A blog for the students enrolled in ENGL 1020: Composition and Literature
Monday, March 26, 2012
Blog 10 (2 responses)
What is the significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger? What other ironies (see methods of drama) begin to surface throughout Bigger's conversation with Buckley pp. 279-288.
The significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is to help them solve other pending cases. Also, the fact that most white people think that all blacks look alike. During that time most black males were dark skinned making it easy to have a mistaken identity. The eye witnesses that came in and saw Bigger also said it was him, based merely on the fact that he was a black man and also because they were all angry at what happened to Mary. They wanted to be able to say they caught the murderer so that people can go about their normal way of living. It would also make Buckley look good. The ironies that begin to surface throughout Bigger's conversation with Buckley is Basic Structure. Bigger exhibited exposition by providing Buckley with the information about Mary & Bessie. He was confused at how Buckley knew so much about him causing a rising action in Bigger. He also reached a climax when he was unsure if he should continue telling Buckley everything. His falling action was proven when he started to realize what is going to happen to him for killing Mary and also when he heard the mob of men on the outside of the building . The Denouement, Acts & Scene all came together when Bigger told everything that had happened.
I agree with Michaela about Buckley. Buckley is trying to make Bigger into a more dangerous criminal in order to gain a better reputation. Buckley and the women are pushing the blame on Bigger just because he is black and he was found guilty for Mary’s and Bessie’s murders. In addition to gaining popularity with the public, Buckley is also trying to make the black folks look like animals that need to be chained up and kept apart from the white people. That’s why Buckley is trying so hard to pin other crimes on Bigger.
When Buckley was alone in the prison cell with Bigger, he invoked his plan on getting Bigger to confess all his crimes. Since there was evidence that linked Bigger to Bessie’s murder, Buckley assumed that she wasn’t the only girl he killed. That’s why Buckley started to accuse Bigger of other rape and murders of women that was not involved in Mary’s case. Buckley also stated that the relatives and victims pointed him out as the criminal who committed these crimes. The significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is that they are trying to make Bigger look like an animal. They, meaning Buckley and the women who stated that Bigger was the culprit, blamed Bigger for criminal acts that he has not done based on the murders that he has committed. They are trying to turn Bigger into a bigger criminal so that they can show the world that blacks are animals, and they need to be chained up. However, throughout their conversation, Buckley showed verbal irony. Buckley was saying one thing to Bigger, but his true feelings and meanings was different. “…If you talk, maybe the judge’ll help you. Confess it all and get it over with. You’ll feel better. Say, listen if you tell me everything, I’ll see that you’re sent to the hospital…It’s a way out for you, boy” (286-287.) Yet, when Bigger did confess everything, Buckley didn’t do anything. Instead, he talked down on Bigger and just left. “Buckley looked down at Bigger and said, ‘Just a scared colored boy from Mississippi” (288.) After that, they left Bigger alone to cry in his despair.
I agree with you when you mentioned that Buckley assumed other things since he had already committed two crimes. As far as Buckley aiming to pose Bigger as an animal, I agree with you as well. To add to that I think Buckley was all in it for himself. Buckley wanted to look good for the upcoming election. That is why he began to point out more crimes and pin them on Bigger. The more crimes pinned on Bigger, the easier it would be to take him down. Thats what society wanted: to take Bigger down. That, in turn, would ensure that Buckley was reelected when everyone discovered he was the one who did what the people wanted.
I agree with you because you said that they are trying to make Bigger look like an animal. Also that Buckley is using bigger as a chance to get ahead in life. It is ironic how he says that he will help Bigger if he confesses but in the end he doesn't. Adding on to that he tells Bigger that he shouldn't trust Max and Jan when it is him who really cannot be trusted.
I also agree. Buckley is very sneaky and should not be trusted. He is making sure he will do everything he can to make himself look good and give Bigger a bad name, worse than he has already. He tried to misconceive Bigger by making him talk when in fact, Buckley knew what was in it for him all along. I agree with you JenniferT, Buckley is trying to make Bigger look like an animal. Buckley is trying to win votes and he proves he will throw Bigger under the bus with no problem. Buckley will put blacks down such as Bigger which is no problem for him.
