Passing Essay

."..it was that, party that has made me want to see other people. It just...changed everything (196)." The tea party event struck Clare and leads her to remind that she was one of the black cultures and so does now. Clare says Irene is "free", "happy" and "safe" (196). Apparently it is Clare envy toward Irene's status but actually it is Clare's belief that Irene's present status guarantees Irene's happiness and safety.

Clare Kendry in Larsen’s Passing, is a very complex character. She is an African American woman, who is “passing” as a white Caucasian. It all started when her Dad died when she was little, and was taken to her white aunts. Her aunts treated her like she was the help, so this made her want to be wealthy when she is older. Irene is her childhood friend, who saw Clare go through her tough times. They grew apart for a while, but met up in Chicago a couple of years ago. Clare has made herself an outsider through her actions. She is an outsider because she tries to pass as a Caucasian, uses her friends for her own benefit, and secretly wants to get back to her cultural roots.

After further questioning you learn she is strictly following the fl uid and salt restriction ordered during

In Nella Larsen’s Passing: A Problem of Interpretation, Claudia Tate argues that race “is not the novels foremost concern, but is merely a mechanism for setting the story in motion” (344). Tate’s decision to focus on the “psychological ambiguity” (343) of the novel forbids her to elaborate on the relation between race and social class. As a result, I disagree with certain statements from Tate’s argument due to the lack of acknowledging the issue regarding race and social class. Tate initially claims that Irene’s understanding of race becomes a concern “when the impending exposure of Clare’s racial identity threatens to hasten the disruption of Irene’s domestic security” (Tate 344). However, Irene’s fear of being spotted as a

The main plot of “Passing” focuses on two light-skinned black women, Irene Redfield and her old time friend Clare Kendry. Both women can “pass” as white women. Irene who is married to a successful African-American doctor, passes only when it is

Mary is so embarrassed that she starts to curse uncontrollably. During the time period of the story, the African Americans were seen as “animals” and swearing was viewed as being unwomanly and animal like. At the third encounter, Twyla and Roberta meet each other at the Food Emporium which is a rich, gourmet grocery store. Shopping at the same grocery store implies that both of the women are well off economically and are not necessary struggling. This acquaintance counteracts the previous theory that Twyla was black and Roberta was white because both women were shopping at rich stores. Contradicting meetings like these happen throughout the short story and Morrison manipulates the contrasting details of the races’ to make the reader befuddled during the conclusion of the story.

Irene and Brian’s marriage symbolized the different roles of women and men in their home. Although she told Clare that she had all the things she wanted and that did not need to ‘pass’ as white, Irene still struggled with her marriage and the control

Although Irene feels that there is "nothing sacrificial in Clare's idea of life, no allegiance beyond her own immediate desire," it is apparent that Clare's desire to return to her African American race is honest, even if the motives seem rather one-sided (Larsen 144). Irene considers Clare to be "selfish, cold and hard" (Larsen 144). Irene also feels that Clare does not have "even in the slightest artistic or sociological interest in the race that some members of other races displayed…[She] cared nothing of the race, she only belonged to it" (Larsen 182). This may be true, but it does not diminish Clare's own pain at having to deny her African American heritage, and her desire to return to it. Irene represents a portion of society who feel that people who pass must have a morally acceptable reason to return to their African American roots such as a desire to rebel against a white society that has forced them into the role of a white person. Just because Clare feels "no permanent allegiance to either the black or white worlds or any of the classic anguish of the tragic mulatto" does not mean that she is not a tragic mulatto (Washington 48). In her own way, "Clare Kendry belongs with that group of tragic mulattos…emerg[ing] as an individual, not as a stereotype" (Davis 98). Because she wants to return to her own race on her own terms illustrates her individuality in the face of the

My interest for the Attorney Advisor position with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) arises from my longstanding commitment to constantly improve myself. I have always enjoyed legal research, writing, and the complexities of intellectual property. I have no doubt that my enthusiasm to research, my eagerness to learn, and my strong ability to communicate clearly, work efficiently, accurately, and quickly, will make me an invaluable asset to the USPTO. I believe these traits combined with my unique skillset, developed as a result of experiences working for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (Diamondbacks), Nike Inc. (Nike), and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Liability Management Department (AG Office)

What is the relative humidity when the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit and the Wet Bulb temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit?

If events A and B are mutually exclusive, then the probability of both events occurring simultaneously is equal to

In Passing, Clare and Irene two light-skinned African American woman, try to pass for white in a segregated society. Irene infrequently passes while Clare who is biracial, lives a boastful life by identifying herself as a white woman (so it seems). Irene on the other hand strives to

     The test taking lessons have helped me learn more about having good strategies for a test. I feel that with these lessons learned I can have more confidence to take a test and pass it. In this report I want to show why test taking is an important skill to learn. I also wanted to describe how I have prepared for test in the past. I also wanted to discuss three strategies I have learned from the computer tutorial in class and how I have changed my study habits so I can do better on test.

Irene wants to control her relationship with Clare and seems frustrated as she loses control when Clare is around. One occasion, Irene tries hard not to accept Clare’s invitation to meet her but ends up going. Later, Irene’s anger goes away just by the power of Clare’s smile, "And under her potent smile a part of Irene's annoyance with herself fled”. This constant loose of power makes Irene vulnerable and the possible affair between Clare and Brian gives Irene a motive for hating her instead of admitting her lesbianism and losing the life she has worked so hard to build.

Her first experience with female attraction was with her cousin, “ Ruth watched her teenage cousin undress to take a bath while Ruth sat on the bathroom rug, locked in the bathroom so her cousin could babysit her as she’d been told.” Ruth’s cousin was nude, and thus emerging the sexual lust within Ruth. Readers can be distressed by this imagery, because Ruth’s teenage cousin’s nude body was not sexualized, however those reading may see it as