In the 1959, John Griffin used medical treatments to change the color of his skin. On his last visit for the treatment of his skin, the doctor told him, ?Now you go into oblivion (pg. 14).? This statement was nothing but the truth because he looked exactly like a real Negro. He then set out on an odyssey traveling through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, as a white man traveling as a black man in order to find out by experience what it was like "to be a Negro in the Deep South (pg. 1)." He experiences how, many freedoms and rights that he enjoyed as a white are now forbidden to him.

He learns becoming a Negro is something unimaginable as well as very painful to experience. He is subjected to the stinging "hate stare," from whites,

There are some white forces that may serve to bring about change in this system. These include civil rights activists and other sided powers for the blacks. Although, it is often assumed that every white person in the south was racist, there were a few nice, kind and sensitive people towards the blacks. They help him pull through his moments of agony and give him advice as well as help. He feels faith and prosperity when the white construction worker from Alabama, gives him a lift and appears color blind, since he does not treat him as a Negro, but as a normal person. Also, when he meets famous white media men like East and Garroway who are deeply committed to the helping the race. All of these kind acts by sensitive whites, helps to bring forward more respect for the blacks in the long run and leads to the civil rights movement.

terrorize the Negroes. He is upset that innocent Negro children have to pay the price for his actions.

Racism has a great cost on our nation as a whole and no one profits from it. It is not only an embarrassment to our country and it leads to corruption and destruction. In his own hometown, some white racists hang his effigy on the main street.

Then he learns that they burn a cross at the Negro school near his home, to

your ass back in your seat and don?t you move till we get to Hattiesburg (pg. 63).? This is one of the many examples of pure racial discrimination. There are times when he asks for white drivers to give him a ride in their cars. The white men except and he finds out later that the only reason they did is because they want to discuss a Negro?s sexual life. John Griffin realizes through these experiences the grim and startling truth of the life of a Negro.

The following are

Some common words found in the essay are:
East Garroway, John Griffin, Negro Negroes, Deep South, , Alabama Georgia, john griffin, wash hands, 1950s 1960s, bus driver, novel black, color skin, civil rights, treat blacks, sink broken, total stranger,
Approximate Word count = 1182
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)