Initially, I thought that maybe Buckley had committed the crimes and tried to blame them on Bigger until he said that people had come and identified him. I think that the significance of Buckley trying to pin everything on Bigger is because he just wants him to suffer for being colored. He has no evidence that Bigger committed all of these crimes except him being identified by biased witnesses. These witnesses are not only biased but aren't reliable because through their eyes all coloreds look alike. The dramatic irony in my opinion is the fact that Bigger doesn't understand why Buckley is trying to pin all of these cases on him if he's telling him that there's a way around the system.
I agree with you about the biased witnesses. It's more than likely that they where going to go along with anything negative about Bigger just by the color of his skin. I also agree with what you're saying about Bigger kind of being at a lost because Buckley is telling him one thing but really means another.
By Buckley pinning other crimes on Bigger, it poses Bigger as more of an animal to the angry mob. When Buckley does what he does it also makes him look like a better person for the upcoming elections. When the mob and rest of society finds out what has happened, it angers them even more and they immediately want Bigger dead. Other ironies begin to surface through the conversation of Buckley and Biggef. Buckley tells Bigger how he has witnesses to prove that he has committed crimes just to upset Bigger. Bigger in turn begins to question himself and wonder had he or had he not committed those crimes. In reality, those witnesses were more than likely white and biased. They could have been two women that worked for Buckley and blamed Bigger because Buckley had told them to do so. They also could have been too blinded by color which meant that they would pick the first black man they laid eyes on.
I agree politics are very devious and candidates will do anything to get a vote even if it's pinning crimes on a man just because he has already gained a certain reputation. Like many cases where coloreds have been acquitted for crimes they didn't do this is just another one. A case in which coloreds are suffering for being colored.
The significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes from years ago on Bigger is so he him self can look like he's solved and figured out a lot of things. Buckley tries to threaten and scare Bigger by saying that he brought the women in the cell and they identified him as being one who raped their sister. Buckley plan isn't working because Bigger isn't giving into agreeing that he did a crime he know he didn't commit. He starts to get upset with the things Buckley is accusing him of so he tells the truth about what he has actually done. Buckley tells Bigger not to listen to other people that he come in contact with because they mean him no good but in reality he's the one that's out to get him instead of help him. Buckley is trying to get the people to hate Bigger even more by making it seem like he's been getting away this long with killing and raping white women. Buckley does all this for show for the people to let them know that he is capable of putting a stop to the black on white crime that has been happening.
@Carletha I definitely agree with what you are saying. Buckley is truly harmful to Bigger's mental and physical health. Mentally is tearing down who Bigger is and Physically he could cause Bigger to be beaten or executed because of what he is being accused of.
The significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is for his on personal gain. He wants to use Bigger as a model to show the rest of society how dangerous and violent black people are. He is making Bigger into a "bigger" criminal than what he is supposed to be. By adding on the crimes he puts fear into white society of black people. What people fear they hate and when hatred comes into play there can never be equality. It is sad that the people who falsely accused Bigger are going along with the accusations just because he is black and he already has committed crimes. This also makes Buckley look good because now he so calledly closed all of these cases, so it gives him better position. What is ironic about what Buckley tells Bigger is that he should not trust Max and Jan when really he is the one who cannot be trusted. He also tells Bigger that if he confesses he will help him but when he does he does nothing to help him. He just wanted to show how easy it is to make a "scared colored boy from Mississippi" (288) confess.
