webquest

Over the past week I have been working on a webquest on immigrants in America. I studied immigration, especially that of my ancestors who were Jewish and immigrated from Russia and Poland. I have created an ID card for an immigrant as per my assignment from EggBlog. Here it is...

native son

A common theme in Richard Wright's novel Native Son is that of scapegoating and prejudice based on skin color. In the novel, Bigger Thomas is a murder but because of his skin color he is convicted as a rapist, murder and is sentenced to death. Had Bigger been a white man, would society have turned a blind eye to his indiscretion? Some 70 years have passed since this novel was written, yet we still face racial prejudice in our society everyday.

Your assignment is to read through the links that have been provided on my delicious page, and the quotes provided below. In a blog post, answer the following question:

After the election of our first African American president, and great strides in equality and civil liberties, does racism still exist?

"Suppose a police saw him wandering in a white neighborhood like this? It would be thought he was trying to rob or rape somebody." (Wright 44)

"They made him feel his black skin by just standing there looking at him." (Wright 67)

"If he were white, if he were like them, it would have been different. But he was black." (Wright 69)

"Bigger, please! Don't say sir to me...I don't like it. You're a man just like I am; no better than you. Maybe other white men like it. But I don't." (Wright 70)