The Harvest of Race Prejudice. Kelly Miller. 1925

Les friends,
APMDP veut que je lui envoie ma préparation par courriel (québécisme, me voilà !) et je voudrais pouvoir le lui renvoyer sans faute. Serait-il possible que quelqu'un me le relise et me dise les fautes de grammaire/orthographe/frappe por favor ? Ce serait fort aimable ! :v

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In 1925, Harlem lives a new change, which is called the “Harlem Renaissance”. It is marked by a new way of seeing black people and this people invents new arts because they grow aware of themselves and they express freely through music, painting and literature.
However, segregation still exists in the US and Harlem because of prejudices whites have towards blacks, even though it is the biggest black city in the world. That’s what Kelly Miller, a African-American mathematician and sociologist, tackles in this article, taken from the magazine Survey Graphic, in 1925.
To sum up the text briefly, Miller explains what prejudice is and its impact upon the black people. He debunks its negative aspects, but he also explains that prejudices are at the origin of the Negro movement that take place in the 1920s. He illustrates his speech with Harlem, as it is the centre of this Renaissance.
We can thus wonder how he tackles all the aspects of race prejudice and how he places himself about this race problem.
I- Prejudice : an illness for society…
II- … that seems to be necessary to improve it.
III- Miller’s position and role

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To begin with, Miller tries to give a definition of what prejudice is. According to him, there are two ways to consider it : on the one hand he says some think it is like an instinct (l.1), which is inherent to men and unalterable ; on the other hand, he says that it can change as it is only a feeling. This can be explained by the fact that society corrupts men and that it gives him prejudices, as we can find in Rousseau’s Contrat Social. Yet, he also says that the source of it is not really important, as it is a “persistent fact” (l.4), because prejudice exists since the creation of societies. In ancient Rome, there were prejudices against Germans or Africans because of their behaviours or their physical appearances. This very example is still true in 1925 because prejudice is a “barrier between the races” (l.5). From the first paragraph, we know it is an obstacle for society.
Miller then shows the violence of prejudices. He draws a comparison with a “sword” (l.6) meaning it can lead to destroy people and society, for instance with a war : the Civil War shared the country in two sides, for instance. This idea of violence is emphasized with the introduction of the KKK, created in 1866, one year after the Civil War ended, that organize lynchings and burnings of black people. They thus convey fear and insecurity all through the country. Moreover, prejudices are the “parents” of the KKK.
That’s why prejudices are dangerous for democracy. On the one hand, actions of the KKK are a “virus” (l.10) for the country. This medical metaphor endows prejudices with a real illness that should be cured because it is a real epidemic that could spread all over the world : “the fatal seeds of world dissension and catastrophe” (l.12). To use a contemporaneous example, it can be compared to fascisms that spread in Europe at the same time and that were born from prejudices (against Jews, above all). On the other hand, it is a danger for American democracy because prejudices bring new anticonsitutional laws, like the “restrictive ordinances” (l. 22) that are taken against the blacks in several areas.
Moreover, all these problems bring another main issue : segregation. The blacks are the main victims (l.20) of it, but it exists since the Civil War. Segregation is everywhere as blacks are excluded from the political system (as the last black man left Congress in 1902). Segregation also has its importance because of the constant immigration from the South to the North. There, lies in the case of Harlem, which is the biggest black city in the world. Blacks live in specific areas and are separated from other communities. That is also the case in other cities (see l.31). This segregation in Harlem brings violence once again because of riots. It also highlights the difference between blacks and whites, making a new consciousness in the blacks’ minds.
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This is one of the main positive consequences of segregation. It allows the blacks to be self-conscious. In fact, if there’s no segregation, there would be no visible difference. What happens is only a consequence of white prejudices towards blacks as they put the “barrier” between the two races. Moreover, this new self-consciousness is the main reason why black art develops itself in the 1920s. The appearance of the New Negro is defined by Alain Locke, in 1925. This year seems to be a turning point in the apprehension of the black people. It is also the year during which a banquet in Harlem gathers the black leaders of the epoch, like Du Bois, Hughes or Locke. Miller highlights there the paradox of the whites : by victimizing the blacks, they endow them with power.
But this consciousness needs resources to be complete. He thus joins B.T. Washington’s idea about mingling with other races, and it would be easier to live better. L.59 : “mobilizing racial resources about a formulated ideal” : there’s a real need to mingle as agreement seems to be impossible between blacks and whites. Nonetheless, the situation is not bound to remain that way as prejudice is only a state of mind (l.1). Everything can change with time but there’s no certainty in it. Washington’s ideal is thus challenged.
Then, because of this segregation, blacks in Harlem look for a way to express themselves. That’s why they use art, but they also need a political place. This time, Miller illustrates Du Bois’s idea : there should be a place for blacks in politics. He gives the example of Chicago (ll.85-87). Negroes have recently had posts as state senators, conveying a great joy in the community. Nonetheless, this joy only comes from segregation and lies in racism, that’s why it is still extremely frail. If there had been no segregation, there wouldn’t have been such contentment. Miller raises the question of what is better between winning rights little by little and feeling rewarded ; or living with rights from the beginning, taking them from granted and living with no improvement.
This segregation also provokes the rise of new ideas through different movements. The NAACP, created in 1909 by Du Bois, is the most militant as it fights again segregation and inequality. They intend “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination”. Their optimistic view is positively presented by Miller (ll. 61-64). Then the sociologist introduces the Urban League (ll.64-66) which is more peaceful and which uses time for society to improve (a little like Washington). The last idea is the Negro Sanherin (ll.66-72) that tries to understand prejudices and the way they began. Through these three examples, Miller shows all the repercussions of segregation upon the blacks and it also shows how different the ways to see this scourge are. All are different, due to their more or less pragmatic or reasoned views.
The last paradox that is raised by segregation is the rise of trade competition. If Negroes want to succeed in trade to keep their stores, they need to have a “business attitude” (l.95) against the white merchants or others. Actually, the segregation shapes up a part of the American economy and it seems useful for capitalism as it touches the working classes of the country, even though it can seem rather paradoxical.