I agree with your take on the situation. Buckley is just as sneaky as Bigger in a sense. Scaring Bigger has gained Buckley more popularity because he has closed the unsolved cases. He does make a great example out of Bigger showing just how blacks fear white people, in that day and time.
i agree with Destiny and jmeyer2015 with the statement . Buckley been doing this since dinosaurs roam the earth. Bigger is naive and new to the game so he's not prepare for the harsh treatment the jury giving him. Bigger trying to prove a point to the jury and her feels like Bigger the best example because he young and timid. By using Bigger as an example of an animal and proving the jury that black males need to be control will help him prove that Bigger responsible for the other crime cases
Buckley takes on the unnecessary hero effect. Instead of doing his job and gaining justice for the families that Bigger has destroyed, he feels that he wants to be a hero for a large number of families. This is ironic because Buckley attempts to make bigger believe that Jan and Max are detrimental to him when it is actually Buckley that is harmful to Bigger's well being. Buckley's hero syndrome is causing him to accuse Bigger of a number of other rapes and murders. It is Buckley's need for attention that will end up hurting Bigger. Buckley tells Bigger, "If you talk, maybe the Judge'll help you." (286) However, Buckley knows that this is highly unlikely.
I've never thought of it this way. This is very true though. Bigger heeds Buckley's advice more than Jan's & Max's which is the advice that he should be listening to. He thinks that no one is on his side. What he fails to realize is that he's actually hurting himself by paying attention to what Buckley is saying. It is ironic that Bigger listens to what Buckley says about Jan & Max, and he listens to Buckley's insidious tactics to get him to sign the confession, which he did.
Buckley's conversation with Bigger is to do nothing but make Buckley look like the hero and Bigger the villain. Buckley wants to prove that he is able to cease any crimes committed by black people onto whites. It is Buckley's idea to make an example out of Bigger by pinning more rape/murder crimes that were committed by someone else unto Bigger's record. By doing this, it will show of much of an animal and disgrace Black people are, as well as entice more white people to kill Bigger. At one point Bigger's begins to question himself about the crimes that were committed, and ends up telling the truth about the whole thing. Bigger believes that his confession will help him, but after he confessed he realized that by telling the truth things will only get worse for him.
The significance of trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is to try and make him look like a bigger criminal than he already is. Bigger wonders if Buckley was "lying about the other women in order to get him to tell about Mary and Bessie" (Wright 283). Buckley knows that if he gets Bigger to confess to other crimes that he didn't commit, the public will have even more animosity towards him. He is trying to trap Bigger even more. The judge will have more evidence to convict Bigger because of the accusations being thrown at him. When Buckley entered into the room, he immediately exclaimed that they have enough evidence to "put him in a dozen electric chairs" (Wright 270). I believe when Buckley made this statement he wasn't that sure of himself. He knew that Bigger was going to be electrocuted, but he was trying to make it seem worse than it already is. Therefore, when Buckley made the accusations about the women towards Bigger, he wanted to live up to the statement that he exclaimed earlier about there being enough evidence to put him a dozen electric chairs. This is ironic because when Buckley first starts question Bigger, Buckley explains how he wants this to run smoothly and efficiently, but at the same time he is making it more complicated by trying to pin other crimes on Bigger. There is also cosmic irony throughout this situation because Bigger always knew that he did not have a promising future, but after killing Mary, he thought that he could actually run away from his fate.
I agree with what you said about Buckley trying to make bigger into an even larger criminal. I also agree that Buckley is just trying to do anything to get Bigger to talk. I also think Buckley is making the situation 100 times more complicated, despite is accusations of wanting this to go smoothly.
Buckley tries to pin other crimes on Bigger only to make himself look better. He knows that elections are coming up and he needs the boost. He tries to convince Bigger that he knows for sure that he is guilty of all the crimes because he, Buckley has witnesses to prove it. He says that two women have identified him as the suspect in the crimes. This is also Buckley's way to prove that blacks are just terrible people and cannot be trusted. This causes Bigger to question himself and further more possibly get into more trouble, although he has confessed his demons.
I completely agree. Race helps to convict him, but as Destiny is one of few to point out, its not the only factor. Elections are far more important to him than a black man committing crimes. In Buckley's everyday life, he convicts black men so that can't possibly be just it. If he can put a face with all these crimes, he becomes a hero and Bigger becomes an even bigger monster. This creates a win- win situation for Buckley in the court and poles.
