The Veil, And Double Consciousness - 1154 Words

Tesla Teed The Americas Professor Barbara Morris 29 February 2015 Zora Neale Hurston, the Veil, and Double Consciousness â€Å"How It Feels to Be Colored Me† is an essay written in 1928 by Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most prominent writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Her essay replies to and attempts to deconstruct two concepts from an equally prominent Harlem Renaissance writer’s novel, W.E.B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folk. These concepts are â€Å"the veil† and â€Å"double consciousness†. Even though she does recognize the existence of the veil and double consciousness, Zora claims that she doesn’t feel a â€Å"warring of two souls† between her blackness and Americanness, and instead, she expresses her refusal to be defined by any single aspect of her identity, and asserts her individualism as being more salient than any racial or national ties. The notion of becoming conscious of race is presented early in the essay, as Hurston recounts her childhood in Florida. Hurston describes growing up in Eatonville, Florida, an â€Å"exclusively†¦ colored town†, save for white tourists. She depicts reveling in the spotlight of her front porch, telling jokes, greeting people, and entertaining. She perceived almost no difference between herself and the white travelers except that â€Å"they rode through the town and never lived there†. However, upon leaving Eatonville and moving to Jacksonville, Hurston’s race becomes the fundamental aspect of her perceived identity: When I disembarked from the riverboat atShow MoreRelatedHow The Veil And Double Consciousness989 Words   |  4 Pagesworld to sociological theories such as the veil and double consciousness. This analysis of the racial consciousness of athletes is based upon DuBois s works. In this research, I will provide examples of how the Veil and Double Consciousness theories play out in current professional sports. Dubois understood what it meant to be a black man. Yet, individuals would find it hard to walk a mile in those shoes. The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in thisRead MoreHow The Veil And Double Consciousness Theory1590 Words   |  7 Pagesintroduced the world to sociological theories such as the veil and double consciousness. In this analysis, I will provide examples of how the Veil and Double Consciousness theories contribute to today’s society by observing professional black athletes. Dubois understood what it meant to be a black man having to identify with two mindsets. Yet, individuals would find it hard to walk a mile in those shoes. â€Å"The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American worldRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Double Consciousness And The Veil Du Bois1260 Words   |  6 Pagesaffected many lives. Theses marks Du Bois left on this world were not only monumental because of his progressive beliefs, but because he belonged to a group enveloped in prejudice, racism and second-rate social location. In his essay, Double Consciousness and the Veil, Du Bois discusses what it is like to be a Negro in the early 1900s (Du Bois). Using poetry, personal accounts, and historical facts to support what it is like to be a problem in America or a Negro, Du Bois constructs a solid argumentRead MoreDu Bois’s Concepts of the Color Line, the Veil, and Double Consciousness1280 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States , when racism was one of the biggest concerns.   He believed that â€Å"the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line (pg 347). Du Bois introduced us to the concept of life, or in other words â€Å"the veil†, which eventually led to â€Å"double consciousness†, which he explained as seeing yourself through others’ eyes.      Du Bois concept of the â€Å"color line† is very fascinating to me, because it talks about the collective/rational, collective/nonrational, and individual/nonrationalRead MoreEssay on Double-Consciousness in Audre Lorde’s Coal1641 Words   |  7 PagesDouble-Consciousness in Audre Lorde’s â€Å"Coal† There is a double-consciousness, according to W.E Burghardt Du Bois, in which we view ourselves through a veil. Underneath of this veil is the true self. The person that we are in our purest state. The veil itself, however, is how society sees us and our realization of that projection. Looking in a mirror, both layers can be seen. However, the true self is still covered, muddled, unclear beneath the sheer outer shell of expectation. In her poem â€Å"Coal†Read MoreBlack Folk Analysis On The Double Consciousness Theory Essay908 Words   |  4 Pages Re-examining W.E.B Du Bois’ Souls of Black Folk analysis on the double consciousness theory INTRODUCTION: In 1903 the brilliant historican and sociologist W.E.B Du Bois’ introduced his theory known as the Double-Conciousness in Souls of Black Folk Bois provides his readers with insight on the treatment of people of color, and supports this notion by giving personal examples of his experiences. He writes with the hope that many will understand the diffculty of having to be obtain two personalitiesRead MoreThe Double Consciousness Of African Americans905 Words   |  4 PagesThe Double Consciousness of African-Americans Envision that you live in a place where you feel like you belong there, but because on the outside you look different the majority resents you. The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B. Du Bois written in 1903 consists of a collection of short essays that convey the important aspects of African-American history. Throughout the novel there are two main themes. One is that African-American’s lived and experienced moments from behind a veil, and the other isRead More W.E.B. DuBois The Souls of Black Folk Essay674 Words   |  3 Pagesof a veil between the blacks and the whites in his society. He constructs the concept of a double-consciousness, wherein a black person has two identities as two completely separate individuals, in order to demonstrate the fallacy of these opinions. J.S. Mill also describes a certain fallacy in his own freedom of thought, a general conception of individuals that allows them to accept something similar to DuBois’ double-consciousness and perpetuates the existence of the veil. DuBois’ double-consciousnessRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Long Black Song By Richard Wright1531 Words   |  7 Pages W.E.B Du Bois makes points of having a double consciousness and being behind a veil. While Booker T. Washington points out that there is a dignity to be found in fruits from labor. In the reading of â€Å"Long Black Song,† by Richard Wright, he uses both of these points in his text to make the story come alive. Although, creatively both Du Bois and Washington’s points can be found hidden within the text; it is clear within this short story that Wright leaned to agree more with Du Bois points than heRead MoreKarl Marx s The Soul Of Black Folks 947 Words   |  4 Pagesto African Americans worldwide (Ritzer and Stepnisky 2013). The veil is a famous theory that Du Bois created. The veil represents the division of blacks and whites. In addition to that, it is clear and narrow that allows both sides to see each other. According to Farganis (2011:149), â€Å"Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world-a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other