2. What is it that the villagers fear from this stranger? What impact does being a stranger in the village have on James Baldwin?
3. In Baldwins opinion, what is this idea of "the black mask"? What is the mask concealing? How does this notion of the mask bring about the idea of black identity?
4. Do we still see these themes (racism, prejudice, and discrimination) presented in the essay in today's society? If so how?
From Shaindy:
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of this quote is as follows. People sometimes experience life through the limits of history. Meaning that they let their past determines how they interact
with their surroundings. This in turn leads to them repeating history, thus trapping it inside themselves. By becoming so absorbed in their history and the past they cannot move forward.
I think one example of this in the text is when Baldwin talks of his reaction to the children sometimes shouting at his approach (162). They do not mean to offend him. They are just unable
to contain their excitement and yet at times he cannot help but feel "sour" and angry. The words they often shout to him make him recall moments of pain and despair. He becomes trapped in
his history unable to summon a smile which might lead to the children taking offense which in turn will perpetuate the cycle of misunderstandings. History will repeat itself because we are so
involved in reliving it. At least that is what I think.
Armando writes:
ReplyDeleteAccording to Baldwin, the idea of the "black mask" is that the identity of the black man is concealed. Unlike the white man, whose identity we can see due to his clear skin, the black man's identity remains a mystery. People often associate darkness with mystery, and so the black man remains a mystery due to his dark skin. The black man's identity is a mystery that was of interest to the white man.