The significance of Buckley trying to pin the crimes on Bigger goes far deeper than race. Bigger definitely is targeted by the families because of his skin color, but race alone isn't responsible for Buckley's claim. It was a law tactic I believe to make Bigger talk. It also was a way to deter the fight against a society that Buckley thrives in. It is going to be hard for the Communists to argue that his "killing spree" was because he was a product of his society. It is hard to believe that a mass murder had enough sense to do it as a statement. It makes Bigger less capable of rational because there would be no reason for murder of others to support their position. Buckley also hopes to make his argument stronger so that Bigger may not get off. Although racism plays a role in being able to convict him of the crimes, it is not the sole reason. It seems to be a tactic for success.
The reason for Buckley to blame Bigger for more crimes was instil the idea that Bigger is a tall African american that accused of one crime, so the other crimes that havent been solved could be from him. People look at Bigger and only see a black man chained down like an animal. earlier in the book African american males were compared to zoo animals that are not tamed. This statement would be perfect to say that Bigger is an animal and he is capable of doing these other crimes. i suggest Buckley felt that Bigger was a lost cause and he will help him close other crime cases he was able to solve, so by placing the crimes on Bigger he kills a man and close several of cases in one day. People are idiots and make excuses for everything and cant take responsibility in their own hands so they point the finger at other people. Buckley gambit to get bigger to talk is to throw all these crimes on Bigger to make him to talk, or to even question himself. Its a way to confuse the mind of the victim and to tactic prove the jury that african american are animals and need to be control. Bigger is told by Buckley that he haves witness to confess he is guilty. (283pg).
Buckley is trying to find "justice" for other families, but instead of finding out the truth, he takes the easy way out. Bigger is already in trouble for the crimes he did commit, so Buckley says. why not. It was easier for Buckley to pin things on Bigger then it was for him to actually find the truth. Buckley is trying to play hero, but he is going about justice the wrong way. It was easier to pin all the other crimes on Bigger, because he was a black man. The women he claimed to have as eye witnesses just wanted to see him go away. Buckley is trying to tear Bigger apart from the inside, making him talk about anything.
The significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is to help them solve other pending cases. Also, the fact that most white people think that all blacks look alike. During that time most black males were dark skinned making it easy to have a mistaken identity. The eye witnesses that came in and saw Bigger also said it was him, based merely on the fact that he was a black man and also because they were all angry at what happened to Mary. They wanted to be able to say they caught the murderer so that people can go about their normal way of living. It would also make Buckley look good. The ironies that begin to surface throughout Bigger's conversation with Buckley is Basic Structure. Bigger exhibited exposition by providing Buckley with the information about Mary & Bessie. He was confused at how Buckley knew so much about him causing a rising action in Bigger. He also reached a climax when he was unsure if he should continue telling Buckley everything. His falling action was proven when he started to realize what is going to happen to him for killing Mary and also when he heard the mob of men on the outside of the building . The Denouement, Acts & Scene all came together when Bigger told everything that had happened.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michaela about Buckley. Buckley is trying to make Bigger into a more dangerous criminal in order to gain a better reputation. Buckley and the women are pushing the blame on Bigger just because he is black and he was found guilty for Mary’s and Bessie’s murders. In addition to gaining popularity with the public, Buckley is also trying to make the black folks look like animals that need to be chained up and kept apart from the white people. That’s why Buckley is trying so hard to pin other crimes on Bigger.
