Death of a Toad
In this nation's history, society has alienated many groups based on race or color. The most widely known of these such prejudices has been those committed against blacks. Ever since the beginning of this nation, before 1776, blacks have been regarded as inferior, bs, and somewhat of a nuisance. John Howard Griffin, in his book Black Like Me, explores this thought as a white man and a black man, after he changes the color of his skin. In the book, alienation is clearly seen in states of the deep South. By tradition, if not by conformity, the white Southerners of the United States had previously been taught to hate the Negroes. Parents taught their children about their superiority to the Negroes and how Negores would have to act when confronted with a white person. White children were also taught that if a Negro did something it wasn't supposed to, so much as a stare at a white person, then he or she would have to be punished. This is clearly seen in Black Like Me after Griffin finishes his transformation and buys a ticket at a bus station. A white man before him is treated with the u
tmost courtesy and respect as well as a flirtatious remark by the woman behind the counter. When Griffin approaches to purchase his ticket, he is faced with a completely different person. The woman first shuns Griffin away by telling him that there are no more tickets. When Griffin tells her there still is, upon giving him his change, she hurls it so hard that all coins are flung on the floor. After purchasing his ticket, due to the "moral code" of segregation, Griffin is forced to wait in a "colored" waiting room when the "white's only" room was completely empty. This scene in the book shows how entire generations were bred to hate. The true comparison between the morality and treatment by the people of the South in general can be seen towards the end of the book. Desperate and confused, Griffin decides that he no longer can take the injustices committed not only towards blacks, but towards himself as well. His skin color, light enough to pass as a white, and dark enough to touch up as mulatto, allows his to explore both sides of society at once. As a black man, he is treated with cou
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Approximate Word count = 736
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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