"In my early life I used to cherish a feeling of ill will toward any one who spoke in bitter terms against the Negro, or who advocated measures that tended to oppress the black man or take from him opportunities for growth in the most complete manner. Now, whenever I hear any one advocating measures that are meant to curtail the development of another, I pity the individual who would do this."
I enjoyed how Washington did not harbor any resentment towards those who oppose African Americans in Two Thousand Miles for a Five-Minute Speech. Instead of being like others who, in his situation, may have had ill feelings towards others and reveleved in these feelings, Washington rose above this to pity the other person. Those who deny the advancements of others, according to Washington, deserve to be pitied for their naive thoughts and actions rather than scorned for what they have done. An interesting thought, considering the time.
What caught me in both texts was the almost "celebrity" status Washington seems to have with his speeches. His take on the African American life at the time inspires others through his words- white and black alike. In a time when oppression towards blacks was incredibally prevelant, he became a strong force in changing the views of the ignorant.
Posted by VanessaKolberg at November 15, 2005 12:25 AM | TrackBackVanessa--
I agree with what you said about his "celebrity status." He was very educated for his time, but it definitely seemed like he was appealing more to the upper-class white citizens. If I was a poor, black farmer, I don't know if I would have enjoyed his comments. Plus, the way he talked about his five minute address was like, "do they really deserve me for that short amount of time if I have to travel that far???" I also liked the quote you chose. I considered this myself, but I didn't want to blog another informal rambling where I refer text to some minor mental reference I have. This one would have been about my memories of Mr. T saying "I pity the fool!" Thoughts??
Posted by: Meredith Harber at November 15, 2005 01:07 AMHahaha "I pity the fool!"? Not exactly what came to mind for me, sorry to say. Yet...I understand your reference. He does pity those who are ignorant and naive (the fool) because they lack the understanding that blacks can be just as well educated as whites. You also made a good point that Washington does appeal to whites more than blacks in his speeches. Perhaps because he feels he must get the whites approval?
Posted by: Vanessa at November 15, 2005 08:20 AMI agree with what you said. Also Ashley's blog talks about how Washington wanted to "cement the friendshhip between the two races." I liked this because it implies that he wanted a change that would last forever.
Posted by: Stacy at November 15, 2005 08:49 AMVanessa--
I think that's what he's going for. He seems to want to blend in with the whites more than the blacks. From doing some minor research, I found that he was actually criticized for being "too white" or appealing to the white population more than the black. I don't know if he honestly favored one race over the other, considering his talks about "cementing the friendship between the two races."
Posted by: Meredith at November 15, 2005 09:09 AMNessa, you actually picked on one of my favorite quotes from the reading.
The issue of the white man's approval is an interesting one. I'm not sure if he wanted the white man's approval as much as he needed it. He just might have been an extremely skilled bureaucrat who knew where to go when he wanted something done.
Posted by: Neha at November 16, 2005 01:03 PM