Please identify and comment on the significance of one passage from Act One of Blues for Mister Charlie. The best responses will be specific and a minimum of 200 words. Responses will also be thoughtfully written and proofread for careless mistakes.
Then identify two chunks of language (word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph) from the reading. •The first should be a piece of language that is significant to you personally and why it is significant to you. •The second should be a piece of language that you believe is significant to the overall meaning of the work (and why). •Then comment any two of your classmates' posts. •Please complete your post by 7:00 am on Thursday.
The passage on page 8 where Lyle is first fully introduced and is talking about the branching out of the store highlights the confusion that is his character. For someone that relies heavily on the African-American community to sustain his business, his hatred runs deep for them. Blacks exchange and result in a large amount of the stores profit, yet Lyle feels so much hatred that he is willing to kill them. This passage makes me question Lyle's purpose in the play, besides being the accused murderer. Why did Baldwin choose to make Lyle the killer AND the store owner? What impact or significance does the store have on the murder and the rest of the play? I am struggling to understand why Lyle has a deep hatred for the African-Americans of the town, and why he feels the need to branch out the store with no money, or other major groups of interest, despite feeling confident that "they'll be back. They already weary of having to drive forty-five miles across the state line to get their groceries." It will be interesting to see how Lyle's character progresses and how much of an impact the store will play going forward.
ReplyDeleteThe passage on pages 12-14 where Lyle is informed about being charged of murder really sums up a racist, white man’s actions back when the story took place. If a white man in the South back then was accused of harming an African-American, they would tighten up and be defensive about it; that’s exactly what Lyle does. Lyle says that nobody liked Richard, and that he doesn’t know what’s gotten into other townspeople. He clearly demonstrates a defensive attitude here, and claims that he doesn’t know what the fuss is about. He goes on to say that it was another African-American that did the killing, because “they do it all the time.” This comment is flat-out racist, but helps define his character even more. I finish my explanation of his defensive, perturbed personality when he claims that he has nothing against African-Americans. It is obviously flushed out that this is a lie later on in the Act, but for that time it adds to his uptight self. I’m very curious to see how these important traits of his develop throughout the next act as we approach his trial and other involvements with the townspeople. I also believe that these bits of Lyle’s character could be crucial in determining whether he is guilty or innocent, as juries back then would most likely listen to his defensive pleas as interpret them as convincing evidence to make him innocent.
ReplyDeleteLyle is previously known to be a white character, and within a passage in Act One on page 14 (second paragraph), it is described that Lyle is a man who doesn’t necessarily agree with the African American race. The opening line of the first act displays how he believes that every man who is like Richard, should end up like how Richard did when he was murdered. From this, one could argue if he disliked Richard because of his personality, or simply for his race. However, despite the previous knowledge that he wasn’t a fan of Richard, Lyle’s passage explained how he didn’t have anything against the African American race, yet he made it clear, however, that he didn’t want to “mix with them” by any means. Lyle stated how he was against any idea of both black and white people being “mixed” together in any way, and how he would do anything in his power to advise and fight against it. He states how the only thing he despises of being associated with the African American race is the thought of being “mixed” with them. This passage demonstrates how Lyle’s character displays an example of reinforcing the separation of black and white people, and how he tries to justify his racism. Although Lyle says he does not despise the race completely, he feels as though his race (being white) needs to remain superior. If there were thoughts of a black person being held equal and to the same standards, Lyle would certainly try his hardest to be sure that they never were “mixed”. Within Lyle’s passage on page 14, it is displayed how Lyle is a character who instills the motive to keep the separation, however Lyle exclaims that he doesn’t necessarily have any deep hatred against them, but certainly doesn’t want to be equal to them.
