Blurring Borders: Summary and Style

Welcome back! Thank you for joining me again! In this post I provide a brief summary of my reading from this past week, and then a main focus on rhetorical analysis and the distinct style of the book so far. I hope you enjoy!  

Marc Aronson's book, "Race," covers the etymology of the word 'race,' and the history surrounding racial divides in a fascinating and accessible way. The book is divided into seven parts, of which I have now read four. My readings this past week covered three sections, titled: "The Road to Race: The Christian Era," "Inventing Race," and "Race: The Beautiful Skull." Now for a brief summary:

Aronson had previously detailed the history between Rome, Jews, and the growing Christian movement. In this section, explained how after the fall of Rome, Roman citizens were left in small towns dispersed all throughout Europe. With the village populations mainly illiterate, the churchmen spread the news and 'informed' the citizens of their towns, on matters both political and biblical. Such power allowed the churchmen to easily shift the views of their villagers. Aronson writes, "the stories told by the churchmen deepened the villagers' fears, hatreds, and suspicions" (pg. 71). The Christians of the time wanted to rule out any threats to their faith, and in turn, invented terrible stories and myths about the outside world. They portrayed Jews and outsiders as vicious and untamed monsters. This invention of monstrous men was crucial in the concept of race (pg. 73). This was interesting to me because as I was reading I began to make a lot of connections to things such as the Holocaust, or the Rwandan Genocide. It is so easy for people to dehumanize others in order to make themselves feel superior. 

Then, Aronson told the story of the European discovery of the Americas, and how that greatly influenced the development of 'race.' The Spaniards viewed the Americans as savage and barbaric, with their minimal clothing, different traditions, and lifestyle. It was originally suggested that the Americans be taken into slavery, however Bartoleme de Las Casas stepped in. Las Casas was the first priest in the Americas, with a totally medieval mindset. "That does not mean he was prejudiced. Just the opposite: His faith made him one of the bravest, most farsighted advocates of toleration and understanding in all of recorded history. Yet he pointed the way toward African slavery" (pg. 93). During Las Casas' time in the Americas, he came to realize just how human the Americans were. He fought for the freedom and protection of them, explaining how great their faith was, and how similar that made them to the Europeans. This must have been very hard for him, considering that everyone around him viewed them as barbaric, and yet Las Casas continued to advocate for the Americans. This came as a surprise to me, that he wouldn't conform, and in turn, did just the opposite. Very admirable. 

The key part of this section was this: at one point, while trying to fight his argument, Las Casas suggested that African slaves could be used in the place of the Americans (pg. 97). This was so interesting to me, that a man, who was clearly unprejudiced, would suggest that any race should be used for slaves. Judging from his character and actions described by Aronson, this was out of despair, and Las Casas seemingly had no intentions or understanding of what was to come of his suggestion. However, just fifty years before Columbus discovered the Americas, the Portuguese had begun slave trading in Africa. Thus, an inferior race had been born. 

Meanwhile in Europe, as people from different races and ethnicities meshed together and formed multicultural families, Jews and Muslims were forced to wear clothing that identified them as 'different.' "It suggested that borders were blurring and had to be rapidly reinforced," wrote Aronson (pg. 84).

"Were all Europeans the same, or shouldn't they be separated out into superior and inferior groupings of their own? At first this too, was a question about religion, but it led directly to the concept of race."  

(Aronson, 97).

Towards the end of my readings,  Aronson began to develop the concept of the 'superior race.' Aronson writes, "To Enlightenment thinkers one possible explanation for the variety of human beings was that they were not, in fact, all human" (pg. 122). How interesting this is, that Enlightenment thinkers, so open-minded and focused on reason and science, could still think of no better theory for the origins and varieties within the human race. Their views were still, after years, based on a misinterpretation of a biblical story. The whites believed that they were the 'superior' race due to this misinterpretation, and they were determined to make their superiority clear to all. 

