A DIFFERENT MIRROR

A DIFFERENT MIRROR

Takaki’s book, “A Different Mirror” is an accurate and realistic presentation of the complexity of the American culture and its development. In the fifth and sixth chapters, Takaki seems to recount on racism and how it propagated the institution of slavery. In a nutshell, the main argument in both chapters is that the series of ethnic discrimination has contributed to slavery, and eroded the racial diversity that America should be enjoying. To drive his main argument of racism as the primary factor in slavery, Takaki uses David Walker, the son of a slave in chapter 5, and Caliban a could be Irish immigrant in chapter 6. It is also worth noting that English colonizers choreographed these historical injustices to their benefit. The two chapters excellently illustrate the difference between a black and white slave, confirming that slavery was a pure racists practice.

The blacks were initially part of American society. In Madison’s words, “blacks were not outside white society’s ‘borders’: instead they were within… the ‘bosom’ of the republic.” (Takaki, 2008, P. 106). This statement means that like their white counterparts, the blacks were also American citizens, and should have had equal rights and freedom. However, that has never been the case because they are black. Walker recounts how it was painful to hear men of color described as “property.” They were left to do the poorest of all jobs like “polishing the Whiteman’s shoes” (Takaki, 2008, P. 98). When demand for agricultural materials shot up as a result of the industrial revolution, the same worthless slaves were the laborers in production. This depicts the irony of the highest order. The blacks deserved some recognition as productive laborers.Throughout history, the blacks were stereotyped as savages who needed to be civilized.

However, Takaki, through Walker’s experience, clarifies that the whites were the barbaric savages. The whites brainwashed the blacks to think that they were incapable of anything. Blacks tried different ways to attain freedom. They even converted to what Takaki calls “the Sambos” (Takaki, 2008, P. 112). The sambo phenomenon was a kind of self-assimilation to convince the enslaver that they were on the same side. Despite portraying the loyalty, the white enslavers viewed blacks as “impatient, ready to break for freedom” (Takaki, 2008, P. 120). As such, the whites were afraid that violence would only be the way for blacks to attain freedom. They also feared that blacks might come up with a revenge mission. The whites remained vigilant in each of their strategies handling the slaves. This aspect explains why it took so long for the blacks to liberate themselves from the oppression. It further clarifies that the blacks were not anything short of human beings, and that slavery was a color-baseddehumanizing practice..

A keen analysis of the sixth chapter, “Fleeing the Tyrant’s Heel,” it dawns on the reader that there was still nothing for blacks even after fighting for liberation. By the end of the 19^th century, racial boundaries had been fully established, and as Takaki puts, it was a “brutally repressive era” (Takaki, 2008, P. 138). This situation can be explained in the way Irish immigrants, although initially “degraded as Other-as savages, outside of civilization,” gradually displaced the blacks as their “hunger and color” gave them a “title to special favor” (Takaki, 2008, P. 131).The movement of the Irish citizens into America was necessitated by displacement as English settlers took their land. The settlers utilized the “potato famine” to push Irish people out. America described as a land of “no tyranny and oppression” offered a room for immigrants (Takaki, 2008, P. 134). The situation for Irish people was similar to that of the blacks. The British stereotyped Irish people as “a race of savages” and condemned them at work for their “negative traits” (Takaki, 2008, P. 141). As a result of the comparison to black slaves, Irish employees, despite being productive, were overtaken by Chinese immigrants.

To bring the point home, Takaki presents the three groups, blacks, Irish, and Chinese immigrants. Irish immigrants were regarded as “Irish niggers” stereotypically. However, after the Chinese immigrants overtook them, they attempted to promote their whiteness to look superior to the blacks. They attacked blacks to gain white recognition. They took up jobs from the blacks, established businesses everywhere, and moved the “poor black colored American citizen out” (Takaki, 2008, P. 143). In essence, the blacks have always suffered in their land, America, for being black. It is all a calculation by the English colonizers who not only wanted to maximize from black labor, but also wanted to separate the white society for his superiority. America should have remained to be the welcoming and habitable nation it was before the coming of the settlers.

Looking back in the history of America, one would be puzzled by Takaki’s revelation. Although earlier chapters indicated that America had a role to play in destroying its cultural diversity, I tend to agree that the destruction was necessitated by other factors that probably were not as clear to the people as they are today. For instance, the forefathers never fully recognized the slaves in America’s declaration. However, their attempt was as a result of the stereotype instilled in them by the colonizer. At this time, the blacks were viewed as uncivilized savage’s worth of nothing. As indicated by Takaki in these chapters, America was welcoming and offered an opportunity for immigrants. Britons grabbed this opportunity from them, and not America. As such, looking at the sections analyzed here, slavery was racially choreographed to fit the interests of the English man. For instance, the fungi infestation might be the cause of the severe potato famine. However, the English colonizers maximized the situation to make the Irish people leave. The Britons farmed and exported meet that was enough to feed the dying Irish population. If instead the Britons helped distribute resources across Ireland, so many lives would not have been lost.

Takaki has done his best to bring the point home. The use of realistic examples in his work is a crucial point. For instance, he uses the eyes and emotions of David Walker and other blacks involved in segregation and slavery to make the reader see the depth and magnitude of the phenomenon. Similarly, in chapter six, Takaki uses individual cases to present color conflicts. An example here is the sermon by Reverend Theodore Parker on dangerous classes who outrightly mentions that “some people are inferior in nature” (Takaki, 2008, P. 141). This sentiment shows how realistic the situation was for the oppressed. However, by overemphasizing the ethnic and racial oppressions, Takaki might risk shifting the focus of the reader from the appreciation of American’s racial diversity to purely ethnic suffering and conflicts. I think Takaki needs to find a way to moderate his discussion to make the reader appreciate both cultural and racial diversity that America should be enjoying today. Takaki makes the reader think that the only thing that Americans share is the sordid legacy of discrimination. I think he should endeavour to make the people realize the mistake brought in by the selfish British stereotype, and pursue to appreciate the diversity that America gave room for when it allowed immigrants.

Reference

Takaki, R. (2008). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America (Rev. ed.). Boston, MA.