The House Negro and the Field Negro Essay Example for Free

The House Negro and the Field Negro Essay There are two kinds of Negroes in the American society, according to Malcolm X. They are the subservient house Negro† and the subversive â€Å"field negro. † After making a detailed comparison between the two in the body of his speech, he categorically describes himself a â€Å"field negro† (X, Malcolm 1). Malcolm X is what he said he is as a field negro – a defiant black nationalist, with little regard, if at all, in the social institutions founded by white American masters, a representative of the mass of African Americans struggling to unfetter the chain that held the black people to slavery for over four centuries. Malcolm X was a man for his times, a man who witnessed in his youth the racial abuses of America’s white colonial rulers, a philosophical and religious thinker whose bold ideas and expressive rhetoric found acceptance among many African Americans who had long been subjected to racial abuse and debasement. He styled himself to represent the mass of American Africans, suited up in gentlemanly elegance to earn the respect and attention of his audience. Malcolm X delivered his speech in plain language no fancy words, no discombobulated phrases to distract his listeners. He went straight to the point and tackled issues with surgical competence and sharpness. He explained the term â€Å"house slaves† in plain and simple English, in a manner that all his audience could relate to, like the willingness of â€Å"house slaves† to pay three times the price of a house to be able to brag â€Å"I’m the only Negro out here† (Breitman 11). So the crowd roared in mock agreement. In like manner, he said a â€Å"field negro† represented the masses. He said â€Å"when the master got sick, the field Negro prayed that he’d die. † Nothing could be more graphic than that to illustrate a person’s contempt for another. Then, he said â€Å"I am a field Negro† (X, Malcolm 1) to show where he stood on the issue. He was a confident public speaker, gesturing like a true professional, like a brilliant pastor behind his pulpit. He knew his audience and made sure that he delivered the message that they wanted to hear and did it with aplomb as he underscored every sound bite that appealed to them. He was Master X behind the rostrum. His message reverberated across America with the same force and appeal that catapulted Martin Luther King Jr. into American consciousness. However, his message had none of the diplomacy and statesmanship presented by King. Malcolm X’s message was radical, uncompromising, violent, and sweeping – and should be better viewed and understood in the context of the era which bred his kind. He preached tit-for-tat as a principle of self-defense and belittled King’s calls for â€Å"civil disobedience† and â€Å"non-violence. † Malcolm X envisioned an entirely different route in his efforts to liberate the black people from slavery. His idea of freedom and liberation was for the establishment of a black republic within the United States or return of black people to their respective homelands in Africa, ideas that tended to divide rather than unite more African Americans. Moreover, he made more enemies than friends in the process of advancing these ideas in the forum of public opinion. Clearly, his ideas were more of a vindictive reaction to centuries of slavery, discrimination, and persecution in the hands of their American masters rather than a well-thought out plan to correct inequities which many well-meaning white Americans had along realized to be wrong and were willing to rectify. Malcolm’s ideas have more rhetoric than bites, more wishful thinking than real. His allegations of racism were directed to all white Americans, which maybe true but not that quite all encompassing. White American could likewise allege that Malcolm X was a racist for putting all white American together as abusive slave drivers. While some may practice racism, white Americans can claim that not everyone is racist, which is quite true. Malcolm X is a racist himself for his unforgiving tirades against white Americans. Racism is wrong no matter who practices it – black, white, yellow, or brown. As a Muslim convert, he cited the Koran, the Muslim bible, to preach the principle of â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth† (Breitman 12). He said, â€Å"If someone lays his hand on you, send him to the cemetery† (Breitman 12). While he supported King’s civil rights movement in principle, he distanced himself from actively supporting the movement through King’s numerous sit-ins and other protest actions that reverberated across America and roused leaders from Washington D. C. to take notice and spur them to seriously consider the issues presented. The success of the civil rights movement was correctly attributed to King’s strategy of â€Å"civil disobedience† not sanctioned by X’s Muslim religion. If his plan to fight â€Å"tooth for tooth,† then the turn of events in the United States would have been different, with the black people being probably shot down for terrorism and mayhem. Then, that would have ended the black American’s struggle for liberty and independence. As if Malcolm X’s call to arms and racist statements were not enough, he called for the return of American Africans to their home countries and the establishment of a black republic within the United States which this writer believes could have altered the course of American history. He called for the establishment of a Pan African Republic to consolidate all black Americans in the United States. It was an outrageous proposal, but nevertheless it won support among