When I am given the choice of what book to read, I typically avoid non-fiction. I have never been much of a history buff, and I usually find myself struggling to get through what I perceive as dense material. However, this time around, I didn't have much choice. Out of the three non-fiction books that were presented to my AP Language class, I chose Race by Marc Aronson because of the sociological twist it promised. I'm enjoying it thus far.
Perhaps what struck me the most during my reading of the first 54 pages was Aronson's voice. Because of this and his narrative style, Race is reading a little bit more like fiction, and it is easy to follow. Although I plan on exploring the rhetorical elements of Race on a later blog post, I don't think it is possible to share what I mean by Aronson's voice without delving slightly into a discussion of the author's ethos.
Marc Aronson chose to begin his discussion of race with a personal anecdote. He describes an experience in which he faced his own prejudice after watching a group of young black boys be accused of stealing. He writes, "did he? Yes, I was sure he stole the money. Teenage boys in a pack do steal; I did. But my conviction that he was guilty did not come because he was about the same age as I was when I grabbed a drink from a grocery store and strolled out. I felt angry at him right away. Hard as it is to admit, I believed he was guilty because he was black" (pg 1).
As a white teenager in a white middle-class town, this confession, for lack of a better word, gave me an immediate connection with the author and developed a sense of trust between us. That's where the effect of ethos comes in. He is demonstrating, right off the back, that he is not immune from this prejudice we try so hard to hide.
And neither am I.
I've thought about this many times before. I must admit that I have been unnerved by tall black males walking by me on a city street and have taken some precaution to ensure my safety, sliding the teeth of my car key between my knuckles or walking just a little bit quicker. It distresses me that this is my gut reaction, despite the open-minded and caring family I grew up in. I think that this is why I was excited for this unit on race. So that I can learn the background on these issues and why our society is so poisoned by them.
Another aspect of his voice that I have enjoyed is that while Aronson understands the difficulty of this topic and how uncomfortable people feel talking about it, he doesn't shy away from it. A great example of this is within the first handful of pages: "We 'know' that people are the same, under the skin. Yet we 'know' that the best athletes are black[...]Jews were forced to remain in Europe, to be gassed and fed into ovens, because of their 'race,' Race is an uncomfortable reality, and yet the most brilliant scientists, doctors, and professors cannot agree on whether there are any races at all" (pgs 3-4). I paid immediate attention to his use of quotations around the word "know." For me, this means that he is implying there is a strong difference between our thoughts and our actions. While people disregard the importance of race in discussions with other people, on Twitter, and otherwise, we continue to act with the aforementioned prejudice that plagues even the best of us. The examples he uses to convey this are extreme situations but something we need to be able to talk about.
Race has proven itself to be thoughtful, thought-provoking, and while I am not entirely thrilled about reading 60 more pages by next week, I'm excited to explore this topic further.
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348363633l/1786940.jpg
Perhaps what struck me the most during my reading of the first 54 pages was Aronson's voice. Because of this and his narrative style, Race is reading a little bit more like fiction, and it is easy to follow. Although I plan on exploring the rhetorical elements of Race on a later blog post, I don't think it is possible to share what I mean by Aronson's voice without delving slightly into a discussion of the author's ethos.
Marc Aronson chose to begin his discussion of race with a personal anecdote. He describes an experience in which he faced his own prejudice after watching a group of young black boys be accused of stealing. He writes, "did he? Yes, I was sure he stole the money. Teenage boys in a pack do steal; I did. But my conviction that he was guilty did not come because he was about the same age as I was when I grabbed a drink from a grocery store and strolled out. I felt angry at him right away. Hard as it is to admit, I believed he was guilty because he was black" (pg 1).
As a white teenager in a white middle-class town, this confession, for lack of a better word, gave me an immediate connection with the author and developed a sense of trust between us. That's where the effect of ethos comes in. He is demonstrating, right off the back, that he is not immune from this prejudice we try so hard to hide.
And neither am I.
I've thought about this many times before. I must admit that I have been unnerved by tall black males walking by me on a city street and have taken some precaution to ensure my safety, sliding the teeth of my car key between my knuckles or walking just a little bit quicker. It distresses me that this is my gut reaction, despite the open-minded and caring family I grew up in. I think that this is why I was excited for this unit on race. So that I can learn the background on these issues and why our society is so poisoned by them.
Another aspect of his voice that I have enjoyed is that while Aronson understands the difficulty of this topic and how uncomfortable people feel talking about it, he doesn't shy away from it. A great example of this is within the first handful of pages: "We 'know' that people are the same, under the skin. Yet we 'know' that the best athletes are black[...]Jews were forced to remain in Europe, to be gassed and fed into ovens, because of their 'race,' Race is an uncomfortable reality, and yet the most brilliant scientists, doctors, and professors cannot agree on whether there are any races at all" (pgs 3-4). I paid immediate attention to his use of quotations around the word "know." For me, this means that he is implying there is a strong difference between our thoughts and our actions. While people disregard the importance of race in discussions with other people, on Twitter, and otherwise, we continue to act with the aforementioned prejudice that plagues even the best of us. The examples he uses to convey this are extreme situations but something we need to be able to talk about.
Race has proven itself to be thoughtful, thought-provoking, and while I am not entirely thrilled about reading 60 more pages by next week, I'm excited to explore this topic further.
I actually chose to focus on Aronson's story in the introduction for my first blog post as well! I think it's something that everybody can relate to, to some extent (not even just about racial stereotypes). I also agree that his style of writing is very accessible--it makes stomaching nonfiction much easier.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great first post! I like how you concentrated on the thing about the book that stuck out to you the most. Just from reading the beginning of the book, do you think that once you've read the whole book and learned more about race and prejudice that you might be able to change your gut reaction?
ReplyDelete"Hi Clara-
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with everything you wrote in your blog! That initial anecdote that Aronson writes about in the beginning of the book was very effective for me, too. It did create that immediate connection you mentioned, and it also forced me to reflect on myself. Again, I am the exact same as you, I do not think of myself as prejudiced or racist in any way, but I thought about the same situation: walking on the street, alone, with a man behind me. I had to consider whether I too would walk a little faster if it was a black man compared to what I would do if it was a white man. I can't honestly say what I would do- in my opinion, it would be more of a showcase of my true feelings in the moment, not something I can really think about beforehand and pinpoint. Maybe that instinct, that "fight or flight" mentality, is just part of how our brains work, like Aronson touched upon when he described how humans just naturally divide themselves.
You had a great analysis of what we've read so far! Great job!
-Meg"
Hi Clara,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post! I thought your summary of what you read was nicely written, and I loved how you connected Aronson's personal experience to your own. I especially admire that you were able to write about that so openly; I think that as a society we are aware that everybody is guilty of unconscious racism, but most people are afraid to admit it. Your use of quotes also flowed nicely, and definitely intrigued me. From reading your post, I definitely feel like Aronson's use of a personal voice and narrative style makes his argument much more compelling for the reader, as you alluded to. Do you think that you would have had a different reacion to his writing had it not been written in this style? Also a side note, I really like the collection of profound quotes from the book that you are compiling on your blog. I think it is a nice enhancement for the reader, and I will definitely continue to look for more additions to it. This post was awesome, and I look forward to reading your next one!