For Wednesday, please read James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village.” There is a lot that is going on in this essay, and so I would invite you to focus your response on a particular passage that you find to be interesting and complicated in some way. Before you begin to do your close reading, you should articulate why you find your passage of choice to be confusing/provocative/compelling. Finally, I ask that you use your close reading to raise questions that speak to Baldwin’s concerns in the essay as a whole. How does what you found in your passage shed light on Baldwin’s larger project? What questions do you have for the class about this piece and its implications?
In addition, please read Wayne Booth’s “From Topics to Questions” and come to class ready to discuss. We will be talking more about your research paper on Wednesday.
In the essay “Stranger in the Village” by James Baldwin, I decided to focus on the following passage:
“Some thought my hair was the color of tar, that it had the texture of wire, or the texture of cotton. It was jocularly suggested that I might let it all grow long and make myself a winter coat.”
In my opinion, it is shocking that the local people in Switzerland have never encountered a Black person. Also, I am disturbed that the people compared his hair to the texture of a wire. During his stay in Switzerland, Baldwin is regarded as “different” because of his outer traits, like his hair. Baldwin is implying that the Swiss are treating him differently compared to White Americans because they want to know more about his origins as opposed to oppressing him on his looks and degrading his status in society. Also, he is showing how the villagers are friendly and unbiased upon meeting him, which differs from the cold treatment that he receives in White America.
Furthermore, Baldwin wants the reader to realize that although these villagers have recently met Baldwin, they have probably given him more respect than the Whites in America because they recognize that he is human and deserves to be treated as such. More importantly, this implies that racism is not engraved in the minds of others, but taught by people who fear diversity. In our nation, some White people continue to treat Blacks harshly because they were taught about the racial stereotypes against Blacks, like how they are not educated, and their features. However, their White forefathers were truly intimidated by Black people and the knowledge that they possessed on various things, such as agriculture and science, and were fearful that these Blacks would make a strong legacy in the future. Finally, this stresses how our American society can be less racist if we teach future generations that the quality of a person is not dependent on their skin color.
In James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village”, Baldwin discusses a period of his life when he lived amongst a group of people in Switzerland that had never seen an African American. Although these people have never encountered a black man, preconceived notions had already been infused in their minds because of how they were taught. As a result, Baldwin highlights the idea that these people do not even see him as a human but “simply a living wonder”. As humans, often we feel obligated to live a certain lifestyle or have a certain mindset because the people before us acted and thought in the same way. I believe this is the pitfall of having a single mindset or living a single story, there is no change or growth and the people are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Baldwin states, “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them”. He highlights a reoccurring concept that has taken place throughout history, our inability to learn from the past and create a new future from it, but instead we hold on to certain ideas and just repeat things that already happened. There seems to be a disconnect between what some people believe and what actually takes place. As a person each one of us portray a different story, so how can any group of people be subjected to the beliefs and assumptions of one story or mindset? History will tend to repeat itself when people blindly accept and carry out a lifestyle that has been handed down to them. It is imperative that we learn to look at a things from different perspectives, in order to undergo a process in which we create our own. Furthermore, I believe it is important to remember why you are doing something, your purpose, and it is not enough to say that’s just the way I feel or that’s just the way I was raised. Defining the type of person you are and want to become requires more effort and initiative. Baldwin says, “ideas are dangerous and … can only lead to action and where the action leads no man can say”, which reveals as people we can not take for granted ideas that we think are inherently right, because what you believe denies who you are.
In James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village” he talks about his experiences living in an isolated village in Switzerland. The most interesting and compelling part of his essay was in the final part of his first section. Baldwin talked about how the whole village, including the children, didn’t view him as a man. As a human just like the rest of them. He was sort of a mythical creature, and that seemed to throw even Baldwin himself off. I believe he expected to be viewed more or so like an inferior, similar to his experiences in the United States. However, he received a completely different reaction. Baldwin recounts on his learning days and how he learned that no matter what the situation may be, smiling will cause everyone around you to feel more at ease. He quickly realized that that rule he learned didn’t apply there saying, “My smile was simply another unheard-of phenomenon which allowed them to see my teeth-they did not, really, see my smile and I began to think that, should I take to snarling, no one would notice any difference.” He adds that with the ignorance, there seems to be a layer of curiosity towards him. His hair was unique in that it had the color of tar but the texture of cotton, which made people believe that if he grew his hair out he could make himself a coat. Despite the fact that he wasn’t treated as an inferior, he wasn’t treated as a human, he was, in his words, simply a living wonder. He later on compares this to the American culture. How the beliefs from America did not come from America, but stem from Europe. It’s the blind ignorance and difference between the two races shown at his time in Switzerland that allowed him to realize this. It’s crazy to think that our American values stemmed from European backgrounds. Not just white people have this feeling of superiority, so where do these ideas truly stem from? If not from European ideals, is it human nature to think yourself better than others?
