\u201cDawn unlocked the morning with increments of gray\u201d<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s piece, Transatlantic,<\/em> focuses on the in-between state of Douglass in Ireland. Douglass escaped slavery in America and experiences a sense of freedom in Ireland. In Dublin, he is waited upon by a footman, eats fancy meals, and tours the country giving speeches. Yet, he still feels like a captive \u2013 he is constantly watched by Webb and paraded around Ireland like a show-horse. McCann writes about Douglass\u2019 self-reflection of this gray area: \u201cHe knew now what had brought him here \u2013 the chance to explore what it felt like to be free and captive at the same time\u201d (85). This position gave Douglass power and authority in speaking against slavery because he knows what it is like to be both free and captive. He relates what the Irish cannot – \u00a0\u201cTo be in total bondage to everything,\u201d Douglass says, \u201ceven the idea of one\u2019s own peace\u201d (85). But, this in-between state also creates a lack of control for Douglass over his life, and a lack of trust and uncertainty. How can you be truly free if you are wanted for capture? How can you be truly free when your family is still in bondage?<\/p>\n In my American Lit class we are reading The Sound and the Fury<\/em>. This novel also deals with the deterioration of identity in an in-between state. Specifically, the character of Quinten relates the loss of power while being trapped in gray area. Quinten\u2019s narrative in the story begins to fall apart when he feels a lack of control in his relationship with his sister, Caddy. Quinten narrates, \u201cI seemed to be lying neither asleep nor awake looking down a long corridor or gray halflight where all stable things had become shadowy\u201d (170). Douglass and Quinten are examples of the uncertainty and restlessness that come with a half-way state. Quinten, like Douglass, feels a lack of stability in his life and relates it through the use of the color gray. This builds upon one of the central ideas in class of transforming identity and belonging. In transitional states, where can we find a home?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cDawn unlocked the morning with increments of gray\u201d This week\u2019s piece, Transatlantic, focuses on the in-between state of Douglass in Ireland. Douglass escaped slavery in America and experiences a sense of freedom in Ireland. In Dublin, he is waited upon by a footman, eats fancy meals, and tours the country giving speeches. Yet, he still … <\/p>\n