Article of Correlation

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/henry-louis-gates-jr-arre_n_241407.html

This article and the book have one thing in common: racial profiling. In this article, the person is trying to enter his house by breaking the door down due to the fact that his door was jammed. The police arrive, and they treat him like how a racist would treat a black person. They apprehend him, and arrest him outside of his home despite the fact that the person agreed to show identification and other things the cop requested. Simply put it, the police were racist. In the book, it is the same case. The detective, Britten, is completely bombarding Bigger with questions because he is black. He even states that to him, "... a nigger's a nigger." The sad reality is that our community hires racist people, even to this day. And the law enforcement continues to favorite whites and questions every single black person that look like criminals. It's a sad truth, but what else is new in America?

Summarizing The Book Up

1. Honestly, I really did not have a reaction to the book. Taking into consideration his actions before, it should have been crystal clear of what his next movements would be. The only thing that probably made me have a tiny reaction was the killing of his girlfriend Bessy, and even that was not that shocking to me.

2. The most poignant quote for me would be '"Kill that black ape!"' It's pretty sad for human beings to continue to think that one race is superior to another. To compare a black person to an ape is extremely disgusting. Calling people apes is something that should never be said to a human being. It reminds me of not only the past, but the current present in which we live in. Whites still continue to call blacks apes; nothing has changed.

3. I would say that these books are called Fear, Flight, and Fate because each of these books represent a phase in Bigger Thomas' life. For example, Fear can show the phase of when he fears whites, and somewhat refuses to take the job Mr. Dalton offers because of his fear. Flight represents the moments in which he begins to think of killing himself, and probably going to heaven with God. Fate represents his acceptance of his fate in the electric chair.

At War: Bigger's Id, Ego, and Superego Compete

1. "He had his hand on the doorknob, waiting, his muscles taut. He had to be careful with his answers now. And yet he knew he had a certain protection; he knew that a certain element of shame would keep Mrs. Dalton from asking him too much and letting him know that she was worried. He was a boy and she was an old woman. He was the hired and she was the hirer. And there was a certain distance to be kept between them" (p. 121).
2. "But of the whole business there was one angle that bothered him; he should have gotten more money out of it; he should have planned it. He had acted too hastily and accidentally. Next time things would be much different; he would plan and arrange so that he would have money enough to keep him a long time" (p. 123).

By looking at the above quotes, I can infer that Bigger Thomas' ID is not playing a major role. I also see that the Superego is playing a minor role, but the Superego could be dominating Mrs. Dalton more than it is Bigger. I would say thet the Ego is the one that is dominating Bigger Thomas, simply because he knows reality and assures himself that Mrs. Dalton would not ask him anymore questions just because he is black. However, the Superego plays a role minor role withing him, due to the fact that he plans to get more money. His counciousness continuously tells him that he could have gotten more out of it, and it starts planning out the next crime even though, morally, he knows its wrong. Despite the Superego's minor role, the Ego is the one that is most dominant in these two cases because he takes into consideration the reality of his black skin as well as the mistakes he did. I would say that Bigger does take into consideration his Superego, but pays no attention to it whatsoever, and abides by the reality.

Reaction to Murder

The fact that Bigger Thomas kills Mary is rather surprising. I was shocked to see that he actually did all those horrid things to her, considering how kind she was to him. When I read that he cut her head off, I imagined such blood dripping from her face and at the same time feeling rather ill inside. The action was so sudden and undetectable. Alternatively, when I read that he actually burned her, I suddenly kind of frowned. The reason for this is because I wished he would just admit the truth, but instead proceeded to get rid of evidence and not even speak about his wrong doings, as well as Mary's. I suddenly remembered a quote when I read this that said " Defend The Children Of The Poor And Punish The Wrongdoer."