I know what it feels like when people laughing at you walking down the street, or snicker when they hear you speaking Yiddish, or just look at you with hate in their eyes. We have survived her. 1, p. 1).This begins Ruth McBride Jordan's account of her past, recorded by her son, James McBride. The rest you can deal with. Error rating book. That's all., But at the end of the day, there are some questions that have no answers, and then one answer that has no question: love rules the game. Given my black face and upbringing it was easy for me to flee into the anonymity of blackness, yet I felt frustrated to live in a world that considers the color of your face an immediate political statement whether you like it or not. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! They will surely hang me.. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. She saw none of it. Hes not white. Hed shrug and smile. They constantly badgered me to do the James Brown for them, a squiggling of the feet made famous by the Godfather of Soul himself, who back in the sixties was bigger than life. I stayed on the black side because that was the only place I could stay. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! Similarly, Jamess investigations into Judaism allow him to understand his mothers past, and, by extension, his own family history. Water doesnt have a color.. If the world were fair, I suppose I would have married him, but there was no way that could happen in Virginia. And the greatest sin a person can do is to take away that life. God is the color of water. As a Jew, Ruth found herself excluded from the white world of the South, and felt she could partially identify with the hardships of her black neighbors. He was free. She told Ma she didnt know much about the lady other than that she wore a lot of scarves and used incense. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. One morning a couple of years later when I was at Oberlin College, I went to my mailbox and found a letter from her telling me that her husband had died suddenly of cancer. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. The Color of Water: Top Ten Quotes "You want me to talk about my family and here I been dead to them for fifty years" (Chpt. Ironically, its a condition that affects mostly white people. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Ruth's adult life differed greatly from her life with her family in Suffolk. I dont know where thats been done before, white and black marrying in Virginia. Dont come back., Like most of the Jews in Suffolk they treated me very kindly, truly warm and welcoming, as if I were one of them, which in an odd way I suppose I was. Nobody liked me. Dont have an account? Although white fear of black people is the most dangerous type of racial policing in the book, many people, both black and white, strictly monitor the boundaries of their race and see interracial relationships as threatening. The way the content is organized, LitCharts makes it easy to find quotes by That was a big thing in the South. It said a lot about this religionJudaismthat some of its followers, old southern crackers who talked with southern twangs and wore straw hats, seemed to believe that its covenants went beyond the color of ones skin., The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. Her photos are horrible, heads cut off, pictures of nothing, a table, a hand, a chair. She couldnt stand racists of either color and had great distaste for bourgeois blacks who sought to emulate rich whites by putting on airs and doing silly things like covering their couches with plastic and holding teacups with their pinkies out. What fools! shed hiss. In fact, she didnt look like Richie, or Davidor any of her children for that matter. Its not about black or white., I myself had no idea who I was. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Make faces at him and order him around. Refine any search. Her name then was Rachel Deborah Shilsky, and her father was a traveling rabbi who abused his family and forced them to . She opened the door for me but closed it for herself long ago, and for her to crack it open and peek inside was like eating fire. With whites it was no question. Theyre all rich. Go away! Id shout. Please wait while we process your payment. By this the reader learns about both Ruth's and James' life as well as the progression of the United States. Some of her children worked in the civil rights movement. The Jews in Suffolk did stick together, but even among Jews my family was low because we dealt with shvartses. I found it odd and amazing when white people treated me that way, as if there were no barriers between us. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. They will surely hang me., I know youre gonna marry a shvartse. To further escape from painful reality, I created an imaginary world for myself. My view of the world is not merely that of a black man but that of a black man with something of a Jewish soul. But I got eight kids and they go to the movies too. When James learned about his mothers past, he was able to reconstruct his life. And I wanted to tell folks that, I wanted to shout out, Hey yall, it really doesnt matter! I actually believed folks would accept that, that theyd see what a good person he was and maybe accept us, and I went through a few days of thinking this, after which I told him one night, Lets run off to the country and get married, and he said, No way. Server responsed at: 05/02/2023 1:04 a.m. All texts are contributed by our excellent writers. Theyre making me marry her, he said. While Ruth always envied her, later in life she realized that Dee-Dee had suffered sorrow and desperation. Well, I didnt feel number one with nobody but him, and I didnt give a hoot that he was black. But she had left her past so far behind that she literally did to know how to drive. There was no turning back after my mother died. I hated him. But while she weebled and wobbled and leaned, she did not fall (Chpt. The man died without a penny, yet his children grew up to graduate from college, to become doctors, professors, teachers, and professionals all (Chpt. In running from her past, Mommy has created her own nation, a rainbow coalition . For example, Ruth stated that "death was always around Suffolk" (McBride 59). Through marriage, adoptions, love-ins, and shack-ups, the original dozen has expanded into dozens and dozens morewives, husbands, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephewsranging from dark-skinned to light-skinned; from black kinky hair to blonde hair and blue eyes. That started to worry me a little but I didnt worry much. Hes a spirit. Does he like black or white people better?He loves all people. My best friend Billy Smiths mother was as light as Mommy was and had red hair to boot, but there was no question in my mind that Billys mother was black and my mother was not. I was loved, I was loved, and I didnt care what anyone thought. As an adult, James learns that because his mother was Jewish, he is technically Jewish too. All men are equal and focus on your own improvement. Dont have an account? Her father's repeated attempts and failures to make a living as a rabbi meant her family had to relocate constantly. (including. It said that on the deeds and you can look them up. Whats a spirit? Go away! Id shout. 16, p. 163). She disliked people with money yet was in constant need of it. , The greatest gift that anyone can give anyone is LIFE. When I asked if she was white, she'd say, "I'm light-skinned," and change the subject. She is reborn through Christianity, and finds that this religion provides her with everything shes always wanted: love and community, a sense of belonging, and a reason to live. It is our greatest weapon, a natural force, created by God. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. In a world where everyones playing, love trumps us all. James' house is messy, a "combination three-ring circus and zoo," with pets rotating in and out. Create a book wishlist and and share it with family and friends. It said that on the deeds and you can look them up. He said, If you marry a nigger, dont ever come home again. Theyre making me marry her, he said. for a customized plan. As an adult, McBride offers the reader his story by alternating between his mother's voice and his own. Over the course of his life James, too, realizes that although it has traditionally been safer for him to affiliate more with other black people, just because a person is white doesnt mean they will discriminate against him. Thus, James was not able to pry out her Jewish history from her until she was an old woman. In fact, she didnt look like Richie, or Davidor any of her children for that matter. By a week. on 50-99 accounts. Mommys contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. It was a dilapidated housing project near St. Nicholas Avenue, with junkies and winos standing out front. Yet Mommy refused to acknowledge her whiteness. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! I dont belong to any of those groups. Dee-Dee was a shy, pretty girl, less strong-willed than Ruth. He was kind! They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. In fact, she didnt look like Richie, or Davidor any of her children for that matter. 'That's all I have,' she said. Get on out! but hed never leave. Ruth tells James that his father Andrew McBride, a reverend, was a man with "vision". She was gone. View bestsellers, featured, top rated, classics, hidden gems, and new releases. I went through this entire ordeal and here he was getting busy with somebody else. And I wanted to tell folks that, I wanted to shout out, Hey yall, it really doesnt matter! I actually believed folks would accept that, that theyd see what a good person he was and maybe accept us, and I went through a few days of thinking this, after which I told him one night, Lets run off to the country and get married, and he said, No way. Ironically, its a condition that affects mostly white people. | Mommys contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. Ruth and her black husband were often afraid for their lives and taught their children not to mix with outsiders. My life won't be lived that way, and neither, I hope, will my children's., Sometimes without conscious realization, our thoughts, our faith, out interests are entered into the past. One afternoon on the way home from church I asked her whether God was black or white. May 1, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 I myself had no idea who I was. But there was never a better preacher than Christ. Read more to know some of the unforgettable The Color of Water quotes. She married a black man, Andrew Dennis McBride, and became Ruth McBride. One morning a couple of years later when I was at Oberlin College, I went to my mailbox and found a letter from her telling me that her husband had died suddenly of cancer. I was always grateful to Aunt Betts for that. Now, as a grown man, I feel privileged to have come from two worlds. