The Struggle for Acceptance
The wide spread racial segregation and prejudice in the 19th and 20th centuries belittled African Americans into a state of enslavement. Their initial lack of unity and fear of white authority provided them with slow social restructuring. The modern civil rights movement grew out of the desire for change and a path where African Americans were able to live in political equity. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and "Southern Man" by Neil Young, both authors illustrate the national feeling and struggle during this time period. In her text, Maya Angelou hints at the ideas of social change through the fields of a church and a boxing match. Neil Young writes about a southern man and his wrongful behavior towards blacks. During the civil rights movement and through the actions and lyrics of the following texts, Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Neil Young's "Southern Man" express the necessity of changing the structures of white authority and challenge the social norm that mistreating blacks is acceptable. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, blacks come together in church to regain confidence in their livelihood, yet lack the voice to go up against the structures of white authority. For example
It was their chance to show the whites that they were stronger and able to overcome the oppression. The blacks are forced into a routine of picking the cotton, a direct reference to their enslavement. Blacks were able to come together as a community and participate in activities usually denied to them in society. ] I wanted to tell them shortly to stand up [. The structure of authority is clearly shown through the narrator's comment, describing the fact that the blacks are relying on a white man for commentary on the match. The struggle for social acceptance and basic equality found its light through the civil rights movement, having a vital and lasting impact on Americans. This trend can be broken with social revolution, a goal that younger generations are trying to start. The first verse describes a southern plantation and Neil writes "I saw cotton and I saw black / Tall white mansions and little shacks. The chorus continues to deal with the idea of challenging the accepted status quo of the south. The large and luxurious homes of whites are juxtaposed against the homes of blacks living in broken down shacks, again showing which racial group is in dominant control. Regardless of the hateful opposition from white groups, blacks persisted to break the structures of white authority. In Maya Angelou's text and Neil Young's song, both authors present the ideas and wish for social change for African Americans. The white southern man refuses to acknowledge any type of relationship a white woman may have with a black man.
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Acceptance Essays
