Liza Chowdhury

English 11R-6
Task IV: Critical Lens

Location influences the views and actions of the people within the environment. Frank Norris
stated, Things can happen in some cities and the tale of them will be interesting; the same story laid in
another city would be ridiculous. People's emphasis and interpretation of any topic, whether serious or
not, can change throughout time or when put into perspective by another. If you take a situation from
one setting and place it in another, the acceptance will differ. Norris statement is valid for William
Shakespeares play, Romeo and Juliet, and John Howard Griffins autobiography, Black Like Me. The time
periods of the respective protagonists in each work are disdained by the societies in which they live for
committing actions that do not conform to the accepted norms. However, the same actions would have
alternative responses in the twenty first century United States.
The tale of Romeo and Juliet is situated in the northern Italian cities of Verona and Mantua during
the Renaissance (13-14c.) Society at this time applied heavy influence on family in regards to social
matters such as relationships. It was a patriarchal society where wives and daughters must assume a
position of subservience and fulfill the wishes and expectations of the remaining members of the family.
Marriages were arranged usually by the fathers and potential husband and were seen as a way to secure
wealth and status for the participating parties; these were commonly arranged at a young age as in Romeo
and Juliet. A major theme portrayed in the play is the individual in relation to society; the time period
causes the focus to be placed more on society and the public/social institutions established by it. This
unacceptability leads to the ultimate demise of both protagonists. This is shown by the lovers being
shunned for going against the desires of their respective families thus causing the two to express their
love in secrecy. They confide in Friar Lawrence and seek to be wed. Being that Juliet is at age thirteen,
Lord Capulet discusses her marriage without her knowledge or say, displaying the power bestowed by
patriarchal society. Her family wishes she marry Count Paris whom Lady Capulet describes as being
"gallant, young, and a noble gentleman, displaying him to be an appropriate husband due to fine looks
and social status. Her characterization of Paris is to persuade Juliet into fulfilling the wishes of the
family instead of choosing love as one would in modern-day society. Romeo, though of equal social
standing, is an unsuitable match due to the familial grudge. Juliet, left without a choice, comprises a
plan to fake death and later escape to Romeo. This fails for the message is never relayed to Romeo;
Friar Lawrence is unable to leave Verona due to the plague. Both lovers take their lives. Presently, this
would not be as much of a problem because individuals of advanced societies tend to focus inward
instead of regarding the needs of others as being more prominent than their own. Families in this
century do not exert substantial power in regards to who their children wed nor are women as
compliant as they had been in the past due to several women's rights movements that have since taken
place. The idea of marriage would never arise because it would be illegal at their present age. If it were
possible, say years after when they are in their late teen years, Lord Capulet does not have the sole
power in regards to the union of his daughter. Juliet could not be forced to do anything against her will.
If, for some bizarre reason, she did have to resort to her elaborate plan in this century, she can send a
message to Romeo via technology. When placed in the twenty first century, death is avoided for these
star-crossed lovers. Such a tragic tale of the Renaissance could not exist centuries later.
Through courage and determination, black people have overcome many prejudices and
hardships. Black Like Me is situated in the late 1950s when African Americans are treated as `10th class
citizens in the United States. The purpose of this novel was to explore black and white relationships
about a century after slavery is abolished in the United States, but while the feeling of superiority was
still present in the minds of the white race. The protagonist, John Howard Griffin, takes on the
experiment of artificially darkening his skin to experience life as a black man in the racially unjust
Southern states of America. He faces hardship from the white superior race: having obscenities yelled at
him by boys in a car passing by, being forced off a bench by a white man, and the inability to enter a
restaurant he would usually dine in during his normal state. Another instance is while riding the bus; he
acknowledges a white woman and in return receives dirty looks and stares as a result. When under the
black faade, Griffin is viewed to be a predator. The most prominent event was when he was denied
the basic human need to relieve himself in a bathroom; the bus driver refuses to allow any African
Americans off to use the restroom. These events assist in the characterization of the South as being full
of scornful and disdainful people, which also help to establish a tone of contempt and ineptitude on the
author's behalf. Obstacles are constantly set forth by society and are an impetus for Griffin to face
those struggles and make a change in his daily life which formulates the moral of the autobiography:
people should be treated equally nor should they be denied natural rights. In modern-day America, the
experiences and results would differ greatly. Expressing hatred and denying rights to any race will cause
a person to be penalized especially if that person acted upon those feelings, which are today referred to,
as a "hate crime." In addition, public expression of profanity is not encouraged nor accepted. After
Griffin's revelation, some chided Griffin for his experiment. White men who detested the experiment
hanged an effigy and today, this would not be ok. In contrast, he would presently be held in high
esteem for addressing a sensitive yet vital problem in society. Since racism is not as prevalent today, not
publicly at least, Griffins tale of Southern injustice would be invalid.
Timing and location are important factors in determining people's reactions to any event.
Perspective is vital and, when bereft of it, can lead others to misconstrue what is ethical and right. As in
Romeo and Juliet and Black Like Me, the people surrounding the protagonists are so stoic in their beliefs
that they do not deviate from what they have believed for the entirety of their lives and dismiss
everything the protagonists do or desire as silly or jejune. Frank Norris was proper in his quote due to
many examples from the two examples and even present society. So many ideals and actions are
regarded differently in the present than they had been in the past. The tales of Romeo, Juliet, and
Griffin, could not exist today in the manner, which they had occurred originally.