De Bry, Theodor. Christopher Columbus's Discovery of America (Engraving). 1 Jan. 1900. Getty Images, www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/engraving-of-christopher-columbuss-discovery-of-america-by-news-photo/587492170?adppopup=true. Accessed 10 Mar. 2021.

Rhetorical Analysis & Style: 

Aronson has a distinct, and highly effective, writing style that he uses to develop his argument. Through the organization of his book, layout of each chapter, development of ideas, and tone of writing, Aronson's writing has an extremely accessible and intriguing style. I know at least for me it has been fascinating and very effective. Let's get into it! 

I personally believe that in a nonfiction book, layout and ease of 'use,' so to speak, is key. "Race" begins with a clear table of contents that display the main points of the book, with the chapters included below. Just a quick skim over this before reading the book helped me to get the gist of what the book was going to be about. Aronson divides his book into seven main sections, each with around three chapters. I appreciate the fact that he keeps his ideas to the point and keeps the sections at a reasonable size. Along with that, I also find that books are easier to read when chapters are not super long. I tend to lose focus when books have very long chapters so that has been effective for me.

Each chapter of "Race" begins with an anecdote or short scenario. Below is a short excerpt:

"A teacher arrives in class and tells her third graders that it is very important to separate out the blue-eyed kids from the brown-eyed ones. A new study has shown that blue-eyed people are stupid and lazy, and they tell lies. ... Browns always rule over blues. Within half an hour the blue-eyed students begin to cringe and hide -- they act like slaves. Brown-eyed kids are the masters, and they know it. ... Discrimination and power can separate people into categories that never existed before, and very quickly masters and slaves take on their roles. We know, for it happened all around the world, starting in the 1600s" (pg. 115).

These anecdotes offer modern perspectives that are relatable and accessible in a book that is largely historical. Aronson uses the short stories/anecdotes to connect with the reader and prepare them for the chapter they are about to read. These chapter-beginnings usually create a personal connection between the reader and the concepts that Aronson is about to delve into. I find this a very successful method of engaging with the reader, and useful in understanding concepts. For example, in the excerpt above, Aronson details a study conducted by a third-grade teacher. He explains how she created a superior and an inferior 'race' in her classroom, and how that immediately had an effect on the behavior of her students. Towards the end of this anecdote, Aronson connects the story back to the big picture of the book, and uses this to prepare his audience for what's to come. At first I have to admit, I thought that these chapter beginnings would be cheesy or cliche, but I have been pleasantly surprised and impressed by their ability to open my mind and trigger questions and new perspectives. 

From my readings so far, I have noticed how diverse Aronson's writing is. He seamlessly shifts from a conversational tone, to more serious (logos), to factual, and then back to emotions and personal stories (ethos/pathos), creating a dynamic tone. Towards the beginning of the book,  I found Aronson was more personal and conversational. He told a story about one of his interactions with the concept of race, a memory that really stood out to him. Since then, he has transitioned into a more serious writing style through his storytelling and analysis of the history he presents to the reader. However, this writing is not bland. Far from it actually. I find this to be one of Aronson's strongest writing assets is his ability to make history exciting and easy to comprehend. He not only develops a historical timeline of events that lead up to the concept of 'race,' but he effectively works to create a historical lens to analyze and explain the events. Aronson also helps the reader to form their own opinions on the history by showcasing both points of view in whatever story he is telling. This makes his writing very powerful because instead of force-feeding the reader with opinions, he creates a non-biased space for the audience to grow their own ideas and perspectives. 

While Aronson mainly appeals to logos, persuasive style based on logic and reason, I find it still very effective. When entering this unit, I was hesitant and weary of the debates and of the reading because I was expecting them to be very emotionally charged. I personally find it hard to relate and grasp a topic when arguments are primarily emotion-based. However, this book (and this unit) has greatly surprised me! Aronson's unbiased writing style and factual representation of history greatly aids in my understanding and enjoyment of the book. 

Well I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I hope it made you stop and think about the origins of race a bit more! I have loved my readings so far, and I look forward to continuing with this book and updating you. See you next week!