“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

In his narrative, My Secret Life as a Black Man, Anthony Walton writes about his thinking as a proud African American who finds it difficult to live up to the expectations of others with regards to his own. He feels that he is living two lives – his real life and the other as a black man, struggling with a history of his own racial identity and the expectations of the society around him. The author writes about racial prejudices that have been part of his life and gives examples of individual cases where racial profiling takes centre stage. He uses the example of an African American woman berating him for dating a white woman and a childhood friend and parents criticizing him for not conforming to certain racial prejudices. It is a form of racial profiling by blacks against blacks for not serving a specific black man’s prescribed way of life.

On the other hand, Walton also talks about racial prejudices and stereotypes by white people against black men. His narrative is about racial discrimination of white people based on their colour and their perceptions towards them. These racial feelings have caused the writer to be at crossroads regarding his own identity and those of other blacks. He feels that the black man has lost his identity since he is constantly told how to act and behave by society. However, he has learned to deal with this feeling by working according to his needs and desires, speaking of multiple identities for the black man depending on the situation at hand. He is easily manipulated and subjected to the expectations of others without him having the power to free himself from such control.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, October 14). “My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton. https://ivypanda.com/essays/my-secret-life-as-a-black-man-by-anthony-walton/

Work Cited

"“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton." IvyPanda, 14 Oct. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/my-secret-life-as-a-black-man-by-anthony-walton/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) '“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton'. 14 October.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton." October 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/my-secret-life-as-a-black-man-by-anthony-walton/.

1. IvyPanda. "“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton." October 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/my-secret-life-as-a-black-man-by-anthony-walton/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton." October 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/my-secret-life-as-a-black-man-by-anthony-walton/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1