The Women of the Brewster place by Gloria Naylor
Gloria Neylor was born in January 25, 1950 .She was raised in New York although her family was originally from Mississippi. This influence can be seen in the Women of the Brewster place which portrays the lifestyles of African Americans from both the Northern and Southern part of America (Greene 6). Naylor’s focus of writing was on fictional books although she has been known to be passionate about Classic English literature. The women of the Brewster place shows the emergence of two cultures which was brought about by the migration of the African Americans from the South during the reconstruction. It portrays the different lifestyles of African Americans in the Brewster and their development from the times of the Civil War to more recent times.
The Philadelphia Negro
William Edward Burghardt Dubois was born in February 23, 1868.In his lifetime Dubois was a Civil Rights leader, Pan Africanist, Historian and most of all Author and Editor (Blum 288). Most of his books were a reflection of what was happening in America in the eighteen hundreds and the development of the African American people (Watson &Johnson 45).The Philadelphia Negro based is on the life of Malcolm X and the role he played in the Civil Rights movements .Dubois books enabled the exposure of the hardships that African Americans have been accustomed to and the stride they have taken to overcome this hardships.
Women of the Brewster place.
Women of the Brewster place has a different style of writing in that the book contains seven stories ,six of which concentrate on the individual lives of different characters .The thing that the characters have in common is the fact that they live in the same neighborhood. Woman of the Brewster place tends to show the different character traits of the lifestyles of women in the African American society at this period of time (Greene 6). The book was written in an important time for the African Americans in that they were in the process of getting their independence .Although this was a big milestone for the African Americans .They were faced with new problems ranging from employment to racial discrimination by their former masters .
The Brewster place is a development in which the characters live in. It was created to cater for the development of African Americans but it is run by people of a corrupt nature. It is therefore prone to unfortunate circumstances which are common problems faced by the African American people. Although the Brewster place is not the best place to live in .It acts as home for the constant inflow of immigrants who call it home (Greene 6).
Empowerment of the African Americans
This book was written to expose the social ills that the African Americans are accustomed to. Some inflicted by people of their own community and others inflicted by outsiders such as the white community (Greene 6). The book portrays the changing lives of the African American society from the time of the civil rights movement. Most of the immigrants came from the South to a more promising place for the African Americans .Since the book focuses on six individual characters, it shows the individual problems that they face and the problems that they face as a community.
The women of the Brewster place address issues like the need for the African Americans to become more respectable in the society (Greene 6). In Mattie’s story, she lives her parents because her sudden pregnancy which was frowned upon by her parent’s .On her arrival at the Brewster place she inhabits a building that is run down in nature. This is all she can afford despite having a job that takes up long hours. At one point her child is bitten by a rat, this shows the levels of unhealthy livings standards African Americans were accustomed to. Mattie is fortunate enough to meet Eva a light skinned African American who lets her live in her place rent free. This act of kindness shown by one woman to another helps Mattie provide better living conditions for her son(Greene 6). The story of the women of the Brewster place shows ways in which African Americans helped each other by providing opportunities for one another .African Americans were accustomed to various forms of racism which minimized their chances of developing as a people.
The Philadelphia Negro
The Philadelphia Negro which is written by W.E.B. Dubois is a biography about Malcom X .Through this story, the lifestyle of Young African Americans can been seen(Blum 288).. This story is a different approach to the development of the African American society because one of its themes focuses of Malcoms conversion to Islam (Watson &Johnson 45).Religion is a big part of the African American community as a whole. It was mostly used to help blacks undergo the racial discrimination they faced along with the other forms of inequality.
Malcolm’s conversion of Islam gets him interested in other countries that have practiced Islam. After he makes his trips, he becomes exposed to more radical ideas which include the attack on Civil rights leader’s .Malcolm was on occasions put on the spot for calling the leaders ‘‘Uncle Toms ’’Which is a term used to describe African Americans who are intent on sucking up to the white people and putting down the black man (Blum 288). .Malcolm founded the Nation of Islam which he leads through the holding of rallies .At first white people were not allowed to attend, he later allows the press to attend due to the much needed publicity.
The Philadelphia negro exposes the world to the lifestyles of the African American people in the time of racism .It creates awareness of the need to change which was emphasized at this period in time .It also shows the level of education that the African Americans had begun to acquire and the emergence of new African American leaders who took the Civil Rights Movement to a new level (Watson &Johnson 45)
This book shows a more radical approach in the portrayal of the development of the African American people. It looks at the way Islam was an important factor in the Civil Rights Movements .It also shows a more detailed way in which the African Americans developed as a whole .It is a more modern setting compared to the book on the Women of the Brewster place which is base in the time of the American Civil War.
Conclusion
W.E.B. Dubois and Gloria Noylor are writers who have different styles of writing .Both the books that have been talked about are very different and similar at the same time .One is base on the life of Malcom X who is to date one of the most influential n activists of the Civil Rights Movement. Another is based on the Brewster place which reveals the stories of six different women of African American descent. This also reflects the social injustices that African Americans have gone through from the time they got their much awaited freedom.
References
Blum, Edward. "W. E. B. Du Bois, American Prophet.”Politics and Culture in Modern America 12.3 (2007): pp 288. Print.
Greene, Christina. "Our Separate Ways.” Journal of Women and the Black Freedom Movement in Durham. North Carolina. Chapel Hill 4.6 (2005) pp 6.Print.
Johnson, Keith. Watson, Elwood. "The W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington Debate: Effects upon African American Roles in Engineering and Engineering Technology."Journal of Technology Studies 1. 2(2004) pp 45.Print.
