Below is a link to two short excerpts from Chimamanda Adichie’s novel Americanah.
The novel follows a Nigerian woman named Ifemelu who moves to the United States for graduate school, then returns to Nigeria. The first excerpt is a first-person blog entry in Ifemelu’s voice (not Adichie’s!) about race in America. The second excerpt, “Chapter 48,” is a third-person narrative describing Ifemelu’s experience at a party after she has returned to Nigeria.
In the comments section below, please answer the following questions:
-How does the blog entry address racial bias? Do you think Ifemelu’s approach is more or less effective than Trevor Noah’s? Why?
-What kind of bias is examined in the second excerpt? What is the main point Adichie is making in this passage? Please point to one specific moment in the text that shows her making this point.
1. I think that the blog addresses racial bias in a negative light. The author states a number of things that non-black Americans should not say or do, because when they do so, they are being racist. Ifemelu states that when “an American Black person is telling you about an experience about being black, please do not eagerly bring up examples from your own life” (403, Adichie). Clearly the author has had a negative experience and is writing about it. Personally, I believe that this approach is more effective than Trevor Noah’s. This approach is more stern and gets the point across, whereas Noah’s who gets the point across does it in a more PG way. Ifemelu does not hide anything, and I genuinely can feel her disturbance when reading this passage.
2. The second except has a bias of hatred from the black students toward the white people they encountered while studying in America. Adichie is making the point that white Americans are pushy, entitled, and expect everything to go their way. One scenario that stuck out to me was when Yagazie said that “the American customer service can be so annoying. Someone hovering around and bothering you all the time. Are you still working on that? Since when did eating become work,” this also explains how the students believe that white America’s do not care to interrupt people, and especially, no one likes to waste time (502, Adichie).
1. The blog entry addresses racial bias very bluntly. It is clear to see that she has experienced it before and she is fed up at this point. She immediately starts of by addressing “Non-Black” people and telling them what they need to stop doing to try making themselves seem equal to Black people. From her blog entry you can see that she has encountered white people who have tried to use their social circle or family background as leverage in orders to make it seem like they aren’t racist. I think that Ifmelas approach is more effective than Trevor Noahs. His approach was more funny and even though the message was still received from him, for a topic like this we need a more serious tone in order to be taken seriously.
2. In the second excerpt there is bias towards white people in America. Although they were laughing about it, the undertone of that conversation was that they disliked a lot things about the white kids in America. For instance they went to a vegetarian place and when Doris received her food she, “bit in and tasted chicken.” After informing the waiter, the response was “Maybe they put chicken today (503, Adiche).” Any person with common sense knows that vegetarian meals shouldn’t contain meat. Most of the things they disliked had to do with customer service and restaurants.
-In the author’s blog post she states that non-black Americans should listen to the problems that black Americans face. She seems annoyed at the fact of non-black Americans always seeming to ignore the race issue. She is more aggressive in her approach on how to solve racism. But I feel that Mr. Noah’s approach was better as he doesn’t come off as hostile with having people speak the other person’s native language.
– In chapter 48 the group discusses their stay in various parts of the United States. They come to an agreement that they miss certain things they had in the US such as “Low fat soy mil, NPR, fast Internet”. The bias being presented is that the quality of life in America is better. As they all enjoyed their stay and are ecstatic about a slice of America, the new vegetarian restaurant, coming to Lagos.
-Ms. Adichie appears to address the topic of racism far more seriously than Trevor Noah did. To say the least, it is very blunt. For example, “They would rather not have racist shit happen. So maybe when they say something is about race,
it’s maybe actually is? Don’t say ‘I’m color blind’…” strikes to me a harsh, confrontational tone. I would say it’s still just as effective as Trevor’s approach if not more so since it shows the harsh reality of racism.
-Clearly there seems to be a bias from the white students against blacks. Yagazie notes how “customer service can be so annoying”, which is only explained further into the excerpt.