ReplyDeleteIn the first act, Parnell James, the local newspaper editor proves to be an interesting character. He is first introduced at the black church, bringing tidings of the forthcoming arrest of Lyle, a white man who killed Richard, a black man. At first, Parnell seems to be a friend of the African American community, greeting them cheerily before revealing his news. However, when reporting the news, Baldwin reveals that Parnell is also a friend of Lyle, an unquestionably racist man. Parnell’s beliefs are first questioned at the end of the first act, when he visits Meridian, a leader of the African-American community and Richard’s father, at the church. Grieving for his son, Meridian is beginning to question the effectiveness of non-violent protesting. The two get into an argument about race that reveals, not too far under the surface, Parnell is racist. When Meridian says Lyle killed his son, Parnell responds, “We don’t know” (41). And when Meridian accuses Lyle of being racist, Parnell defends him, saying, “He’s a poor white man. The poor whites have been just as victimized in this part of the world as the blacks have ever been” (41). He cannot understand the injustice that the blacks in the town face daily. Meridian feels betrayed by the support his supposed friend is showing for the man who killed his son. This passage at the end of the first act sets up the fact that Parnell is going to have to choose sides in the upcoming fight. However, in order to choose the side of the African Americans, he will have to admit that one of his best friends is capable of murder.
ReplyDeleteThe character of Richard, is one that breaks the typical stereotype of a victim, while fitting the stereotype of a young man. At one flashback in time, Richard is talking to his grandmother. It has already been revealed to the audience that Richard is lynched by a white man later on, so many people would try to make the victim look as innocent as possible. However, that is not what James Baldwin chooses to do. In this passage, Baldwin portrays Richard as the stereotypical young man he is. He has his pride and disagreements with his parents, as he reveals when he says, “I wanted to make my Daddy proud of me—because, the day I left here, I sure as hell wasn’t proud of him” (20). And he is rambunctious and easily riled, wanting to act before he thinks—especially when faced with the grief of his mother’s murder. He tells his grandmother, “I’m going to treat everyone of them (white people) as though they were responsible for all the crimes that ever happened in the history of the world” (21). Although Richard’s anger makes sense, this reaction may seem extreme. Also, Richard hints more than once that he wants to kill some white people. Baldwin makes Richard out, not to be a pure hero, but to be an ordinary human, with faults. However, Baldwin also makes it clear that Richard never acted on any of his thoughts, and was, in fact, completely innocent.
ReplyDeleteOn page 17, is when Richard first, physically, appears on stage. Although it is a flashback, as there will be many more throughout the play, the audience starts to get to know Richards story and try to piece together the mystery behind why he may have been murdered by a white man. He stays involved in the story for a couple more pages when he is convinced by Juanita to tell his story and why he moved back into town. “I got hooked about five years ago… But when I started getting high, I was cool, and it didn’t bother me. I wasn’t lonely then, it was all right” (29). I feel this is one of the more important passages in Act One because it keys in all the details that the audience had been lacking knowledge of before. It is interesting how Baldwin decided to incorporate Richard into the story by creating a series of flashbacks to elaborate on who he was as a person. It was easier to observe Richard due to how others interacted with him and felt about him. It is mentioned how there was a long list of people who didn’t particularly care for Richard, which lets the audience know how he is viewed by everyone in his town. Yet, still Juanita is very interested in him and had hopes of them ending up together. This first part of the story nicely sets up a “mystery” for the rest of the play. Obviously, Richard is the main aspect of this story, so his past is a huge part of understanding and learning about this story.
ReplyDeleteThe passage on page 38, where Meridian, a black minister, questions the reasons for his faith in God, stood out to me. He is a man who has lost a wife, and now a son, and grieves them both. Not only that, but Baldwin implies that both deaths were racially motivated. As a man of the church, Meridian wonders if God is blind to the suffering of his people, and if he would be a Christian at all had he not been born black. He ponders the time before Christ, when black people could walk around “just as good as anybody else” (38). He comes to the conclusion that perhaps, in order to have any dignity as a black man living in a world dominated by white men, he had to become a Christian. “Since I wasn’t a man in men’s eyes, then I could be a man in the eyes of God” (38). I find this to be a powerful reflection on the struggle that black people faced then—and still face, now—to be seen as equals in society. The church is supposed to be a safe haven for Meridian and his people, a place of acceptance and worship; yet how could any God but a blind one stand by and let these injustices happen? And why must the black community turn to God in order to feel that they have dignity? These questions that Meridian poses are pertinent ones: even though racism has morphed and changed forms since this play was written, they remain relevant in society today.