In James Baldwin’s essay, “Stranger in the Village“, he illustrates his experience in a small town in Switzerland where, individuals view him differently because of his skin color and features such as his hair. The part that I found interesting was when Baldwin states “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” He claims that people of this village that are white, create these images that Baldwin is not similar to them and is inferior in their eyes due to the past beliefs that white individuals had. Therefore, they are trapped in history because they continue to follow or slightly believe in this and are unable to alter the way in which they think. If these villagers as well as the white people that where described in America allowed for a new interpretation that all individuals, whatever color or shape, are equally valued and respected. Baldwin, in his written piece, uses the example in history that the white European explorers had a goal in mind: to Christianized the colored people and conquer the lands as well as the people. In addition, the villagers “brought” African Americans with great pride, this demonstrates that the population in the village is not changed to a present day society where African Americans, as well as any other race, are not for purchase and are allowed to live freely. With this, does Baldwin believe that the villagers in Switzerland as well as the certain population in America need to become open minded individuals in order for acceptance of other races and realization the pain and suffering their previous generations inflicted on minorities can occur?
In James Baldwin’s “Stranger in the Village” he discusses the Black-White relationship in America and how it differs greatly from other places due to our history. He first starts out with a recounting of his time spent in a small European village. The people who live there have never really seen a Black man before and interact with him in a very ignorant and sometimes innocent way. Even though he has been to the village many times and the people recognize him, he is nothing more than a stranger still. And despite history, Baldwin does not hold these people to anything despite their existing beliefs about himself. The same is impossible in America according to Baldwin:
“And despite the terrorization which the Negro in America endured and endures sporadically until today, despite the cruel and totally inescapable ambivalence of his status in his country, the battle for his identity has long ago been won. He is not a visitor to the West, but a citizen there, an American; as American; as the Americans who despise him, the Americans who fear him, the Americans who love him, the Americans who became less than themselves, or rose to be greater than themselves by virtue of the fact that the challenge he represented was inescapable.” (47)
This passage was particularly interesting as it explains the divide between the West and the East in their relationship with Black people. It is rather strange how the place where all these stereotypes and discrimination against Blacks originated, is also the place where they are known the least. It shows truly how unfounded these beliefs are. The black person is not a treated as a human being and is regarded as something else due to these outdated beliefs and they are always going to be strangers to these other people. But they are not strangers to any American. As the passage states, the black person in America is not a stranger but belongs there just as much as the average White American, no matter how much some may deny it.
There is a different Black-White relationship in America, one that changes not only the Black person, but also the White person. From this great struggle and eventually but necessary acceptance, there is an experience and knowledge that can be obtained. This is what I believe Baldwin’s project to be. He wishes to show that the world can move away from this limiting ignorance and become better through this acceptance of Blacks to the White world. To regard others not as another being but the same human being. Now, since Baldwin’s time, how far have we come in achieving this goal? Is it even possible to achieve this or are we, as people, just naturally inclined to close ourselves within our own groups?
In James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village.” He discussed being a complete stranger to a village in Switzerland. Not only he is a stranger, he was the first black man the village had ever seen. For the past few readings, we have been discussing the difference between gender/sex. I found it interesting to relate to this essay in which the white is the male of this world. The female would be the other racial group other than white. The male and the whites seem so powerful within their nature. The female and the black are born as a complementation to the males and the white’s life. “The white man prefers to keep the black man at a certain human remove because it is easier for him thus to preserve his simplicity and avoid being- called to account or crimes committed by his forefathers, or his neighbours.” (pg.45) the white seems to be always right, even if they commit a serious crime, they wouldn’t be the first one to be suspected. On the other hand, the black man would. They would be punished no matter if the actually commit the crime or not. They would always be the first one to be questioned and suspected. “He is inescapably aware, nevertheless, that he is in a better position in the world than black men are not, nor can he quite put to death the suspicion that he is hated by black men, therefore.” Throughout history, the white man had captured millions of black men as slaves. However, that was considered a normal thing to do, just because their skin is darker which makes it reasonable for the white to mistreat the black. It shouldn’t see this way. They are human, too. We should all share the same rights no matter what skin tone we have. We all deserve equality.
