LS 1
Aufgabenstellung:
1.
Sum up what we learn about Mary-Alice Daniel’s family, their encounters with racism in the American South as well as their reactions to it.
(Comprehension) (13 Punkte)
2.
Analyze the way Daniel offers the reader an insight into her search for identity. Focus on narrative techniques and use of language.
(Analysis) (13 Punkte)
3.
Choose one of the following tasks:
3.1
The American writer, philosopher and podcaster Coleman Hughes argues that in order to achieve true equality in the USA, new race-neutral approaches in society, culture and politics are necessary.
Evaluate his call for policies disregarding skin color and race, taking into account social and political realities in the USA in the past and present.
(Evaluation: comment) (18 Punkte)
3.2
You are participating in an international youth conference on culture and identity. Each participant is supposed to give a speech. Since reading Mary-Alice Daniel’s memoir has made a strong impression on you, you have decided to use the excerpt from her memoir as a starting point.
Write a script for the speech, commenting on the impact of growing up with a mix of cultures on young people’s identities and on the societies they live in.
(Evaluation: re-creation of text) (18 Punkte)
Mary-Alice Daniel
A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing (2022)
A Memoir Across Three Continents
The text is an excerpt from a memoir by Mary-Alice Daniel, a poet and writer born in northern Nigeria in 1986. Two years later, her family fled to England and then moved to the USA in 1995.
1
An entity came creeping into our habitat: the novel chimera of American Racism.
2
We were the only Black family on our avenue, and it rattled us to encounter unwelcome.
3
Finding some neighbors unfriendly, this was the place we started asking why. It’s not that
4
my family had never experienced racism before; I’d just been too young to perceive its full,
5
unbridled dimensions. In Southern suburbia, I was learning. I became more conscious of
6
my race as a feature that would ostracize me. I was made to notice.
7
All of us were laid bare to our new element.
8
Like all immigrant children, ours was to adapt. The desire to become like our peers briskly
9
gathered strength, becoming the driving force in our social development. While my sister
10
and I performed well academically, my brother more readily assimilated socially. He won
11
over his classmates in that easy way boys do – with a prank, a crass joke, or fancy footwork
12
playing football, which he immediately knew to call “soccer”.
13
He fluently adopted the demeanor and lingo of new social groups, and made it seem
14
natural. Confidence neutralized his foreignness, and he sometimes set the irreverent
15
standard of behavior amongst junior high school boys.
16
I would describe my brother not as the class clown, but as the class chaos. The rest of
17
us were working to recognize when we should be noticed and when we should not be. He
18
acted out, always exposed. Looking back, he names the constant feeling of being called up
19
to audition – under inspection, on display, hypervisible. His mischief might have been
20
managed with a creative outlet rather than punishment. In detention, he drew – warships,
21
tanks, and airplanes rendered with an astounding level of technical detail. He remained the
22
most vulnerable under our saddle of hypervisibility. Once he was labeled a “problem Black
23
boy,” shaking free of that incrimination became his lot in life.
24
The American South marked the first time I was so exposed to the word “nigger,” both as a
25
slur and a reclaimed term. Back then, it made me uncomfortable to hear the word in any
26
context, but my brother incorporated the word into his vocabulary – to assert that it
27
belonged to him, and that he in turn might belong to Black America, which he believed
28
possessed a stronger sense of “Blackness” than our family did at that point. We had been
29
Africans foremost, and culture trumped color. My sister was barely coping in what she
30
called her “beat ʼem up” high school. Her tormentors derided her accent, deciding that she
31
was trying to sound posh – that she thought she was better than them.
32
All three of us were confused as we dealt with the virulent strain of racism preferred by
33
Southern states. Once, my brother called my white friend a “Saltine cracker.” I cried and
34
reported him to my father, who didn’t understand my reaction and did nothing. We had
35
moved from an English town with a small Black population to a city that was almost a
36
third Black. My new Black American peers didn’t know what to do with me. Some held a
37
negative view of Africa and Africans. I was teased and called an “African booty scratcher,”
38
that baffling childhood slur. I got over it quickly, but I had such trouble navigating the
39
culture within a culture that is American Blackness within America.
40
Curious after seeing an ad, I called a chat line for “urban singles.” I was connected to
41
a “room” of many voices in overlapping conversations. I raised my voice above the din
42
to introduce myself, and one woman demanded, “Who let this white girl in here?” I
43
immediately hung up the phone, humiliated. I was envious of Black Americans and their
44
ease: the way they knew what to say to each other and how to behave, while I could only
45
observe at a remove.
