Compare Spike Lee’s point of view on race mixing in the movie “Jungle Fever” to the views expressed by Jake Blount and David Bernstein. Which point of view seems to have more validity to you? Explain why.


I suppose Bernstein's view and Spike Lee's view are similar. They

mentioned about society (masses of people) trough example of

relationship of different races. Therefore the same thing which the

two pointed out would happen between different social classes of the

same races. Bernstein and Lee pointed out the difficulty of getting

closer between different societies of people when there are lumps

between different societies, even though individuals got over

prejudices to other groups.

Jake’s point of view is more personal. He was mentioned about

himself. He insisted that he is outsider for every kind of people

because he is mixed, and he is not black, white, yellow and any

certain kind.

Jake finds himself in a poor neighborhood of mill workers. He sees some men and says “I got the Gospel in me.” The men think he is talking about religion but Jake says “It’s better. It’s the truth.” Then he proceeds to ask the men why they aren’t mad. He says “The bastards who own these mills are millionaires, “ and “When you walk around the strees and see hungry, worn-out people and ricket-legged younguns, don’t it make you mad?” How do the men react to Jake’s speech? Why do you think they react that way?


I think that the men didn't take Jake’s word so seriously. They took

him as if he was a kid who doesn’t understand the world

deeply. “Why they aren’t mad?”: Jake’s word was not new and that

is a meaningless question for them. Before he asked that, they

already thought about that more deeply and more seriously over and

over, or that was their ordinal. They knew that it’s impossible to live

if they get mad about the poor condition of the area, such as hungry,

worn-out people and ricket-legged younguns. They didn’t have

choice to live better condition. They didn’t have room to get mad

about that. People who can get mad was only who have room to

think about that. As Jake seemed an outsider, they knew that he

saw just surface of their poverty and Jake never understand their

situation. They thought that Jake just pretended to know and he will

never understand their situations. Jake seemed stupid for them.

The both view of two (Jake and David) are different. Although both of them talk about race, the extent of range is different which they mentioned through the word of race.


David talked about not only kind of people, but also community or social classes which depend on races. His point of view was wider than one of Jake. Through the example of intermarriage, he talked about fusions between different social groups of people, but not fusions between individuals who have different background. The title “mixed like me” didn’t mean mixing of blood in his essay. He meant mixing of social community or class.

Jake's point of view is simpler than that of David. He talked just about “mixing” between different kinds of blood. His “mixing”is between different kinds of individual, not between different kinds of group of people.

David is mixd between diferent kinds of society. Jake is mixd between different kinds of individual.

"The most defining characteristic of who I am is not my race, ethnicity,
religious belief...." I agree with this author. Nobody should be characterized or
classified by race ethnicity, religion and so on.

We have the right to choose our ways and build up ourselves. I chose everything in my past such as where I go, who I love, what I wear, I eat, I do, I listen to and so on. I will choose from now on. However I couldn’t choose where I was born and who my parents are. Since I was born, I’ve had yellow skin and black eyes and hair, and I am Japanese. When I am characterized by my personality or idea which is result of my past choice, I don’t mind to be characterized, because that must be me and result which I chose. On the other hand, I feel bad and mortification when I am characterized by my race, ethnicity or something like that I can not choose.

I also agree with his idea “Self-awareness is in opposition to arbitrary groupings of people into race, gender… “Self-awareness” is what we built up by ourselves. It is not and should be not what I don’t have the right to choose. I can have confidence and responsibility about myself, because I am what I built up by my hands but I am not what was given from someone else.

However it is also true that race and ethnicity are very significant elements which consist who I am. As I grew up as Japanese, my sense and idea must be influenced by Japanese culture and society. I have many experiences as Japanese. Although I’m sure that is not the feeling which I should have, I sometimes feel closer to people who have the same or similar color of body to me than other races. The cause may be that I came from one race country. Although I shouldn’t be characterized by my race or something like that, I cannot escape to be done so.

As author said, intermarriage is great equalizer which makes different races closer. That must be the form that we should be. We are members of large “human family”. I hope the day when people stop classifying each other.

In Jake's line,” I’m part of nigger and wop and bohunk and chink. All of
those......", I guess that he tries to tell them that he is equal to all people.

On the same time he means that he never belong to any kind of people.

He is not one of the people who are discriminated.

He is not one of the people who are looked up.

He is also not a part of others who are in the New York Cafe.

He wants to tell the people who laugh and look down him that he is he, and he is not compared or classified with anybody.

Because of his strange looks and personality, he might be mocked, hurt and alienated from others in his past.

He may represent himself as the people who are discriminated unreasonably.

It is unclear what Jake means by” knowing".

I suppose that he was talking about himself using the word "knowing.

Nobody understands him.

It's only he to understand himself.

He believes or knows that nobody accept him, even if he tries to make known himself to others.

And he may have chosen Singer to confide, because Singer also seems to not belong to others and lonely like him.