Ralph Eubanks' Essay: Color Lines
Ralph Eubanks examines race's flawed reasoning from a scientific standpoint in his essay Color Lines. In the essay, Eubanks elaborates on the idea that a person's ancestry or nature cannot be determined solely by a person's race. A straightforward racial classification cannot begin to capture the complexity of heritage. The author of the article aimed to show that race is a social construct used to portray one group as superior or inferior to another and that it cannot be used to confirm a person's identity based solely on how much of a particular race they contain. This paper will, thus, explore the importance of the unique devices and strategies used by Eubanks to communicate with the audience.
Discussion
One of the effective strategies that Eubanks uses to deconstruct race is the reference to science and technology. This strategy is effective in this context because it is both reliable and well understood by the audience. The target audience is obviously aware of the role that DNA has played in the modern society and the author refers to this important piece of technology in passing across his message. In a way, Eubanks is arguing that if one can rely on DNA evidence in disputes, the former can also be used to downplay the role of race in the modern society. Using DNA, the author sets up to demonstrate how complex people's heritage is, and how a person's identity cannot be confined to either being white or black. To convince the reader, Eubanks analyzes his DNA findings, and what it reveals is that he is not simply the child of a white mother and a black father (20).
As it turns out, he has been made up of the Asian, Native American, African, and European genes. This complex mix of heritage can be said to be present in everyone. This strategy is effective in convincing the audience that race is simply a social construction. The DNA technology goes a long way in persuading the stubborn population, because the readers themselves are aware of the reliability of this technology. As it turns out, "99.9 percent of most are identical genetically", according to the DNA results (Eubanks 24). Hence, the DNA technology gives Eubank's article the much needed backing and reliability of scientific technology that the audience requires.
The use of the first person narration that the author adopts is also important in forming the persuasiveness of the article. The issue of race is a topic that raises a lot of emotions among the members of the society, and the use of this kind of putting out the narrative goes a long way in bridging the gap between the author and the audience. From the onset, Eubanks comes out as a reliable storyteller, who sees the world around him in a complex manner. Using first person narration is effective in this context, because the objective is not to present the facts alone, but to present those facts in a manner that make them believable to a wide range of people. This way of narration is effective, since it is able to bring the audience closer via the revelation of personal stories. In particular, introducing his personal history right from the beginning through applying a first person narration makes Eubanks connect with the audience better.
To better appeal to the emotions of the readers in deconstructing the issue of race, Eubanks deploys imagery. Imagery is a powerful device, because it not only helps in convincing the readers upfront, but also facilitates in maintaining that conviction after the argument is done. For example, by saying "Patrick is fairly-skinned with light brown hair... he was so blond...", it paints the image of a typical white person - only for Eubank to explain that after a DNA test, it was revealed that he was 72% European, 25% African and 3% Asian (Eubanks 26). Such an image is essential, as it brings the audience closer to the action or subject matter. Eubanks could also have used allusion to convince the readers about the issue of race by alluding to both the Bible and Constitution of the U.S. Both of the documents argue that all men are created equal. However, the author chooses not to use allusion, because in this case, the use of science and technology is much more convincing.
Conclusion
The discussion has explained the strategies and devices that Eubanks applies to communicate with his audience. It also covers why it is believed that those strategies and devices are effective. Through the use of science and technology, and specifically, the DNA technology, the employment of the first person narration and imagery, the author is able to make a much more convincing argument about why race is a social construction. The argument also looks at the reason for why the author does not choose to rely on the allusion to the Bible or the Preamble of the Constitution on how all men are created equal.
Work Cited
Eubanks, Ralph W. "Color Lines: How DNA Ancestry Testing Can Turn Our Notions of Race and Ethnicity Upside Down." American Scholar, 83.4 (2014): 18-31.
