Blacks to Apes

 In the past, many held strong the ideologies of Polygenism (the theory that the human races are of different species)as concrete evidence of the reason for many tribes. During the late 17^th century Men like Edward Long, Samuel Morton, Josiah Nott and George Glidden created convincing notions to support the claim of various lineages.  One such example of their attempts fall in a book written by Nott and Glidden, and included images from Samuel Morton, which really stirred the beliefs of people in those days.  In their book, ‘Types of Mankind’, Nott and Glidden presented research papers which suggested that whites and blacks were not of the same species, nor were the Egyptians rulers of old times Africans, because of their capabilities.  Although the book’s original intent was to rationalize Slavery so that slave owners could have more freedom in their course of work, it grew into a theory that demonstrated distinct origins between blacks and whites, drawing grave similarities in black people and apes.

Similarly, Edward long produced a book called ‘History of Jamaica’, through which he fortified his claim of polygeny and racial hierarchy.  Like Nott and Glidden, but to a greater extent, Long compared Black people to animals. He placed them on a hierarchy chart between Europeans and orang-utans, also showing brain sizes, linking Blacks to the smallest brain size because of their inabilities in that time. This movement by Edward Long had the biggest impact on the impression of the people who made up the majority during the 17^th, 18^th century.  His book had become the emphasis for people to reason about right privileges and origin. It became a symbol most specifically of Monkeys representing the ancestry of black people due to his findings. So came the long-lasting perception, and in some cases, the mentality of similarity of Apes and Black people, leading to a stream of mockery which is full of inaccuracies.

After slavery and the permit for interracial marriages, many scientists brought the claims of Men like Edward Long and Josiah Nott to a debate, suggesting that had blacks and whites been of two different species, they would not be able to procreate together. Those series of discussions lightened the impact of the ideologies of scientists, who supported polygenism on; but over time, as a lot of us thought, this would have eventually disappeared considering the continual increase in knowledge, but that is false. Of course, it is not as widespread and seriously taken as before, but it still lingers in almost every corner of society.

A very good example of this comes in the form an article I came across recently.  The retailer of the Dolls in that article has since taken necessarily action against the onslaught of complaints from the public; however the manufacturer is still defending his supposedly innocent intentions in producing the dolls. What is offensive in the reading, as I hope we would instinctively realize, is the ‘Lil’ Monkey’ Label that is upon the black doll, and accompanied by a stuffed monkey pointing a peeled banana to the doll’s mouth, making the scene even more obvious.  Taking into consideration what has been the association of black people to primates in the past by scientists, I thought people would have been a little more careful of how they represented monkey figures, whether in writing or plastic ornaments. Certainly we can all argue that racism lives in us and is part of us, perhaps sometimes demonstrated more openly by others. Nonetheless, that is not a substantial reason why it should be made manifest publicly and in the same process hurt the feelings of those in mention. We live in a society where racism will never be accepted; therefore, it is only wise to not make the attempt to make it acceptable, or in a soft manner, justify one’s hatred toward a certain race.  

I am not as surprised by the event, as much as I am surprised by the clever way it which the manufacturer of this doll tried to conceal his motives.  This use of monkeys to represent black people has been going on for too long for someone to conclude that he or she is completely innocent or naive of such an action, especially in a time and age where information is in abundance. Furthermore, in thinking of how sensitive people become with regards to racial comments or attribution, much care and consideration should have been given in the production of this doll, so as to not inadvertently hurt the feelings of others.

2. In what way does the life of Eaton reflect that of Pan?

3. In the second paragraph we are introduced to what is seen as a boycott from an apparent uprising; evaluate the possible cause and situation of this unsettlement.

4. In the seventh paragraph Carson informs Pan that “she had lived her life alone.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

5. As we advance further in the story it becomes clear to us that there is uneasiness between the whites and Chinese in America at that time. Discuss whether Mark was welcomed into the Chinese community on account of his character or for Pan’s sake.

6. Why would Carson claim that Pan is white when it is apparent to all that she is half Chinese?

7. Was Carson’s act of love towards Pan bogus or sincere?

8. How does the title “Its Wavering Image” associate with the story? – is it a suitable one?

9. What might have been Pan’s exact thought when she uttered these words: “And what is a promise to a white man?”

10. Does that last paragraph make it possible that Pan would accept Carson back?

2. “I do not know” answers are not acceptable; enough effort must be devoted to each question so that a reasonable answer is put forth.

3. Each answer should be at a moderate length – explain every aspect fully in details.

4. If someone feels that something mentioned by a person is inaccurate or skewed, he/she can oppose it with his or her own proof.

5. Proof must be provided from the book to support your statement or claim; if adequate proof is not brought forth, then anyone else can disclaim your statement.

6. No colloquial language should be included in your notes such as mom, dad, wanna, gonna and so on; full standard and formal language is the only acceptable standard.

7. Grammar should also be paid a lot of attention to- the most you can so that less mistakes are present in your work; the clearer your work the more readable it is to everyone.

8. All questions must be answered so that everyone could be on the same level and that everyone is participating thoroughly.

9. When more time is needed to complete the written work or something else like an emergency has come about, it should be told to everyone at a reasonable length of time before the deadline.

10. Every single answer is correct as long as you can support that claim with rational proof and information from the story.

book club text

The above text is the book with which we are going to begin. Most of the stories that are in this book, as I have told you before, are very short, precise and easy to read and understand. In most cases many of the stories within this book are approximately three pages in length, given that they are small printed. One of the main things I enjoy this book for is that nearly half of all the fiction stories that are in it were written during the seventeenth century. This excludes modern colloquial and vulgarly inappropriate languages from the contents, subject and basis of a great majority of the fictional stories that are involved therewith. Accompanied with each story is a short description of the authors including place of birth, years of experience and things that pleasure them, so as is the case with most stories where it is unclear what the writers intend to say, we can use the information about them to develop a rational argument as to what their initial intent was or is.

If at anytime you wish to pick a story from the more than fifty that are in this book it is completely fine on my part. In fact when it comes time for you to host the book club, choices of which story would seem best for you are left entirely up to you. If an event arises wherein you wish to change any of the stories that I have selected, this also is perfectly fine with me. Another reason why this book will seem even more amazing to you is that it is effectively flexible and changes do not immensely affect the outcome of the discussions, as it would appear that choosing another story from among the given list can easily displace and replace the previous one seamlessly. I wish to inform you that if you have any other books in mind, that are English of course, please do not hesitate to introduce it to me and we shall consider it together. Aside from the book mentioned above I also possess a book entitled Shipwrecks which includes a list of short stories as well, but it lacks the ability to deliver a great majority of choices to us. There are only six stories in it and all of them a very long, because it is a big book. We will leave this one out for now, considering how many pages I would have to scan if we were to work with it.