DeleteWhen Buckley was alone in the prison cell with Bigger, he invoked his plan on getting Bigger to confess all his crimes. Since there was evidence that linked Bigger to Bessie’s murder, Buckley assumed that she wasn’t the only girl he killed. That’s why Buckley started to accuse Bigger of other rape and murders of women that was not involved in Mary’s case. Buckley also stated that the relatives and victims pointed him out as the criminal who committed these crimes. The significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is that they are trying to make Bigger look like an animal. They, meaning Buckley and the women who stated that Bigger was the culprit, blamed Bigger for criminal acts that he has not done based on the murders that he has committed. They are trying to turn Bigger into a bigger criminal so that they can show the world that blacks are animals, and they need to be chained up. However, throughout their conversation, Buckley showed verbal irony. Buckley was saying one thing to Bigger, but his true feelings and meanings was different. “…If you talk, maybe the judge’ll help you. Confess it all and get it over with. You’ll feel better. Say, listen if you tell me everything, I’ll see that you’re sent to the hospital…It’s a way out for you, boy” (286-287.) Yet, when Bigger did confess everything, Buckley didn’t do anything. Instead, he talked down on Bigger and just left. “Buckley looked down at Bigger and said, ‘Just a scared colored boy from Mississippi” (288.) After that, they left Bigger alone to cry in his despair.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you mentioned that Buckley assumed other things since he had already committed two crimes. As far as Buckley aiming to pose Bigger as an animal, I agree with you as well. To add to that I think Buckley was all in it for himself. Buckley wanted to look good for the upcoming election. That is why he began to point out more crimes and pin them on Bigger. The more crimes pinned on Bigger, the easier it would be to take him down. Thats what society wanted: to take Bigger down. That, in turn, would ensure that Buckley was reelected when everyone discovered he was the one who did what the people wanted.
DeleteI agree with you because you said that they are trying to make Bigger look like an animal. Also that Buckley is using bigger as a chance to get ahead in life. It is ironic how he says that he will help Bigger if he confesses but in the end he doesn't. Adding on to that he tells Bigger that he shouldn't trust Max and Jan when it is him who really cannot be trusted.
DeleteI also agree. Buckley is very sneaky and should not be trusted. He is making sure he will do everything he can to make himself look good and give Bigger a bad name, worse than he has already. He tried to misconceive Bigger by making him talk when in fact, Buckley knew what was in it for him all along. I agree with you JenniferT, Buckley is trying to make Bigger look like an animal. Buckley is trying to win votes and he proves he will throw Bigger under the bus with no problem. Buckley will put blacks down such as Bigger which is no problem for him.
DeleteInitially, I thought that maybe Buckley had committed the crimes and tried to blame them on Bigger until he said that people had come and identified him. I think that the significance of Buckley trying to pin everything on Bigger is because he just wants him to suffer for being colored. He has no evidence that Bigger committed all of these crimes except him being identified by biased witnesses. These witnesses are not only biased but aren't reliable because through their eyes all coloreds look alike. The dramatic irony in my opinion is the fact that Bigger doesn't understand why Buckley is trying to pin all of these cases on him if he's telling him that there's a way around the system.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the biased witnesses. It's more than likely that they where going to go along with anything negative about Bigger just by the color of his skin. I also agree with what you're saying about Bigger kind of being at a lost because Buckley is telling him one thing but really means another.
DeleteBy Buckley pinning other crimes on Bigger, it poses Bigger as more of an animal to the angry mob. When Buckley does what he does it also makes him look like a better person for the upcoming elections. When the mob and rest of society finds out what has happened, it angers them even more and they immediately want Bigger dead. Other ironies begin to surface through the conversation of Buckley and Biggef. Buckley tells Bigger how he has witnesses to prove that he has committed crimes just to upset Bigger. Bigger in turn begins to question himself and wonder had he or had he not committed those crimes. In reality, those witnesses were more than likely white and biased. They could have been two women that worked for Buckley and blamed Bigger because Buckley had told them to do so. They also could have been too blinded by color which meant that they would pick the first black man they laid eyes on.
ReplyDeleteI agree politics are very devious and candidates will do anything to get a vote even if it's pinning crimes on a man just because he has already gained a certain reputation. Like many cases where coloreds have been acquitted for crimes they didn't do this is just another one. A case in which coloreds are suffering for being colored.
