Of the Breaking of the Cycle — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Thomas Carr
Katherin Hilson
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Sarah Terrill

Of the Breaking of the Cycle

Name: Abigail Vidruk
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Janesville, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

This paper, written for Western Heritage, addresses a prompt regarding Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois. Throughout Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Dubois explores the issue of being divided between an active, prestigious, and privileged “white world” and a stagnant, oppressed, and underprivileged “black world.” This issue, particularly emphasized in the chapter “Of the Coming of John,” is the central focus of the paper. This paper analyzes a significant moment within this chapter in which John, upon entering the elite Opera House of the “white world,” attempts to deal with his position within these divided worlds. A unique aspect of the paper is its effectiveness in dealing with such a complex and sensitive topic, despite its brevity due to a challenging, one-and-a-half page limit. Through the use of direct evidence and quote analysis, the paper demonstrates that John deals with his situation by transcending the “veil” between the worlds and, consequently, breaking the cycle of anger.

Submit date: April 17, 2020, 10:34 p.m.