64 pages • 2 hours read
E. R. BraithwaiteTo Sir with Love
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1959A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4–5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
Braithwaite remembers back to his discharge from the RAF. Due to his education and training, a career officer tells him he should have no trouble finding employment, giving him a letter of introduction.Enthusiastic about his potential opportunities, Braithwaite vacations with the Belmonts, a kindly, elderly couple he meets during the war, with whom he then goes to live. He interviews at the Appointment Office, explaining his qualifications, and his interviewers give him a list of three vacancies. He feels “on top of the world” (35) when he goes to his first interview at a prestigious firm, but is received coldly by the receptionist despite his impeccable appearance. He is interviewed by four men, one of whom shakes his hand, feeling like “I was holding my own, and even enjoying it” (36). However, at the end of the interview, they tell him that they cannot give him a position of authority over their “English employees” as it would “adversely affect the balance of good relationship…in this firm” (37). They then also tell him that any lower position would not be suitable for his experience and education, and so they refuse to employ him.
During his time in RAF, Braithwaite had forgotten about racism, as the war had erased many prejudices. Now, however, he feels ashamed of his black skin, realizing that the firm had only agreed to meet with him because they assumed he was white. He calls the other two firms and tells them that he is Black, only to have them inform him that the posts have been filled. Braithwaite feels disgusted at “the British Way of Life” (39), whose equality only extends to non-colonial people even when colonized individuals uphold it as the ideal: “[y]es, it is wonderful to be British—until one comes to Britain” (39). Braithwaite remembers growing up British in every way, but then he realizes with disillusionment that his culture stops at his skin.
Braithwaite reflects on the differences between the blatant racism of America and the “courteous refusal” of Britain which is “never ascribed to prejudice” (42), feeling betrayed. However, he remains hopeful as he has two years’ worth of savings, “[s]o I had time, plenty of time, to find the right employer” (42).
Chapter 5 Summary
Braithwaite exhausts all avenues of potential employment he can think of. At first, he tries to let people know that he is Black, but no one contacts him, and so then he doesn’t let people know, only to find that they have some excuse once they realize his race. He remembers one electrical firm in particular, a job for which he was vastly overqualified; the interviewer was hostile, and said that his education would not allow him to fit in there. Braithwaite recounts angrily ripping up his application and abruptly leaving.
Braithwaite writes to his uncle for clothes. He starts suspecting every person he meets of racism and behaves with hostility towards strangers as a result: “[f]ortunately, for me, this cancerous condition was not allowed to establish itself firmly” (45).
He meets a stranger while sitting in St. James’s Park, watching the ducks. The stranger, who seems scholarly, tries to engage him in conversation but Braithwaite ignores him until the stranger starts talking about having to fight to survive in a city, which makes it exciting. Braithwaite makes a cynical comment about being Black as being the cause of more excitement than can be tolerated, at which point the stranger laughs, and his laugh is so infectious Braithwaite joins him. They begin talking “unreservedly, like old friends” (46) and the stranger suggests Braithwaite try teaching. Braithwaite protests, saying he has no training and that a Black man would not be allowed around children, but the stranger maintains that teachers are desperately needed.
The stranger suggests the rougher East End, which Braithwaite finds to be indicative of his racism, but the stranger scolds Braithwaite for his snobbery. Braithwaite apologizes, and the two talk at length without ever exchanging names. As predicted by the stranger, Braithwaite’s employment process as a teacher happens very quickly, and he is appointed to Greenslade.
Chapters 4–5 Analysis
These chapters provide Braithwaite’s background, helping the audience understand the narrator’s motivation behind taking this otherwise unwanted job. Without explicitly stating it, the narrator creates an environment in which teaching at a troubled school in East End presents the singular opportunity for employment. As a Black man, he will only be offered the kinds of jobs that white men (and women, for that matter) do not want. As a Black man, he has no choice but to find employment among the remnants of whiteness.
These chapters present the racism and prejudice inherent within colonialism. Within the practice of colonialism, one country rules over the lands of another, often from a great distance. As such, it is inevitable that the government infrastructure creates ideas of first and second-class citizens: the citizens of the ruling country are inevitably placed above the citizens of the subordinate land or country. In the case of England, especially, (and European colonial powers in general), it becomes increasingly obvious which people are considered superior citizens, as most colonized people were of different races than their colonizers. As a result, racism became inherently linked to the practice of colonialism, something which Braithwaite explicates within these chapters.
As Braithwaite unwraps these ideological intricacies, he also realizes that any idea of equality among all British subjects is a sham; within a government system that is inherently racist, there can be no equality. Braithwaite presents this idea via the lip service Britons pay to the ideals of democracy and human rights. All Britons seem to pat themselves on the back for not displaying the kind of violently racist behavior of their American counterparts; however, when push comes to shove, their prejudices are just as deeplyrooted, inhibiting democracy and thwarting human rights.
These chapters also present the effects of racism upon Braithwaite. Whereas in the first few chapters, Braithwaite refrains from responding to racism, the audience sees that Braithwaite is unable to control his anger. Braithwaite becomes justifiably hostile and suspicious, anticipating prejudice before it happens. In this way, the author exposes his audience not just to the prevalence of racism, but also to its deleterious effects upon the mental health and emotional wellbeing of the victims of racism.