DeleteThe significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes from years ago on Bigger is so he him self can look like he's solved and figured out a lot of things. Buckley tries to threaten and scare Bigger by saying that he brought the women in the cell and they identified him as being one who raped their sister. Buckley plan isn't working because Bigger isn't giving into agreeing that he did a crime he know he didn't commit. He starts to get upset with the things Buckley is accusing him of so he tells the truth about what he has actually done. Buckley tells Bigger not to listen to other people that he come in contact with because they mean him no good but in reality he's the one that's out to get him instead of help him. Buckley is trying to get the people to hate Bigger even more by making it seem like he's been getting away this long with killing and raping white women. Buckley does all this for show for the people to let them know that he is capable of putting a stop to the black on white crime that has been happening.
ReplyDelete@Carletha I definitely agree with what you are saying. Buckley is truly harmful to Bigger's mental and physical health. Mentally is tearing down who Bigger is and Physically he could cause Bigger to be beaten or executed because of what he is being accused of.
DeleteThe significance of Buckley trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is for his on personal gain. He wants to use Bigger as a model to show the rest of society how dangerous and violent black people are. He is making Bigger into a "bigger" criminal than what he is supposed to be. By adding on the crimes he puts fear into white society of black people. What people fear they hate and when hatred comes into play there can never be equality. It is sad that the people who falsely accused Bigger are going along with the accusations just because he is black and he already has committed crimes. This also makes Buckley look good because now he so calledly closed all of these cases, so it gives him better position. What is ironic about what Buckley tells Bigger is that he should not trust Max and Jan when really he is the one who cannot be trusted. He also tells Bigger that if he confesses he will help him but when he does he does nothing to help him. He just wanted to show how easy it is to make a "scared colored boy from Mississippi" (288) confess.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your take on the situation. Buckley is just as sneaky as Bigger in a sense. Scaring Bigger has gained Buckley more popularity because he has closed the unsolved cases. He does make a great example out of Bigger showing just how blacks fear white people, in that day and time.
Deletei agree with Destiny and jmeyer2015 with the statement . Buckley been doing this since dinosaurs roam the earth. Bigger is naive and new to the game so he's not prepare for the harsh treatment the jury giving him. Bigger trying to prove a point to the jury and her feels like Bigger the best example because he young and timid. By using Bigger as an example of an animal and proving the jury that black males need to be control will help him prove that Bigger responsible for the other crime cases
DeleteBuckley takes on the unnecessary hero effect. Instead of doing his job and gaining justice for the families that Bigger has destroyed, he feels that he wants to be a hero for a large number of families. This is ironic because Buckley attempts to make bigger believe that Jan and Max are detrimental to him when it is actually Buckley that is harmful to Bigger's well being. Buckley's hero syndrome is causing him to accuse Bigger of a number of other rapes and murders. It is Buckley's need for attention that will end up hurting Bigger. Buckley tells Bigger, "If you talk, maybe the Judge'll help you." (286) However, Buckley knows that this is highly unlikely.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of it this way. This is very true though. Bigger heeds Buckley's advice more than Jan's & Max's which is the advice that he should be listening to. He thinks that no one is on his side. What he fails to realize is that he's actually hurting himself by paying attention to what Buckley is saying. It is ironic that Bigger listens to what Buckley says about Jan & Max, and he listens to Buckley's insidious tactics to get him to sign the confession, which he did.
