Exploring Racial Discrimination in 'Black Brother, Black Brother' by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the issue of racial discrimination contained in the novel entitled Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. In addition, the objectives of the study are to explain the kinds of racial discrimination experienced by the main character in Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rodhes and to describe how the main character struggles against racial discrimination. In conducting this study, the writer uses qualitative method. Furthermore, to answer the first statement of problem regarding to the kinds of discrimination, the writer uses the theory of Fred L. Pincus. According to Pincus (1996), there are three kinds of racial discrimination; (1) individual discrimination, (2) institutional discrimination, (3) structural discrimination. From the three kinds of discrimination, the writer found two kinds of discrimination contained in the novel, namely individual discrimination and institutional discrimination. Then, to answer the second statement of problems regarding the main character's struggle against racial discrimination, the writer uses the theory of Joe R. Feagin. He established the theory based on the history and actuality of anti-Black racism with the resistance strategies to overcome racism, those strategies including withdrawal, resigned acceptance, verbal confrontation & physical confrontation. However, the writer only found a resigned acceptance & verbal confronation in the novel.

Keywords: Racial discrimination, Children literature, Novel