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably slightly substandard. Love is unstoppable. On open school nights, the question most often asked by my schoolteachers was: Is James adopted? which always prompted an outraged response from Mommy. That's why you have to say all your "sorrys" and "I love yous" while a person is living, because tomorrow isn't promised., See, a marriege needs love. Whatevers wrong well fix. Ruth McBride happens to be an American Jewish woman born in the 1920's who encounters . I found it odd and amazing when white people treated me that way, as if there were no barriers between us. Ruth cannot cook, because she has neither the time nor the talent, so she brings home food from the work cafeteria and her children scrounge what they can. Conversely, when I hear black leaders talking about Jewish slave owners I feel angry and disgusted, knowing that theyre inflaming people with lies and twisted history, as if all seven of the Jewish slave owners in the antebellum South, or however few there were, are responsible for the problems of African-Americans now. There but for the grace of God goes my own motherand by extension, myself. They called you white trash. I have always been one of the worst dancers that God has ever put upon this earth., I asked her who he was and she said, He was a man ahead of his time. She actually liked Malcolm X. Ruth explains her first ideal marriage to her son James. . The hardships of having black kids in a racist era. 1, p. 1).This begins Ruth McBride Jordans account of her past, recorded by her son, James McBride. Anyone who has ever revisited the place of his birth after years of absence is shocked by the differences between the way the place actually is, and the way he has remembered it. The few problems I had with black folks were nothing compared to the grief white folks dished out. Sometimes you just need to believe in yourself. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. $24.99 In seemingly serial incarnations, she was Ruchel Zylska, Rachel Zylska, Rachel Shilsky, Ruth Shilsky, Ruth McBride . Struggling with distance learning? When Ruth eventually does marry Dennis, her family sits shiva and acts as though she has literally died. Via James's quest for his mother's heritage as a struggling biracial kid, McBride portrays the strength of Ruth who endures social and economic hardships raising . 17 of the best book quotes from Ruth McBride Jordan, I do remember my Jewish name: Ruchel Dwarja Zylska. It was in my blood, you might say, and however the notion got there, it bothered me greatly. Instead, they are the color of water, which is colorless. They didnt have to run for their lives like we did. I didnt want to be white. Want 100 or more? Explore books by genre, topic, reading level, or series to find your next read. Dont come back., Like most of the Jews in Suffolk they treated me very kindly, truly warm and welcoming, as if I were one of them, which in an odd way I suppose I was. Unlike my siblings, he had no opinions. I know youre gonna marry a shvartse. Renews May 8, 2023 They lived above the store, which was located in the mostly black section of town. Dont come back. Ill always come to see Mameh.Not if you marry a nigger you wont, he said. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Ruth also deals with anti-black racism in her love life, as she attempts to date and marry black men. SparkNotes PLUS Please wait while we process your payment. Ruth said in Ruth 1:16-17, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Struggling with distance learning? "Oh boyGod's not black. Her oddness, her complete nonawareness of what the world thought of her, a nonchalance in the face of what I perceived to be imminent danger from blacks and whites who disliked her for being a white person in a black world. for a group? She went to the apartment door and listened. You can view our. I had no tears to shed. The Color of Water Quotes mainly talks about the authors experiences growing up with his Jewish mother. It isnt an absolute good in any characters life, but instead a way for them to navigate the world. My folks are making me. Did you get her pregnant?Yeah.Oh, that messed me up. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. In running from her past, Mommy has created her own nation, a rainbow coalition that descends on her house every Christmas and Thanksgiving and sleeps everywhereon the floor, on rugs, in shifts; sleeping double, triple to a bed, two up, three down, just like old times. We were all clearly black, of various shades of brown, some light brown, some medium brown, some very light-skinned, and all of us had curly hair. He's not white. | Mommy kept us at a frantic living pace that left no time for the problem., You know, my whole life changed after I fell in love. Ruth came to America when she was a young girl in a family of Polish Jewish immigrants. James McBride typifies this notion when he weaves his mother Ruth's old times and his new world in his memoir The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Quotes By James