ReplyDeleteThe passage on page 40 where Meridian is talking with Parnell shows the intense stress and weight this situation is having on people. Throughout the first parts of the play Meridian is portrayed as a level-headed, kind, minister. He is an advocate for peaceful protests, and often calms down worked-up citizens from trying to force the issue through violence. In this passage however we see a little more emotional and raw side of Meridian, where he isn’t as calculated with his thoughts. The reason for this is because he is feeling the pain of his son being murdered. With his wife being killed years ago, and now his son being the victim of what is most likely an act of racist animosity, he is left alone. Understandably upset, Meridian momentarily lets go of his civic stances and views as a minister, and talks from a personal level. He talks about how he doesn’t care what his son thought of white people, or how he lived his life, he just wanted his son alive. He says, “If you’re a black man, with a black son, you have to...concentrate on trying to save your child.” (40). With the murder of his son, Meridian believes he has failed at this. For Meridian, this failure to protect his son means he has failed as a black man. This is an incredible realization for someone to try and comprehend about themselves, even if it may not be true. I am interested to see if Meridian will continue down this path of acting more emotionally, or will his actions fall back towards what we saw from him earlier in the story?
ReplyDeleteOne of the passages that I found most interesting was the conversation between Meridian and Parnell at the end of Act 1. Meridian and Parnell are both reasonable men who want unity or at least peace between black and white people, but Parnell is not willing to put his name on the line in order to show that he wants this peace. Meridian knows the politics of the town, so he believes there is a very low chance that his son’s murderer will be convicted, but he wants to know that Lyle was the one who did it. Parnell is unwilling to cooperate because he thinks that if he asks Lyle if he killed Richard, Lyle will think Parnell is on the side of the black community, which Parnell does not want to be seen as. To Parnell, friendship with a white man, even a bad one, means more than friendship with a black man. Although Parnell wants to do the right thing, he knows that if he does it will harm his social status. This makes Meridian, who is an activist, but by no means radical, start to think that Parnell doesn’t really want his friendship. He wants to know if he and Parnell have, “been friends all these years, or whether I’ve (Meridian) just been your favorite Uncle Tom”(43). Parnell takes offense to this because he has gone further than most white people have to speak to the black community, but he is unwilling to go far enough to truly make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThe passage on page 38 by Meridian is interesting to me. Meridian is frustrated with how his life is going and he is questioning if faith in God makes it better in any way. Not only is he frustrated with his faith he is also frustrated with Parnell. Parnell may have done a lot of things to get Lyle a trial, but there is no possible way that he will get convicted. This is when Meridian begins to question if the struggle is worth it. “Then where’s the point of this struggle, where’s the hope? If Mister Charlie can’t change”(40). Mister Charlie is referring to all white people.
ReplyDeleteMeridian has given up that white people will eventually change and stop killing black people based on the color of their skin. I think Meridian shares his opinions with many people in his community. He usually is a beacon of hope as a Reverend, but after what happens Meridian is echoing the frustrated views of his community. The community has given up and has no hope for the future. The Reverend has lost his faith in God and he does not have any hope that the white men will begin to treat black men any better in the future.
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ReplyDeleteA passage that really resonated with me was on page 29 leading into page 30 when Richard talks about his drug abuse. Richard gets extremely emotional and raw in this part, and the reader sees a very different side of him. At first he comes off as very cocky and careless, but in this instance, he becomes vulnerable. He reveals the downward spiral he experienced and the meaningless life he was living trying to make it in the music industry, and dating girls who did not care about him. He opens up to Juanita about how drugs made him feel alive, and like he was on top of the world. As amazing as they made him feel, they also caused many consequences in his life, like selling his car and being arrested. Richard recognizes the ways drug abuse negatively affected his life, and assures Juanita that he is on the road to recovery: “But I’m going to be alright. You can bet on it” (30) he says. This passage really caught my attention not only because Richard’s demeanor completely changes, but he opens up and shares a very tender, private moment with Juanita, indicating that he really cares about her. He admits to faults he has had in life, but he does not say it with shame, rather gratitude that he has moved on from that low point in his life. It is a powerful passage because it is so personal and honest, and gives us a different perspective of who Richard is.
