Amy Blackman
Journal-2
The Welty story, “Where Is The Voice Coming From”, was a difficult piece for me to comprehend. One of the reasons because it was written in a southern accent kind of dialect that was difficult for me to understand. Also, I feel like the sentences were not very thorough and it was difficult for me to grasp the message that was coming across. However, due to various context clues I kind of have an idea on what the story is about. The main character, a racist white male, does not want to come to terms with the fact that whites and blacks should be treated equally. He’s concerned that a black man, “Roland”, will get the same respect as him as both in work and society. He even mentions how Roland was mentioned in the newspaper for good things where as he was only in there on a wanted list (4). Due to his anger, the white man shoots and kills Roland. On page 2 it states, “I stepped to the edge of his light there, where he’s lying flat. I says, “Roland? There was one way left for me to be ahead of you and stay ahead of you, by Dad, and I just taken it…We ain’t never now, never going to be equals and you know why? One of us is dead” (Welty). The man’s wife was concerned that the police may find them since the man left the rifle at the scene of the crime. It’s almost as if the man wanted to be found for the crime he committed.
The O’Connor piece, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, was easier for me to comprehend. A young man, Julian, is a care giver to his ailing mother. However, he seems to be very annoyed with her due to her racist attitude towards African Americans and the fact that she is still stuck in her old ways. During the scene where the mother and Julian are riding on the bus, Julian would shutter with embarrassment every time his mother would make a racist comment. He then decides to teach her a lesson or maybe even display his anger from his past to his mother. “He might make friends with some distinguished Negro professor or lawyer and bring him home for the evening. He would be entirely justified but her blood pressure would raise to 300 degrees…He imagined his mother lying desperately ill and his being able to secure only a Negro doctor for her.” (O’Connor 7). He became enraged after an African American woman smacked his mother for offering her son a penny. Instead of helping his mother, Julian let out his feelings, “ the old world is gone. The old manners are obsolete and your graciousness is not worth a damn” (O’Connor 11). Instead of listening to Julian, the mother falls faint on the ground. Julian becomes overwhelmed with regret and remorse. He is so angry with his mother; he had forgotten that she could have a stroke at any moment.
In “Where Is The Voice Coming From”, I sympathize more with the African American male who was murdered. Due to the many hardships African Americans had faced, Roland had overcome these hardships and made a name for him in society. However, this earned society status was ruined due to the rage of a racist white male. In “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” I sympathize with both characters. Julian is clearly frustrated by his mother’s parenting skills and by her racist attitude. However, Julian’s mother is weak and instead of setting aside their differences and help his own mother during this time, he decides to punish her for her behavior.
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