Autobiography of an ex-colored man text

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson

AuthorJohnson, James Weldon, 1871-1938Title The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Note Reading ease score: 72.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. Note Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_an_Ex-Colored_ManCredits Produced by Suzanne Shell, Bradley Norton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team Summary "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" by James Weldon Johnson is a novel written during the early 20th century. The narrative unfolds the life of a biracial protagonist, who navigates the complexities of racial identity in early 1900s America, shedding light on the societal dynamics between blacks and whites. The story explores themes of self-discovery, identity, and the impact of prejudice, as the main character grapples with his position in a racially divided society. At the start of the book, the protagonist reflects on his secretive decision to divulge the story of his life, which is shaded by the tumultuous context of race relations in America. The opening chapters recount his childhood experiences in Georgia, his separation from his father, and formative moments that highlight the conflict between his mixed heritage and societal expectations. From nostalgic memories of his mother to poignant realizations of his racial identity during his school years, the narrative captures his journey through innocence to an increasingly complex awareness of the world around him. Johnson’s writing invites readers to witness the protagonist's struggle as he strives to forge his path and understand his place within the intricate tapestry of race in America. (This is an automatically generated summary.) LanguageEnglishLoC ClassPS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literatureSubject African American men -- Fiction Subject Racially mixed people -- Fiction CategoryTextEBook-No.1101
  • The autobiography of an ex-colored man summary by chapter
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    • Lit2Go

    The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

    by James Weldon Johnson

    James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is a fictional, tragic tale about a young mulatto's coming-of-age in the early 20th century. The unnamed narrator, who has a black mother and white father, is light-skinned enough to pass for a white man but his emotional connections to his mother's heritage make him unable to fully embrace that world.

    Source: Johnson, J.W. (1912) The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Boston, Massachusetts: Sherman, French, and Co.

    Preface
    The preface to the book.
    Chapter 1
    The narrator describes his early life at home with his mother.
    Chapter 2
    The Narrator reflects on his first day of school and understands the difference between the races and what they think of each other.
    Chapter 3
    The narrator reflects on his first exposure to Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
    Chapter 4
    The narrator describes his journey to Atlanta to attend school and the theft of his money when he gets there.
    Chapter 5
    The narrator finds a boarding house for “colored people” and becomes acquainted with the local black citizens.
    Chapter 6
    The narrator travels to New York City and describes ragtime music.
    Chapter 7
    The narrator describes “The Club.”
    Chapter 8
    The narrator is escorted into a small dark apartment where he is supposed to furnish musical entertainment for a small dinner party. He strikes up a friendly relationship with the host.
    Chapter 9
    The narrator leaves New York City and heads to Paris with his new friend. After spending a good deal of time together, they part company and the narrator heads for Boston.
    Chapter 10
    On the way to Boston, the narrator strikes up a conversation with another man regarding racial issues. Once in Boston, they continue to debate and discuss the social/racial problems of the day. The narrator comes upon several other interesting charact
  • The autobiography of an ex colored man analysis

    • The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (version 2)

    James Weldon Johnson (1871 - 1938)

    The story of a biracial man living in the deep south after the reconstruction era. He is young and talented. Yet, in order for him to avoid stigma, he has to pass as white. But would his sense of belonging and solidarity to the black community of the time catch up with him at the end?

    "It is very likely that the Negroes of the United States have a fairly correct idea of what the white people of the country think of them, for that opinion has for a long time been and is still being constantly stated; but they are themselves more or less a sphinx to the whites. It is curiously interesting and even vitally important to know what are the thoughts of ten millions of them concerning the people among whom they live. In these pages it is as though a veil had been drawn aside: the reader is given a view of the inner life of the Negro in America, is initiated into the "freemasonry," as it were, of the race.
    These pages also reveal the unsuspected fact that prejudice against the Negro is exerting a pressure which, in New York and other large cities where the opportunity is open, is actually and constantly forcing an unascertainable number of fair-complexioned colored people over into the white race.
    In this book the reader is given a glimpse behind the scenes of this race-drama which is being here enacted,—he is taken upon an elevation where he can catch a bird's-eye view of the conflict which is being waged." (from the preface by the publisher and Stav Nisser.)

    Genre(s): Fictional Biographies & Memoirs

    Language: English

    Lit2Go

    I know that in writing the following pages I am divulging the great secret of my life, the secret which for some years I have guarded far more carefully than any of my earthly possessions; and it is a curious study to me to analyze the motives which prompt me to do it. I feel that I am led by the same impulse which forces the unfound-out criminal to take somebody into his confidence, although he knows that the act is liable, even almost certain, to lead to his undoing. I know that I am playing with fire, and I feel the thrill which accompanies that most fascinating pastime; and, back of it all, I think I find a sort of savage and diabolical desire to gather up all the little tragedies of my life, and turn them into a practical joke on society.

    And, too, I suffer a vague feeling of unsatisfaction, of regret, of almost remorse from which I am seeking relief, and of which I shall speak in the last paragraph of this account.

    I was born in a little town of Georgia a few years after the close of the Civil War. I shall not mention the name of the town, because there are people still living there who could be connected with this narrative. I have only a faint recollection of the place of my birth. At times I can close my eyes, and call up in a dream-like way things that seem to have happened ages ago in some other world. I can see in this half vision a little house,—I am quite sure it was not a large one;—I can remember that flowers grew in the front yard, and that around each bed of flowers was a hedge of vari-colored glass bottles stuck in the ground neck down. I remember that once, while playing around in the sand, I became curious to know whether or not the bottles grew as the flowers did, and I proceeded to dig them up to find out; the investigation brought me a terrific spanking which indelibly fixed the incident in my mind. I can remember, too, that behind the house was a shed under which stood two or three wooden wash-tubs. These

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