McBride. Sometimes we think if we could just go back in time we would be happy. He was kind! I would have preferred that Mommy were black. She responded with speed and motion" (163)., As a boy, I never knew where my mother was from---where she was born, who her parents were. Gone. 20% You got enough for a baseball team, he said. Throughout the book James' switches the point of view between him and his mother, Ruth. Finding religion is frequently a metaphor for discovering a deeper personal truth; as James becomes more religious in his adulthood, he is suddenly granted insights into his mothers faith and her motivations. Well, I didnt feel number one with nobody but him, and I didnt give a hoot that he was black. Much of the book occurs during the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement, a time where black Americans were regarded as second-class citizens and policed through a series of racist laws and restrictive social norms. Jame was in confusion between the environment he grew up in and knowing that his mother was white. Continue to start your free trial. . Your people will be my people and your God my God. Now, as a grown man, I feel privileged to have come from two worlds. I knew that! Sometimes it can end up there. I knew that! White folks, she felt, were implicitly evil toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best education. I was loved, I was loved, and I didn't care what anyone thought." However, Peter did not return the sentiment. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Finally Jack called. God is the color of water. The unwavering strength of Ruth McBride Jordan. (Chpt. Purchasing She helped me through college and helped me get into graduate school as well; she didnt pay my way, but if I had an emergency, she would help. Later that day I was standing on the street with a group of black students and one of them said, Forget these whiteys. I know what it feels like when people laughing at you walking down the street, or snicker when they hear you speaking Yiddish, or just look at you with hate in their eyes. She disliked people with money yet was in constant need of it. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Then after a while, my period was late. They didnt have to run for their lives like we did. . Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. 23, p. 233). To this day I dont know. . When I asked she'd say, "God made me." Helen was far beyond that. We have survived her. I dont consider myself Jewish, but when I look at Holocaust photographs of Jewish women whose children have been wrenched from them by Nazi soldiers, the women look like my own mother and I think to myself, There but for the grace of God goes my own motherand by extension, myself. Get personalized recommendations. You were different from everyone and liked by very few. Are you crazy? SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. It took me fourteen years to unearth her remarkable story---the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, she married a black man in 1942---and she revealed it more as a favor to me than out of any desire to revisit her past. Hed shrug and smile. Make faces at him and order him around. With whites it was no question. (one code per order). She couldnt stand racists of either color., Mommy staggered about in an emotional stupor for nearly a year. Mommy was by her own definition, light-skinned, a statement which I had initially accepted as fact but at some point later decided was not true.. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! I didnt want to be white. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. He's a spirit." "Does he like black or white people better?" "He loves all people. creating and saving your own notes as you read. No way. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Ruth had twelve children from two marriages to black men and raised them all. It hurt me a little bit to stand there and lie. .. . This sentiment echoes one of the main themes of the book: to understand the present, one must be familiar with the past. Please Log In or add your name and email to post the comment. Read more to know some of the unforgettable The Color of Water quotes. Those leaders are no better than their Jewish counterparts who spin statistics in marvelous ways to make African-Americans look like savages, criminals, drags on society, and animals (a word quite popular when used to describe blacks these days). Religion can offer both comfort and anguish. She sent them to Jewish schools, and often, like James, they were the only black student in class. My siblings had already instilled the notion of black pride in me. I went through this entire ordeal and here he was getting busy with somebody else. Doctors found squamous cell cancer in a small mole they removed from Mas face, a condition caused by too much exposure to the sun. As I walked home, holding Mommys hand while she fumed, I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white. Helen. I had an ache inside, a longing, but I didnt know where it came from or why I had it. I found her. Dont come back. Ill always come to see Mameh.Not if you marry a nigger you wont, he said. The question of race was like the power of the moon in my house. 20% Id stare at him. