Journal Three

Jodi Finchum

Professor McLaughlin

Journal Entry

6-23-10

            The similarities between Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor and Where Is The Voice Coming From by Eudora Welty are subtle but substantial. The most common similarity between the two is the idea of there being tension, to say the least, between blacks and white during that time period. Both stories also share the timing in the United States of black people being newly freed from slavery and trying to adapt into a white dominated society. The texts also share similar language styles that are “southern” and some language that is offensive to black people, as well as many people today. Evidence of this kind of language is seen when Julian’s mother explains how proud she is to have come from where she came from, which is from a family that owned two hundred slaves (3). She also shows a great deal resistance towards black people, and definitely sees black people as a lower class than herself. In Where The Voice Is Coming From, the narrator doesn’t try to conceal his reservations toward black people as much as Julian’s mother, which is still not enough to take notice. He uses a great amount of offensive language including “…a black nigger face…” (1).

            Differences in the text are most evident when referring to the actual story and plot. Flannery O’Connor’s text is more a wake up call, and the tone is lighter than Eudora Welty’s story, which takes on a more serious tone, with a dark motive. Also, the main characters of the story are quite different in their motives. Julian’s mother is at fault for her close-mindedness and her racism towards black people, but the character in Welty’s text has a motive to kill a black man and succeeds. The degree to which each story is defensive is most definitely different. Also, O’Connor’s story is easier to follow, and mapped out as a general short story, whereas Welty’s story is hard to understand at first, and takes some reflection and re-reading to get the total point of the reading.

            The enlightening main points that I understood from the texts to be most interesting and meaningful is the contradiction and hypocrisy. In O’Connor’s story, the narrator states, “They should rise yes, but on their own side of the fence” (3). This statement shows injustice of the inside of a person, in this case, Julian’s mother.  The bible highly goes against injustice, and a sort of sit back and watch attitude without intervening, which is what Julian’s mother is all about. She claims that she is faithful woman, and that she can be gracious to anybody (2).  Trying to show her “gracious” side certainly does not coincide with people being mistreated as slaves, which is what Julian’s mother is totally about. As for Welty’s story, the most contradicting piece of evidence of the narrator’s ignorance was located on page one in the first paragraph when the wife states “ You don’t have to set and look at a black nigger face no longer than you want to, or listen to what you don’t want to hear. It’s still a free country.” The inconsistency in this statement is quite obvious, that the woman is talking about freedom for her family and in the same breathe, her husband is plotting to kill this black man that is advocating for his own freedom and rights. I don’t think religion is a main theme in these two stories, as much a culture and class.