The passage I chose to close-read was the final paragraph of part II. I chose to examine this passage because it is the first connection Baldwin makes to his larger point of inescapable racial history. Here, he builds credibility by acknowledging that the children in the village had no way of knowing that their shouting would echo a history of racial injustice. By pointing out this naiveté, he establishes a fundamental difference between European racial history and that of America. His main goal in this passage appears to be to set racial history as something which can never be truly shaken off.
By citing “echoes this sound raises” and calling back to arguments he had with people on the streets as a child in America, he establishes racial epithets as something he’s had to deal with his entire life. Furthermore, by establishing that these call-outs sometimes get o him – that he literally cannot bare to respond kindly to the childrens’ ignorance – signifies that he truly cannot escape the longstanding implications of his life as a black man in predominantly white countries.
In the conclusion of this section, he quotes Joyce’s description of history as a nightmare, expanding on this idea and claiming that history is a “nightmare from which no one can awaken”. By establishing that his history is omnipresent and inescapable, he is able to go on in the rest of the story to contemplate the effects of this history. Most importantly, this passage serves as a bridge between his anecdotal life as a black man in a Scandinavian country and his argument that black men are forever followed by the erasure and vilifying of their history because their origins, through American slavery, had been erased. Because white-dominated culture had so violently damaged the image of black people, significant progress will perpetually need to work against the myth that black people are the “other” in relation to white people.
In James Baldwins essay “Stranger in a Village” he discusses the notion of being a complete stranger in a small in small village. The stranger is African American. Switzerland is predominantly a white village so they have never seen an African american person. It is explained how isolated this stranger feels every day. The feeling of constantly being watched. It was interesting discern the conflict of a a black man and a white man. Recently, many of the passages we have read offer some sort of argument and bias. One side is always confident in their side and vice-versa. Constant stereotyping and labeling seems unrelenting. Since the past has been filled with signs of black hatred it is generally not uncommon for a black man to always feel judged. Are the times now changing and being reverse engineered? Why is it that the other races now believe they are being discriminated against? How do w handle these issues and stop them. The article in one sense infers that these issues will always exist. People’s inhibitions sometimes come through their natural inclinations and allow a person to accept people for who they. If we treat everyone the same way, we will never have an issue. However, one basic business premise of an owner and worker seems to make it difficult to really allow for total equality. Ego drives some to success and others to failure. In Switzerland they wanted Christianize the new African Americans. Why do they have the right to do this?
A section I found interesting in James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village” is section II, particularly Baldwin’s description of religious conversion of the African Americans and his view on settlement. The religious conversion idea can be seen in the quote, “l am told it is repeated in many villages-of ‘buying’ African natives for the purpose of converting them to Christianity.” (Page 43) There are several things to point out about this quote. The first is the fact that the word buying is in quotes, which is meant to emphasize that word and bring attention to it. Baldwin is using the term sarcastically, commenting on how ridiculous of an idea it is to purchase another human being. Another thing about this quote is that they way it is said implies that Baldwin is almost confused with the idea. It sounds like he wants to ask the question “Why would anyone even want to force anyone to convert?” He is judging the white people who carry out this action for being immoral as well as unnecessarilly extra.
Another interesting thing that Baldwin says from that area of the essay is the observation that a white man is a stranger in predominantly black place no differently than a a black man is a stranger in a predominantly white place, but the difference is that the white stranger feels instantly superior, while the black stranger feels as though they are in a culture that controls them. This is historically true, as Europeans and Americans have seen Africa as a place from which to take slaves and conquer, while blacks in America have experienced systemic racism. This affects all aspects of life for them, and Baldwin is raising this very important issue in his essay.
