Blog Deep Dive on The Coming of John

 TED Talk:

According to Adichie, a single story only tells part of the entire picture. It only shows one side, and without other perspectives, events can't be truly understood. Along with this, a single story only shows how people are different from each other, and to understand how they are similar, we need multiple perspectives. Stories generalize a group of people, rather than helping us broaden our cultural understanding. 

People tell certain sides of stories to gain power over other people. What stories are told, who tells them, when they are told, and how many are told all depend on power. People will believe stories depending on who tells them, and they may not receive the whole picture because other people don't want them to have power. Stereotypes are similar because they degrade a large section of people into a singular thought. An example is when she went to the US for college and her roommate didn't understand that English was her country's home language and that she listened to tribal music instead of normal music. Her roommate stereotyped her as a typical African immediately, without understanding that much of Africa isn't how we view it. Sure, some parts of Africa are underdeveloped, but there are also parts of Africa that are more developed than the areas we live in. 

I think the most important idea that I will take away from this is the sheer power of stories. Stories are the basis of stereotypes and influence globally, so without understanding all sides of the story, you're not understanding a group of people. Stories are important to learn about the world, but only knowing one side of the story doesn't teach people the full picture. Stories are powerful, so we must understand them. 

Of the Coming of John:

The lives of both Johns draw similarities and differences that alter the lives of people around them. A few similarities between them include, the same name, they grew up in the same town, they were friends growing up, and they both went off to college at the same time. The people who knew them also highly anticipated their return, and were excited to find out how they were going to impact their community upon their return. The first main difference is how both were sent off to college. John Jones was sent off to college and a party ensued, glad that he would set off and study everything the world offered. White people didn't agree with this thought and determined that college would ruin him. On the other hand, John Henderson was sent off to college with the idea that it would turn him into a man. College seemed to snap a sense of reality into John Jones, as after being kicked out for a term, he began working and improving himself. The careless attitude he once had quickly disappeared and was replaced with a hard-working mentality. When he returned, he was a strong-minded man who wanted to teach people around him the truths of the world through a strong education. On the other hand, John Henderson became less of a man when he returned from college. When he got back, he demanded that John Jones' sister kiss him, and chases after her. When John Jones comes across this, he kills John Henderson, and an angry mob comes after him seeking revenge. 

I think that he chose to write this as a fictional story because he can create stories in any way he can, while if he followed a real example, he couldn't form the story the way he wanted to. This way, he's able to teach the proper morals he wanted to, along with avoiding stereotypes the readers may come in with. 

John Jones changed his whole personality once he realized how much of a gift an education is. After being kicked out of school for a term, he returns and is determined to learn. He wants to not only better himself but also his community once he returns home. This formulates him returning home and becoming a teacher until the school is shut down by the white judge. I think that education helps someone realize the world better, along with the hardships they will face going forward. College is meant to be hard, so if they can get through it, they should be able to do anything they want in life. I think that an education will challenge how people see the world, so yes, it changes a person. 

I think that the main connection I see is how powerful a story is when all sides are told. Rather than just telling the story from one perspective, DuBois goes into both John's upbringings to determine how education changed both of them. Along with this, it dives into the topic of racism and stereotypes that just because John Jones is childish, college wouldn't be a good option for him. In the end, he breaks that stereotype by becoming a stronger man compared to John Henderson. Even though he ended up killing John Henderson, John Jones ended up fighting for what he believed in and getting rid of someone who was harming his sister. 

Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation with the thought that white supremacy should be promoted. It was also promoted, though in theory, that blacks got separate but equal treatment under the law, though this was far from the truth. Everything was separated by color, whether that was restrooms, drinking fountains, modes of transportation, and so much more. Every sort of public infrastructure and transportation was segregated with the hopes of keeping white supremacy alive. Facilities that black people were given were significantly inferior compared to those of white people. Bathrooms were run down, and drinking fountains often didn't work. Schools were of significantly less quality, impacting the education of people who grew up during these times. Black people were given all the hardships in life and were expected to live through it. These severe hardships led to the uprising of civil rights activists, calling for fair treatment of all citizens, no matter their skin color. The Jim Crow laws didn't just impact people in the South too, as some Northern states had adaptations of the laws put into effect. As the fighting of WWI and WWII brought both races together, the civil rights movement spread across the country and became popular during the 1960s. To recap, the Jim Crow laws made it significantly harder for black people to function as a society in the South. Whether that was through impoverished education facilities, unclean public facilities, or the systematic racism they faced, the Jim Crow laws attempted to promote white supremacy.