J. W. Johnson

The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man is a novel about a mulatto who passes for white because of the light color of his skin. Similar to Imitation of Life, wherein the young mulatto daughter of a black maid faces the challenges of identity formation living in a bi-color society where white is right and black is wrong, James Weldon Johnson’s novel expresses the struggle to forge a whole identity living in a dualistic world where the black and white cultural twain never wholly meet.

In the works of Franz Fanon, we see how the dominant social ideologies become internalized by the non-dominant classes who seldom affect these ideologies. Typically, the dominant social ideologies devalue the non-dominant cultural values and norms. When those norms are prejudiced against culture, the non-dominant culture often internalizes negative images and attitudes about the self. Johnson, however, was able to recognize his own inherent self-worth at an early age, an awareness that instilled within him a determination to champion the inherent dignity of black culture and individuality “I felt lead within me pride that I was coloured; and I began to form wild dreams of bringing glory and honour to the Negro race. For days I could talk of nothing else with my mother except my ambitions to be a great man, a great coloured man, to reflect credit on the race and gain fame for myself. It was not until years after that I formulat

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Franz Fanon, Northern Negro, Weldon Johnsons, Imitation Life, Autobiography Ex-Coloured, autobiography ex-coloured, black culture, Books York, dominant social ideologies, johnson autobiography ex-coloured, forge identity, white black, dominant social, black white, white culture, social ideologies, johnson autobiography, james weldon,
Approximate Word count = 832
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page)

More Essays on J. W. Johnson