay (not from the novel) which represent key positions of the critics. The first is due by Dec. 8. The second is due by Dec. 9 (midnight). You should also provide at least one 1 response to a peer
34 Comments
august
12/5/2012 06:48:55 pm
First in Neil Brooks's essy "On Becoming an Ex-man" he discusses James Weldon Johnsons style of writing and how Johnsons idea of "'passing' as a white in Ameican society" (paagraph 1 Brooks) sets him apart form many other authors and essay writers and allows Johnson to "produce a text that can only be undestood through what it conceals, through the gaps and the unspoken". (paragraph 1 Brooks) Then Brooks goes on to say that when originally publishe Johnsons autobiography was considered by some to be a "vicious lie" and was also questioned and denounced as a way of living by many because "a black passing as a white was simply to many an impossiblity". (paragraph 2 Brooks) Brooks then says how throughout much of history in the Unitd States there has been evidenceof blacks being able to pass off as whites, especially in the 1920s and 1930s with "as many as 5 million americans 'passing'". (paragraph 9 Brooks) After which Brooks discusses the definition of being black or white in America and how it effecs peoples lives and is not only a physical issue but a psychological one where "'crossing the color line' as it was referred to--but rather to the physical manifestation of a psychological quest to understand oneself in a society where to be black was often not to have one consistent self, but to have a double self". (paragraph 12 Brooks) Then Brooks goes on to disuss the irony o Johnsons work and how the sens of mind relates closely to everyones lives. Brooks then discusses the line of Johnsons passing as a white man in America and how "In passing the narrator has chosen an existence where at any moment his every construct could be taken away from him". (paragraph 19 Brooks) After which Brooks talks of how a past master-slave society never forget and the meory is left in a kind of "double suspension". Later on Brooks discusses the ideas of identifying and naming in Johnons autobiogaphy and how it points toward the idea that "He passes as various things, but the passing itself becomes his story since he lacks any stable identity against which we can understand his masquerades". (paragraph 26 Brooks)
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Emily Y.
12/9/2012 06:00:06 am
I enjoyed your final quote usage, as well as how you utilized the historical essence of the piece to help demonstrate the overall intended purpose of the author. If I was to give you advice if you redid this I would merely say that perhaps using more word choice then the words then and after which. It only partially inhibited the credibility of your essay. Other then that you did a good job. :)
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Bradley
12/9/2012 06:14:37 am
Very interesting of your points august i like how you went into the vicious lie aspect of the piece in which he described that some didnt like to believe it was an autobiography. ironically those people found out that hey were right in the furture. also i liek how you used evidence of 5 million blacks are passing as whites. over all i liked it august
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Maddie B.
12/8/2012 02:46:38 am
Barnhart, Bruce. “Chronopolitics and race, rag-time and symphonic time in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” African American Review. Fall 2006. BNET.
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Cassidy Harless
12/9/2012 06:40:24 am
I think this is a nice concise annotation on Bruce Barnhart’s “Chronopolitics and race, rag-time and symphonic time in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” The way you changed your sentences up to better explain the authors purpose in each part of the essay helped me to better understand the way each point linked to the overall theme. The structure and diction of your sentences (examples being: “The author uses examples to further his argument”, “Barnhart then asserts that…” and “Barnhart also makes an interesting connection between”) flowed well and were more informative than using “And then the author…” repeatively. Also good job picking and choosing the quotes that best defined the core of the piece. Well done Maddie.
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Cassidy Harless
12/11/2012 06:17:32 am
I also liked how you drew a fluid connection between the author’s habits and lifestyle under the millionaire and the components of classical music (examining the tyrannizing of the narrator’s time” and the definition of classical music as standing for “a conception of time that revolves around necessity, calculability, and the expected.”) This is a key as well as unique point and though it expresses a complex issue is very understandable within your annotation.
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Cassidy Harless
12/8/2012 06:40:07 am
The Consequences of the Faded Color Line in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
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Emily Y.
12/10/2012 09:17:29 pm
I think you did a very good job Cassidy of enveloping all the critical elements within the essay. I especially appreciated how the points established within the essay here, are also somewhat established in some of the other essays and so is relatable to other essays.I liked your defintion of the color line.
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Jena
12/8/2012 10:46:34 pm
Greg Armistead categorizing people is a natural human tendency. Although it would be great if we all could get past looking at people by their outward appearance, it simply is not that easy and in reality, will not happen. Further, Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man depicts that even a negative factor can result from not being fully associated with one world; unable to appreciate either work fully. In paragraph two Armistead explains how Johnson isn’t afraid to speak about races, but with a sense of not belonging to either one. He states, “He does not hesitate to reveal his vision of racial America, continually asserting his beliefs involving white and black dynamics.” By the third and fourth paragraph Greg Armistead gives Johnson almost an alternative for not being tied to one race. Normally the ability to see both sides is viewed as a valued trait. However, the narrator proudly disassociates, so completely with both sides, he loses creditability for speaking about either one. Until he can fully accept and elate clearly to one race, he cannot understand either side enough to comment. “The Ex-Colored Man fails to attach himself to a race-a decision most have no say in-amounting to his ultimate and final feelings of despair.” The narrator’s identification for selfish reasons rather than a desire to know and appreciate the individual and what they stand for. Armistead concludes in the last paragraph by stating almost it might be a nice thought to not be “racist” but being a race gives us our own form of identity, in which to build other relationships.
