After reading your research paper, I wanted to comment more on Tolkien’s racism or lack thereof. Although you mentioned that Tolkien’s reasoning for using black vs. white was not racist at all, I’m not sure if I am entirely convinced. You put up a good argument, but I disagree because putting whites as good and blacks as evil in characters in a novel seems pretty straightforward in the facet of racism. It is quite clear and blatant in other works how color affects characters. For instance, in “Othello”, the protagonist (Othello) only earned his respect and valor through his fighting and war skills. If not for that redeeming quality, one that was of use to the white men, his good spirit or his amiable nature would be overlooked completely Also, we see this blatant racism in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” The whites think their skin is pure and right, believing it is essentially their duty to colonize and make the Africans civilized and human, in a sense. All in all, although Tolkien may not have been outwardly racist, I believe that he held an inner conviction of colored people. In Tolkien’s time, using color as a literary device was and an indicator of good or evil was common so it is difficult for me to believe that Tolkien, a well-versed writer as he is, could not know or understand the implications of his writings.
After reading your research paper, I wanted to comment more on Tolkien’s racism or lack thereof. Although you mentioned that Tolkien’s reasoning for using black vs. white was not racist at all, I’m not sure if I am entirely convinced. You put up a good argument, but I disagree because putting whites as good and blacks as evil in characters in a novel seems pretty straightforward in the facet of racism. It is quite clear and blatant in other works how color affects characters.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, in “Othello”, the protagonist (Othello) only earned his respect and valor through his fighting and war skills. If not for that redeeming quality, one that was of use to the white men, his good spirit or his amiable nature would be overlooked completely Also, we see this blatant racism in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” The whites think their skin is pure and right, believing it is essentially their duty to colonize and make the Africans civilized and human, in a sense. All in all, although Tolkien may not have been outwardly racist, I believe that he held an inner conviction of colored people. In Tolkien’s time, using color as a literary device was and an indicator of good or evil was common so it is difficult for me to believe that Tolkien, a well-versed writer as he is, could not know or understand the implications of his writings.