Select 1 of the two poems by Johnson ("Life Every Voice and Sing" or "Brothers") and discuss how they create parallels with themes discussed in the novel. Use specific support from both novel and poem/song. 200 words.
23 Comments
Julia B.
12/2/2013 02:23:22 am
Burning at the stake was very common in 18th century in the South. Burning at the stake was usually done in a public space with a crowd there to watch or mock the victim; the victim was African American. Even though they were out of slavery, they were still being tortured by the whites. In the Ex-Colored Man, the main character finds himself in a scene that he will never forget. A man was about to be burned alive. "There he stood, a man only in form and stature, every sign of degeneracy stamped upon his countenance. His eyes were dull and vacant, indicating not a single ray of thought. evidently the realization of his fearful fate had robbed him of whatever reasoning power he had ever possessed. He was too stunned and stupefied even to tremble. Fuel was brought from everywhere, oil, the torch; the flames crouched for an instant as though as to gather strength, then leaped up as high as their victim's head. He squirmed, he writhed, strained at his chains, then gave out cries and groans that I shall always hear" (88). This description of the scene is almost showing pity and sadness toward the victim. The poem, Brothers, on the other hand has a different view point on this matter. "And now the torch! Good fuel that! the flames already leap head-high. Ha! hear that shriek!" The use of the 'Ha' and the multiple exclamation marks indicate that the speaker is excited and happy that the victim is being agonized; he finds joy in the victim's pain.
Reply
Conner Brown
12/3/2013 01:29:20 am
James Walden Johnson authored both Ex-Colored Man and Lift Every Voice and Sing; in result, the two works draw some important parallel themes; specifically, Shiny's speech and the Doctor's discussion.
Reply
Angelique K.
12/3/2013 01:48:05 am
In “The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man” written by James Weldon Johnson the narrator experiences the burning of a fellow African American, the narrator was shocked and disgusted that humans could treat each other in such a horrible manner. James Weldon Johnson was also the author of a poem known as “Brother” this poem is actually the voice of the black man being burned in his novel; the poem creates a dialog between the black man and the white man who is going to burn the black man alive. The poem is connected to the book through the use of parallelism; the same themes are presented in both. In the poem the white man says, “Speak, man! – We call you man because you wear his shape,” this implies that the people don’t find him worthy of being but since he looks like one they will call him one (Johnson Line 7). While reading the book the reader stumbles upon a parallel structure, “There he stood a man only in form and stature, every sign of degeneracy stamped upon his countenance” this statement is very similar to that found in the poem the man was no longer viewed as a man, he only looked like on (Johnson 88). The line from the poem is very similar to that from the book, through the use of parallel structures the poem and the book become connected to each other. Another use of parallel structures can be found when Johnson describes the crowd’s reaction to the burning in the poem, he states, “Ha! Hear that shriek! And there’s another! Wilder than the first” some people in the crowd were overjoyed by the burning of this man (Johnson Line 53). Reading the novel a similar line is found, “Some of the crowd yelled and cheered, others seemed appalled at what they had done, and there were those who turned away sickened at the sight” again a parallel structure is found, because the poem and the book both explain the burning in a very similar manner, in both instances the crowd had similar reactions, people all felt very differently about the burning of a human (Johnson 88). Johnson obviously was very shocked by this whole burning experience, that is why he explains it in great detail in the book and then he wrote a poem about it, this event really left an impression on Johnson, and he will never forget it.
Reply
Yahaira S.
12/3/2013 03:42:58 am
The poem Brothers and the description of the man being burned alive in the novel go hand in hand. In both selections, the idea of dehumanizing African Americans is prominent. From the poem it says “We call you man because you wear His shape,--How are you thus?” This statement basically says that black people do look human, but because they don't like traditional Anglo-Saxons, they will not be treated as so. There are countless of examples like this is the novel, such as the narrator saying “He is forced to take his outlook on all things, not from the viewpoint of a citizen, or a man, or even a human being, but from the viewpoint of a colored man” (14).
Reply
Cj W.
