The gift of laughter ((POsT 6)

Jessie Fauset gives a strong opinion in "The Gift of Laughter". The reading gives me an impression that Fauset, like most of the other african american authors of the time believed that whites hindered blacks abilities and talents. The minstrel shows that were still going on in the early years of fauset's life really bothered her. She didnt like how blacks had to do what whites wanted, be mocked or mock themselves in order to make whites laugh. She spoke of comedy and the pain behind the smiles by Bert Williams; who learned and practiced minstrel art, but unseemingly was still "the saddest man" WC fields ever knew. In this reading I had to think about how Dave Chapelle has made me and so many others laugh so hard. Dave has a gift, but unfourtanetly his gift came at the expense of making fun of his own people. To me he was a modern day minstrel show, not to discredit the fact that he did much more than that and took much of his comedy in a more respectable direction. The Chappelle show often took cracks at african americans and potrayed some of the stereotypes that have taken so long to settle below the sediment. I can remember that as Dave was doing his show he recieved alot of blacklash from people of his own race. I dont remember anybody relating his show to a minstrel show, but i can picture something being said as i read fauset's writing. I bet Jessie would turn in her grave if someone would play the Chappelle show close enough to her tombstone.

Fauset did show that she had great hope and beliefs for the african american people as the Harlem Renassanice took foothold. She desribed comedy and other theatrical displays such as Dramas that gave african americans a more respectable and sincere look. As blacks achieved more prominent roles and got more credit, as whites began to look at african americans in a different light, I hope fauset got to see this. Sometimes its hard for the eyes to adjust when the sun has been down for so long.