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sonja
12/11/2012 04:51:30 am
I like how you started out right with the main point of the article. I think you did a very good job using the authors quotes to develop your point in your annotation. Good Job :)
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Maddie B.
12/8/2012 11:19:23 pm
Brooks, Neil. “On becoming an ex-man: Postmodern irony and the extinguishing certainties in the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” College Literature. October 1995. BNET.
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Jena (2nd)
12/8/2012 11:27:43 pm
Brooks, Neil opens his statement by explaining what others might critic Johnsons book on, by how the narrator is presented. He states that “this novel of “passing” cannot be fully explained by either “straight” or “ironic”,..” which most readers will categorize this book as. Neil starts with a brief discussion of what he means by stating the book is “passing” and then he will develop a model of postmodern irony that better explains each relationship of the narrator, author, and message. When Neil explains in his second paragraph of passing he indicated, “Narrative literature, by “fictionalizing” a very widespread activity, was the primary site of what little attention as accorded to a phenomenon nobody wanted to talk about.” Neil is saying that by almost hiding your self behind the narratives point of view becomes a political act of “speaking the unspoken”, but this will remain ineffective as social commentary by being merely placed as fictional. The word “impostor” is used directly to the author James Weldon Johnson, because of he’s writing and what he states as the goal to achieve in the beginning of his book, “modernist closure.” But in fact all he does by telling his life story of success, “he concludes with dissatisfaction fearing that he has sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.” Brooks, Neil is trying to state almost the question of Why.? Why would Johnson state his life long story in hopes of having closure but concluding it wasn’t worth it, “not just (an) imposer, but (an) imposer.” The characters are said to accept that society is wrong in its racist attitudes, they are “black pretending to be white”. Brooks concludes in explaining that with Johnson exposure of Ex-Colored Man autobiography didn’t ruin or “jeopardize the world he has built for himself because the story he narrates is largely a romanticized version.” Brooks Neil understands clearly that this novel does express a clear message concerning race and passing, but the irony and message of “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, must and will remain suspensive, irresolvable.”
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Mackenzie J.
12/9/2012 01:14:00 am
Brooks, Neil “On Becoming an Ex-Man: Postmodern Irony and the Extinguishing Certainties in the ‘Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man’.”
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Maddie B.
12/10/2012 10:05:23 pm
Mackenzie- Good job on discussing the issue of 'passing'. I found Brooks' discussion of the narrator's 'passing' in the book intriguing, especially his use of the word 'imposter', which implies that 'passing' as a white man while you are indeed, a black man, was wrong and not true to yourself.
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Jena
12/11/2012 01:33:22 am
I like the how you hit all the points of Brooks, Neil essay on The Ex- Colored Man. Showing how Brooks stated how the irony isnt the point of this novel, but rather someone who was signified and will eventually be a signifier. Good way of concluding your analysis on Brooks, Neil essay with an ending quote.
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Mackenzie J.
12/9/2012 03:01:39 am
Sheehy, John. “The Mirror and the Veil: The Passing Novel and the Quest for American
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August
12/11/2012 03:15:02 am
I feel as though you conveyed the overall purpose and theme of the essay very well, an you utilized the use of quotes for the better of your annotation. If i was to offer you some advice thought it would be that you further explain and develop your argument and the authors argument.
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Emily Y. ( submission 1)
12/9/2012 03:54:26 am
Barnhart, Bruce. “Chronopolitics and race, rag-time and symphonic time in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” African American Review. Fall 2006. BNET.
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Maddie B.
12/10/2012 09:55:47 pm
Emily- I found the 'master or friend' relationship between the millionaire and the narrator, as analyzed by Barnhart, an iteresting topic to focus on as well. You did a good job of expressing Barnhart's analysis and conclusion of the pair.
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Bradley i know your approving/reading this ms. moriconi
12/9/2012 04:53:14 am
Bradley Runyon
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Emily Y
12/9/2012 05:57:16 am
Brooks, Neil. “On becoming an ex-man: Postmodern irony and the extinguishing certainties in the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” College Literature. October 1995. BNET.
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Cassidy Harless
12/11/2012 06:09:33 am
I thought your annotation hit all the main ideas present in this piece and presented them well and concisely. I especially liked the way you described the irony that Brooks identified in your last few sentences. “The idea that he is lost between two races” and that this has actually caused him to “lose part of himself” very clearly defines the irony in this pieces and helped me to relate this idea to the irony and parody discussed in Goellnicht’s “Passing as Autobiography: James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” Well done Emily.
