White Skin, Black Mask Essay Example for Free

White Skin, Black Mask Essay Frantz Fanons astounding debut novel, Black Skin, White Masks (1952), originally titled An Essay For The Disalienation Of Blacks, defined colonialism and its effect on the black man and took him further into the region of the human mind. After taking a position at a psychiatric hospital in Algeria, he became involved in its war, eventually deserting his cranial post to become a full-time militant in the Algerian National Liberation Front, and stemming from this period he penned his infamous manifesto, The Wretched Of The Earth. A failed assassination attempt years later confirmed his potency. This complex documentary also reveals the hypocrisies and inconsistencies lurking within Fanon, the most surprising of all, when he married a white woman. Part reconstruction, part archive, Black Skin, White Masks features rare footage of the man himself and experts attest to his brilliance including Professor Stuart Hall, Francoise Verges, psychoanalyst Alice Cherki, psychiatrist Jacques Azoulay (who worked and studied with Fanon), Fanons brother Joby, Mme Felix Fanon, and his sister-in-law and niece and finally cultural critic Homi K Bhabha offers valuable insight into Fanons relevance today. Isaac Juliens absorbing ode to Frantz Fanon is a fitting tribute and in breathtaking homage and style he offers the truth, the poetry, the bitterness of history and a glowing epiphany to the man himself. Black Skin, White Masks is a provocative walk through a land filled with colour, human need and exotic diversity that leaves no stone unturned. Black Skin, White Masks was an eye opener for me. It helped me realize how African Americans were treated in the our society for many years. I now realize why the older generation of African Americans hate when the younger generation use the nigger/nigga. It could bring back memories of racism that no one wants to remember. Rage is what I felt when I read the first paragraph of the novel, but its not my place to judge a entire race for past experiences that didnt happen to me. I also realized how real life in the past was: dying for saying the wrong thing, and being judged just by the color of your skin. I glad I took the time to read Black Skin, White Masks it helped me realize a lot and gave me a better understanding of how life was during segregation.