-Ifemelu’s blog entry addresses racial bias in a stern and direct manner. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything and is blunt with what she says and what she means. You can feel her annoyance through the text when she addresses non-black Americans, “Don’t say your grandfather was Mexican so you can’t be racist…Don’t bring up your Irish great-grandparents’ suffering. Of course they got a lot of shit from established America” (Adichie 404). Whereas Trevor Noah uses humor to speak on racism and can have his point interpreted different ways. Personally I think Ifemelu’s approach is more effective because she means exactly what she says. It cant be interpreted in a different way and he aggression is understandable when discussing the harsh realities of racism.
-In the second excerpt bias towards fellow Nigerians who have returned back to Nigeria after studying in America.Although she can relate to them she finds it odd that they are criticizing their own country after becoming used to the American lifestyle. When the group was discussing their thought on Nollywood she purposely disagreed with them because “The urge to be contrarian was strong.If she set herself apart, perhaps she would be less of the person she feared she had become” (Adichie 504).She is critical of those who mock Nigeria for the things it doesn’t have and America does, yet relates to everything they are saying.
– In this blog, racial bias is addressed in a very frank and unforgiving way. The author conveys her annoyance with the way racism against blacks is taken lightly. She directly critiques non-black Americans for assuming their oppression was equal or in any way or form comparable to that of African Americans. She bluntly states that these Americans are now carrying the debts of the country’s past and that “Jim Crow is a big-ass debt” to be owed (pg.404). Clashing from the way Trevor Noah handles his racial tensions with light humor and innuendos. Ifemelu’s approach while intense is unmistakable. There were no hidden meanings behind her words and her sincerity were successfully conveyed through her words in a way Noah’s might have lacked.
-The second excerpt depicts bias against one’s own country. After coming back from America and becoming adjusted to the standard of living there, the group has nothing but critique for the country they were brought up in. Infemelu “was comfortable [there, in the conversation], and she wished she [was] not.” (pg.503) Adichie notes the influence that American culture has on people and their habit of considering it superior.
1) I feel that in some way there is some racial bias happening her but there true facts that are being spoken among Ifemelu’s perspective. When she states on the top of page 404 that black Americans don’t want racism to happen, but some black Americans may misinterpret anything as racist and play the race card. Im not saying it happens with the black race only but other race may do it as well. One thing that I agree with her is how non black Americans should not compare their lives to black Americans because at this point in time they are struggling more than white Americans. To compare this Noah’s work I think Noah would come out more effectively considering that he is more on a neutral stand rather than what Ifemelu is on.
2) The bias that I found from the other excerpt is how she says that “American customer service can be annoying. Someone hovering around and bothering you all the time.” I thinks that’s not true because it’s not every customer service that annoys you. Plus I feel that she’s finding another way to target the flaws that Americans have that has nothing to do with race.
1. Ifemelu is blunt with her opinions on racism that goes on in America towards African Americans, and is clearly emotional about the topic, as concluded from the curse words she uses to get her point across to the reader, as well as how she directly attacks, for lack of a better word, people who say their best friend is black but “still do racist shit.” I believe that Ifemelu’s method is more effective than Trevor Noah’s because for a topic like this it is important to be more serious and convey to the reader exactly what you are trying to say. She simply does a better job at this than Trevor Noah.
2. In the second excerpt Ifemelu is at a party surrounded by other Africans who have spent time in America, and she is listening to them speak about how great America is, and all the things they miss about America that are not present in Africa. The excerpt is written with a bias against these people, as she is standing there listening to them conversating, and although she can relate to what they are saying she still does not understand how they are putting down the country they are native to. Her bias is especially evident when they are discussing the cuisine that America has but Africa lacks, such as good vegetarian food/restaurants. “An unease crept up on Ifemelu. She was comfortable here, but she wished she were not…” (page 503).
The entry addresses racial bias by addressing how all people react to talks about racism. I believe Ifemelu’s way of portraying racism was not as good Trevor’s way of explaining because he gives many points of view with a more passive approach than Ifemelu’s aggressive approach.