On page 47 of James Baldwin’s essay on his experience in a Swiss village and how that speaks to the institutionalized racism of the West, the author sheds light on why white supremacy is so deeply ingrained in American culture. I chose to focus on the paragraph whose ending sentence reminded me of a novel I read earlier this year: “But not so to accept him was to deny his human reality, his human weight and complexity, and the strain of denying the overwhelmingly undeniable forced Americans into rationalizations so fantastic that they approached the pathological.” This sentence speaks to one of the main topics of the novel ¬Beloved by Toni Morrison. Throughout the novel, it is unnervingly revealed how twisted the minds of white men of power were during that period (late 19th century.) Readers learn of how vile white people were towards African Americans, as seen through the instances of torture, murder, and sexual assault. At one point in the novel, the reader looks through the eyes of a slave on a ship sailing from Africa to America. The slaves are treated so horrifically, as if they are not humans. White men rationalized the slave trade – they were saving the savaged Africans from their inferior homeland, and showing them the superiority of America and Christianity. This idea of bending morality to validate their actions seems so insane in retrospect, but it was the norm of that period. Baldwin’s sentence that I previously inserted connects to American history and Morrison’s novel. African Americans were treated like cattle and were not on the same plane as white men. Baldwin writes that “white supremacy rests simply on the fact that white men are the creators of civilization (the present civilization, which is the only one that matters; all previous civilizations are simply “contributions” to our own) and are therefore civilization’s guardians and defenders.” Baldwin has a valuable perspective when it comes to the discussion of white supremacy since he himself is black. He can analyze how white supremacy sustains itself and realizes how destructive and awful it is because his judgement isn’t clouded by society’s ingrained ideals. A white supremacist will probably defend their beliefs because that’s how their parents, friends, and mentors taught them to think. Slavery and Jim Crow laws were able to survive for hundreds of years because it was difficult for people in power to self-reflect and realize the twisted ways they have risen to such power. Baldwin’s essay was written before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, about a decade prior, so I wanted to know how an essay on racism written after the act may differ from “Stranger in the Village.” Much of the essay speaks about how African Americans are viewed by white Americans as beneath the latter; how it is impossible to reach the same status as a white man. After desegregation, would Baldwin’s perspective on the black man’s position in American society shift?
James Baldwin in his piece in Harpers Magazine, “A Stranger in a Village,” describes his interactions as an African American with the villagers of a remote Swiss village. One section of his piece that I chose to analyze was towards the end because it discusses the implications of the visit to Swiss village in relation to the United States.
In both the village and the United States, Baldwin states that people viewed him “as a stranger.” Meaning that the people there did not regard Baldwin as one of them, or even human for that regard, but rather as something strange. With the rise in the civil rights movement and awareness, African Americans can no longer be viewed as “strangers,” but as fellow human beings and fellow Americans. Thus, changes the state of society. However, in this case, many White Americans would have preferred to keep the status quo, or at least keep the illusion of a new status quo that is “a state in which black men did not exist,” as a form or ‘innocence.’ Unlike Switzerland, the United States has a long and interconnected history with Africans, thus this form of ‘innocence,’ can never exist. But many still aim for it, and “anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster,” which is a realization that needs to be achieved to progress into a better society that is more racially tolerant.
James Baldwin’s “Stranger in a Village” discusses many ideas surrounding race and self-identity. While reading the passage, so many pieces stuck out to me. As a whole, the piece was one I genuinely enjoyed reading, more than any other reading we’ve done so far. The portion of the passage I found most provocative was the portion in which Baldwin states, “But there
is a great difference between being the first white man to be seen by Africans and being the first black man to be seen by whites. The white man takes the astonishment as tribute, for he arrives to conquer and to convert the natives, whose inferiority in relation to himself is not even to be questioned; whereas I, without a thought of conquest, find myself among a people whose culture controls me, has even, in a sense, created me, people who have cost me more in anguish and rage than they will ever know, who yet do not even know of my existence.” This portion of the piece was the most powerful to me while reading and led me to a lot of questions and unhandled emotional responses. This portion to me was the beginning of the theme of self-discovery evident throughout the passage. Baldwin discusses repeatedly how he questioned who he was and the place of African Americans in American society. This passage specifically brought me back to reading, “Things Fall Apart,” in the 10th grade. The villagers were, of course, worried about the strange people they had never seen before, but welcomed the white missionaries into their village. Soon after, their culture was dismantled and infused with elements of European Christianity and culture. While the Africans of the nation in this story were ready to accept difference into their society, the underlying goal of the missionaries was to change the “savage” culture to fit an image of Western morales. Reading Baldwin’s essay revealed similar feelings in me that I felt when reading Chinua Achebe’s work. I often feel sad and angry that that had to occur and question motives. What is it that made the Europeans feel their culture was superior? Why is it that the system set up based simply upon race was able to thrive? How is it even possible that another person could ever morally see another human as a product – as cattle? It’s very difficult for me to grasp the thinking that allowed for the circumstances of history to evolve as they did. This piece goes on to discuss race relations on another level. The fact that slavery itself has ended has left African Americans with an identity crisis where we live in a cycle of trying to in some way prove ourselves. There’s a grasp for self-identity that cannot even be traced back. There’s a loss of identity felt when we can’t truly find our ancestors. Because of history, race relations are left in a weird place. As Baldwin states, a “new” black man and “new” white man have been developed. The “new” black man is now part of America and the daily functions of the country. No longer a stranger to the country, an identity has been developed — but the identity continues to be one of proving one’s worth. The “new” white man can no longer deny the presence of black people in today’s society, and those who do are turned into “monsters.” The ideas behind this passage and the development of self-identity were extremely interesting to read and there are so many questions and responses felt while reading left open for discussion. I’m excited to discuss this passage!