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First, Miller takes the role of a sociologist. He introduces his subject with definitions in the first paragraph, whick looks like an introduction. He even shows his sociological attitude by using the very word “sociologist” (l.15) and he tries to have a scientific and quite logical attitude in the structure of his text as one paragraph expresses one idea. He finishes his article with a conclusion and questions about the future. He wants to know what could happen in the upcoming society.
Then, he shows a real cleverness in his speech as he tries not to take side. He uses B.T. Washington and WEB Du Bois’s points of view but he remains quite objective. Moreover, he only shows the bad aspects of prejudices but never mentions it is an absolute evil or something like that. He acts like a scientist and he is thus more relevant in his speech as he gives all the sides of this issue.
To finish, he uses many agricultural metaphors, beginning with the title of his article. He deals with a “harvest” and not “consequences” ; he repeats the word “fruit” (ll.12, 45, 101) ; and he uses other metaphors like the “depths and shallows of the seas” (l.33). Through these devices, he may intend to show the Americanness of his speech and of the problem. His country, is made for blacks and whites as they are all Americans, and nature should link them. The work of the earth is a tradition in the country and it is linked to one people, and not blacks or whites or another people. Nevertheless, it may also be ironical towards the whites because they made the blacks work in the fields during the slavery period. Now, they receive the harvest of their own exactions, and the blacks could enjoy “eating the fruit of the tree” (l.101) they used to till. In fact, the only harvest the Americans make at this time is the harvest of the grapes of wrath on both sides.

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To conclude, prejudices are a real danger for the American society but it incidentally brought a new society as blacks want more than they have. Segregation brings violence and barriers in society but it indirectly allows ideas and trade to develop in the black community. The whites are the victims of themselves because of the segregation and the violence they imposed to the blacks. However, the budding Harlem Renaissance will have a similar impact upon blacks. This idea is developed in Langston Hughes’s book The Big Sea. The African American writer shows that the Harlem Renaissance will change the society once again because blacks will become the whites’ objects as they will dance for them or entertain them with music. The Renaissance is about to become a fashion and it will veer from its original aim.

Tu comptais lui renvoyer quand ?

Le plus tôt avant que je n'oublie. Mais si c'est la semaine prochaine, c'est pas gênant !

Oki j'essayerai de regarder tout ça "as soon as possible", mais le pb c'est que je ne suis pas une référence (alors il te faudra qq d'autre aussi).

Bon tout ça mis à part, j'ai cliqué je ne sais combien de fois sur la rubrique Civi aujourd'hui et je ne sais pas d'où vient cet engouement soudain que vous semblez tous avoir!

Non mais juste l'orthographe surtout parce que ça fait tache de lui envoyer qqc avec des fautes ^^

Non ben déjà j'ai ENFIN fait un sujet pour mes fiches mais mon ordi rame donc je peux pas y mettre. Ça attendra que je sois rentré.