As we all know, racism and slavery is one of the most talked about topics in the history of society. For decades and decades, minorities all over the world have received backlash and poor treatment because of the way they look, carry themselves, or practice religion. Some people believe slavery and racism was completely gotten rid of during the civil war times of America. However, people on the other side of the debate believe segregation and unfair treatment of minorities is still present today. Especially veterans like the instance we saw in Toni Morrison’s Home. Also, the connection that came along in my head after reading Zone One was the aboloshment of slavery and the potential end of the humane society in Zone One.
Frank Money, is a 24 year old Korean War veteran who serves as our main character in Home. Unfortunately, Frank suffers from post traumatic stress disorder which is defined as a trauma and stress related disorder that may develop after exposure to an event or ordeal in which death or severe harm occurred or was threatened. On top of that, he faces racism as he is summoned to Georgia to find his sister. A random woman sends him a letter saying “Come fast. She be dead if you tarry” (Morrison 8). This is in the second chapter of the book. Having some knowledge on the background of the book I knew that him traveling to Georgia being a black man was only gonna stir up more chaos. Being that Georgia is a very southern state which, people in Georgia were not going to be fond of his presence. He did not need more chaos after he woke up the morning after being found passed out by the police due to manic acts which is a side effect of his post traumatic stress disorder. Specifically, he has post traumatic stress disorder because he witnessed a young defenseless Korean girl get shot and killed after he had felt a certain way about her.
I was alerted to the kind of connection that racism and slavery had in Zone One. During class, the term “notice” was brought up a lot. It is a verb that I’ve begun to start doing way more. It sounds sort of cheesy but ‘noticing’ more when you read can help you write much better. I noticed Zone One was really unique when I realized the author was trying to display a snapshot of a dead society. Race is a social characteristic that has no serious evidence to stand behind. It’s something that we as a culture and society have adopted into our brains and everyday life because that’s just how it goes. In Zone One the plague is a huge part of the plot and if you think about the abolishment of slavery, it is a landmark in American history. Even though the plague in the book had no positive benefits, it is still very important because of the idea of holding onto past ideas and theories that will not blend in society anymore. Since slavery is a huge part of or history as a coutntry and it had a positive benefit on the society, people still to this day in 2019 are practicing racism and using slurs that are harmful to minorities and African Americans in specific.
Thanks to Dr. McCoy and the rest of my classmates, I was able to notice thoroughly the connections between these two books and slavery and racism. The topic of slavery will continue to be argued upon even though the conversation should be considered one hundred percent outdated.