ReplyDeleteThe passage on pages 7-8 where Lyle is interacting with his son and his wife really stood out to me. While Baldwin clearly portrays Lyle Britten as a racist and seemingly evil man, this passage humanized his character to me. As I was reading, “Ain’t that right, old pisser? Don’t you reckon your Mama’s getting kind of sassy?” I was able to forget for a small moment the hatred my character has for people of color. In these few moments in Act 1, where he is with his family, that was all I saw–a family man. Even more, I sensed a connection between Meridian and Lyle that they are unable to realize they share as a result of the overwhelming racial tension–they both love their sons. In addition, they each in their own way want their sons to grow up in a world better than the one they grew up in. For Lyle, that seems to be a world with a smaller population of people of color and for Meridian its a world where people of color are treated equally. While Baldwin saw first hand the horrors white men perpetrated against people of color, he wanted everyone to remember that those people are human too. At the end of the day they too go back to their families; where for many of them all that hatred disappears and they are simply humans. Lastly, the fact that Lyle himself has a son is an interesting dynamic; it will be intriguing to see how that comes into play when he takes the life of another man’s son. Will he feel additional guilt because of that? Will he hesitate? And in the court house, where he will likely have to face the father of the boys he murdered, will he feel remorse? Will he be able to feel on a deeper level the emotions Meridian must feel?
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first act, we see how characters like Lorenzo and even Meridian at the end develop a sense of hatred and of doubt towards Christianity. Christianity for many African-Americans was a symbol of hope. It was moving for many to believe that eventually God would make justice for his people in creating equality. This play allows the reader to see the relationship between religion and the importance of fighting for justice with a non-violent, peaceful movement. It is hard to remain hopeful when little progress is made, we notice this when Lorenzo expresses, “We’ve been demonstrating—non-violently—for more than a year now and all that’s happened is that now they’ll let us into that crummy library downtown which was obsolete in 1897 where nobody goes anyway” (4). When progress in a long and tenuous fight for equity is minimal, it is difficult to remain hopeful.
ReplyDeleteAfter Richards death, Meridian calls Parnell out for trying to justify his position of privilege. Meridian knows the justice system is very corrupt, and favorable for the white race. Knowing that it will be likely that Lyle will not be convicted, he asks Parnell to find out from Lyle if he committed the murder. Parnell tries to justify Lyles actions and emphasises on the importance of giving him the benefit of the doubt. “He’s a poor white man. The poor whites have been just as victimized in this part of the world as the blacks have ever been” (41). I think what Parnell says here is true, but the difference is that the Judicial system in this time period was favorable to the white race. In addition, ignorance can not be a justification for murder. Yes the system should be at fault for not providing proper access to good integral education but ignorance should never justify the murdering of an innocent civilian, in this case being Richard. I think Parnells integrity, and morality are being challenged here by Meridian. If Parnell is morally just with the situation, he will ask Lyle about the murder.
Act one of Blues For Mister Charlie by James Baldwin was very intriguing. Baldwin displays each character in a light that most people wouldn’t. For example, Lyle, the victim in the story (being arrested and tried for murder), is said to have had a past with crime and murder. Richard, the murder victim, is shown to have a very strong hatred for white people and wants to treat them “as though they were responsible for all the crimes that ever happened in the history of the world” (21). While the reader can see where he’s coming from, as his mother was possibly murdered by a white person, most writers don’t go that into depth about the hatred that enters someone with that type of loss. Usually I would expect to see grief and sadness, but Baldwin shows how traumatic events impact different people in completely different ways. For Richard, his experiences caused a manifestation of anger and hatred that most people can’t pretend to understand or relate to at the same level. We see characters as real people with many differences, each seeming to be a fully developed character with a detailed past and situation to base your judgements off of.
ReplyDeleteThe exchange between Lyle and Parnell on pages 11-12 illustrates a unique dynamic among white southerners. They appear to have a desire to preserve their sense of honesty and loyalty to the white community, but at the same time, they ultimately have to respect the self-evident truths that are put before them. This creates internal conflict for Parnell, as he explains that he is trying to help Lyle, but at the same time he has been tasked with upholding the rule of law, even if it means implicating Lyle: “This case presents several very particular circumstances...he wouldn’t arrest you if he could think of some way not to”. Lyle responds with “I ain’t no murderer”, at which point Parnell correctly points out that “I also know that somebody killed the boy” (12). Lyle believes that even though Parnell must follow the law, he will understand the culture that has protected white people, and he will protect Lyle in turn.
ReplyDeleteThis passage is significant because it shows that while certain characters in the play are deeply prejudiced, they also have a sense of right and wrong. While there will be other moments that may serve to challenge their judgment, this passage establishes their viewpoint and provides insight into who they really are.