In James Baldwin’s ” A stranger in a village”, the topic appears to be the focus of treatment of blacks and how they are viewed by others. This article is general was somewhat confusing in finding a true claim. In it though, Baldwin visits a village in Switzerland where the inhabitants have never seen a black man before. He visits one summer and then keeps going back the following winters in order to work. Therefore, it can be argued he likes the way he is treated over there and enjoys the time he spends there to want to keep returning. He recalls how some of the kids would come up to him and want to have conversations, whereas others would come out joyous cheering “neger”, he didn’t take offense to this even though the word was harmful because he understood that the kids didn’t know what they were saying. They were just happy to see him and that was the way in which they addressed him. There were negative connotations of his arrival in the village as well though, such as rumors going on behind his back that he was stealing. Later on in his article, he mentions the differences between when the first white people see a black man as opposed to when the first Africans see a white man. Inferiority is a word the author uses in order to convey this point. Whites arrived to Africa in order to take over and push themselves upon the inferior Africans. This is why it is viewed as different then when whites meet the first blacks, as happened in this village. They are wary and hesitant of it because all they have to go off of is stories.
In James Baldwin’s essay, “Stranger in a Village,” Baldwin discusses his time that he spent on a Swiss village among people who had never seen an African American before him. He focuses on the difference in cultural attitudes towards African Americans between America and Europe. Baldwin claims that in America, African Americans have a bad history that has shaped the way they are viewed today while in Europe they are completely foreign and Europeans are ignorant towards them. I think that the most interesting part of Baldwin’s argument is at the end when he is emphasizing the consequence of this ignorance. “People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.” This is a powerful statement from Baldwin because it highlights the dangers of being unaware and alienation. The people in the Swiss village treat Baldwin as if he isn’t a real person and is just some foreign object with no feelings or emotions. This shows that isolating yourself from certain races or groups of people and refusing to acknowledge the reality of the rest of the world causes people to look down on others since they think that their race is the best. I feel that this passage shows us how a race’s history can have such a big impact on how that race is viewed in modern society. It is difficult for a lot of people to erase any previous biases that have been made about another race. These biases lead to increased racism and cause people to isolate others and treat them poorly. As a result, it is important that more people become culturally aware in order to prevent any further violence and conflicts due to prejudices and discrimination.
The passage on page 45 stood out most to me. This passage parallels modern sentiments concerning equality and prejudice. The passage as a whole sheds light on baldwin’s larger project of the identity of the black man. Baldwin wants the white man to view the man as a human being, as opposed to a foreign entity, “The black man insists, by whatever means he finds at his disposal, that the white man cease to regard him as an exotic rarity and recognize him as a human being.” He acknowledges that to reach this goal entails great difficulty. Baldwin acknowledges that the easier option for the majority is to “preserve his simplicity and avoid being called to account or crimes committed by his forefathers, or his neighbors.” This difficulty in viewing a black man as a human, as opposed to a exotic rarity is seen when Baldwin discusses the prejudices he has faced, himself. Although he spent quite some time in the Swiss village, he was still subject to prejudice, since the villagers do not view him as an equal. Although some speak to him in a friendly manner, others look down upon him. He was subject
To unkind stares, and was even accused of theft. Although many miles separate America and the Swiss village, this judgment can still be found. Even though African Americans are an important part of American history and society, there are still those who look down upon them, “The syllable hurled behind me today expresses, above all, wonder: I am a stranger here. But I am not a stranger in America and the same, syllable riding on the American air expresses the war my presence has occasioned in the American soul.” I wonder what is root for the sentiments of racial superiority; why does one race view itself higher than other?
In James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in a Village,” he delves into the experience he had being the only black man anyone had ever seen in a Switzerland village. He recounts the differences between the experience in America and the village where he felt was an outsider. I focused on the last paragraph of part two for my analysis. I chose this part because of one line that stood out to me more than the rest of the essay. He says “the abyss is experience, the American experience.” This part really portrays the idea that this race idea comes from experience. We are constantly bombarded with pictures online that say, hate is learned. This idea really brings it home when it discusses the “American experience.” It is essentially saying that those exposed to this in America address the author in a separate way, the learned way. On the other hand those that have not been exposed to the American way, have a certain way of addressing the same situation. Here he also hints on the idea that race conflicts have always been around and cannot just be removed from society. Overall Baldwin makes some really interesting arguments especially when it comes to the past. He talks about how the American experience will always remain the same. It is not subject to change and it has worked that way for a long time now. Some questions that come up are inherently, where do these conflicts originate and if conflicts can also arise for people of other races. One question, I always wondered was if instead of Europe being the super power that takes over other countries, instead it was the African countries that had advanced, would we see the same racial conflicts we have today.
