Reaction paper - James Weldon Johnson Personal Statement

Reaction paper - James Weldon Johnson - Personal Statement Example The ex-colored man is a complex character but very human. The narrative, told in first person, allows the reader to see and feel through the character. It makes the narration very real and, in fact, it pulls the reader in understanding the struggles of the blacks, and how the African American community behaves similar to the Whites. Although of a different color, we have the same dreams as they have, to have economic stability, to have independence and freedom, to improve our social status. We are no different than them, and this is one pressing point of the story. The only difference between the two races is the existing racial block, the very same reason that the ex-colored man threw his black dreams away. As his millionaire friend put it, becoming a black means throwing away life to the poverty, ignorance and the hopeless struggle of the black people. This statement clearly signifies the entire direction of the narration. The ex-colored man has chosen his path away from racial, so cial and economic discrimination to become a regular man who can move freely without any prejudice from the society. The narrative does not only signify the differences between the races, rather it gives us a realization that we, as humans, choose to side with the dominant culture in order to avoid the negative forces of the