The similarities and differences of Matthew Henson and Coalhouse Walker
The similarities and differences between Matthew Henson and Coalhouse Walker
Matthew Henson Coalhouse Walker Jr.....
Matthew Henson, the man who was an assistant to Robert Peary. A historical figure who was a very vital asset to the exploration of the North Pole, but was very easily forgotten. On the other hand, we have Coalhouse Walker. He is a non-fictional character, yet he stands out so much more that it is hard to forget him while reading Ragtime. They are both African Americans, but one is barely remembered in history. The other one, if a real history figure, in my opinion would be a substantial figure in civil rights. In this blog, I am going to go though the two of the African American figures in ragtime.
First, I would like to talk about Matthew Henson. In the book of Ragtime it shines a light on how Matthew Henson did most of the work during the expedition. Even though he worked so hard, people were jealous of his hard work so for most of this essay I would like to focus on father and his observations on Henson and Coalhouse. For example, father quotes "He knew how to drive the dogs almost as well as an Esquimo, he knew how to repair sledges, build camps, he had great physical strength and boasted many skills. But Father found himself unaccountably resenting Henson's persumption"(E.L. Doctorow 77). While in the book we never see Peary's opinions on Henson, even though I think he respected him more than the Esquimos because in the book it quotes "Henson chose the Esquimos who in his judgment were the boys, the most loyal and devoted to the commander"(E.L. Doctorow 77). But Peary will still take all the credit from exploring the North Pole and in the end, won't even think about Henson's work. Therefore, barely anyone knows about him to this day, even I did not know about Matthew Henson until I read ragtime. This is an example of a historical black man who was unfortunately forgoten.
Now I would like to talk about Coalhouse Walker. Coalhouse Walker is a non-fictional character who specializes in Ragtime music which is a black piano melody. Father was also jealous of Coalhouse too. Not just becuase of his talent (like Henson) but he was also jealous of his wealth and success. I would like to talk about this quote that father says "Even Henson knew his place" (E.L. Doctorow 177). This quote is important because it is weird why father is comparing Coalhouse to Henson. I mean they are both black. Is he saying that Coalhouse is too proud for a black man? Is father scared because a black person is more wealthy and has more talents than him? I would also like to quote fathers fight with younger brother when Coalhouse gets arrested because of his pride, even though it was not his fault. "It seemed to be his fault, somehow, because he was Negro and it was the kind of a problem that would only adhere to a Negro." (E.L. Doctorow 186). To finish, I think that Ragtime does a great job with these two characters. while one may be fictional and one historical. There are so many similarities with these characters and I love how ragtime does it.
I like how you compare and contrast Henson and Walker, and how you highlight their talents. You contrast Henson (cool photo, btw!) as a forgotten historical figure with Walker, who if real, you speculate would have been a historical civil rights figure. If Walker were real, do you think that his life and death would insipire his associates, copycats, or other movements during the time? Would this impact be ultimately positive? How about white reactionism and violence as a result? Last class period Mr Mitchell commented that the way the book ends is the setup for the start of a new book. Would Coalhouse's affilates have any place in that new book?
ReplyDeleteIt's a fascinating hypothetical to consider: how would Coalhouse have been remembered by history, had his story been real? As you note, Henson was "easily forgotten"--but as Sarah Maza's chapter makes clear, this "forgetting" is a result of the fact that the people who were writing history at the time would have focused on the "Great Man" Peary, and would have not been interested in focusing on Henson's contributions. Historians in the 1960s and 1970s, who were engaged in the project of "retrieving" stories like Henson's from the lost historical record, would have brought his contributions back into the picture--to the point where he gets his own Black History billboard in Champaign a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteBut what about Coalhouse? I agree that later historians might have viewed his case as an early explosion of civil-rights agitation, a figure whose "rebellion" anticipates the more widespread civil-rights agitation in the years after WWII. But we can see within the novel that at the time ("journalism is the first draft of history"), he was denounced in the press as a dangerous "madman" and insurrectionist, a "crazed killer" who has an unquenchable thirst for blood. His occupation of the Morgan library is seen as "evidence" of his madness, since it's so "crazy" to equate Morgan with the fire chief. But readers of the novel--like subsequent historians, in our analogy--might see a clear-eyed kind of critical sanity in Coalhouse's demands for justice. Doctorow never depicts him as "crazed" or even especially emotional: he is calm, rational, and deliberate. He sees a clear connection between the kind of astronomical power represented by Morgan and the everyday kind of power wielded by Conklin--they are part of the "same system." So Coalhouse may have been dismissed as a "madman" in the years immediately after the occupation, but I would expect that 1960s Black historians may have "retrieved" his story for reconsideration.
Hi Amari, I like how you point out the similarities and differences of these two characters. I appreciated how you used the quote "Even Henson knew his place" from Father, as it highlights how Father truly feels about African Americans. It seems like a random comparison, but unfortunately we can see how the quote is laced with racism and jealously from Father. I also like how you brought into question what would happen if Coalhouse Walker was real, and what impact that would have on the Civil Rights Movement. I think he would have a negative impact on it, as opponents to the movement would point to his violence and pride. Overall, nice post!
ReplyDeleteHi Omarion Thomas Dixington, This post was a fruity depiction that exquisitely squeezed out the juices of this comparison that you had made. Every single shingle of detail reached such heights that i believe that it pushed me to my limit to the point where I couldn't take it. The way that you highlighted the differences between Matthew Henson and Coalhouse with one figure being much more obedient to the social norms of the time period while the other being much more rebellious and willing to stand out from racial injustice for a rich, creamy milkshake like atmosphere. Great Job!
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