Blues for Mister Charlie by James Baldwin

I chose to read the first act of Blues for Mister Charlie, a play by James Baldwin. The play opens with the murder of Richard, the son of the Negro Reverend Meridien Henry by a character named Lyle, who is the white owner of a dry goods business. The stage is split down the center to designate a ‘white’ side and a ‘black’ side. The first scene holds some very poignant information, which hauntingly brought my attention to the recent homosexual suicides, and most recently the anti-gay attacks in the Bronx. (Here is a link if you are unfamiliar with this story: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/seven-arrested-in-bronx-in-anti-gay-attacks/)

In the scene a group of Negro protesters have returned from a demonstration, and enter the home of the reverend. Several remarks are made about how fortunate they are to not have had bricks thrown at them, and to have finished the demonstration unscathed. Violent retaliation against the whites is suggested by one of the demonstrators who is discouraged by their failed ‘non-violent attempts’ (Lorenzo’s lines pages 15-16). It brought about a lot of admiration in me. To be in a situation where wrongs are done to you, or your community, and to act in a rational way is one of the hardest things to do. In my education I have encountered two conflicting arguments regarding this. The first is the saying ‘An eye for an eye…’ and the second ‘Turn the other cheek’. While the first saying might be the most just of the two, the second saying is one that will lead to progression in a battle for peace. By demonstrating peace we set an example for others and for our oppressors. In demonstrating violence we lose the struggle for justice, and thus begin again a cycle of continued hatred.