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. I dont know where thats been done before, white and black marrying in Virginia. Another brother, David, who is a doctoral student at Colombia at the time, is arrested in Delaware for an illegal U-turn. That started to worry me a little but I didnt worry much. All of them have toted more mental baggage and dealt with more hardship than they care to remember, yet they carry themselves with a giant measure of dignity, humility, and humor. Like any family we have problems, but we have always been close. I dont consider myself Jewish, but when I look at Holocaust photographs of Jewish women whose children have been wrenched from them by Nazi soldiers, the women look like my own mother and I think to myself, There but for the grace of God goes my own motherand by extension, myself., You could see him coming from a distance, appearing out of nowhere like an angel, his silhouette seeming to rise from the ground in the simmering heat . Born in Poland in 1921, Ruth Jordan was a Jewish immigrant to the United States. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. As I stepped on the bus she squeezed a bunch of bills and change into my hand. Need analysis for a quote we don't cover? The family could not make a living this way, and eventually settled down in Suffolk, Virginia, and opened a general store. Youre making a mistake. That stopped me cold, because I didnt know how he learned it. Why she did so was not clear, but even my teachers seemed to know she was white and I wasnt. He could make a frog stand up straight and get happy with Jesus., My siblings had already instilled the notion of black pride in me. I stayed on the black side because that was the only place I could stay. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Id shout at him, abuse him verbally. Ruth insisted her children have a rigorous education so they could escape the ghetto. But anyone who attempts to reenter the past is sure to be disappointed. 138, with white classmates who were convinced I could dance like James Brown. She embraced Christianity because she discovered it on her own. I would turn to leave, but when I wheeled around he was always there, waiting for me. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. It was like the sun started shining on me for the first time, and for the first time in my life I began to smile. It said a lot about this religionJudaismthat some of its followers, old southern crackers who talked with southern twangs and wore straw hats, seemed to believe that its covenants went beyond the color of ones skin. character, Researching for his book, he feels a kinship with many of the Jewish people he encounters in Suffolk. But anyone who attempts to reenter the past is sure to be disappointed. Silence. He says here that his own life is inextricably bound up with his mother's; when he rethinks her life, he necessarily rethinks his own. Active Themes One day, Ruth misses her mother and decides to call home. My own humanity was awakened, rising up to greet me with a handshake as I watched the first glimmers of sunlight peek over the horizon. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Rachel, or Ruth as she calls herself, fled her Jewish family when she was eighteen to marry a black man, Andrew McBride. Complete your free account to request a guide. As I walked home, holding Mommys hand while she fumed, I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white. One afternoon at Church, Ruth McBride was weeping after hearing her favorite songs, like "We've Come This Far by Faith" or "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". 24, p. 251).James describes the legacy his father left to his eight children after he died at the age of forty-five. for a group? Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. As she revealed the facts of her life I felt helpless, like I was watching her die and be reborn again (yet there was a cleansing element, too), because after years of hiding, she opened up and began to talk about the past, and as she did so, I was the one who wanted to run for coverImagine, if you will, five thousand years of Jewish history landing in your lap in the space of months. Hes a spirit. Your mother was part of this. 25, p. 271). We were all clearly black, of various shades of brown, some light brown, some medium brown, some very light-skinned, and all of us had curly hair. Theyd walk away from me if they saw me walking down the road coming toward them, and if they came into the store, they wouldnt even look at me. Teachers and parents! If Im here and youre me, how can you be there at the same time? Id ask. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. While other people continue to suffer, Ruth finds solace in God. But anyone who attempts to reenter the past is sure to be disappointed. A large black eye peered out. Their mixed white and black heritage and strong educational background led to their ability to transcend the color line in America.As a grown man, I understand now, understand how her Christian principles and trust in God kept her going through all her lifes battles (Chpt. I always felt that way about the South, that beneath the smiles and southern hospitality and politeness were a lot of guns and liquor and secrets., There's such a big difference between being dead and alive, I told myself, the greatest gift that anyone can give anyone else is life.
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