Thesis: The color of water by James McBride and Narative of the Life of Fredrick

Douglass by Fredrick Douglass are similar in multiple ways. They are similar because

you can find some common themes of racism, hypocrisy, education and religion.

Racism is shown to us in a plethora of ways. McBride illustrates it in a classroom,

where they are learning about, negro history and a boy said, James is a Nigger! This

made James feel embarrassed and like an outcast, he describes his discomfort with I

felt the blood rush to my face and sank down in my chair. Douglass writes of a form of

discrimination too, The white children could tell their age. I could not tell why I ought to

be deprive of the same information. Douglass and McBride probably shared a lot of

similar feelings, like they were outcasts, and they both asked the same question why

were they treated differently? This just shows how although slavery was abandoned not

much has changed in equality. McBride illustrates another situation in his mothers life,

her father was charging blacks more than whites, He was robbing these folks blind,

charging them a hundred percent markup on his cheap goods, and he was worried

about them stealing from him!(59) He watched them as if they would steal from him

even though he was the one stealing, showing how demented the view on black people

was. Douglass describes another situation in which he was discriminated against, when

he was working as free slave he was constantly being demanded to do multiple things

at once, Damn you, if you move ill knock your brains out Douglass was also beaten by

the same people that worked there and couldnt do anything about it because a white

man did not witness anything. These situations showed how being black changed the

peoples expectations of you and treated you differently.

 Hypocrisy is a theme that is often seen in both books, although Douglass

McBride illustrates how he was being a hypocrite himself, I snatched old womens

purses just as I had seen my own mothers purse snatched when I was an eight year

old but in my mind the two acts were not related. Although he couldnt tell that it was

hypocritical. Douglass introduces us with hypocrisy with a common theme of Christians

who are slave owners, for example Covey, Poor man! Such was his disposition, and

success at deceiving, I do verily believe that he sometimes deceived himself into the

solemn belief, that he was a sincere worshipper of the most high God. Douglass

believed that covey is a hypocrite for thinking that praying everyday made him a proud

Christian. These scenarios show similarities because both of them require ignorance to

believe that they werent actually being hypocritical, which Covey and James (at the

time) had been doing. McBride illustrates another character being hypocritical, when

Chicken man saw fight between a girl and a guy he said, Thats why I dont have no

arguments with no woman Although he said this a few days later he argued with his girl

and then she stabbed him to death.

Comment:

Quote2 comparison

Education is shown throughout both books and how important it was to break

the conformity of the typical slave. McBride describes a situation in which his mother

had to be very vigilant, Opportunity to be bused to a different school district if they

wanted; but there was a limited time to enroll. She chose specific schools and had to

be very careful with how she signed kids up for schools, which meant she had to work

really hard for her childrens education. Douglass showed how hard it was to obtain
education by explaining how Mr. Auld stopped Mrs. Auld from teaching him, "Learning

would spoil the best nigger in the world. This made Mrs. Auld make sure he did not

learn, he was still able to learn through multiple sources like the kids on the street.

These two situations show how Douglass was not handed an education, and McBrides

mother had to pay lots of attention to give them what she thought would be a good

education. Another way McBride illustrates how weird it was for them to be at a white

school is by describing how, my siblings and I were unlike most other kids in our

neighborhood, traveling miles and miles to largely white, Jewish communities to attend

school while our friends walked to the neighborhood school. Which shows how

uncommon it was for blacks to learn at white institutions. Douglass points out when,

We used frequently to talk about the fight with Covey, and as often as we did so, he

would claim my success as the result of the roots which he gave me. This superstition is

very common among the more ignorant slaves. When Douglass achieves his victory

over Covey, he attributes it to his vow to no longer be a slave. But the other slaves

cannot accept this explanation, showing how ignorant they were and how uncommon it

was to find an educated slave. This shows how they were unique in how they got their

education and how important it was to explain the things that happen.

Religion was often necessary in these books for the characters in the books.

McBride shows us how religion is important by telling us his mothers story, I was

reborn in Christ. Had to be after what I went through. McBrides mother had become

Christian and needed it to cope with her life. Douglass describes how he himself is a

Christian, Dark and terrible as is this picture, I hold it to be strictly true of the

overwhelming mass of professed Christians in America. They strain at a gnat, and

swallow a camel. Shows how he himself knows the bible (quoting Mathews 23:24).

This shows how both Ruth and Douglass were Christians and how it has helped them,

weather it was coping with life, or showing how slave owners are so Christian. McBride

illustrates how prejudice the Christians are, through once again his mothers

prospective, In school they called me a christ killer and jew baby. This shows how

the Christians really loved thy neighbor and are always Christian. Douglass illustrates

how there are different by saying, Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ,

I recognize the widest possible difference--so wide, that to receive the one as good,

pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. He states

that he does not hate religion, rather he just dislikes the people that call themselves

Christians without even knowing who or how christ acted. McBride shows how not all

Christians are Christians, which agrees with Douglass philosophy that most Christians

that own slaves dont really know what being a Christian is.