Question

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Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

And the mother often says "Don't be like ni****s" when the children are bad. A frequent phrase from the father is, "Look how well a white man does things." And so the word white comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all virtues. It holds for the children beauty, morality, and money. The whisper of "I want to be white" runs silently through their minds. This young poet's home is, I believe, a fairly typical home of the colored middle class. One sees immediately how difficult it would be for an artist born in such a home to interest himself in interpreting the beauty of his own people. He is never taught to see that beauty. He is taught rather not to see it, or if he does, to be ashamed of it when it is not according to Caucasian patterns.

In at least 150 words, discuss the unconscious symbol of whiteness that is examined in "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain." Where does it come from, and why does it have the potential to be so damaging?

Answer 1

Feel free to copy-paste :) over 150 words

Step-by-step explanation:

Huges uses the term whiteness as a symbol for behavior that is still happening present day. Systematically and generationally, the African American community has been whitewashed and forced to conform to survive. It is evident at a young age, as an African American, you are disadvantaged. You are taught young to hate you and every ounce of your being- everything that makes you unique as an individual all because of that beautiful melanin in your skin. We grow as a society by accepting each other and what we have to bring to the table. We don't achieve progress by being repressive. These behaviors aren't only damaging our growth as a healthy society, but it is detrimental to our future. We have generations of built-in hate and disgust for each other over behavior like this. America is a melting pot of all different cultures, which is what makes it so unique. It's because of this diversity that we have so much to offer the world.