Ways of the South
In a Rose for Emily, William Faulkner based his story on the south and its local history in the 1950's. He wrote the tale of Emily Grierson who was very mysterious and was fighting her own personal conflicts within herself. In this story Faulkner's commentary on the role of women in society is pretty clear; he believes that women are inferior to men, almost second class citizens. For example, Faulkner begins the story about Emily's death. When Emily died the whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respect and the women out of curiosity to see the inside of her house. In this example Faulkner portrayed women less honorable by stating the reasons why both the men and women went to Emily's funeral.
In this writing, Faulkner also emphasizes the social class role during that time. Tobe, Emily's servant, was downgraded and dehumanized throughout the entire story.
Pie chart of religions of African Americans
Scars of a whipped slave (April 2, 1863, Baton Rou...
A man lynched from a tree. Face partially conceale...He was referred to by the judge as "that nigger of hers." That statement shows the dehumanization of blacks in that time because Tobe was never called by name from anyone but Emily. The townspeople never gave him the courtesy of calling him by name; he was referred to as the "Negro."
The social class of that timeframe is also described by the townspeople's reaction to Emily's relationship with Homer. Homer was a day laborer and Emily came from a wealthy family. This gave the townspeople the impression that Homer was beneath Emily and it could not be so.
In Battle Royal, Ralph Ellison based his story on the conflicts between the black and the white cultures. Battle Royal deals with racism and the suppression of the African American race and how it affected the actions of that culture. The main character was...