Sections 2 and 3 really struck me in James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village,” because Baldwin describes his presences in Switzerland after a while that he was beginning to be partially accepted. From the start of his stay the villagers would look at him with astonishment since people with his skin tone was very rare. The amount of information the villagers were very small since they had one school to provide any learning experience for the kids. The kids in the village would call Baldwin by derogatory names because of what they had learn from their parents or even in the school they attended. Even the hair type that Baldwin genetically had, they assumed that his hair was like “wires” or that the color of his skin will rub off to the villagers when making contact. After the phases of of stereotyping Baldwin, the villagers began greeting Baldwin when they pass by or even ask him personal questions. “I learn how to ski-partly, I gather, because they cannot imagine what I would look like on skis-and want to know if I am married, and ask questions about my metier.” Sadly there was still people who would treat him poorly, “other women look down or look away or rather contemptuously smirk…other children, having been taught that the devil is a black man, scream in genuine anguish as I approach.” This article was written in 1953 and still we see it today. Changes have been made drastically but there is still are assumptions based on race.
It’s interesting to discuss what the “correct” way to discuss racism is today, especially in a country that has never formally apologized for the enslavement of African people or the colonization of the land of the Native American people. In the second passage of James Baldwin’s Stranger in the Village he discusses his time living in a small village in Switzerland where he is viewed as an “other” but in a different way than he has experienced this otherness in America, where he grew up. He talks about the normalization of racism in Europe and how it isn’t as often cruel spirited or anger/fear driven as it is in America. The townspeople see him as exotic and different, an anomaly whom it is appropriate to ogle. This, in addition to being called a “Neger” by the children in the town makes him uncomfortable, but in a way that he doesn’t feel like he can fully claim because they are not intending to make him feel uncomfortable. He struggles with the idea that these individuals are not being overtly racist and therefore can’t really be blamed for European colonialist culture that has persisted for thousands of years and even more, for American colonialist culture and white supremacy. He says “these people have never seen America, nor have most of them seen more of Europe than… the foot of their mountain” yet because they have such self determination and comfort in the way they live- a way of living which Baldwin has never had, even in America where he was born and grew up, he feels uncomfortable still. They have simply inherited this life and tiny slice of the world where they are free from systematic oppression and insecurity. These people are Western, making them participants in a world that privileges whiteness, where Baldwin has been “strangely grafted.” Where should the line be drawn on how we expect people to act regarding the topic of the historic oppression of black people? Should we expect people to be completely open and accepting to everyone, even if they live in a secluded place where they only interact with people who look like them? Should these people who live in secluded places be educating themselves on the oppression of black people? Are white people inherently racist by existing in the world today? Is it contemptible if white people don’t own up to being inherently racist? Baldwin speaks on how he finds that white men can be put into a binary when it comes to their stance towards racism, either they are racist or naive. To take a position of empathy towards the black man would be to suggest that the white man would be willing to trade places with him, which of course most wouldn’t because the white man is aware of the oppression the black man faces. I feel like Baldwin’s larger project is examining how the truth of the situation is that black people live with a feeling of unfulfilled entitlement, whether this is acknowledged or not, and alternately white people live with a deep underlying sense of guilt, knowing that they deserve vengeance. I feel like this perpetuates racism because while white men know that they are deserving of punishment, they still live in a society of white supremacy so they lash out against black people to instill the regime that benefits them.
In James Baldwin’s essay, “Stranger in the Village,” Baldwin discusses the Black-White relationship in different parts of the world like in America and Europe. He focuses on the history of Africans and how they contribute to society as an identity. The passage I chose is interesting because it talks about the history of Africans in America, as slaves, but also in Europe. A big part of this essay talks about the Black-White relationship in America, but this is the point where the essay goes into a broader domain. In this passage Baldwin states,
“For the history of the American Negro is unique also in this: that the question of his humanity, and of his rights therefore as a human, became a burning question that it ultimately became one of those used to divde the name….It is an argument which Europe never had…”
The rights of coloured people were always an important of American history and because Americans had to always question what was equal and what was not, America has become this “melting pot” of different cultures. However, according to Baldwin, the European nations never went through this kind of revelation. It was as if Africans were not a part of the European identity and in truth they were not. This is the opposite in America.