The bias in the second excerpt was that of assumptions everyone makes from racial issues. People from all races have struggles but not all problems are the same and should not be compared the racial problem is not of the individual but the group as a whole. The main point that Adichie is making in this passage is that everyone has problems and that there is no need to try to cover yourself when the subject of race is discussed because it is about the group not the individual. This is primarily shown when it is said “Don’t say “I’m color blind” because if you are color blind then you need to see a doctor” explaining how bad such excuses are.
1. This blog entry addressed racial bias by being straightforward and brutally honest. Real life conversations and experiences were used to support Ifemulu’s strong position on racism in America. She uses a time line and discusses racism from all different time periods and cultures and ties it together to explain how those instances were 100’s of years ago and not determined based on skin color; while racial practices against black Americans were still legal in the 1960’s. The analogy of being “color-blind” until a black American is shown for crime on television was extremely powerful and successful as a counterargument. (504 Adiche) I think Noah’s approach was less direct and less effective than Ifemulu’s approach.
2. The bias is against Nigeria, by Nigerians after they visited America. The attendees glorify American food, customer service, and ultimately everything American, while tearing down their native country. The main point Adiche is making in this passage is that it is easy to glorify cultures from races that everyone is taught to praise from a young age–The american Dream for example. The point where she makes this is when they are discussing native cuisine and the people describe their own food as something they can almost no longer eat. “This is what she had hoped she had not become but feared that she had:”they have the kind of things we can eat” kind of person”. (503 Adiche)
1. This blog entry addresses racial bias because of how the author writes about racism against African Americans. It is clear that Ifemelu’s feels very strongly about how racism is portrayed in America and how bad it affects African Americas. Ifemelu’s uses many curse words and is very direct about how people think when it comes to racism against African Americans. I believe that Trever Noah’s way was more affective because he did not attack his readers. Generally, people respond a lot better when they are reading about real life experiences and not being attacked while at it. Ifemelu’s approach was very wrong in my opinion because all she was doing, was stating her opinion and not giving any evidence or facts. Trevor Noah on the other hand, did talk about a real life experience and how it affected many people who went through the same experience.
2. The bias that is examined in the second excerpt is towards the Africans who came to America to study and eventually came back to their hometown. This chapter is describing the feelings of these students and how they like America a lot better then their own home country. While Adichie is listening to these students talk so graciously about America and how their country is not as good, Adichie is wondering how can one like a different country better then one’s home country. “Folks here behave as if they are doing you a favor by serving you” (page 502).
-In my eyes I believe the authors blog post addresses racial bias in a very direct and aggressive way. I say this because in the text she directly challenges what white people are saying about blacks. One such example is when she states “Don’t say “Oh, its not really race, it’s gender. Oh, it’s not race, it’s the cookie monster.” She directly challenged what whites were using as defense and basically said it was rubbish. She even said “it’s the cookie monster” which is an aggressive way of making her point since she basically said white peoples defense to certain stuff was just make belief or whatever they could think of. I think Ifemelu’s approach is less effective than Trevor Noah’s because when I read Trevor Noah’s text I saw the world through his eyes and his experiences. This allowed me to better understand why he felt a specific way about specific things much better and made it more memorable.
-The second excerpt demonstrates a bias towards America and all of the white people who live there. The point that Ifemelu is making in this passage is in America white people have it all good in their lives. This is demonstrated when Ifemelu compares customer service between America and folks from where she currently is. She states “Folks here behave as if they are doing you a favor by serving you”. Compared to “But in America customer service can be so annoying. Someone hovering around and bothering you all the time. Are you still working on that? Since when did eating become work? This shows she misses how she used to get service in America as people would bug her to serve her and here, they act like they are doing extra just for serving you.
1) The blog entry addresses racial bias by laying down all the facts, she uses a very straight forward approach to just list a bunch of racial biases in America. This approach is a little more effective than Noah’s approach in that it’s so clear cut that there is no room for confusion. Her choice of words and aggressive tone really drive her points on racial bias home.
2) In the second excerpt Adiechi is describing the biased of dislike toward white Americans. She gave several scenarios in which it was expressed that they didn’t like something in America. The point she wanted to make was that even though there were so many thing these students disliked about america, they still wanted to be there. An example of this is when Ifemelu thought about the uneasy about feeling comfortable with the other students and wanting to know about the new restaurant. She did not wish to be comfortable.