46
All over the media, the mannerisms of Black Americans were held up for mockery in the
47
heyday of trashy talk shows, small-minded sitcoms, and political fearmongering. Some
48
Nigerians compare the standard of living in America to the one we left behind, then unfairly
49
conclude that Black Americans should be more grateful, sadly forgetting that we immigrants
50
would not even be here if not for their sacrifices while fighting for civil rights. Some
51
Nigerians dismiss the justified complaints against structural racism in the Western world,
52
seeing only opportunity. And many fall for the ridiculous lie that Black American culture
53
doesn’t place the same importance on education that Africans do. How insidious the
54
demonization of Black Americans – that we sometimes believed the worst of them.
55
Though young, I should have known better, having been saddled myself with negative
56
stereotypes. The North of Nigeria holds a reputation amongst its Southerners as
57
unenlightened. In this way, my native region is the inverse of the South of the USA. When
58
my family moved there, the American South was terra incognita, except for the slack-jawed
59
foolery I saw in movies. Because of this familiar caricature, a potential new identity as a
60
Southerner appealed; I’ve an innate desire to defy low expectations. Instead, an identity was
61
chosen for me. In Tennessee, I was told the first time that I “acted white,” and my English
62
accent did not help.
63
In all this noise, I still clung to immigrants of any background – they understood the
64
minefield of lunch brought from home. Or show-and-tell. They had family photos to explain.
65
They had parents to hide.
Mary-Alice Daniel, A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing. A Memoir Across Three Continents, New York: HarperCollins 2022, pp. 149–152 Wortzahl: 908
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Please note: The solutions presented here are just one possible way to approach the task. There are often multiple valid methods and perspectives, and alternative approaches may be equally effective.
1.
Mary-Alice Daniel’s family, originally from northern Nigeria, experienced a complex and painful introduction to racism after moving to the American South. Although they had previously lived in England, it was in the U.S. that they truly began to understand the full impact of racism. As the only Black family in their neighborhood, they felt unwelcome and isolated.
Mary-Alice and her siblings each responded differently. Her brother adjusted more quickly socially by adopting American slang and behavior, but he also became a target of racial stereotyping, eventually being labeled a "problem Black boy". He tried to reclaim his identity through language and creativity, such as using the N-word to feel a connection to Black American culture and drawing during detention. Her sister, on the other hand, struggled in school and was bullied for her accent. Mary-Alice herself faced confusion and rejection, not only from white people but also from Black Americans who did not accept her easily. She was caught between two worlds—African and African American—and often felt like an outsider in both. At times, she even believed harmful stereotypes about Black Americans, reflecting the internalized racism that can exist within immigrant communities. Overall, the family’s experience highlights how racism, culture, and identity intersect in painful and complex ways for immigrants in America.
2.
Mary-Alice Daniel uses a reflective and poetic style to give the reader deep insight into her personal journey and search for identity. Her use of first-person narration makes the memoir intimate and emotionally engaging. Through this personal voice, we follow her experiences as a child struggling to belong in a culture where race and origin are deeply politicized.
One powerful technique she uses is metaphor. For example, racism is described as a “novel chimera” (line 1) that “came creeping into our habitat” (line 1). This metaphor not only emphasizes how strange and dangerous racism felt but also shows how it invaded their lives unexpectedly. The word “chimera” (line 1) suggests something unnatural and frightening, which highlights how racism felt to her as a child. Daniel also uses contrasts and comparisons to show the differences between her African background and Black American culture. She writes, “We had been Africans foremost, and culture trumped color” (lines 28-29), which shows that before coming to America, their identity was based more on nationality and culture than on race. This contrast helps the reader understand why she found it difficult to connect with African Americans at first. Another important technique is her use of direct speech and reported experiences to illustrate identity struggles. When a woman on a chat line says, “Who let this white girl in here?” (line 42), Daniel immediately feels humiliated. That moment shows how even among other Black people, she was seen as an outsider. This kind of rejection reflects her feeling of being caught between cultures while not fully accepted by any group. Moreover, she uses vivid language and symbolism to describe her brother’s experience. His artistic talent in detention — drawing “warships, tanks, and airplanes rendered with an astounding level of technical detail” (lines 20-21) — is symbolic of his inner strength and creativity, but also his vulnerability. The fact that he is labeled a “problem Black boy” (lines 22-23) shows how society views young Black males through a harmful lens, regardless of their talents or intentions. Finally, Daniel’s use of reflection is very effective. She admits to having once believed in the stereotypes about Black Americans: “How insidious the demonization of Black Americans – that we sometimes believed the worst of them” (lines 53-54). This self-awareness adds honesty and depth to her story and shows how internalized racism can affect even those who are also targets of discrimination. Through her memoir, Mary-Alice Daniel not only shares her family's story but also explores complex questions of race, culture, and identity. Her language choices, narrative voice, and emotional honesty all work together to draw the reader into her experience of growing up between worlds.