I think what Baldwin is trying to explain in this passage is that, in a way, America gave Africans identities even when they were slaves. They were always talked about when it came to American social norms, but you would never hear as much of Africans fit into other social hierarchies. Africans had the best starting area in order to fight for their human rights. Would there have been any chance for European Africans to become free if it were not for the revolutions in America? Could the climb to freedom have been done in another place other than America?
In James Baldwin’s essay, “Stranger in the Village,” he talks about his experiences staying in a Swiss village over time. The first section highlights his initial experiences with the village where he knows that due to being an outsider, he won’t be accepted easily into the village. What he thinks does end up occurring, but in a different way than he expected. Since he was an African-American, rather than just a regular African, he was different, a new type of species to enter the village. This causes a disconnect between himself and the village people where despite his attempts to be accepted, he is unable to even be viewed as a human. By being this new type of being to enter the village, he concludes in his first part that, “In all of this, in which it must be conceded there was the charm of genuine wonder and in which there was certainly no element of intentional unkindness, there was yet no suggestion that I was human: I was simply a living wonder” (43). He wasn’t recognized as a human person but as a wonder, a spectacle that the village people would not see in their everyday lives. While this opinion changed slightly overtime, to him, the difference between being Black and being White meant that the village people could never recognize him as anything but a stranger.
His experiences in the Swiss village leads him to reflect towards the bigger picture and how racism has been through history, especially towards Blacks. In the second section of his essay, he mentions the village tradition where the village “buys” African natives to convert them to becoming Christians. While the people in the village think that it’s a normal and simply a tradition, Baldwin thinks differently. Baldwin is reminded of the slavery era, where Blacks were purchased by Whites for the sole purpose of doing the White’s bidding. In an essence, although the village people don’t mean to do harm to the Africans that they purchase, to Baldwin, there is no real difference in the undertone of the tradition. It shows that the village still recognized Africans as people that are different and to an extent, below them in standing. If a village that has never even encountered the idea of slavery can be led to the idea that taking place in “purchasing” African people is a tradition, can underlying notions of racism ever be cleansed? Baldwin thinks not, because if white Americans choose to reject the idea that they are more privileged than Blacks, then they are choosing to reject history and the atrocities that have already been committed.
In the essay “Stranger in the Village” by James Baldwin, one passage in particular, surprised me the most. It amazes me how seeing a black person can be so shocking and somewhat like uncharted territory for those living in this Switzerland village. For as long as history can date back, black people have typically been a target for those to ridicule and put down but like any white person, they are human too. As James put it “ all of this, in which it must be conceded there was the charm of genuine wonder and in which there was certainly no element of intentional unkindness, there was yet no suggestion that I was human: I was simply a living wonder.” This shows how he’s being mistreated, though seemingly unintentional, simply because of him being black. It is mentioned in the passage that, “Some thought my hair was the color of tar, that it had the texture of wire, or the texture of cotton… If I sat in the sun for more than five minutes some daring creature was certain to come along and gingerly put his fingers on my hair, as though he were afraid of an electric shock, or put his hand on my hand, astonished that the color did not rub off.” This shows how the people in this village have, for some reason, never acknowledged a black person and because of not knowing one, they decide to make things up about one ultimately hurting the person. They’ve chosen to view this person as a discovery, an object, rather than a human. However it isn’t so much as to how shocking seeing a black person can be in this village, but how amazing he handles the situation. It is mentioned in the passage that he does not take what they say to offense, but instead he smiles and allows it happen thinking that they don’t know themselves that what they are saying it hurtful. For example, “I reacted by trying to be pleasant-it.” This shows that despite the constant ridicule by those around him, he managed to be incredibly brave and courageous for not allowing the hurtful comments to affect him. so , yes he definitely stood out in the village but not simply because of the color of his skin, but because he was one of the most amazing and courageous people in the village.
The reading by Baldwin was my least favorite thus far in the class. I found it to be actually offensive and insulting from the perspective of a writer and an American. I want to focus closely on page 44 column 2, because it targets a critical flaw in the mindset of this writer. He already looks at the world as if because of his color he is at a disadvantage, the very societal norm of focusing more on the white man’s culture than on other groups, he perpetuates. Not once does he mention the amazing culture that comes from Africa, nor can he examine the art and music that comes from other countries, his mind is purely set on comparing himself to an “undefeatable” western culture. I have understood the context of the piece as being written in 1953 and yet I find it to be almost entirely insane given the global context at the time of the writing. Given everything Baldwin had lived through that he chooses to embody so thoroughly this racial barrier demonstrates his early life. In the context of this piece I feel pity for the writer and a real desire to understand what ahs driven him to this point. I am very aware that I read this article given the sensitivity of the topic in present day nearly 30 years after his death. I want to know what happened in his early development that caused such a dramatic change, especially in regards to religion. Does his unrealistic racial view change the reality of important facts for him?
