Our narrator gets his first job at Liberty Paints- a company full of great patriotism. The name of the company emphasizes “liberty” for all- ironic due to the fact that America was severely divided.
The first thing the narrator learns is how to mix their famous “pure” white paint: by adding ten drops of black toner into each mixture. “Now measure ten drops into the paint…There, that's it, not too goddam fast. Now. You want no more than ten, and no less,” Kimbo instructs him (200). Although he is adding black drops, the paint still dries a clear white color.
After looking deeper, I realized that these black dots in the midst of the white paint are a symbol for the black/white relations of America. The Liberty Paints serves as an extended metaphor of racial inequality. The factory’s slogans emphasize the moral superiority of their whiteness. It is demonstrating the underrated black contribution to America. Without it, America would not be the same. This connects to the poem “Theme for English B” where Hughes explains to his teacher that at the end of the day, no matter what race, everyone is American. He says, “You are white- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you”. However, this is a viewpoint that many whites of America refuse to accept.
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ReplyDeleteIt is ironic that Liberty Paints greets the narrator- not The Statue of Liberty. Bailey's comparison of Liberty Paints to “Theme for English B" shows how America isn't just one race. The Liberty Paints extended metaphor explains that blacks and whites are living and working together. The paint still dries white despite the ten drops of black paint. This compares to blacks contributing only to have their credit given to the whites. This creates a sense of white supremacy. As she mentioned, whites refuse to accept that we are all American which is a major conflict in Invisible Man.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you were able to connect this event to "Theme for English B". It shows that while many may only see the color of a face, they are blind to the fact that they are equals in America. I like how Julia stated that no matter how much work blacks do in the society like in Liberty Paints, all the credit is given to the whites just like how "the paint still dries white despite the ten drops of black paint".
ReplyDeleteI love how Julia mentioned that no matter how much contribution blacks give, all credit will be given to the whites- I hadn't really seen it that way. Although he added 10 drops of black, it remained "optic white" (203). Blacks and whites could
ReplyDeleteork equally on the same thing, but they will never been seen as equals. Like Julia said, it's a symbol for white supremacy.
Way to connect to the Langston Hughes poem we read in class. It's sad to say there are still cases today where whites refuse to accept "everyone is American." There is a great quote that comes from a White Stripes song "Well Americans got nothing better to do, why don't you kick yourself out your an immigrant too?" It's appaling there are still cases where people can't look at all Americans as equal to themselves.
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ReplyDeleteI liked the way you used "Theme For English B" as a connection to Invisible Man. In this particular part of the text and in the poem, both tell of the same tale in a sense. Both pieces speak on the race issue going on during their respective time periods. "Theme For English B" speaks on how we as Americans are all one regardless of the color of our skin. In Invisible Man, it constantly speaks on all of the injustices towards black people, when they are actual law abiding citizens like that of any white person.
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