The train from hate

Allen 1

Stephen Allen

Professor Joel Murray

English 122

8 December 2013

Hate that Inspires

Each day a greater number of people become inferior to one another. We constantly compete for the greater man who will be served by the lesser man. The author of “The Train from Hate”, John Hope Franklin, knows all too well of this feeling. Born in 1915 in small town Oklahoma, Franklin experienced firsthand our country’s early discrimination in the Midwest as a young African American. He used these life experiences to passionately write. He wrote several inspiring pieces such as, From Slavery to Freedom, and A History of African-Americans. John Hope Franklin was more than just an American literature, but a public leader. He served with fellow Literature Joel Spingarn on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.) Franklin took a glance into his past in 1994 when writing The Train from Hate. This piece, like many others Franklin published, addresses the struggle of African Americans in the early 1900s, but this piece is different. The story of The Train from Hate, is a true story from Franklin’s childhood; one story that significantly changed his life. The overall theme for this story would be discrimination viewed by a young African American. John Hope Franklin allows his reader to admire his piece in multiple ways but three I have found important are; the issue of early discrimination, the unique tone of strength and wisdom his mother displays, and the subject of overcoming hate.

Discrimination is nothing new to American Literature. It is one of the single most powerful subjects authors choose to write about. We a lot of times see discrimination in our country as a thing in the past, but so many of us have familiarity with discrimination today. In The Train from Hate we see a direct memory from John Hope Franklin’s past. He uniquely addresses discrimination by giving a personal childhood reflection; this allows the piece to set apart from others. He defines a very important moment in his life that he remembers the firsthand experience of hate; hate that was not called for according to a young seven year old boy, the moment when he came face to face with something greater than him. I think we all have significant moments that we remember as a child that greatly influence our views and morals today. I am able to relate to Franklin’s personal feelings from this story because of this. Like Franklin, the reader of this story is able to take a walk down memory lane and remember the defining moments they have had that changed them for the better or sometimes for the worst. The moment when Franklin, his mother, and his sister were denied the privilege to ride the train from one town to another represents the single moment where his before “plain confusion” (223) he describes earlier on in his story about racial apprehension, becomes eye opening. You can always have understanding for someone’s struggle, but experiencing the struggle yourself gives you a much clearer view. A lesson learned is only a lesson learned if you choose to not make the same mistake again. John Hope Franklin shares this moment and story with us because it played a significant role with the person he grew up to be and what he believed. He was a natural freedom fighter and inspired many others around him to have great success. Franklin turned into the person his influential mother what want him to be in this story.

In transition, I truly admire the strength and wisdom John Hope Franklin tells with his mother’s tone throughout the story. Her tone is very soothing to a young son. She respectfully accepts the rejection from the white conductor when they were denied a spot on the on the train that day in small town Oklahoma. Instead of becoming enraged with fury, she doesn’t physically fight back but she does fight back with kindness and dignity. She instilled a very important lesson in her son’s life that day that will be with him to past on to his children if there were to ever be put in this type of position. Not only were African Americans viewed differently in the early 1900s, women were as well and it would be a very long time until every black person to be treated fairly just as good as anyone else. To be a Caucasian Male was the best thing you could be. White women may have had nicer things, but this would have only been because of a white man provided her with those. To be an African American woman would be the complete opposite of having odds in your favor. As many would believe, African American women were unintelligent and useless, but in reality there were so many that went on to change the world. Franklin’s mother gives life-defining advice to her young son; “Under no circumstances, should you be upset or distressed because someone sought to demean you” (Franklin 223) .Brilliant; the picture Franklin paints of his mother, her calm tone, prideful personality, and strong mind set. Franklin relates his mother to strong courageous women such as Coretta Scott King and Eleanor Roosevelt. With her few sentences of encouragement and bold statement to her son, she defies the endless limits anyone can have, no matter your race, gender, or background. Franklin’s mother distinguished herself as someone who will not let the hateful actions of one individual affect her ability to be the bigger person. In one of the final paragraphs of this piece it says, “It takes too much energy to hate or even to fight intolerance with one’s emotions.” John Hope Franklin’s mother supports the belief of many great leaders who came after this moment with her son, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. Franklin’s inspiration for writing this piece is clearly represented by the powerful message his mother gives to him at the time and for anyone else who reads this.

