1. Ruth’s father was a rabbi. He was traveling rabbi preacher. Ruth says he was just like preachers would see on TV except hem preached in synagogues. Ruth also says that “he wasn’t so smooth-talkin” like other traveling preachers. This occupation forced Ruth and her family to move often.
2. Ruth’s family moved a lot because of her father’s job as a traveling rabbi. She says that he was hard a rock and because of this they didn’t stay in one place for very long. Once Jewish congregations figured him out they sent him away. For a Jew in Ruth’s time there were no many jobs available so most of them had to travel and preach. Because of this, Ruth moved around very often when she was young.
3. While Ruth and her family moved from place to place
…show more content…
Two similes are used when describing the Reverend’s sermons. It is said that his sermons “started like a tiny choo-choo train and ended up like a roaring locomotive.” He is also described as “a stutterer gone wild” when he preaches. The Reverend would start off very slow, get warmed up and then begin speaking in fast motion. All the while, the congregation would shout encouraging words to him.
4. James’ mother respected Reverends who grew up in the South in the old days. She says they used to know how to fire up a church the old-fashioned way. She didn’t like to hear sermon’s that involved politics, bad mouthing, and negativity. Ruth praised Reverends who were able to bring together a church with “real talk of God and genuine concern for their parishioners.” This style of preaching was similar to that of her “home” church, New Brown Memorial.
5. James says that the only time he sees his mother cry is at church. When the congregation is singing one of her favorite songs she bows her head and weeps. When James asked her why she always cried at church, she said because God made her happy and that she was crying because she was happy. James was doubtful though, because happy people did not cry like she did in church. He says her tears seemed to come from someplace far away inside her. I believe she cried in church because she was overwhelmed by the loving and accepting atmosphere
…show more content…
James says that his mother’s tears at church came from somewhere deep inside her, where she would let none of her children see. James could feel the pain behind them. He thought that she cried because she wanted to be black like everyone else in the church. He wondered if
7. One day after church, James asked Ruth if God was black or white. His mother said God was not black or white, he was a spirit. Then, James asked her what color was God’s spirit. Ruth said it didn’t have a color. It was the color of water. This was a simple comparison that James was able to understand and accept at a young age.
8. One day in Sunday school, Richie had asked Reverend Owens if Jesus was white. Reverend Owens said no, and that Jesus was all colors. Richie was angry and questioned that if that was true, why was Jesus white in the picture in their Sunday school bible. Richie was frustrated that Jesus was portrayed as white, if in reality he was not. He said that if Jesus wasn’t black or white they should make him gray in the
Ruth’s Jewish background, her conversion to Christianity, and James’ childhood influence James’ confusion with his identity. Ruth was born Jewish and lived her life experiencing multiple situations of discrimination growing up. Jews and Blacks were hated upon during that period and by her marrying a black man, it attracted even more discrimination towards her. James experienced discrimination when he was younger because he was black. James knows nothing about Ruth’s past because she had kept it a secret from him and his siblings since they were young. Ruth had taught them a mindset that is set to focus only on education and religion, not focusing on anything else so they couldn’t question other ideas Ruth did not want them to see. When Ruth was living in New York with her husband Andrew McBride, Ruth found out that her mother
Following the death of Mr. Lincoln, one of the toughest things to deal with her son Tad pleads with her not to cry, because if he were to hear his mom crying he also would cry and break his heart. Mrs. Lincoln then calmed herself and hugged held her child (Keckley 183-84). Mrs. Lincoln in the time that she was suppose to be getting consoled put her son first, stopped crying, and put his needs before her own.
Ruth and James had different experiences when they attended school. Back in the days, when Ruth attended school in Suffolk, there was a split between “white folks’ school and a black folks’ school and a Jewish school,” (McBride 79). The school Ruth attended was not actually a real school, but instead a synagogue, where they did not get a good education compared to what other students were learning in school. In contrast, James “was the only black kid,” (McBride 89), attending in his classroom and he would get called many names because he was the only black kid.
