Reflection Book One: The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

In Book I we can see how slavery leaves its legacy, since the setting was in Louisiana at the end of the civil war. The author uses Jane’s voice to reveal the events she and others experienced. Although they were granted their freedom, the slavery still lived. Most of them remained in a plantation since the white people didn’t want to accept the fact that they were free people just like them. They made sure to emphasized the division in the social classes and their racism. Those former slaves who tried to leave a new lifestyle ended up dead because of this. From this point of view, which they thought was acceptable as one mentioned that God said it in the bible, the whites felt as if they could do whatever they wanted, especially the rich ones. Skin color of a person is portrait as a big social division. The majority of them were blinded by the idea that discrimination is a totally accepted behavior. There is a particular quote that caught my attention.

“I might be a Secesh. Then I might be a friend of your race. Or maybe just an old man who is nothing. Or maybe an old man who is very wise. Or an old man who might kill himself tomorrow. Maybe an old man who must go on living, just to give two children a pan of meatless greens and cornbread.” P. 43

            In this quote, it is portrait how the Old Man who gave them food does not care about the parameters of the society at that time, specifically his race. Jane is shocked about this because that was not a conduct that was seen in the South at all. The blacks were not used to trust the whites so this made her have doubts.

Nowadays, we can also see that unfortunately, racism is still alive. When we think society have accomplished many great things, there is a setback. One example is Donald Trump, the 45^th President of the United States. He is a racist whose target is mainly the immigrants. Seeing how he behaves and express, racist people joined him and behave the same as him. They feel as if they were granted a permission to act as they do in their communities. Your physical appearance, or culture, should not label you in the society. Why do some people feel that they have the right to limit the opportunities of other people? This is a question that many people desperately want to hear the answer.