1)I find the way the blog approaches racial bias to be extremely condescending and frankly devoid of any actual evidence to back up the many valid arguments she made and It seemed to me to be a flurry of emotional ramblings. Does racial inequality exist in the U.S.? Yes. Will yelling at every other race about how their problems mean less than yours help? Probably not. If someone is ignorant enough to not listen to the gripes of a black person in the first place, attacking them will make it even less likely for them to listen. Trevor Noah was able to use his own childhood experiences to allude to the problems going on in the world today and because of that i feel his is much more likely to sway people making his approach more effective.
2)The bias being examined in the second excerpt is towards people who grow dissatisfied with their homeland (Nigeria in this case) after returning from another country. Even though she loved Nigeria she still resonated with what the other returnees were saying to a certain extent. She still respected her culture and country of origin but she could not let go of the luxuries that the United States offered her. This is perfectly illustrated in the internal conflict she had on page 503 when she details her longing for the food of Nigeria while she was away but now that she’s back she misses the food from the States the same way.
a) The blog entry addresses racial bias in format where the reader can relate. I personally feel like several readers related to the blog because at some point a reader was said a phrase mentioned in the blog. So now they are connected to this entry they now feel emotions towards this cause in a way that they didn’t have conscious of. Some of us may feel like we understand racism or think we can relate but when Ifemelu projects her point of view towards us, we begin to understand how our action physical or verbal are contributing or show ignorance on the topic of racial bias. I believe both Trevor Noah and Ifemelu are effective in two different ways because they appeal to readers differently. Trevor Noah presents his life experience while Infemelu shows us how we react or experience racial bias.
b)The kind of bias presented in the second excerpt is towards Africans who came to the U.S to study and have returned home. Throughout the excerpt I see comparisons between America and their home. While Adichie listens and at times agrees to the commentaries made by her peers she feels discomfort in having a liking towards America instead of her native country. We see them compare something as simple as customer service. How back home being “served” felt like a “favor to employees. Adichie has this sense of regret when she craves the restaurant mentioned by Bisola and the vegetarian food offered.
1. The blog entry addressed the topic of racism in a very direct way. It grabbed the reader’s attention by being very straightforward using a harsh tone. This was a different approach than Trevor Noah’s and I think was more effective because it emphasized how important this issue is.
2. There is a bias in this chapter towards white people in America and how privileged the culture was. “In America customer service can be so annoying sometimes. Someone hovering around and bothering you all the time”. She compares the difference in cultures and how in America customer service is overly enthusiastic unlike how it was back home.
-The blog entry addresses racial bias in a very head on fashion. Ifemelu does not seem very tolerable of racial biases that happen or have happened. She also isn’t tolerable of the idea of other “Non-Black Americans” trying to apply some of their past hardships to relate and resonate with what African Americans had to go through. I believe Ifemelu feels as if no matter how much someone can try to relate to racial bias they can never understand the feeling of it for an African American. I think Trevor Noah’s approach is just as effective as Ifemelu’s because he and Ifemelu both let their audience know that racial bias is a real issue. The only difference between the two is that Ifemelu is rather aggressive and Trevor Noah is more passive and comedic.
-In the second excerpt, the bias shown is a bias towards America. The point Adichie is trying to get across is that people that go to America may start to get used to the American standard of living and start to forget their roots and possibly start to think less of their original country. For example, Nollywood is a topic that is brought up and a New Haven women states, “It is so offensive to my intelligence, I mean the products are just bad, what does that say about us?” and Ifemelu retorts with, “But Hollywood makes equally bad movies. They just make them with better lighting.”(Adichie, 504)
Ifemelu’s point on racism ia very blunt whicg may scare a lot of people off. But I beleive she makes up for it by being direct and showing what she believes needs to change specifically, while Travor Noah was more vague when addressing solutions.
In the second exerpt Ifemlu realises that she belives now that she was in America she can’t eat the same food because she’s “different”. Implying she’s better than the people who stayed in Nigeria