Reflection

Looking back over all my older posts, I can see my understanding of the complexity of race and identity deepening. One idea or theme that I see appear in many of my blog entries is the question of how one the way one defines themselves can conflict with the way that society defines them. It this aspect of identity that makes it such an ambiguous and undefinable term.

With that in mind, one blog post that stands out to me is the letter that I wrote from James to his sister, Sally. Through the letter, I was able to explore some of the more complex issues surrounding the relationship not only between sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson, but how James may have felt about as well. As a confidant and personal servant to such a powerful man, James lived a life that few people in his position would ever dream of, evening securing his freedom by working for himself. However, his life ended so tragically, which is why I used the letter to probe his feelings towards the affair between his sister and Jefferson, and the guilt he may have felt for allowing it to happen (even though he had no control over it to stop it). The letter was a great place to look at how the subjectivity of race, particularly when one travels abroad, can have lasting effects on people.

Another blog post that I consider one of my favorites is the letter written from Stavros to "the Negroes of America." I find this one particularly interesting because it was a different perspective on a subject that we had been reading so much about. Writing from the point of view of Stavros, a greek immigrant, I was able to think about how people like Stavros viewed African Americans and what they would say to each other if they had the chance to talk. In the letter, I was able to convey the gratitude european immigrants should have felt towards African Americans since without them, they could never have been able to be called "white." Also, I used to letter to show how definitions of white are only relevant in contrast to definitions of black (white is everything black is not), making these racial categorizations irrelevant when looked at from a critical perspective. Regardless, how one is perceived, especially in terms of their whiteness, remains critical in all facets of life.

These blog posts have been a great venue to delve deeper into the readings and bring up questions or topics that I find interesting. Although it could be intimidating to figure out where to start considering the sheer amount of options, it was nice to be able to write about the aspects of the reading that were most striking. My only remaining question would be is there anyway to define someone's identity or is a question not worth answering because of its fluidity?


Camira