Nizar S Nassar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Nizar S Nassar

California native but my roots are in the Middle East. I come from a diverse background so I'm well aware of the dangers it poses to a structured society. I am highly inquisitive and always listen to both sides of every story. I don't follow trends, have a low tolerance for drivel and always keep my cup half full.

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Lynching: The Discontents of its Origins The term lynching immediately conjures up thoughts and i... more Lynching: The Discontents of its Origins The term lynching immediately conjures up thoughts and images of the Jim Crow South that has been ingrained in our minds by both educational and media outlets throughout the course of our lives. To associate lynching with anything or anyone else other than the extralegal execution by hanging of black people would be contradictory of most commonly held beliefs. This isn't an attempt to divert attention away from the black struggle or downplay the harsh treatment and discrimination they've been subjected to. Slavery and the oppression of African Americans in the U.S. must not be forgotten as it serves an integral role in providing the knowledge of how best we should shape the future. Just the same, we must not allow any other historical records to be drowned out and forgotten as well. No single account of documented events can be valued as being more significant than the other as they all make up a necessary piece to the puzzle. Only once the whole picture has been reconstructed can it give a clear understanding of exactly how things functioned in the past which then allows us to comprehend how it came to work in the way that it does today. This is a fundamental element to the progress and future success of any country and its people. Isabel Wilkerson in Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents exploits a myriad of rhetorical devices such as historical vignettes accompanied by a cacophony of similes and metaphors to persuade readers that lynchings are singularily a product of European American culture and were devised with the sole intent of opressing and terrorising the black community (98, 87). While this may be a good way of grabbing people's attention and stirring up controversy, one needn't do any persuading when all they are presenting are cold hard facts. An in-depth, greater understanding of the root causes of an issue can't be fully comprehended by using anecdotal evidence, fictitious examples and simply brushing the surface. Without providing the full spectrum and identifying the true origin it becomes natural for one to assume that in U.S. history, the only people ever to have been lynched were black people. But, to what extent can the origins of lynching be contributed to white people's insatiable desire to opress the black community? Has lynching meant execution by hanging and what caused its barbarity to increase? Surprisingly, lynching's etymology suggests lynching is derived from Lynch Law which 1) at its inception was not associated with killing or hanging people of any race and contrary to popular opinion 2) it was actually a invaluable need for people without an established form of govnemment and once lynching did evolve to what we know it as today, it still 3) was not exclusively used against blacks 4) nor can it be regarded as American since it was classified as anti-government, hence anti-American by religious leaders nationwide. 1) The term "lynching" has a highly intriging etyomolgy and historians offer differing defintions and explanations of its origins. I have chosen to go with the one I believe is backed by the most evidence and seems most probable but I have included several other accounts as well that do hold traction. According to its derivation in 1835, lynching was defined as "to inlfiict severe (but not deliberatley fatal) bodily punishment (on someone) without legal sanction" (Definition of "lynch"). One thing that historians agree on is that lynching was derived from Lynch Law and it is Lynch Law's origin that has varying historical accounts. It may have been derived from one of four possible sources which I will list chronologically. The premise that lynching was derived from Lynch Law is based on the definitions of the two terms over the course of history being defined almost exactly the same way.

NIZAR NASSAR , 2022

Analysis of two characters in Tommy Orange's "There There," illustrating cues of post colonialism.

Analysis of chapter thirteen, "The Insecure Alpha and the Role of the Omega," in Isabel Wilkerson... more Analysis of chapter thirteen, "The Insecure Alpha and the Role of the Omega," in Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: Origins of our Discontents."