John Hope Franklin moves towards the bigger picture of overcoming hate. Hate is a battle; a battle within each individual. Some people spend their whole lives with great hate towards someone they barely know. Countries have gone for years hating entire races. Franklin uses this common battle among the human race to develop the interest of his reader. He gives detail on the long walks his family and him journeyed to the next town over’s store for simple supplies and for basic living needs to express the struggle. In the many days of walking his brave mother flags a train down, they board, only to be later kicked off the train because of the section they were sitting in, the “white section.” It was an impossible task for them to reach the “colored section” of the train due to the location of the train’s stop each day. Franklin uses this defeat that his family and he undergo as inspiration to overcome. The Train from Hate uses the train as a symbol in the title. Franklin gives the train the characteristic of hate although the train is not the physical hate, but yet the transportation of the passengers who created that hate.

Questions such as, what kind of person would I be in this era, or how would I react if I was in this situation, come to mind while reading The Train From Hate. You can see the admiration Franklin harps of that he has for his mother in this piece. Franklin’s young ignorance changes throughout his journey that day. Franklin introduces irony when he briefly describes his ignorance he has for so many things as a young seven year old boy such as racial tolerance and apprehension. Ironically, it is not nearly on the same magnitude as the ignorance a grown man, the conductor, brings into the story. As a young boy you would hope to look up to any elder and admire their wisdom but Franklin quickly learns that wisdom does not always come with age; he gains more wisdom from a single lesson his mother preaches to him than the conductor has learned his life entity. Racism is by far the poster child of ignorance. We question and doubt the abilities of others because they are the unknown.

This is a very important piece of Literature for several reasons. It instills the significance of values we all should have, young or old. Overcoming the hate others show and using his situation to better himself is a perfect example of what many of us try to do in our lives. Franklin shows the value of a mother and son relationship. Wisdom from his mother gives Franklin his valuable lesson in life. Readers can take the message Franklin projects and apply it to everyday life. We all face obstacles that make us take a step back and look at the bigger picture. As a young boy, Franklin learned the harsh truth that our country faced in its early years. He allowed his readers to take a peek into his early life struggle as a young African American. Most people can only imagine what is was like being African American back in those trying times back in the day and some still have empathy for those who have gone thru that experience in their life. When authors like Franklin share personal stories we are able to use this technique and familiarize with them.

In conclusion, The Train from Hate, is classic literature that uses a simple story to grasp a bigger picture. John Hope Franklin tackles a difficult task with the discussions of racial discrimination from his past but pulls it off smoothly. As explained, he captures each reader on a personal level. He allows a unique point of view from a young boy. He gives the story a strong and bold character with his explanation of his mother. Franklin succeeds with laying out the overall lesson. We should all try to use the negativity in our lives as motivation to become better. Negative influence can turn positive with a proper mindset. “The journey to understanding and tolerance was more important than the journey to Checotah” (Franklin 224). He fantastically ties the small journey he made that day with his mother and sister with the journey we take throughout our lives. John Hope Franklin has given new direction for me and I hope for many other readers with a way of thinking. He uses his negative influence in a positive way and sheds new light on an ugly past our country was undergoing. It’s not just about the story people are telling that is important but how the story can play a role later down in life, such as this story did for John Hope Franklin. This world would be a much different place without inspirational Literature like this. We would not have the motivation to better ourselves. The Train from Hate is incredibly and carefully wrote for readers of all different backgrounds to experience. It is a unique perspective on personal ethics and beliefs. The style of writing is made to touch the readers’ views on old, new, black, white, male, or female discrimination no matter where you may be. I dream of the day we can practice what we preach, but until then we can inspire to be more like the famous literature write John Hope Franklin and grow with every negative or positive experience!

Works Cited

David M. Rubenstein. “The Biography of John Hope Franklin.” Duke University Libraries. Duke University.1996. 03 December 2013 http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/franklin/bio.html

"John Hope Franklin Biography." The Biography Channel website. 2011. Web. 08 December 2013 http://www.biography.com/people/john-hope-franklin-9301314

“100 Years of History.” National Association for the Avancement of Colored People. 2009.Web. 04 December 2013 http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history

“Literary Techniques and Figures of Speech.” SparkNotes. Barnes and Noble. 2011. Web. 04 December 2013 http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/sat/satcriticalreading/section4.php

“The Purdue Owl.” Purdue U Writing Lab. 2012. Web. 07 Decemver 2013.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Merickel, Alan & James, Missy. Reading Literature and Writing Arguments. New Jersey: Pearson. 2013. Print

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