In James Baldwin’s essay, “Stranger in the Village”, he speaks about being a negro in the small village of Switzerland. At first he speaks about how small the village is, and how the people of the village treat him like he is some foreign species. At first he was expecting more of a welcoming greeting, but little did he know, society was different in Switzerland towards “negroes.” On page 46, it says “The shock this spectacle afforded is suggested, surely, by the promptness with which they decided that these black men were not really men, but cattle.” This sentence supports my statement from above, but instead of a foreign species, an animal. At first, the people of the village are treating him with a negative vibe, but as time goes on, he proves to them that he is like them, a regular human being just trying to live life. This just shows that racism isn’t always ingrained into people’s heads, it really depends on what they’ve seen or how they’ve been treated. Teaching people the right things or the right morals will go a long way in today’s society. Baldwin has helped me learn that people can be ignorant, but the right message will go a long way for many.
In James Baldwin’s “Stranger in the Village” he writes about his experience being the only black person in a small town in Switzerland. Beginning in third part of this essay he goes into depth about the difference between American and European white people. I found what he was saying about past slavery interesting because it shows that while Europe had experienced slavery to some extent, it was different than what african americans had gone through in America. Baldwin states “The American Negro slave could not suppose, for one thing, as slaves in past epochs had supposed and often done, that he would ever be able to wrest the power from his master’s hands.” and I feel like this is accurate because historically people were taken as slaves as prisoners of war, or maybe sold into it. In America, an entire race was deemed the slave race and as Baldwin states they were not expected to ever be free again. In the Ancient world certain slaves could work for a salary and in places such as Rome the children of former slaves were considered full Roman citizens. Today slavery may no longer exist in America, but the descendants of former slaves have to deal with the systematic oppression that was created long before they even came into the world. On pg 46 he explains that “It is an argument which Europe has never had, and hence Europe quite sincerely fails to understand how or why’ the argument arose in the first- place, why its effects are so frequently disastrous and always so unpredictable, why it refuses until today to be entirely settled.” and relates this back to why African Americans have dealt with their rights and humanity being questioned in America. Baldwin also points out that when a white man is amongst black men he is as much of a stranger as a black man being amongst white men. Yet for some reason the white man feels superior and feels that he has the right to be dominant. At the end he addresses that the while black people may be strangers in this village and to europe, they are not strangers to America. This is because they are not strangers, they have helped form this country and are therefore fellow americans but even more importantly human. I wonder why white people felt superior on first interaction with African Americans? Why didn’t they get the impression that the black people were more superior? What would have happened if slavery was as widespread in Europe as it were in America? Would it have taken longer to abolish it as Europe is more homogeneous in comparison to the mixing pot of America?
After reading Teju Cole’s “Rereading James Baldwin’s ‘Stranger in the Village,’” it affected the way I looked at James Baldwin’s essay. I think that looking at Baldwin’s essay as a standalone affected my perceptions of his work a lot because he makes very reasonable conclusions from his own perceptions of the world. His strongly concludes that humans would never be able to progress from the past because of his experiences in his life and in the village. However, Cole is able to show the contrary. When Cole personally goes up to Leukerbad, he is able to show a change in society that Baldwin believed was completely white-washed.
In Baldwin’s essay, he starts of his essay by saying, “From all available evidence no black man had ever set foot in this tiny Swiss village before I came … But I remain as much a stranger today as I was the first day I arrived, and the children shout Neger! Neger! as I walk along the streets”(42). In his perspective, nothing changed for him over time, the village people viewed him the same way and he didn’t even feel respected as a fellow human being. However, as Cole explores more of the village, it shows that the isolated village was able to grow up with time and integrates black people into their society. There were black workers that resided in the spa, or a waitress at the pizzeria. Black people weren’t the norm but still not rare enough to be considered a sight.
Cole has accepted that by being a black person, he would be subjected to being glanced upon but that too is simply a part of being a person. Glances are normal, and the thing that subjects him to it is because he is a stranger. Technology has also changed the village in certain ways as well. Children don’t group up together anymore outside as much, perhaps it’s because of technology or values that have changed. Cole is able to show that the world is able to change, even in an isolated village like Leukerbad. The world changes and the values are reflected within the people, showing that Baldwin’s statements don’t necessary hold true over the test of time.
I submitted the response onto the wrong assignment. This response was meant for assignment the Cole reading.