Racial Prejudice in Lodging Encounters

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Questions and Answers

What did the speaker reveal about the nature of their identity in the conversation?

  • They expressed indifference towards race.
  • They struggled to define their racial identity. (correct)
  • They identified as completely African.
  • They were proud of their mixed heritage.

What metaphor does the landlady use to categorize the speaker's skin color?

  • Sweet and bitter
  • Plain and chocolate (correct)
  • Bright and dull
  • Light and heavy

How does the speaker humorously describe their skin tone?

  • Like a rainbow.
  • Like West African sepia. (correct)
  • Like a dark chocolate bar.
  • Like a latte.

What was the speaker's response to the landlady's question about their color?

<p>They asked for a better explanation. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of the speaker's appearance does they emphasize humorously?

<p>The color of their hands and feet. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the phrase 'silenced transmission of pressurized good-breeding' suggest?

<p>An awkward social interaction. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the speaker feel about the landlady's question regarding the shade of their skin?

<p>They are confused and embarrassed. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the speaker's reply about their 'black bottom' indicate?

<p>A playful approach to serious questions about race. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What theme is most evident in the speaker's description of their skin color?

<p>Cultural identity and perception. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Landlady's Prejudice

The narrator, an African, is trying to rent a room from a landlady who is prejudiced against his race. She asks him rudely how dark he is, implying that she will only rent to those who are lighter-skinned.

Landlady's Indifference

The landlady is indifferent to the narrator's concerns; she only cares about getting a renter regardless of their background. The narrator feels alienated and discriminated against.

Rude Question

The landlady's question is rude and insensitive, emphasizing her prejudice and ignorance. She seems more interested in categorizing people based on skin tone than understanding them as individuals.

Landlady's Voice

The narrator describes the landlady's voice as having a distinct tone, characterized by a coated lipstick and cigarette-holder accent, which creates a feeling of artificial politeness and insincerity.

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Landlady's Lack of Curiosity

The landlady is uninterested in the narrator's background or identity; she only wants a renter who fits her predetermined ideas of what a suitable tenant should be.

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Narrator's Plea

The narrator, feeling humiliated and trapped, tries to reduce the landlady's demands and explain his appearance in a way she might understand - comparing his skin tone to chocolate.

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Landlady's Patronizing Response

The landlady dismisses the narrator's explanation as foolish and makes light of his situation, highlighting her shallow understanding and lack of empathy.

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The Narrator's Frustration

The narrator's reaction is a mixture of frustration and desperation. He offers to let the landlady see him in person, hoping to break through her prejudice and prove that his color shouldn't matter.

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Social Inequality

The landlady's initial question and dismissive attitude highlight the pervasive racism and social inequalities that existed during that period.

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Study Notes

Racial Prejudice Encounter

  • A narrator experiences racist microaggressions while seeking lodging.
  • The landlady's questioning reveals her prejudice.
  • The landlady's questions about the narrator's skin color are unsettling : "HOW DARK?" “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?" "ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?"
  • The landlady seems to prioritize the shade of the narrator's skin tone above other identifying personal characteristics.
  • The encounter escalates to the narrator's self deprecating attempt to explain skin color differences.
  • The narrator uses the example of "West African sepia" to illustrate skin complexity, but the landlady doesn't understand the nuance of varied skin tones.
  • The narrator highlights the discrepancy between facial skin tone and other parts of the body, using the differences in tones between face, palms, and soles as an example of natural skin color variance.
  • He attempts to explain that friction from sitting may have darkened his bottom to black.

The Narrative's Setting and Atmosphere

  • The setting suggests a discriminatory and possibly unwelcome setting.
  • The narrator uses imagery such as "stench of rancid breath" and "public hide-and-speak", "red booth", "red pillar box", creating a sense of discomfort and injustice.
  • The elements of the setting underscore the pervasive nature of racism in society.
  • The landlady's response, described as "clinical and crushing", emphasizes the impersonal and dehumanizing nature of the prejudice.

The Language and Tone of the Encounter

  • The narrator's language and tone reflect the shock of the encounter and his attempt to justify his skin tone.
  • The narrator uses humor "like plain or milk chocolate" as a comparison to illustrate the absurdity of the situation.
  • An escalating and eventually futile attempt at clarification is evident in the encounter.
  • The narrator's attempt to explain the complexity of human diversity and natural skin variation is disregarded.

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