12/3/2013 04:19:29 am
Upon reading “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” by James Weldon Johnson, the author goes over minor to major racial situations that he has experienced throughout his life. Perhaps, one of the most intriguing and ghastly endeavors that the author went through was witnessing the lynching of an innocent Black man in a town that he was temporarily visiting for a couple of days. During his stay, Johnson hears a rumor that someone in the town has committed murder and rape. He describes a group of white men when hearing the news, stating, “There was no extra noise or excitement, no loud talking, only swift, sharp words of command given by those who seemed to be accepted as leaders by mutual understanding.” The group of men quickly augmented into a mob who brought forth a young Black man, his hand and feet were tied and he was captured and carried on a horse to the center of a circle. Johnson writes “Have you ever witnessed the transformation of human beings into savage beasts? Nothing can be more terrible”. As time continued on, they got a chain and then proceeded to tie the man onto the stake, until he was helplessly secured. “His eyes were dull and vacant, indicating not a single ray of thought. Evidently the realization of his fearful fate had robbed him of whatever reasoning power he had ever possessed.” Suddenly, fuel was brought from everywhere and lit to the stake, eventually launching onto the Black man, “. The cries and groans were choked off by the fire and smoke.” After this cruel ritual was finally over, the author is in a state of complete and utter shock. Johnson writes “Before I could make myself believe that what I saw was really happening, I was looking at a scorched post, a smoldering fire, blackened bones, charred fragments sifting down through coils of a chain, and the smell of burnt flesh---human flesh—was in my nostrils.” Although this was a very traumatic experience, Johnson doesn’t really give us the dialogue and detail between the Black man’s last words and the words that the angry white mob exchanged before the lynching. However, Johnson later on composed his own poem entitled “Brothers” that would fill the readers in on that tragic night in additional detail. Johnson voices through both the White man and the Black Man’s dialogue; he starts with the White man saying “Look in his eye! No light is there; none, save the glint that shines in the now glaring, and now shifting orbs of some wild animal caught in the hunter’s trap.” This varies with Johnson’s view of the Black man eyes showing a sense of hopelessness and defeat. Johnson also talks through the White man asking the Black man “Are you not from that more docile, child-like, tender-hearted race which we have known for three centuries?” The Black man responds to this stereotype saying “I am, and am not.” he also later says “I claim no race, no race claims me. I am no more than human dregs; degenerate; the monstrous offspring of the monster”. As the Black man preaches on, he is abruptly interrupted by the White man who screams “Enough, the brute must die! Quick! Chain him to that oak! It will resist the fire much longer than this slender pine.” However, even after all that has transpired, the most compelling part is when the White man, after burning the Black man asks “ What did he mean by those last muttered words, “Brothers in spirit, brother indeed are we”? This last sentence of the poem expressed the theme of not only the poem, but of “The Ex-Colored Man’s” autobiography as well. The theme that no matter how much superiority whites believe that they have over another race, at the end of the day we all are the same person. We breathe the same air, have the same feelings, and all go through similar experiences in life, and because of this, no one should ever be ostracized and especially not punished as a result of something as minor as he color of one’s skin.
Reply
Molly R
12/3/2013 05:08:53 am
James Weldon Johnson wrote many novels and poems about the civil rights movement. In these he expressed a paralleling viewpoint that shaped his overall perspective on the subject. In his The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” he reflects different plot points from the novel into his poem. For example, the first stanza projects this theme of hope. Johnson uses more imperative sentences/phrases that tell the reader to, “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us/ Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us” (7-8) or to “march on till victory is won” (10) this can be directly compared to and reflected in the narrator’s emotions while listening to Shiny’s speech, in the novel. While listening to Shiny’s speech, the narrator starts to want to, “bring glory and honor to the Negro race” (21); the narrator feels a hopeful and goes on to talk to his mother about what a great man he’s going to become. Before this, the narrator felt that being Negro was a disadvantage, but after hearing Shiny’s speech the narrator is urged to be great in light of his race and, to an extent, life his voice and sing.