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Bradley
12/12/2012 03:22:26 am
I like how well you implemented the quotes. Every quote I feel was put in the proper time and gave power to your annotation. One thing I felt was missing was more quotes. Just kidding good job. I can't think of anything bad to say about this because I feel like this had a very nice flow and an informative assertive tone. You really knew what you were talking about good job
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Bradley #2 dont read this Ms. Moriconi oh to late..
12/9/2012 06:06:00 am
Bradley Runyon
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Cassidy Harless
12/9/2012 06:28:48 am
Goellnicht, Donald C. “Passing as autobiography: James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man.” African American Review. Spring 1996. BNET. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2838/is_n1_v30/ai_18372101/?tag=content;col1. 10 December 2009.
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Evan B
12/9/2012 05:52:52 pm
Brooks, Neil. “On becoming an ex-man: Postmodern irony and the extinguishing certainties in the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” College Literature. October 1995. BNET.
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Sonja
12/11/2012 04:55:18 am
I think you did a very good job here. I like the fact that you described what the author was trying to present with each quote you used in your annotation. I also like how you concluded your annotation. Great job.
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Mackenzie J.
12/11/2012 02:47:13 pm
You hit all the main points. I like how were able to easily sum it up in a sentence towards the end. ("Nevertheless, the false dichotomy encouraged by sociological misinterpretation is liable to cause much dismay to a “passer” who feels he must belong either to one race, or belongs to neither.")
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Evan b
12/9/2012 05:54:30 pm
Barnhart, Bruce. “Chronopolitics and race, rag-time and symphonic time in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” African American Review. Fall 2006. BNET.
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Jena
12/11/2012 01:42:55 am
Placing the two main positions Barnhart's expresses, music and time, is a good direction to begin about explaining his thoughts on The Ex- Colored Man. Going into depth of how the autobiography and Barnhart's examples of music and time relationship intertwine with each other is a strong valued argument to begin an essay on a major theme, in either music or time, that will relate to the novel.
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August
12/11/2012 03:06:37 am
First in Greg Armisteads essay "The Consequences of the Faded Color Line" it is discussed how "'race'itself is not a natural entity, rather a synthetic construct used to degrade certain peoples" (Armstead) and how society needs to break free from the bonds of race and ethnicity to liberate itself from a falsely created society. But Armstead also discusses and takes into account how "humanity sees through a shaded lens" and that the matter of race still defines the society we live in. Armstead then continues by explaining how "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" "transcend(s) the color barrier" (Armstead) and it allows the narrator to live in a biased society as neither a black or a white, but from one single event skews the narrators view and boldens the presence of a color line in American society. Then Armstead comments on the narrator in "Ex-Colored Man" and how the narrator since he has no definite racial title can easily express his opinions of racism in America, and how through simple observations he devalues the blacks as a people which even farther dissasociates himself from his black identity. Finally Armstead talks of the narrator in "Ex-Colored Man" and how he uses material possesion to dismiss himself from racial identification and blinds him to prejudices comitted such as when the texan and the southerner argue over race and the narrator admires the texan for not abandoning his principles. Which then Armstead says displaces the narrator and his ability to "defend one race and the effrontery to join another". (Armstead)
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Ryan
12/11/2012 03:13:07 am
In the “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”, Bruce Barnhart goes in detail of themes of the novel. He focuses on the use of Time. Bruce Barnhart starts in the middle of the novel, when the character is under control by a millionaire. The author uses examples to make his argument alot better like, including Johannes Fabian’s “Time and the Other”, James Weldon Johnson’s.
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Ryan
12/11/2012 04:09:51 am
In Neil Brooks's essay On Becoming an Ex man, Neil Brooks's says James Weldon Johnsons style of writing sets him apart from many other authors and essay writers. Then Brooks says that when publishes Johnsons autobiography, it was considered by some to be a lie and was also questioned as a way of living by many because blacks cannot pass as whites.
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Sonja
12/11/2012 06:11:00 am
Greg Armistead starts with stating Henry Louis Gates’ beliefs on race and “the great inability of society's members to overcome its long-held values and beliefs.” He then begins to introduce James Weldon Johnson's “The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man.” Armistead introduces the autobiography by giving a quick bio of the book. He then goes on to talk about the main character, he says, “Though externally shaping him as an unbiased (a traditionally positive attribute) individual.” Armstrong goes on to say that “The narrator is strikingly devoid of sentiment; he evaluates even the most epic of incidences in a numb, analytical fashion.” Stating that the narrator doesn’t really have much feeling as he is telling his story even though some of the things he is telling the audience are very moving and powerful. Armistead then goes into great detail about some of the things that the narrator goes through. And says this about him, “The Ex-Colored Man's starkly rational and unemotional nature prevents him from socially assimilating from boyhood through his adult years, culminating in a disembodied fugue that leaves him with a want for that racial identification.” The author ends his article by saying that the ex-colored man “ is left an ordinary, ethnically ambiguous man regretting an identity lost and a society that forced him to choose.”
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