the many members of the black community, particularly the young. It was primarily his forceful voice and the compelling drama that he managed to inject into his speeches that enthralled audiences. He was not the ambulant speaker that many of today’s so-called TV evangelists practice to appeal to TV viewers, strolling around the stage as they deliver their speeches. He was regal as he stood firm on the podium, cool and calculating, an authoritative figure that spoke in forceful cadence, his hand movements providing the beat from which his voice would follow in different speed, pitches and timbres. He spoke from memory and extemporaneously, reading his lines from the ohs and ahs of his audience, spending more time and adding more lines on issues that drew the most reaction from his audience. He appealed to his audience’s heart, telling them stories from everyday life and from classic books that chronicle their struggles as a people, like Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He described the â€Å"house negro† as Uncle Tom, outfitted in suit just like his master and happy to be in his company. He said there were more Uncle Toms in their midst as the crowd roared in agreement (Breitman 12). . But he assured his audience that there are more â€Å"field Negros† in their midst, all of whom were firm in their belief in freedom and independence for all black Americans. He told them they need to be firm and strong, that it was alright to defend one’s self from force and intimidation. To kill their enemies if and when necessary to uphold one’s identity (Breitman 12). . He said it was not alright to suffer in silence and invoked the Koran, the Muslim bible, as the source of his enlightenment. He appealed even to criminal elements to be prepared for a possible encounter against the whites. He told them to be in the forefront of the struggle and drew the loudest cheers. Malcolm X was the opposite of Dr. Luther King, who espoused peace. If King was a rebel, X was a revolutionary who hated white Americans, no matter who they were. They had only two similarities, or maybe three. They were both blacks, both supported civil rights and liberties, and both were fiery speakers and staunchly independent-minded. Later, they were both to die in assassin’s bullets. The speeches of Malcolm X were fiery from beginning to end – and his speech on the house and field Negros were no exception. At the end of his speech, he once again stoke the fire of what he claimed to be 400 years of slavery and discontent by a call to arms, urging all blacks not just in America but across the globe to rise in arms against white America. His speech was always laden with hate and bigotry, urging everyone to take arms in the guise of self-defense. His humor, while evident and indeed funny, was lost in the mood of his message, comical yet contemptuous. While his premises were sound, it appeared that his conclusion was not. This writer believes any call for violence is unjustified when the other party shows a sincere desire to listen and understand the concerns of the opposite camp. Malcolm X’s insistent calls to arms were valid only when white America refused to talk. When it expressed its desire to settle matters over a negotiating table, then Malcolm X’s revolutionary actuations were no longer valid and, therefore, inconsistent with our nature as rational human beings. Moreover, there was no need to draw a wedge between the home negro and the field negro if they were both willing to listen and understand what the other party has to say. So, what is wrong if the house negro is used by white America to sound out the field negro for a possible peace talk. To sustain peace in the United States, all parties involved in the conflict should discuss the issues in a civil manner, rather than fight over it in the battlefield. It was enough for Malcolm X to explain the distinction between the house Negro and the field Negro, but debasing one over the other was outright uncalled for, uncivil, and a threat to peace. The speech was far from neutral and simply being informative. It was racism seen from other end. It had Malcolm X’s signature all over it for his unequivocal posture over racism, self-hate, and community empowerment taken to an extreme that is too obtrusive for complacency and comfort. This former â€Å"ghetto youth† is a dangerous icon for today’s rebellious youth. Works Cited Answers.Malcolm X, Religious Figure / Civil Rights Figure. 2007. 24 September 2007 Breitman, George. Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and Statements. 1990. Grove Press. Finkelman, Paul, ed. Malcolm X. MSN Encarta. 2007. 24 September 2007 Ursula Mctaggart, Ursula. The Oratory of Malcolm X. Solidarity National Office, Detroit, MI. 24 September 2007. X, Malcolm. The House Negro and the Field Negro. Speech by Malcolm X 4 February 1965. Iowa lakes Community College. http://www. iowalakes. edu/directories/faculty/burns/informative/Malcolm_X`s_House-Field_Negro_speech. htm/. X, Malcolm. Interview with A. B. Spellman and Malcolm X. Monthly Review. 16 May 1964. 24 September 2007 X, Malcolm. Transcript. The House Negro and the Field Negro. 4 February 1965. http://www. iowalakes. edu/directories/faculty/burns/informative/Malcolm_Xs_House-Field_Negro_speech. htm X, Malcolm. The House Negro and the Field Negro. Perf. Malcolm X. YouTube. 24 September 2007 ;. X, Malcolm. The Undiscovered Malcolm X: Stunning New Info on the Assassination, His Plans to Unite the Civil Rights and Black Nationalist Movements the 3 `Missing` Chapters From His Autobiography. Democracy Now! 21 Feb. 2005. 24 September 2007.