Reply
Sarah P.
12/3/2013 05:19:48 am
The poem “Brothers” and the novel “The Ex Colored Man” bring not only a similar event to the table, but include a common theme between the two pieces. The two occurrences were clearly about a lynching. The poem goes to explain a scenario in which a white man is speaking to a black man, and before the black man is finished speaking, he interrupts him by initiating his ‘lynching’. In “The Ex Colored Man” the man is abruptly and cruelly chained and burned. The main idea or theme that creates such a tight correlation between the two pieces is the ‘Savage White Man’. Throughout “The Ex Colored Man” we have experienced a bit of prejudice and unkindness, I guess you could say, but we haven’t exactly encountered them as a brutally violent and inhumane race. The Narrator’s reaction versus some of the other spectators’ reactions really portrays the true brutality of the situation. “Some of the crowd yelled and cheered” while he “stood, powerless to take [his] eyes from what [he] did not want to see” (88). In “Brothers” the white people show no emotion or reaction toward this occasion. They were told to go “back to their wives and children” (Brothers). To have the ability to return to one’s everyday life after experience something so agonizing shows nothing other ruthlessness of the white race.
Reply
Trey C.
12/3/2013 11:47:14 pm
When comparing Johnson's poem "Brothers" with parts of his novel "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," it becomes increasingly apparent that both have to do with the image of black men according to white men. The view occupied by many Southern whites towards blacks at the time the novel and poem were written is also occupied by the Texan cotton planter in the novel, who said that blacks were inferior to whites because: "That's the law of nature; and he's bound to go to the wall; for no race in the world has ever been able to stand competition with the Anglo-Saxon." The same view of the natural inferiority of colored people is held by the lynch mob in the poem. Speaking of the black man they were about to burn, they said: "Is he not more like brute than man? Look in his eyes! No light is there; none, save the glint that shines in the now glaring and shifting orbs of some wild animal caught in the hunter's trap." Both of these perspectives are reflections of the supposed 'great and impassible gulf fixed by the Creator at the foundation of the world,' between whites and blacks mentioned in the novel. No less important is the sense of irony that both the novel and poem share on the matter, in that calling the black man a savage they commit hypocrisy by the savage act they perpetrate in burning him alive. This act is described in detail by the poem: "Quick! Chain him to that oak! It will resist the fire much longer than this slender pine. Now bring the fuel! Pile it around him! Wait! Pile not so fast or high! or we shall lose the agony and terror in his face. And now the torch! ...Ha! hear that shriek! And there's another! Wilder than the first." The burning then creates an effect in the mob that the novel likens to "...an electric current." and goes on to say "Have you ever witnessed the transformation of human beings into savage beasts? Nothing can be more terrible." Indeed, the reason why such an ignoble act could be considered just is all because of that one belief that colored people are simply bound to it by nature.
Reply
beau
12/4/2013 05:13:58 am
The poem “Brothers” and the novel “The Ex Colored Man”, are very similar in their meanings as well as their subjects. The main subject brought up in both pieces is the terror or lynching. In the novel, rather than lynching the possible innocent man, they burn him alive, “The cries and groans were choked off by the fire and smoke"(88). The accusations did not have, nor at the time need a full investigation, the prosecutors took the suspect and without any further adieu burned the poor man alive. In the poem a black man is lynched, as the white man stands beside without emotion or any sort of reaction. To burn a man alive hearing his agonizing, and terrifying screams without showing any sort of sympathy is almost inhuman, and downright wrong.
Reply
Jurrien A.
