Cloud 9 Race Quotes

This is the first thing Joshua says in this play, and it basically encapsulates everything he claims to believe. Now whether he actually thinks this is a matter of debate. Sure, Joshua rats out his own fellow villagers and then whips them himself. But on the other hand, he shows frustration at numerous points in the play… and aims a gun at Clive at the end of Act 1.

Another big part of Joshua's so-called whiteness is his claim that he hates his African tribe. For those who are curious, a huge part of British colonialism in Africa was the effort to make Africans accept the superiority of white knowledge and white culture. In this sense, Joshua is talking here like a stereotype of a black African who has accepted these ideas.

At the end of his opening speech, Joshua says that all he wants to be in life is what white men want him to be. His line actually echoes Betty's earlier statement, "what men want is what I want to be " (1.1.21). This parallel draws a direct connection between the kind of power that white men hold over women and the kind they held over black people during British colonization.

When Clive introduces Joshua, he boasts about the fact that Joshua is so cultured and obedient that you'd hardly know he was black. Of course, this is some downright racist stuff that Clive is saying, and Churchill's going to make sure that Clive pays for the way he thinks.

Here's the first sign we get that Joshua isn't happy with being turned into a servant just because of his skin color. What's especially interesting here, though, is that he's way more willing to talk back to Betty than to Clive. It's like Joshua's playing a little game here, where he's exploring just how disobedient he can get without getting punished.

When it comes time to discipline Joshua, Clive gives the guy a slap on the wrist and sends him on his way. On top of that, he also winks at Joshua when Betty's not looking. The wink suggests that Clive is secretly on Joshua's side in this argument, even though he's not allowed to say it out loud.

Mrs. Saunders wants to know how in the world Joshua can bear to whip his "own people, " meaning his fellow Africans. But Joshua replies that these people are not his people, meaning that his true loyalties lie with Clive. As things turn out, this isn't true. But Joshua is very good at hiding it and at convincing Clive he's loyal.

No one can play mind games better than Joshua. Just when it looks like he's going to blow up and murder someone, he turns around and tells Clive that some of the African people working in the stable are plotting against him. Clive thanks Joshua for his loyalty and Joshua ends up being the one who whips his fellow Africans. At this point, we really don't know where Joshua's loyalties lie. And that's exactly how he wants it.

As we get toward the end of Act 1, Joshua's acts of disobedience start to get more obvious until he finally tells both Betty and Edward to shut up and start doing things for themselves. Edward freaks out and takes the opportunity to act like a big man, ordering Joshua to do as he's told. But Joshua barely takes the kid seriously, snickering and talking down to him. There's really no doubt about it: Joshua doesn't respect his so-called masters, and he's becoming more and more willing to show it.

Here we have the final action of Act 1, which involves Joshua raising his gun at Clive. On the one hand, you can't be surprised. Clive is more or less responsible for turning Joshua into a servant, making him hate himself for being black, and killing his parents.

On the other hand, Joshua has been so careful at quietly undermining Clive and his family that this outright act of violence still strikes us as unexpected. And Churchill doesn't give us the satisfaction of knowing whether Joshua actually shoots the gun. Instead, the curtain falls and we have to wait until Act 2 to find out that Clive is still alive and well.