Birds of a Feather

A detailed Summary of Birds of a Feather

The term Black and White is a very revealing one. On one level, it describes the way one can look at a concept, in terms of there only being a right or wrong answer. On another it is the way that society has continued to regard the differences between the African American and Caucasian races. One is black, the other white, and there is no gray area. Through the comparison of J.F. Powers' "The Trouble", and Ralph Ellison's "Flying Home", one will see that there a chasm between blacks and whites, yet by comparing the two stories, one can also see the vast differences that exist within the black community. Through reading these two stories, I noticed a contrast in the tone through the concepts that the different communities look to for strength; how each community accepts the members of the opposite race, and how the position of power is manipulated to emphasize the community's reaction to them; and how each community accepts the members of its own race, with the professions of the black characters in each story having much to do with the theme.

In both of these stories, at different points in the plot, the main characters look to external sources for strength to persevere in a situation. In the case of the family in "The Trouble

Todd's feelings toward whites are very complex, in that he feels as if they are better than people of his race, yet he feels he should be regarded equally to them. This seems very cowardly in contrast to the troubled family's belief that all races should be fairly treated. The situation of power in both "The Trouble" and "Flying Home" does much to illustrate each character's feelings. By giving the white person the upper hand in "Flying Home", it is apparent how much Todd looks up to white people, and everything that goes along with being white, when the white attendants come to get him, Todd does not feel fear, rather that "he had been lifted out of his isolation, back into the world of men." (Ellison 481). To the reader, Todd's thoughts may seem absurd because he is being poorly treated by our standards. Yet Todd's submissiveness is explained by the way the book describes his feelings when he is with other white pilots. "They were pleased simply that he was a Negro who could fly, and that was not enough. He felt cut off from them by age, by understanding, by sensibility, by technology, and by his need to measure himself against the mirror of other men's appreciation." (Ellison 465), he also is referred to as a "black eagle" (Ellison 481) by the land owner, Graves, which has connotations of being respectful, but is very mocking towards Todd. Yet by placing the black family in the position with more power, as Powers does in "The Trouble", the kindness that the grandmother shows becomes merciful. The child narrator states that "The white man said he was much obliged, he hated to give us any trouble" (Pow

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English