12/4/2013 05:55:56 am
In "The Diary of an Ex-Colored Man" by James Weldon Johnson there is an allusion to a poem written by the same author titled "Brothers". The allusion is an entire scene based on the poem in which a colored individual is burned alive at the stake (Railroad tie). In the book the detail of the burning/lynching was less visceral than in the poem, the book also seems to have an air of anonymity to the character of the person burned, the poem gives him some dialogue which deeper explores his psyche. Regardless of the piece the common theme is the savagery of the white man who could turn from a "civilized" individual into an absolute beast. From the book- "There he stood, a man only in form and stature, every sign of degeneracy stamped upon his countenance. His eyes were dull and vacant, indicating not a single ray of thought. evidently the realization of his fearful fate had robbed him of whatever reasoning power he had ever possessed. He was too stunned and stupefied even to tremble. Fuel was brought from everywhere, oil, the torch; the flames crouched for an instant as though as to gather strength, then leaped up as high as their victim's head. He squirmed, he writhed, strained at his chains, then gave out cries and groans that I shall always hear" (88). From the poem "And now the torch! Good fuel that! the flames already leap head-high. Ha! hear that shriek!". One can easily deduce from a scant analysis that the white man is portrayed more barbarous in the poem, the poem also however fleshes out as to what happens after the burning as opposed to in the book where the narrator reacts in utter disgust. Throughout The Diary of an Ex-Colored man the theme of the "white savage" only applies in a few minor cases as more often than not most whites seem apathetic about the blacks around them. Thus the portrayal of whites in both of the pieces can be viewed as drastically different as the book tends to flesh out the many different opinions of the whites towards blacks and the poem is rather a snapshot of a scene if you will.The title of the poem itself is rather eponymous with another present theme in the poem; humanity regardless of race; we are different but similar. "Brothers in spirit, brother indeed are we?" Asks the head lyncher after the deed is done. The idea of racial identity is very prevalent throughout the book, more so than the poem because the poem is well... short compared to the book. Regardless of what, these are some common themes both pieces share.
Reply
Georgie P
12/4/2013 09:43:40 pm
In the last three stanzas of Johnson’s poem ‘Brothers’, Johnson produces a dramatic monologue of which he provides instructions of how to ‘chain’ a man ‘to that oak’ due to the belief that the black man or ‘the brute must die’. He is referencing lynching. In most of the cases from the time period of which the poem and the novel ‘An Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man’ was released, lynching’s were racially motivated attacks from which there didn’t have to be evidence and a judicial court in order to enforce the punishment. They were, effectively, murders in order to witness the individual ‘squirm’ and ‘groan’ and watch their ‘eyes bulge wildly out’. This theme is paralleled in the novel in the scene where the unsuspecting narrator witnesses a criminal being burned at the stake. He his horrified at what he finds; ‘his eyes bulging from their sockets… appealing in vain for help.’ (88) and ‘a scorched post, a smoldering fire, blackened bones… the smell of burnt flesh – human flesh – was in [his] nostrils’ (88). The themes are significant to Johnson because they don’t merely evoke questions based around the race question – are black people being unfairly criminalized? Are the burnings racially motivated? It also evokes questions based on human nature, as well. Are, as humans, we all fundamentally good? Do we all thirst for revenge?
Reply
Bethany Balentine
12/5/2013 01:46:21 am
The Poem “Brothers” closely relates with a section in the novel “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”. Page 88 of this novel includes descriptions that closely coincide with ones of the poem. Both texts describe the burning of a negro man on the stake, while others, white and black, watch closely in horror. The white man describes “How came this beast in human shape and form?”(stanza 2) which closely relates to “Have you ever witnessed the transformation of human beings into savage beasts?”(88) The words themselves is what the white man describes the negro to be. On the other hand, the negro describes what the negro does for the white man. “The race that fed your wives and nursed your babes would do the same to-day, but I-”(stanza 7) which closely relates to “I could understand why negroes are led to sympathize with even their worst criminals, and to protect them when possible.”(88) These statements are true, because even though white race does not appreciate the blacks, the blacks are still working for them and raising their children and home as well.
Reply
Darel M.
