eng 319

Reading Response: Talking Back

Bell Hooks, an African American woman, describes what “talking back” means in her community, her family, for her as a black and as a woman. She addresses the dangers of talking back, and the reasons to do so anyway. Simply, talking back for Hooks growing up, meant to speak to an adult when not spoken to. She was not allowed to speak, not allowed to express creative power, or have a voice. The punishment for talking was physical abuse and madness, as she grew to fear. The definition of talking back expanded to her being as a whole, not just because she was a child, but because she is a black woman. In a society where women have no power, and blacks have no power, and both must stay in line, she was “not allowed” to speak other than in the confinements of a journal. Women like her must not express themselves through writing (the form of talking back that she focuses on) because it could lead to nervous breakdowns and isolation and insanity when their expressions are not accepted or poorly judged. Talking back is a political act, courageous, threatening the dominating powers, and it is also healing and promising opportunities for new growth. It is to speak freely and powerfully, whether you are truly confident about the outcome or not. Talking back is to not be content with the current power dynamics, not content with your given role in society, and speaking out against it.

Henry Gates, Jr. talks back and cites examples of talking back numerous times in his book/articles. Taking pride in the things that traditionally cause the Black race shame, Gates wolfs down big slices of watermelon, blasts his “Negro music,” paints Jesus black, and celebrates a special victory in the achievements of black men and women. He is well aware of the expectations whites have of the black race, and he shoves it back into their faces, he talks back. He decided to write his book in the voice of his father, a charismatic Negro man telling stories of absurdity or hilarity, or whatever...stories that revealed secret pieces of Black culture that only they knew. He recognizes how differently blacks talk when a white person is in the room and he knows that whites only hear parts of blacks speech/voice, he realizes that whites will be reading his book, but he desires to break the barrier, to speak as though they weren’t listening, the act of speaking itself an act of defiance. He is not caring about what whites and snobby blacks find inappropriate for him to say and reveal, he does not care whether his words will be accepted...he cares about the defiance, about speaking the truth, and claiming the power. He is talking back.