Ruth led a life broken in two. Her later life consists of the large family she creates with the two men she marries, and her awkwardness of living between two racial cultures. She kept her earlier life a secret from her children, for she did not wish to revisit her past by explaining her precedent years. Once he uncovered Ruth 's earlier life, James could define his identity by the truth of Ruth 's pain, through the relations she left behind and then by the experiences James endured within the family she created. As her son, James could not truly understand himself until he uncovered the truth within the halves of his mother 's life, thus completing the mold of his own
Ruth was a source of knowledge that James trusted growing up. James, being a mixed child, is confused about what skin color God would have, so he asks his mother,”
“ Mommy’s house was orchestrated chaos and as the eighth of twelve children, I was lost in the sauce, so to speak. I was neither the prettiest, nor the youngest, nor the brightest.” pg 65 Ruth’s family was made of lots of different people. In their family your brother or sister was your best friend and enemie. Also, While the house had lots of rules it was in constant chaos “ Her time merited only full-blown problems like, ‘Is the kitchen floor still under two feet of water since y’all flooded it?’” pg 69
Throughout the whole novel, Ruth is a tough and brave woman, yet she has a big
James grew up as a black child living in a black neighborhood with a white mother during one of history’s biggest era’s for civil rights movements. The title “The Color of Water” correlates to the issues about religion and race that occur in the book with major characters such as Ruth and James. The aspects that had the most significant impact on James’ identity is environment because of the racist and segregated times, the poor neighborhood he was raised in and his mother, Ruth.
James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, demonstrates a man's search for identity and a sense of self that derives from his multiracial family. His white mother, Ruth's abusive childhood as a Jew led her to search for acceptance in the African American community, where she made her large family from the two men she marries. James defines his identity by truth of his mother's pain and exceptionality, through the family she creates and the life she leaves behind. As a boy, James questions his unique family and color through his confusion of issues of race. Later in his life, as an adolescent, his racial perplexity results in James hiding from his emotions, relying only on the anger he felt against the
* This chapter was written in Italics because it was written from a different point of view which was Ruth’s perspective who talks about her past as a child.
While growing up, James McBride never knew where his mother had come from. When he asked her if she was white, she simply replied that she was "light-skinned", triggering a long-standing confusion about his own racial identity. As an adult, McBride offers the reader his story by alternating between his mother 's voice and his own. Another example is when James writes, “All my siblings, myself included, had some sort of color confusion at one time or another” due to their mixed blood that came from their White Jewish mother and
The middle of the book takes more of a look of some of the prejudices that both Ruth and James went through during their upbringing. Ruth begins to talk about the difficulties that came with being Jewish and living in the South during that time period. She was always the target for mockery by her peers, but fortunately met a girl named Frances who truly accepted her for who she was. They would spend a lot of time together, most of the time at Frances’ house due Tateh’s discern for gentiles. James also faced similar prejudices at school. Since his mother put so much of an emphasis on schoolwork, James and all of his siblings would have to go to predominantly Jewish schools and were the objects of ridicule for the other students. There was one instance in particular in which James was asked by his classmates to dance because of a predisposed idea that because he was black he could dance. He danced for the class, but conflicting thoughts were rushing through his mind. He felt accepted by his peers, but also ashamed that he stooped so low to gain that acceptance. This example as well as other instances that occurred with his siblings showed the racial tensions that were filling the air at that time.
In the book The Color of Water. Racism plays a big part through the whole book. James Mcbride, one of the characters in the book has a mother named Ruth. Ruth's past was not good at all dealing with race throughout the book. In the book James tries to open up and see what his mothers past was about.
Ruth compares with two people I know personally. My mom and my grandma remind me of her very much. My mom is very similar to Ruth because they are both independent, witty, loving, and kind. My mom keeps my family on track everyday just as Ruth does. Both my mother and Ruth crack jokes often to lighten the mood. My mom and Ruth care about the well being of their families more than anything. My Grandma is also very similar to Ruth in many ways. My grandma is loving, kind, and firm. My grandma and Ruth both
family would not survive. Ruth’s aspirations are hindered due to the fact that she is