James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida on June 17, 1871. He was the second of three children. Johnson was an American author, lawyer, and diplomat. He was educated at Atlanta and Columbia universities. In 1898 he became the first black lawyer admitted to the bar in Duval County, Florida. He practiced law in Florida until 1902. In that year Johnson moved to New York, and collaborated on the well-known song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Later Johnson served as U.S. consul in Venezuela from 1906 to 1909 and in Nicaragua from 1909 to 1912. This is the year that The Autobiography of an Ex- Coloured Man was published.
The Autobiography of an Ex- Coloured Man was Johnson’s best-known book. This novel examined race relations in the United States through its narrator who wrestles with the question of his racial identity. This is the story of a nameless protagonist who, because his physical appearance is not identifiably “black” he is able to assume the identity of a white American and “pass.” As I analyze Johnson’s work there are several critical concepts that apply to this particular piece of work. I would like to examine
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” The American Negro’s character has been established as a “happy-go-lucky, laughing, shuffling, banjo-picking being. Therefore it is hard for the public to recognize them in any other way. Johnson said “ my thoughts were coloured, my words dictated, my actions limited by one dominating all-pervading idea which constantly increased in force and weight until I finally realized in it a great tangible fact. Having two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, and two warring ideals in one dark body. He knew that he would be treated different and would have different rules to live by. This is the Double Consciousness that W. As he adjusts to that information he gets into literature and music to find his identity and heritage.
Growing up Johnson thought he was white. He always understood the black status but it was different once he learned it was also his status. ” Johnson said that this was the dwarfing, warping, distorting influence, which each coloured man in the United States had to operate under. ”
The way Johnson looked at the world one way when he thought he was white, and then the way he was forced to look at things once he realized he was an African American was interesting. Double Consciousness is an idea of two- ness, being an American and a Negro.
Approximate Word count =
780
Approximate Pages =
3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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