In “In the Kitchen,” Henry Louis Gates Jr. illustrates how social acceptance changed his appearance a as young Afro-American, while in “On Being Black and Middle Class,” Shelby Steele contests that social status and race cannot be related. Although these essays cover somewhat different topics, they both come to the same conclusions about society’s ideals, and how they effect people and they way in which they identify themselves. To survive in the world people have to conform to society and society also has to conform to the individual. There is an extent to the how much an individual has to undergo in order to be accepted by society.
Gates feels that because of society’s high standards, he, along with many other Afro-Americans, changed their appearance in order to conform to society and have more of a Caucasian look. Blacks during the 50’s and 60’s felt that if they had straight hair like that of Cauc
Steele also concluded that society effects the way people identify themselves, but in a slightly different way than Gates. She realized that no matter how high Afro-Americans had climbed on the social ladder, they would never be viewed as more than just Afro-Americans. And, if by chance they climb the ladder so high that society has no choice but to accept them, their own people will feel as if the upper class blacks are trying to better themselves and leave the rest of their peers behind. The lower class blacks should be proud of their people and should be thankful that someone from their cultural background was brave enough to pave the way for upcoming successful blacks. Society has put these people in a position where they can either be accepted by the mainstream ideals of society, or be accepted by their people through culture. Steele clearly states that she does not believe that blacks can coexist in both realms a
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