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 Both Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 portray hedonistic societies. The inhabitants of both societies seek to enjoy themselves for as much of the time as possible, however only citizens in Brave New World are truly happy. This leads to the conclusion that humans can never be truly happy, according to the authors, as their natural selves. The people in Brave New World enjoy themselves with promiscuous sex, complicated sports, movies called feelies that engage all the senses, and excessive use of the mind-altering drug called soma. Their schedules are always full. A Controller relates the workings of society to some adolescent boys, telling them happily that â€Å"the old men work, the old men copulate, the old men have no time, no leisure from pleasure, not a moment to sit down and think—or if ever by some unlucky chance such a crevice of time should yawn in the solid substance of their distractions, there is always soma† (Huxley 67). When they are awake they are working or playing sports with coworkers, during the nights they attend the feelies and the parties and go home with someone to have sex with. The people are conditioned to never want to be alone, to always be engaged, never thinking further than what their job requires. For the people whose jobs require little or no thinking, special castes are created with alcohol added to the brains, destroying cognitive functions. The hedonism portrayed in Fahrenheit 451 tends to be darker. People drive cars as fast as they can to get a sense of speed, regardless of who or what they may run into. The fun houses that people go to have â€Å"games† such as the window smasher, playing into ... ...tory system until the person can no longer breathe. The overdoses of soma are few and far between however, the Brave New World society appearing to genuinely believe in its happiness and the suicide rate being correspondingly very low in contrast to the nightly attempts in Fahrenheit 451. The majority of the aspects in the two hedonistic societies are equivalent. Conditioning the minds of the population appears to prove far superior to motivating them with fear. In Brave New World the only ones who are unhappy are those who do not respond to the conditioning, who do not receive conditioning, and those who are separated from society. No one is truly happy in the society of Fahrenheit 451. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group, 1953. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Garden City, NY: Country Life Press, 1929.

Norms of Christian Theology

1. The sources and norms of Christian Theology I understand scripture, tradition, reason and experience as the sources and norms of Christian theology. Revealing the knowledge of God, guides us to know God, and inform our action and practice as believers, they are the sources as witnesses that points to the knowledge of God. At that same time, they are norms by which we can judge our understanding of God and correct our behaviors as children of God 2. Understanding of the source and norms Scripture is the witness of God’s revelation through Jesus Christ.This is crucial source not only to form academic study within Christianity, but to use in public worship, meditate the word of God, and transform Christians’ life and the world. There is New Testament and Old Testament. For a long time, putting the center as the point of Jesus Christ, church tradition considered that Old Testament point forward and New Testament point back to Jesus Christ. However, we need to understand that both of them are not only the account to testify of God saving action throughout history, but also the expectation of Christians’ hope confirmed by God.In terms of the Old Testament, it is important, first of all, because it reveals the essential characters of God who reveals in Christ: through the story of Israel, we can see God who is faithful, promised to his people, delivered them from bondage, and keep promising hope. Secondly, Old Testament also anticipates the same future with which New Testament anticipates. That is hope confirmed by God. The New Testament is important in that it tells Christ in different ways. It is not only story looking back, but that looking forward in which Christ will come again and God’s unfulfilled promise will be fulfilled.Tradition is the proclamation of the word of God in which believers in communities of faith understood, taught, preached, meditated, and shared the world of God at different ages with various ways. There are thr ee views of relevance of tradition. The first is magisterial view in which tradition as DUAL SOURCE has the same authority with scripture. In this view, scripture is the written form of apostolic witness of Jesus Christ, personal revelation and tradition is the oral form which is communicated hand out by apostles and witnesses generation to generation.The example is devotion to Mary, the central role of Bishop or Room. With Magisterial authority it has been very successful at maintaining the visible unity in church. However, it was challenged by Protestants to give the authority to only scripture. The second is diaconal (service) view in which tradition as ONE SOURCE subordinate to and measured by scripture. In this view, like Nicaea creed and Apostle Creed, does not communicate with the true of scripture, but hear in scripture and summarize it with new and fresh language.On balance, diaconal view seems to be best able to honor the past and the evangelical impulse to measure everyth ing against Scripture. However, it still gives us question where the tradition communicate in which the scripture silence? In this vein, Martin Luther who