Chapter Seventeen

The beginning of Chapter 17 is focused mainly on the Brotherhood, with little attention paid to anyone but men involved, or opposing this cause. However, when fighting with Clifton, Ras begins to go on a rant, saying that the reason the Brotherhood wants to get along with whites MUST be because of their women. He refers to the black mans idea that white women are in some way a sense of freedom. Ras says "Is that the black mahn's freedom? A pat on the back and a piece of cunt without no passion?"(pg 373).  By saying this he points out that white women are used by men to enslave black men, and when black men get a taste (figuratively) of white woman, they feel a sense of equality with white men. This passage is another example of women being sexually objectified, solely being used as pawns in the mans game. It also shows just how important sex is in the culture at this time, with white women especially. According to Ras, sex with white women brings a sense of power to black men, that they otherwise lack.