To an interviewer’s question about the stakes of not recording the story accurately, John Edgar Wideman replied ?Well, it’s life or death. What’s at stake is the perpetuation of the world as I see it, the world that in counter-distinction to or in tension with the world as other people see it. For African American people I am in the business of inventing reality that stands on its own feet, that gives a different perspective on history, on crime, on art, on love. I’m actively deconstructing the given formulas and definitions of African American culture and life and trying to put in their place those that seem more reasonable, more lively, more potentially positive. In my mind, I can’t think of anything more important. Is Wideman’s assertions about the responsibility of the black writer to his/her community something that you believe Richard Wright or Jamaica Kincaid would agree with? Show how Wright in Black Boy and Wideman in Brothers and Keepers invent a reality that gives an authentic dimension to African American life. This is a question about the aesthetics of realism so make sure your paper addresses this. (Please use 2 of these books for your answer, you can substitute either Wright or Wideman with Jamaica Kincaid’s My Brother if you wish.)
Essay length: 7-8 pages
-Use the books 1) My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid….and 2) Brothers and Keepers by John Edgar Wideman…. to write this essay*
Use the books as your main sources.