12/5/2013 04:33:35 am
The poem Brothers and the burning man part of the novel both have very unique similarities that show the parallelism in both pieces. The treatments that African Americans received in this time period were very noticeable. Trying to make the African American feel like nothing is displayed in both pieces. From the poem it says “We call you man because you wear His shape,--How are you thus?” This statement shows that they are human but are not the “dominant” race, so they decide to treat them like animals, which is very cruel. When you read them, you notice a wide use of imagery. The man being burned alive is most likely the image your get in your mind. The poem though has a more detailed visual of the burning than the novel. “Others seemed appalled at what they had done, and there were those who turned away, sickened at the sight” (88). This tells us how some people were reacting to the burning, in the novel. In the poem, people showed more cruelty. They person portraying the burning told people “Now bring the fuel! Pile it 'round him! Wait! Pile it not so fast or high! Or we shall lose the agony and terror on his face.”
Reply
Maurie
12/5/2013 08:12:44 am
Between the poem, “Brothers” and the Novel, “Ex-Colored Man,” lynching is occurring. In the poem, there are many different spectators, but during the lynching, a man stands there watching this event, emotionless, this shows a lot about the white race, as if the white race is just a ruthless coldhearted population. During the novel, this is a very surprising time for the narrator. The narrator walks into a situation, where he sees lynching for the first time and smells the burning flesh. “’Burn him!’ it ran like an electric current.” The narrator eventually had to sit down after witnessing a lynching. These two pieces obviously both have a similar theme. In the novel the book talks about human savages, while the poem uses bugs metaphorically.
Reply
Raegan Cross
12/5/2013 11:54:21 pm
Johnson uses both Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and poetry to present the atrocity of lynching. The difference between them is the depth and personal experience of the speakers. In “Brothers”, Johnson uses the first-person to give an extended metaphorical account of the victim of a lynching, where the speaker describes himself as the “bitter fruit [of] planted seed/ the resultant, the inevitable end/ of evil forces and the powers of wrong”. Johnson goes on the flip the perspective to that of the oppressor, the white man responsible for the lynching. He creates a villain of the white man by using him to describe in detail the lynching, using phrases like “And now the torch! Good fuel that! The flames/ Already leap head-high. Ha! Hear that shriek!”.
Reply
Tasha Snider
12/6/2013 06:19:32 am
Burning people at the stake was something that was very common and Johnson writes about this situation in both his poetry and in his novel. Both of the depictions of the scene show the awfulness of it, but the poetry allows the victim the chance to talk. There he stood, a man only in form and stature... His eyes were dull and vacant, indicating not a single ray of thought. evidently the realization of his fearful fate had robbed him of whatever reasoning power he had ever possessed... Fuel was brought from everywhere, oil, the torch; the flames crouched for an instant as though as to gather strength, then leaped up as high as their victim's head. He squirmed, he writhed, strained at his chains, then gave out cries and groans that I shall always hear (88). This longer passage shows the depiction that was present in the novel of the vacant eyes. The eyes are also mentioned in the poem:
Reply
rachelp
12/6/2013 07:03:49 am
In order for the African American race to obtain civil rights in the Unites States they were forced to overcome racial and legal barriers, placed by the white man. Hope was essential for the African America movement towards civil rights and equality. Understanding the significance of hope in the racial struggle, James Weldon Johnson forms hope as a theme in both The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and in his poem, Lift Every Voice and Sing. In this particular poem Johnson combines the theme of music in daily life with that of hope when saying “sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us … let us march on till victory is won”. Johnson feels that in present time black people do have a lot to be hopeful about. In The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man he shows promise in the speech of a young boy named “Shiny”. This particular character is one that can successfully represent the black man because he is so well-spoken and educated. Shiny “bore the weight and responsibility of his race; that for him to fail meant general defeat; but he won, and nobly,” (20) making all Africans in attendance proud and proving himself to the white people in the audience. African Americas like Shiny in the novel are the type of people that inspire other hopeful individuals to make a good name for the African race. For example the narrator in the novel feels encouraged to pursue music in order to also glorify his race. Johnson makes it clear that hope is important in both of his works, claiming that to progress, this hopeful outlook is necessary. He mixes up and strengthens his argument by adding in additional themes such as the importance of music.