3.1
True Equality in the USA: Are Race-Neutral Policies the Answer? — Evaluating Coleman Hughes’s Call for Race-Neutral Policies
Coleman Hughes argues that the best way to achieve true equality in the United States is through race-neutral policies. In other words, by creating laws and systems that ignore skin color and treat everyone as individuals. This idea has both strengths and weaknesses when we consider the realities of American society, both past and present. On the one hand, race-neutral policies aim to create a society where everyone is treated equally, regardless of their background. This approach can help reduce division and encourage unity. Supporters of Hughes believe that constantly focusing on race can keep people trapped in an identity that others define for them. They argue that race-conscious policies like affirmative action can sometimes lead to reverse discrimination, where people are judged more by their race than by their abilities or character. In this view, equality means not seeing race at all when making decisions about education, employment, or government programs. However, there are also strong arguments against race-neutral policies, especially when looking at history and current inequalities. For centuries, Black Americans and other minorities were denied basic rights and opportunities because of racism. Although many laws have changed, the effects of that past discrimination are still present today in income gaps, education systems, housing, and healthcare. Ignoring race completely might mean ignoring the challenges that many people of color still face. Critics argue that some race-conscious policies are still needed to give disadvantaged groups fair access to opportunities. In conclusion, Hughes’s idea of race-neutral policies is based on a hopeful and fair vision of society. But the timing of this approach is important. While it may work in the future, today’s America still has structural inequalities that cannot be solved simply by pretending race doesn’t matter. A balanced approach might be best — one that recognizes individual merit, but still addresses the deep and lasting effects of racism.
3.2
Speech Script: Culture, Identity, and Belonging
Good morning, everyone.
It’s an honor to speak here today at this international youth conference on culture and identity.
My name is Ruben Butler, and I come from Germany. Like many of you, I’m part of a generation that is growing up between different cultures. That can be exciting—but also challenging.
Recently, I read a powerful memoir by the writer Mary-Alice Daniel. She was born in Nigeria, moved to England as a child, and later to the United States. In her memoir A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing, she writes about the confusion and pain of growing up between cultures and how it affected her identity. Reading her words made me reflect on how deeply our cultures shape us, and how they can also sometimes make us feel like outsiders.
Opening – Greeting
When you grow up with a mix of cultures, you often feel torn between them. You may ask yourself: Where do I really belong? Am I enough of one thing or too much of another?
Mary-Alice Daniel felt this when she was rejected by white classmates for being Black, and rejected by Black Americans for being African. Her experience shows how young people can struggle to find their place, even within communities that seem similar on the outside. But these experiences also give us something powerful: perspective. People like Mary-Alice, and many of us here, learn how to see the world from different angles. We know how to adapt. We become more open-minded, more understanding of others which is something that our societies need more than ever. However, it's also important to recognize the pressure that comes with living between cultures. Young people are often expected to choose one identity over another, to “fit in” by changing the way they speak, dress, or act. In Mary-Alice’s story, her brother is labeled a “problem Black boy” just because he behaves differently. She herself is told she “acts white” because of her English accent. These stereotypes are harmful — not just to individuals, but to society as a whole. They divide us instead of bringing us together.
Mary-Alice Daniel felt this when she was rejected by white classmates for being Black, and rejected by Black Americans for being African. Her experience shows how young people can struggle to find their place, even within communities that seem similar on the outside. But these experiences also give us something powerful: perspective. People like Mary-Alice, and many of us here, learn how to see the world from different angles. We know how to adapt. We become more open-minded, more understanding of others which is something that our societies need more than ever. However, it's also important to recognize the pressure that comes with living between cultures. Young people are often expected to choose one identity over another, to “fit in” by changing the way they speak, dress, or act. In Mary-Alice’s story, her brother is labeled a “problem Black boy” just because he behaves differently. She herself is told she “acts white” because of her English accent. These stereotypes are harmful — not just to individuals, but to society as a whole. They divide us instead of bringing us together.
Body – Personal and Social Impact
So, what can we do?
First, we must embrace our mixed identities instead of hiding them. We are not less because we belong to many cultures, we are more. And second, we must help build societies where difference is not feared, but celebrated. Where no one is forced to choose just one identity to be accepted.
Mary-Alice Daniel’s memoir reminded me that identity is not fixed, it’s something we grow into, step by step. It’s okay to feel lost sometimes. But our unique backgrounds also give us the strength to create bridges between cultures.
Thank you.
Closing – Hopeful Message