Though I probably lack the authority knowledge to say so, I greatly praise Melissa Yuen for the connections she has drawn between the short story and poems from our reading. The country and culture of her origin are radically different from America and its culture, but Melissa recognizes the similarities between all humans.
Melissa questions the wrongful sense of entitlement that white people still possessed long after the Civil War. This sense of authority had its roots the initial capture and transportation of Africans to America. White people looked upon the indigenous Africans as uncivilized and in need of socialization to the European culture. The white people thus empowered themselves by believing that they were superior to the Africans and giving themselves the duty of refining the African peoples. So I stress that in the eyes of the English settlers, the tribal Africans really were inferior. Once this mindset had been distinguished, it continued for several centuries, as we well know, and still continues today in various pockets of society.
As Melissa said, the readings portrayed whites in a very negative light. To truly understand the actions of majorities, which in this case was the white people, we must examine the reasons and leaders behind the actions. The whites (condemning blacks) did not see themselves as doing anything wrong, and they probably had many reasons to justify their actions. Though those reasons have been deemed invalid (as they should be), the beliefs of white people were still their beliefs. People will always believe what they believe, especially when there is a charismatic leader telling them that this belief will enhance their life. This is sufficient incentive, more often than not, for people to commit heinous crimes against their fellow man, and truly believe that their acts are justified.
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