denies dual source view also did not agree with single source view. It is because that traditions treated with respect and values where the scripture silence and did not contradict scripture. The third view is diabolical in which tradition is dangerous and misleading.Insisting that only authority encountering revelation is through the word of God, Free Church and Baptist part of radical reformation have non creedal tradition. As a distinguish character of human beings, reason is a tool of thought that we use to understand. It question Christians if Christian faith is self-consist and it consist with other things we believe. There are three approaches to understand the relationship of reason to the knowledge of God. The first is that reason is no role to understand the knowledge of God.It is not necessary to be Christian faith self -consist. As a human instrument, there is no value at all in reason dealing with divine. Without reason, we simply believe. The second is that reason completely adequate to understand the world and God. According to this view, reason tells us everything reliable, and the fact that we can know about God is the fruit of reason. Enlightenment, Deism, Thomas Jefferson approached reason into a magisterial level. In this view, reason helps us to have consistency with the others we believe when they are reasonable.However, if there is conflict between reason and faith because faith is something beyond reason, this view couldn’t provide consistency. The third view is that reason is wonderful gift from God, relevant to things of the world, things of God. However, it is not sufficient for understanding things of the world and God. In this view, faith and reason is not a relationship of contradictory, but two wings of a bird, where reason provides first, faith provides second. Faith is root and reason is stem. Reason by itself is fully inadequate, but helps deepen our understanding of Scripture, tradition and ourselves.Experience is to experience God in personal life. It is not usually listed the source and norm of theology with other three (ex, Episcopal Church), but it is very typical in Methodist. Because it played very roles in different theology, it is interesting source and norm. McGrath suggests two models of experience. The first is that experience provides a foundational resource of Christian theology. It means that 1st hand encounter is the surest from of knowledge and self-explanatory; other things become more intelligible because of that experience.Second, theology is a framework to interpret human experience. In this view, experience is not capable of interpreting by itself, but interpreted by theology. For example, Wesley emphasized experiential dimension of Christian life and experiential faith. He thought his great experience reversed as tied up as a sense of joy and assurance in which the gospel became true for him. Lots of liberation theologian also interpreted their experience as hardship, injustice and oppression in light of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.However, here is question, if experience becomes a identify mark and determined whether or not disciple, what happens feel more, less, or dried up? In addition, one’s experience can be revised and transformed. In that sense, Karl Barth said that experience is relevant, so not equally easy to receive the gospel. 3. Difficulty to understand scripture, tradition, reason and experience as norms and sources of theology As I mentioned in the beginning, scripture, tradition, reason and experience are the sources and norms of theology.As sources, they sustain Christians’ life so that their understanding and knowledge become nourish to know God. At the same time, by using them as norms, we can measure other testimonies. One of difficulty is that we easi ly want to make them norms; we are not accepting them as sources. We need to receive them as sources which inform our action and practice in Christ. 4. Relation with the personal word of God, Jesus Christ. In Barth’ three folds of the word of God, the center is the personal word of God, Jesus Christ. The second circle is apostolic witnesses about Jesus Christ.Then the third is proclamation in which literal word of God proclaims today through various ways and activities. Reflecting these four sources on the three folds of the word of God, scripture is witness of the personal word of God, Jesus Christ. Tradition is in between scripture and proclamation. It is because that tradition is witnesses of the personal word of God as well as proclamation of the word of God today. Finally, reason and experience have dimension of all three dimensions; scripture, tradition, and proclamations.

The s Quest For Meaning - 1122 Words

Two mice, nibbling and gnawing, representing the inexorable entity, time, which exists as a constant threat to humanity; a dark pit with death as the only certainty; a ferocious beast forbidding escape; a single branch offering delay; a drop of honey attempting to conceal inevitable peril. The powerful metaphor embedded in this Buddhist parable serves as the platform for Leo Tolstoy (A Confession) in his quest for meaning. It offers a simplistic illustration of the common predicament faced by all of mankind, to which Tolstoy and fellow thinkers, Sigmund Freud (Civilization and Its Discontents) and C.S. Lewis (The Abolition of Man) attempt to provide a solution. Each thinker offers a unique conclusion based upon their respective definitions of the problem and its perpetuating influences. The thinkers focus their investigation on the authority of science, instinct, and faith. 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