For this week, one of the readings is called “Recitatif” written by Toni Morrison. This reading is set in the 1950’s and is based on two young girls who befriend each other. One thing that is extremely important to consider when reading this text is that the time period has a great effect on the ideas of race at the time. Racial identity, preconception and the ideas of society are all large themes of the reading. Yes, the characters’ races are kept a secret throughout the story, but using context clues and situations the reader can interpret them in whatever way they wish.
The ideas and meanings behind race start at such a young age, wether kids are educated on the matter or not- which can be seen through the characters in “Recitatif.” Simple things in everyday life shape how white and black children are treated. For example, mainly white people are seen on television, so a young, black kid may never think they can be an actor or news anchor because he’s never seen a person like him or herself represented. Or, if a child’s parent is never open about racial issues and doesn’t encourage inclusion at a young age, then that will definitely affect the child in other social situations as they get older. In the 1950’s the ideas of racism are different, yet somewhat similar as today’s.
Segregation was a very prevalent issue in the 1950’s which is when “Recitatif” was set. In most states interracial marriage was illegal and interracial friendships were frowned upon. There were separate schools for white and black children up until 1954 and for years after that, people still weren’t in favor of the idea. The characters in the book display how they don’t let race affect the way they view each other and they don’t let others impact their views on race, despite it being a time period where race was a controversial issue.
There are also many studies on interracial relationships. Most sources say that anyone can benefit from being friends with someone of another race because it can give them an insight into new scenarios and ideals. Men and women can have better communication, leadership and social experiences due to having friends of other races. It’s very important to experience events of many cultures as well. As the world becomes more diverse and finally accepts people of all backgrounds, it is important for children to grow up being exposed to these things in order to be more successful in any field.
I really enjoyed how much research you put into the topic of interracial relationships. Nowadays, that can be a touchy subject for some people, so I am glad you took the liberty of explaining the facts surrounding the topic. I agree it is important that children be exposed to all different types of culture and diversity. It is proven a more rounded individual tends to do better in their career field, as they are more experienced when dealing with those from another background. Overall, I enjoyed your presentation and look forward to doing the reading for this week!
I agree with you on the importance of education surrounding race and interracial connections. I think it is interesting how you discussed the different ways that black and white children may grow up differently and how this might affect their views. I appreciate how much research you did into the study of interracial relationships and I think this topic is still very relevant today. We still don’t see as much interracial connection as there could be so I think it will be interesting to look deeper into this.
I really liked the way you explained the benefits society can gain through creating interracial friendships. I agree that there is so much knowledge and insight you can gain on one’s life when you look at the world through their eyes, which is exactly what friendship provides. I think your research on this was done very well and you really added to the overall message with your explanation as well!
Hi!
I really enjoyed your post. I find it inspiring how Twyla and Roberta did not let the opposing person’s race interfere with their friendship while growing up in a time where a lot of racial tension took place. I support the research you chose for interracial relationships; having friendships/relationships with people of other races can really educate someone on cultures and ideas aside from their own.
Hello! Thank you for sharing, I truly enjoyed your perspective on interracial relationships. I loved your point when you mentioned black and white children can grow up differently and how it can change their views on society. I respect how much research you put into this, and support the idea that having relationships with other races is a chance for education.
I really enjoyed reading your post and I thought it was very helpful to include the benefits of interracial relationships. I think that this story really shows that rascism is something that is taught. When they were kids they were good friends because they never thought about their race but when they met each other again at the restaurant years later, Roberta was very cold to Twyla because of how it was back then with black or white. I also like how you said that parents should talk to their kids about racial issues because I do think it is something that is taught through parents or through society.
I like this approach to the reading. The way you did research on interracial relationships gives good context. I like that you noted how society’s messed up views of race can affect the upbringing of kids. How children perceive others like themselves is important to their developing self worth, as well as their future aspirations. It would be interesting to look into the psychology of that, in order to further understand interracial relationships in a scientific light. I think that would be beneficial to look into! I also like how you mentioned the importance of having interracial relationships in order to understand other points of view. Overall, great post!!