DeleteBuckley's conversation with Bigger is to do nothing but make Buckley look like the hero and Bigger the villain. Buckley wants to prove that he is able to cease any crimes committed by black people onto whites. It is Buckley's idea to make an example out of Bigger by pinning more rape/murder crimes that were committed by someone else unto Bigger's record. By doing this, it will show of much of an animal and disgrace Black people are, as well as entice more white people to kill Bigger. At one point Bigger's begins to question himself about the crimes that were committed, and ends up telling the truth about the whole thing. Bigger believes that his confession will help him, but after he confessed he realized that by telling the truth things will only get worse for him.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of trying to pin other crimes on Bigger is to try and make him look like a bigger criminal than he already is. Bigger wonders if Buckley was "lying about the other women in order to get him to tell about Mary and Bessie" (Wright 283). Buckley knows that if he gets Bigger to confess to other crimes that he didn't commit, the public will have even more animosity towards him. He is trying to trap Bigger even more. The judge will have more evidence to convict Bigger because of the accusations being thrown at him. When Buckley entered into the room, he immediately exclaimed that they have enough evidence to "put him in a dozen electric chairs" (Wright 270). I believe when Buckley made this statement he wasn't that sure of himself. He knew that Bigger was going to be electrocuted, but he was trying to make it seem worse than it already is. Therefore, when Buckley made the accusations about the women towards Bigger, he wanted to live up to the statement that he exclaimed earlier about there being enough evidence to put him a dozen electric chairs. This is ironic because when Buckley first starts question Bigger, Buckley explains how he wants this to run smoothly and efficiently, but at the same time he is making it more complicated by trying to pin other crimes on Bigger. There is also cosmic irony throughout this situation because Bigger always knew that he did not have a promising future, but after killing Mary, he thought that he could actually run away from his fate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Buckley trying to make bigger into an even larger criminal. I also agree that Buckley is just trying to do anything to get Bigger to talk. I also think Buckley is making the situation 100 times more complicated, despite is accusations of wanting this to go smoothly.
DeleteBuckley tries to pin other crimes on Bigger only to make himself look better. He knows that elections are coming up and he needs the boost. He tries to convince Bigger that he knows for sure that he is guilty of all the crimes because he, Buckley has witnesses to prove it. He says that two women have identified him as the suspect in the crimes. This is also Buckley's way to prove that blacks are just terrible people and cannot be trusted. This causes Bigger to question himself and further more possibly get into more trouble, although he has confessed his demons.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Race helps to convict him, but as Destiny is one of few to point out, its not the only factor. Elections are far more important to him than a black man committing crimes. In Buckley's everyday life, he convicts black men so that can't possibly be just it. If he can put a face with all these crimes, he becomes a hero and Bigger becomes an even bigger monster. This creates a win- win situation for Buckley in the court and poles.
DeleteThe significance of Buckley trying to pin the crimes on Bigger goes far deeper than race. Bigger definitely is targeted by the families because of his skin color, but race alone isn't responsible for Buckley's claim. It was a law tactic I believe to make Bigger talk. It also was a way to deter the fight against a society that Buckley thrives in. It is going to be hard for the Communists to argue that his "killing spree" was because he was a product of his society. It is hard to believe that a mass murder had enough sense to do it as a statement. It makes Bigger less capable of rational because there would be no reason for murder of others to support their position. Buckley also hopes to make his argument stronger so that Bigger may not get off. Although racism plays a role in being able to convict him of the crimes, it is not the sole reason. It seems to be a tactic for success.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for Buckley to blame Bigger for more crimes was instil the idea that Bigger is a tall African american that accused of one crime, so the other crimes that havent been solved could be from him. People look at Bigger and only see a black man chained down like an animal. earlier in the book African american males were compared to zoo animals that are not tamed. This statement would be perfect to say that Bigger is an animal and he is capable of doing these other crimes. i suggest Buckley felt that Bigger was a lost cause and he will help him close other crime cases he was able to solve, so by placing the crimes on Bigger he kills a man and close several of cases in one day. People are idiots and make excuses for everything and cant take responsibility in their own hands so they point the finger at other people. Buckley gambit to get bigger to talk is to throw all these crimes on Bigger to make him to talk, or to even question himself. Its a way to confuse the mind of the victim and to tactic prove the jury that african american are animals and need to be control. Bigger is told by Buckley that he haves witness to confess he is guilty. (283pg).
ReplyDeleteBuckley is trying to find "justice" for other families, but instead of finding out the truth, he takes the easy way out. Bigger is already in trouble for the crimes he did commit, so Buckley says. why not. It was easier for Buckley to pin things on Bigger then it was for him to actually find the truth. Buckley is trying to play hero, but he is going about justice the wrong way. It was easier to pin all the other crimes on Bigger, because he was a black man. The women he claimed to have as eye witnesses just wanted to see him go away. Buckley is trying to tear Bigger apart from the inside, making him talk about anything.
ReplyDelete