Assimilation: The state of being absorbed into something, experience, information, etc or absorbing one cultural within another cultural group.
Do you ever think about how you walk around school and find that everyone either talks the same or dresses the same? Would that be considered assimilation? Absorbed by the people around you, something or being absorbed by the information you are being fed. Assimilation can be both positive and negative. Positive when the information and experiences are positive but vice versa when it’s understood the wrong way.
I do not believe in religion, I never really did. Truthfully because I did not understand how people worshipped a different God or figure, that always figured. Therefore, I am unique, I am not religious however, I am a firm believer and follower of Christ. Anyone can take that information and look at me differently because I do not believe in religion. That is assimilation in a negative way.
Invisible Man identifies a character that is engrossed into a community where he goes through the state of assimilation. Establishing that he is invisible reveals that he would not encounter anyone or be involved in any experiences that would make him different. When the narrator joins the Brotherhood, they took his experiences and qualities and absorbed him into their ‘mastermind’. Giving speeches and fleeing the city to support causes that had nothing to do with the Brotherhood. Potentially blinding him into believing that the Brotherhood is for the better. What they needed was more black men so the community would always be on their side. Which relates back to how Dr.Bledsoe his masked in the best judgement of white people instead of standing up for his own race. Seems as though everyone in this novel was assimilated into the white world and believing that they have no important role in it because they are black. This brings up the theme colliding cultures because assimilating is the state of absorbing one cultural within another culture.
Being assimilated into a white community is also revealed in Native Son. I feel as though nobody really caught on to how the newspaper media played an important role in Bigger’s demise. Yes, he was already doomed from the beginning, but doesn’t it seem as though the newspaper media blew things out of proportion? Which led to the point where the justice system was assimilated into the opinion of the media instead of their own evidence and judgement. During the inquest of Bigger Thomas, the news reports on what happens during the inquest and they discuss his upbringing down South. The purpose of the article is to strike fear in the readers that they should fear black people like Bigger Thomas. The reporter quotes an editor of a southern newspaper who suggests “residential segregation is imperative…to keep them as much as possible out of direct contact with white women and lessens there attacks against them” (355). Bigger Thomas is used as an example to continue segregation based on race. The killings suggest that black people should not encounter white people simply to keep peace. Because Bigger killed a white woman, the black community is penalized for his actions. The newspaper judges Bigger before the trial begins making his situation worse.
Assimilation: The state of being absorbed into something, experience, information, etc or absorbing one cultural within another cultural group.
This essential question had really stuck with me after we first talked about it in class because it seemed as if I was the only one who wasn't familiar with the term assimilation. Once I looked it up, I found the idea of cultures mixing together very interesting. I absolutely love how you gave several examples of real life situations in order to make your point clear. Referring to school culture is an excellent way to get student readers engaged in what you have to say. I also think it's great that you reflected on both Invisible Man and Native Son.
ReplyDeleteI love how you inlcude both Invisible Man and Native son in your response. Also, your idea with the influence of the media toward the justice system allow me to view the relationship between those two from a different point of view. This essential question connects to my personal experience. When you mentioned assimilation in school, my mind came across with students common attire in our school, which includes infinite scarf and different kinds of Sperrys'. However, it is assimilation that give me an opportunity to know different types of infinite scarf and Sperrys' . After I graduate from high school, I believe I will still wear infinite scarf and Sperrys'. Similarly, my assimilation to American culture opens types of opportunities. Through assimilation, I learned about the American spirit. In my country, everyone is very busy and many of them are self-orientated and adamant. It was not until I came here that I realize I need to start acknowledging the beauty of nature and life, instead of focusing on my grades and extracurricular activities. To me, the experience of assimilation is positive, unlike the protagonists' experience in Native Son and Invisible Man.
ReplyDeleteI like that you chose to tackle the question that was little more challenging than the rest. The question about the effects of assimilation on identity and culture seemed to be the unique question out of the ones we got. I was honestly just glad you took the risk with this question! Anyways, I liked the references to cultures in school and how that effects who we are. I know I often find myself following the currents with other students- wearing what they wear and saying what they say. For me, it's not much that I want to fit in, but everything just sort of grows on me. It's almost like an accent. My sister has picked up a light southern accent since she started college in Virginia, but that was inherent. I also enjoyed that you discussed both "Native Son" and "Invisible Man," as it added almost a comparison element to your post. I wish you had paired the two novels a little more and drew up similarities and differences in the way they portray assimilation. Nonetheless, great post!
ReplyDeleteUnlike most of our classmates, I love how you incorporated both Invisible Man and Native Son in your response. This really shows how much effort you put into this post. When I got this essential question, I had no clue what assimilation was and when we got this blog post assignment, I wanted to steer clear from this question. I am glad that you decided to choose this question because it not only brought up something new for me to read, but it also brought on a new perspective of both novels.
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