Reply
stephen
12/6/2013 07:33:34 am
James Weldon Johnson had many similarities, many parallels between his novel “Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” and his poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. The first section of the poem focuses on “marching on towards victory”, or in other words continuing onward in order to secure improved rights, now that the “new day” has begun, and slavery has been abolished. The entirety of the book is about the protagonist attempting to come to terms with his color and make a difference for his race.
Reply
Daniel C.
12/6/2013 08:43:13 am
There are similar themes discussed in the novel “The Autobiography of An Ex-Colored Man” and the poem “Brothers.” In the poem, a white man in having a conversation with an African American and suddenly the person is lynched. In the novel, the narrator is in the south and experiences his first lynching and witnesses how terrible people can be. The narrator was someone who had a human like perspective and was totally mind blown as how people could watch this happen. Both the poem and novel display how inhuman and brutal the human race can be. Both the poem and novel describe the eyes of the victim as “dull”, “vacant”, “bulge”; but that didn’t stop them. Lastly in the poem they describe the victim’s cries for help as “hear that shriek, he groans.” To be able to do something heartless and the next day be as normal as you were two days ago is just completely mind blowing.
Reply
Angela B.
12/7/2013 01:39:18 am
In both Douglass’ writings “Brothers” and “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”, the writer discusses different themes, one of which includes describing the unequal treatment of colored people bringing burning at the stake as an example. The happening in the book is seen through the point of view of a person in the crowd, while the story in the poem is seen through the man being burned, bringing up more details and making it more personal. The man on the stake, feeling the pain, shows the event from the most inhumane side, talking how the man, supporting the burning and cheering for it: “Good fuel that! The flames already leap head-high. Ha! Hear that shriek!” was feeling happy and enjoying the suffering. Description of the scene of “blackened bones, charred fragments shifting down through coils of chain, ant the smell of burnt flesh- human flesh,” (88) creates a picture of the barbarity and terrific occurring. Both of these writings show and describe the inhumaneness and feelings of people that are involved.
Reply
Ryan M
12/7/2013 04:47:16 pm
The poem “Brothers” and the novel “The Ex Colored Man”, are very similar. The main subject in both pieces is the terror. In the novel, rather than lynching the innocent man, they burn him alive, “The cries and groans were choked off by the fire and smoke"(88). They did not have the time needed for a whole investigation, the prosecutors took the suspect and just burned the man alive. In the poem a black man is the one being terrorized and the white man as no reaction or emotion. To burn a man alive hearing his agonizing, screams without showing any sort of sympathy just wrong on the part of the white man.
Reply
Hope
12/8/2013 04:58:07 am
In his novel, ‘The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man’, James Weldon Johnson describes the narrator witnessing a very brutal lynching that parallels closely with the poem, ‘Brothers’. ‘Brothers’ depicts the same type of event, though in a different form of writing and with a few minor differences. In both versions of the event the victim is described with dull eyes, as if he has truly lost all hope. He is treated in a less than animalistic way by his tormentors. In both versions the victim is eventually burned at a stake and is forced to endure the pain as “he squirms, he groans, his eyes bulging wildly out, searching around in vain appeal for help”. At this point in the novel the narrator is thoroughly sickened by what he sees, as well as some members of the mob who “seemed appalled at what they had done, and there were those who turned away sickened at the sight”. Johnson, by including this part in his novel, gives even more proof of the brutality that was unfairly focused on blacks at the time especially when he adds that even animals would not be treated in such a way.
Reply
Buse D.
12/11/2013 04:00:54 am
The poem “Brothers” and the novel “The Ex Colored Man” have very similar themes. In both pieces the subjects are the terror and dehumanizing African Americans. In the poem there is a dialogue between an African American man and a white man who is going to burn the African American man alive. The poem is written from the point of view of the African American man who suffers while the event in the book is written from a person who observes it all. In the poem the white man says: “Speak, man! – We call you man because you wear his shape.'' (Johnson 7) There is a similar phrase in the book: ''“There he stood a man only in form and stature, every sign of degeneracy stamped upon his countenance” (Johnson 88). This statement means that the African American looks like a human but he isn't viewed as the ''main'' race.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
August 2015
Categories |
|