How The White Man Exposed In The Color Of Water By James Mcbride

As has been mentioned, James formed an imaginary version of himself, not only he was not able to express himself, but also he was not free as his imaginary version was. “I’d lock myself in the bathroom and spend long hours playing with him…I’d stared at him, Make faces at him and order him around…Unlike my siblings, he had no opinions, he would listen to me” (McBride 90). Furthermore, James may perhaps shout at the boy, mistreatment him verbally and the boy could not do anything about it. James mirror image would not judge him for anything whereas his family did. As a result, James did not feel too comfortable with his siblings making amusing comments on him. Therefore, his only alternative to run away was talking to himself in the bathroom’s mirror.

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 world. It is

To start off, both James and Ruth were the minority in their own school. Even though Ruth was white, or light-skinned, she was Jewish and that’s what made her different because most kids in her school were not jewish. Since she was the minority, it was easy for kids to point that out and bully them for that. For example, one kid told Ruth, “‘Hey Ruth, when did you start being a dirty Jew?’” James was also the minority and bullied at school. He went to a Jewish school which mostly consisted of light-skinned people and since he was darker, kids took notice. One time, they were learning about Black

For my cultural cache book report I chose to read the book, The Color of Water by James McBride. I learned several things about what life was like in the mid-1900’s and in which may be why we still face issues with racial differences. McBride does a great job of illustrating his internal and external challenges that he faces throughout his life. I also learned more about African American culture in the United States and gave me a desire to be a part of positive change to this particular racial group.

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.

Despite the fact that he respected his mother, James grew to question her unorthodox strictness and unusual teachings. Eventually, he graduated college to become a press writer and a jazz musician, yet he still felt incomplete. James says "Play sax, write books, compose music, do something, express yourself, who the hell are you anyway? There were two worlds bursting inside me trying to get out. I had to find out more about who I was..." (330). Even though James has a great job that pays well, he still quits because he wishes to figure out who he is. By saying this, he proves that he wants to find his identity and reason for continuing his line of work. I chose this quote because it clearly demonstrates how James feels about finding his identity.

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

It is always around, it is impossible to back away from it, but what it is? Racism is a very strong force, it has captivated the world ever since humans existed. It is hard to back away from racism, to avoid it all together. Whether you are black, white, Jewish, Catholic, Irish, etc. you will be discriminated against by a group of people. No one can hide from the hatred, it is just there. The Color of Water shows that no matter where you are or who you are, that you can face racism. Rachel faced it when she was a Jew in an all white, Protestant school. James and his siblings faced racism when they were in an all-Jewish school. In the memoir, The Color of Water, by James McBride, racism is a powerful presence that can severely affect those who are victims of it.

In our diverse and dynamic community, the intersection of artistic expression and cultural sensitivity presents a complex challenge. While artists should be encouraged to explore and innovate, it's imperative that they do so with respect for the historical context and traditions of the cultures they draw from. This delicate balance requires thoughtful consideration and collaboration among community members to ensure that creativity thrives while cultural integrity is preserved. As high schoolers, we have a unique opportunity to contribute to this ongoing dialogue and shape the way our community approaches cultural expression. Understanding the distinction between appreciation and appropriation is crucial in navigating cultural interactions.

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

In The Color of Water, author James McBride writes both his autobiography and a tribute to the life of his mother, Ruth McBride. In the memoirs of the author’s mother and of himself, they constantly face discrimination from their race in certain neighborhoods and of their religious beliefs. The trials and tribulations faced by these two characters have taught readers universally that everyone faces difficulties in life, but they can all be surmounted.

At the beginning of The Color of Water, James McBride’s mother Ruth goes on to introduce particular aspects about her upbringing. She mentions how she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family and begins to describe both her parents. Ruth’s father was a very cold and hard individual who didn’t care too much for his children’s overall well-being, while her mother was very sweet and kind in nature. She also goes on to talk about how her family was originally from Poland but decided to move to the United States from fear of oppression from the Russian government. Along with outside forces that proved to be a problem for Ruth’s family were similarities in oppressive behaviors in their family as well. Since Ruth’s family were Orthodox Jews,

Despite societal pressure, James is determined to succeed and reshape his life. Society had placed expectations such as being respectful to another man’s woman like "Leave that alone", "That's between him and his woman. Don't ever get between a man and his woman." McBride 151, and making good life choices in life, “You think if you drop out of school somebody's gonna beg you to go back?... What makes you so special that they'll beg you!

Considering the environment in which James grew up certainly had an impact on his life. Some of the influences in his life were being poor, racism, his parents and the church. The areas that affected his moral development stem from when he grew up, doing the time of segregation. Segregation had an impact on how he viewed the world. He felt that everyone should be treated equally. James’s moral belief was that blacks should have a choice, and have the same opportunities as others. When he saw the separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks, he recalls the mental pain, but for him only God could take care of. He used his music as away to communicate how he felt. Growing up poor affected James’s emotional development. He never wanted any handouts.

In James’ case he knew that if he worked hard at school he could gain his fathers approval. However it seemed that he was in the shadow of his brother, who was also under the same pressure. He had turned to cheating to get better marks to avoid his father’s disapproval. James’ own sense of right and wrong were being clouded by his loyalty to- and competition with his brother, also his need for approval from his father and his sense of duty to protect his frail mother by “not