I think that your interpretation of Recitatif is beautiful. I am currently reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and I see some of the same principles reflected in that book as well, particularly the concept of interracial dating and how taboo (or even illegal) that used to be. I think, like you said, it is imperative to expose young children to all different races, cultures, and ethnicities at a young age so they can begin to view their differences as a strength and not a weakness. I think we are absolutely nowhere near done on that one, but we have made great strides since the 1950s. Great work!
I enjoyed reading about this and the research you did. Most people know from history class that interracial relationships were, as you said, illegal or frowned upon. This shows in the story “Recitatif”even though you don’t know who is who, there was a statement from Twyla saying she was “stuck with a girl from a whole other race,” indicating one of them was black and the other white. It also shows when Roberta’s mother refused to shake Twyla’s mother’s hand. Later when the two girls meet again at the diner Twyla worked at, Roberta acted like she barely knew her and in the their second meeting stated “Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was.” This is a clear indicator that associating with the other race, at least to Roberta in front of her friends, was a bad thing then. Your research and presentation really reflect what was shown in the story and vise versa.
Great job!
Recitatif was a great read. I appreciate how it shows the difference with race and relationships. When first reading it, you see that Twyla and Roberta were alias, brough together under similar circumstances. Being abandoned by their mothers and not truly being orphans according to the other children who parents actually died and didn’t just abandon them.
I think as time passes, the world makes them see color, when at one point they point they were on each other side. I think that is even true for interracial relationships today. There is so much pressure placed on people by the media and other people to be a certain way, like certain people only, that it is almost uncomfortable to try and be friends or even love someone outside of your race.
I agree that being friends with someone outside your race is beneficial but getting passed that awkward stage is difficult. Sometimes, relationships just happen naturally and sometimes you must work on them. Work to understand why someone has a certain point of view different than yours and develop and understanding. I think one thing that is important is to enter into those new relationships with an open mind and a willingness to understand, create change and be better humans.
I think that we can all learn something from children, they don’t see color or anything that make one different from the other, they only see another human like them, who likes what they like, and wants to have fun and enjoy life.
Hi Mary,
I appreciate your brief pause to dissect what the culture(s) and policies of the time were like. Although it was only 70 or so years ago, it was in many ways a drastically different social environment to live in dependent upon how you were perceived. Recognizing some of these unspoken truths before and after this reading can make a big difference in analysis and take-away.
hi, I agree with your views on the benefits that can be gained by establishing interracial friendships. The reason is that different races have different cultures. Different cultures collide with each other to have more wonderful ideas and enrich one’s own experience, so as to deal with a problem more comprehensively. In this friendly discussion, we can also understand each other better. I like your article , thank you for sharing the information.
Nice job on your presentation! I really liked how you brought up the time period of this essay and the point of race within this essay. Race was a big part of this essay and it was interesting to me that the author made it a point to not mention the race of anybody. I really liked how you talked about how people can benefit from interracial relationships. Overall, I really liked your presentation and thought you did a great job!
Being an Asian-Hispanic/American and growing up in Ohio, I related to the way that some interracial relationships are frowned upon, even in modern day. I agree with the fact that there is an extreme benefit in having interracial friendships from a young age as you are then exposed to not only different races, but different cultural ideals and identities within the country. This would help eliminate some of the racist tendencies that we see in our country today.
I have enjoyed this presentations so much, because I have a lot of interracial friends and I have always learned from them. The benefit of being diverse in society is a great concept to learn. I have learned how to live with different races and cultures, and not judging people based on the color of their skin.
I totally agree that it is important to to approach every sphere of our lives with a strong sense of ethics. Treating others with respect, regardless of their race, is crucial in building healthy and meaningful relationships. For example, when writing a paper about the importance of ethics in everyday life, it is essential to check https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-importance-of-ethics-in-everyday-life/ resource and find out how ethical behavior can positively impact our interactions with others and lead to a more just and equitable society.
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