--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Phillip Roth uses his Black women…" description: "\"Phillip Roth uses his Black women characters to make anti intellectual remarks about Black history month, begun by a man who reached intellectual heigh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/ishmael-reed-7430_bigots_phillip-roth-uses-his-black-women-charac_3074083.png" --- # Phillip Roth uses his Black women characters to make anti… ![“Phillip Roth uses his Black women characters to make anti intellectual remarks about Black history month, begun by a man who reached intellectual heights that Roth will never attain. Roth is a petty bigot and his ignorant remarks about black culture expose him as a buffoon to scholars the world…” quote by Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/ishmael-reed-7430_bigots_phillip-roth-uses-his-black-women-charac_3074083.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/ishmael-reed-7430_bigots_phillip-roth-uses-his-black-women-charac_3074083.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/ishmael-reed-7430_bigots_phillip-roth-uses-his-black-women-charac_3074083.png) > “Phillip Roth uses his Black women characters to make anti intellectual remarks about Black history month, begun by a man who reached intellectual heights that Roth will never attain. Roth is a petty bigot and his ignorant remarks about black culture expose him as a buffoon to scholars the world over.” [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He accuses Roth of using Black female characters to disparage Black History Month, labeling Roth a petty bigot and a buffoon in scholarly circles. **In simple terms:** He calls Roth a racist writer who mocks Black history. Key Takeaway Critically assess authorial intent and bias. Themes racism literary criticism representation Mood critical analytical Type scholarly controversial When to use this quote - academic conferences - book reviews - media commentary Key Concepts cultural appropriation authorial bias Questions to Reflect On - Does the critique address the work as a whole? - How can criticism be constructive? A Different Perspective The critique may overlook Roth’s broader literary contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigots/) [Black culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-culture/) [Black history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-history/) [Black history month](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-history-month/) [Black women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-women/) [Buffoons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buffoons/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roth/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I have travelled the globe and experienced racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gayle/i-have-travelled-the-globe-and-experienced-racial-remarks-towards-me/) [Chris Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gayle/) > [It only takes a day to change someone from an anti-intellectual to an intellectual by persuading him that he might be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-only-takes-a-day-to-change-someone-from-an-anti-intellectual-to-an/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [There's the anti-intellectual movement in society and I don't blame them entirely for feeling that way because we all know people, I have many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/there-s-the-anti-intellectual-movement-in-society-and-i-don-t-blame/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Science, at bottom, is really anti-intellectual. It always distrusts pure reason, and demands the production of objective fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/science-at-bottom-is-really-anti-intellectual-it-always-distrusts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think, if you can only talk about your stuff in a jargonistic way, you're not as smart as you think. You're alienating people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lopatin/i-think-if-you-can-only-talk-about-your-stuff-in-a-jargonistic-way/) [Daniel Lopatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lopatin/) > [I was anti-intellectual to the nth. Basically I liked to dance and paint, and that was about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-was-anti-intellectual-to-the-nth-basically-i-liked-to-dance-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [“R.C. Sproul has written that "we live in what may be the most anti-intellectual period in the history of Western civilization." As far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/r-c-sproul-has-written-that-we-live-in-what-may-be-the-most-anti/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“And I wonder, therefore, how James Atlas can have been so indulgent in his recent essay ‘The Changing World of New York Intellectuals.’ This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/and-i-wonder-therefore-how-james-atlas-can-have-been-so-indulgent-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are many non-intellectual countries; Australia is one of the few anti-intellectual ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/there-are-many-non-intellectual-countries-australia-is-one-of-the-few/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [The species of anti-Enlightenment religion we find among evangelical protestants is far more impoverished, anti-intellectual and downright wretched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/the-species-of-anti-enlightenment-religion-we-find-among-evangelical/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [I'm not interested in the fact that a writer may label himself as being intellectual or anti-intellectual. l'm really interested in the stuff he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-m-not-interested-in-the-fact-that-a-writer-may-label-himself-as/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“Anti-intellectual resentment is common in all of American life and it has many diverse expressions. Refusing to draft college players might have been one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/anti-intellectual-resentment-is-common-in-all-of-american-life-and-it/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [We live in what may be the most anti-intellectual period in the history of Western civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-live-in-what-may-be-the-most-anti-intellectual-period-in-the/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Americans are genuinely and profoundly anti-intellectual. They are especially so in their pleasure-seeking, which is epically banal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/americans-are-genuinely-and-profoundly-anti-intellectual-they-are/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [We believe in cures; we're a quick-fix country, and we drive forward, and we eat up what we have extremely fast in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/we-believe-in-cures-we-re-a-quick-fix-country-and-we-drive-forward/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) ## More by Ishmael Reed > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Richard Price, who has made a fortune writing fake ghetto books, says he takes a cab into the ghetto, transcribes Black speech for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/richard-price-who-has-made-a-fortune-writing-fake-ghetto-books-says/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Free enterprise is not a bad idea and has produced art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/free-enterprise-is-not-a-bad-idea-and-has-produced-art/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. 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He tells the naïve, young cop that you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/in-crash-you-ve-got-a-pathological-cop-who-at-the-end-justifies/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I get most my information about what's happening in the United States from reports and studies, which are often in conflict with what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-get-most-my-information-about-what-s-happening-in-the-united-states/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [ How does the \[New York\] Times treat White pathology? They reported an epidemic of heroin addiction in the Philadelphia suburbs. which included emergency admissions… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/how-does-the-new-york-times-treat-white-pathology-they-reported-an/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I asked Joe Weixlmann why he would print a death threat like that in light of the fact that there are all of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-asked-joe-weixlmann-why-he-would-print-a-death-threat-like-that-in/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I'm beginning to believe that Killer Illiteracy ought to rank near heart disease and cancer as one of the leading causes of deathamong Americans.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-m-beginning-to-believe-that-killer-illiteracy-ought-to-rank-near/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Writing poetry is the hard manual labor of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/writing-poetry-is-the-hard-manual-labor-of-the-imagination/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Few white citizens are acquainted with blacks other than those projected by the media and the so--called educational system, whichis nothing more than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/few-white-citizens-are-acquainted-with-blacks-other-than-those/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) [Explore all 91 Ishmael Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) ## More Bigots quotes > [I found from working on the film that I am a bigot, at times. 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Never fall for the 'pity the privileged' routine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashanne-stokes/bigots-often-like-to-say-they-re-the-ones-being-hurt-as-they-oppress/) [DaShanne Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashanne-stokes/) > [We should not allow the fundamentalists and the bigots to take over and speak for the great faiths any more than we should let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/we-should-not-allow-the-fundamentalists-and-the-bigots-to-take-over/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [What concerns me most is the horrible degradation our notions of truth, civility, and decency have undergone. 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