Finding Identity Through One's Curse

Paige Powers

Ms. Harris

ENGL 2016

November 17, 2022

Finding Identity Through One’s Curse

  

 Throughout time, African Americans have had to face a curse that would last generations, but also wanted to find their own identity or a sense of belonging in a world where they were treated unequally. The main type of curse that African Americans have faced is slavery and the way they were treated during and after slavery. After slavery was abolished, the majority of African Americans were treated poorly and were always reminded about the trauma their parents/grandparents faced. There can also be distinct types of curses that each person faces, and people find their own identity within the curse.

Willie’s chapter in Homegoing is a good example of finding one’s identity and facing the curse passed onto her simultaneously. Willie is denied a job because of her skin color, but her husband can find a job because he can “pass” as a white man. The curse is her ethnicity and history, and her identity is just wanting to be able to take care of her kid. Passing in the 20th century was a big part for African Americans and light skins in finding their identity. “Analyzing passing motives as a symbol for trying to overcome racial boundaries... and melt together into one group of equal social status.” (Wetzorke) Wetzorke is saying that passing is a way for people to step over boundaries racially and have equal ranks. Willie found her identity when she was able to sing in the Church and not be afraid anymore. She overcame her curse when she separated from her husband and started to focus on herself and her kid.

   When Marcus is conducting research at Stanford, he is drawn to speaking about the numerous generations of abuse his family has faced ranging from subprime and trauma. “The persistent Black-white wealth gap is not an accident but rather the result of centuries of federal and state policies that have systematically facilitated the deprivation of Black Americans.” (Roberts and Weller) Subprime created a curse for Black families because they were not treated fairly in terms of wealth and housing status. The trauma side has to do with how his family was treated and how Marcus is still trying to heal from its years later. “Bonds between adults and parents have grown increasingly salient in individuals’ lives.” (Fingerman) Marcus had a great relationship with his family, especially with family members he had never met before, making his research more important to him. “To combat trauma and heal fully from the generational curse that plague black people means acknowledging those curses. It means looking into the past as a period that cannot be repeated.” (Aston 32) This is a great example of how Marcus overcame that trauma/fear with the help of Marjorie and vis versa.

   Marcus and Marjorie both find their identity and defeat their curse when they travel to Ghana together. While in Ghana, they both discover things about their past that make them rethink their life and cherish their heritage more than before. “...identity is a continuum shaped by past, immediate, and future environments.” (Glennelle and Janeula) This shows that they are both finding their identity in that time and moment in their lives and continuing to grow from it. In the process of finding their identity, they face their fears of water and fire together. Marcus gets in the water with Marjorie, and Marjorie gets closer to the fire. The end of their chapters brings everything back to square one, where they find their place in life while overcoming their curses.


Works Cited:

Burt, Janeula M., and Glennelle Halpin. “African American Identity Development: A Review of the Literature.” ERIC, 31 Oct. 1998, https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED428303.

Fingerman, Karen L., et al. “A Decade of Research on Intergenerational Ties: Technological, Economic, Political, and Demographic Changes.” Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 82, no. 1, Wiley, Jan. 2020, pp. 383–403. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12604.

M.A of Education Robert Wetzorke. “Passing and the Problem of Identity in Afro-American Literature.” GRIN, 18 Nov. 2009, https://www.grin.com/document/140496.

President, Julia Cusick Vice, et al. “Eliminating the Black-White Wealth Gap Is a Generational Challenge.” Center for American Progress, 11 Oct. 2022, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/eliminating-black-white-wealth-gap-generational-challenge/.

Rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu. https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/65724/PDF/1/play/.

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