In the African American literary tradition there are various forms of texts. After close analysis of different genres it is apparent that there is a clear tradition that connects each character and plot line. These traditions has to do with Self-discovery, self-love, self-Growth and, Adversity. Even though each piece of text we looked at involved a different kind of experience for the individual each one connected in that they all shared these traditions. Self-discovery, and growth appears especially in the novels Maud Martha and If He Hollers Let Him Go. In the Book Maud Martha written by Gwendolyn Brooks the main character Maud Martha self discovery was about gaining confidence as well as an insight into her own individual self worth. Maud …show more content…
Gwendolyn Brooks states, “But dandelions were what she chiefly saw. Yellow Jewels for everyday, studding the patched green dress of her backyard”(2). Maud Martha in essence is a dandelion, and although dandelions go unnoticed they still have value. Dandelions are jewels because they are beautiful, but tend to be hidden in plain sight. Maud even has a moment where she recognizes the qualities that make her just as good if not better than Helen. Gwendolyn Brooks states, “My hair is longer and thicker, she thought. I’m much smarter. I read books and newspapers and old folks like to talk with me, she thought”(34). Although Maud is insecure she still has insight into what makes her special as well as …show more content…
Gwendolyn Brooks states, “Even with all this hair which I have just assured him, in response to his question, is not natural, is not good grade or anything like good grade even with whatever I have that puts a dimple in his heart, even with these nice ears, I am still, definitely, not what he can call pretty”(53). Maud Martha is again thinking of her own self-worth in relation to someone else’s imagined image of her. Although Maud Martha has negative views of how she looks she begins to realize that she is worthy of Marrying Paul. Gwendolyn Brooks states, “I am what he would call sweet, and I am good, and he will marry me”(54). Maud Martha is beginning to accept herself, and become more confident in who she is as a
Rossetti explores the concept of desiring something you cannot have frequently throughout her poetry. Whether the person has forbidden themselves from wanting something or there are other reasons why they cannot have something, there is always the element of something being sweeter once you physically cannot have it. I will be exploring this idea in three of Rossetti’s poems all of which have hints of forbidden tastes being the sweetest; Maude Clare, Soeur Louise and Goblin Market. Rossetti’s poem
Both of the main characters in the two passages are judgmental people. Babbitt judges his neighbors on their actions while Maud judges the farmers and civilians in small towns on where they live. The passages express the idea that people are always judgmental no matter what their own situation is. In the second passage, Maud describes her love of New York and all its glamour.
There are many ways to interpret a literary text. You can interpret it from different levels, such as the literal level, the rhetorical level, or even the metaphysical level. Readers can also view texts from various critical lenses. This is due to the fact that when authors write texts, they often put in many different aspects of various things that can all be interpreted in any number of ways. Poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Hayden are good examples of authors who write texts which can be interpreted in many different ways.
GAIN’S THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN – ODYSSEY OF A RACE Dr. T. Sasikanth Reddy (Lecturer in English, S.C.N.R Govt. Degree College,Proddatur Town, YSR Dist, A.P. India, 516360.) Email: drtskreddy@gmail.com
The text I will be using for my research paper is Richard Wright’s “Blueprint for Negro Writing”, published in 1937. The African-American literary period this text fits within is Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism. The first idea that will be addressed in this research paper is the real life struggles of being black in America. During this time period the Jim Crow laws were active, and African Americans struggled with their everyday lives under these laws. The second idea is the issues within the African-American culture and community.
Chepiga Yuliya Professor Dani Spinosa AP/EN 3350 November 27, 2017 The Triumphs and Downfalls of “Passing” in Nella Larsen's novel Passing On April 26, 1929, a novel Passing by Nella Larsen captured public attention, conjuring a memorable story within the controversial box of one’s desire for recognition and fear of rejection. These oppressing emotions are complicated by the demands of assimilation. Passing explores the role of African American culture in molding one’s identity in the European-influenced western world. Through nostalgic and heart-wrenching flashbacks, the readers are submerged in the internal struggles of two dynamic women of color, Irene Westover and Clare Kendry, whose destinies are deeply intertwined through their appearance,
Self-discovery is essential to a prosperous life. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie, the main character, discovers who she is through her relationships. Janie learns from each of her experiences, but the most significant are her husbands: Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake. Each of these people attempt to control her thoughts and actions, but Janie rebels against them. Janie stands up for what she believes in, and through these confrontations, she better understands herself.
Steven Wu Mr. Chu US history December 7, 2015 Frederick Douglass "Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren. " This is Frederick Douglass’s motto, and what he believes. This text states a changing of era and the problem that the 19th century American was facing; human right, slavery and women right. During this time, American society was full of contradiction, which liberty is not use in every kind of people, so reformers and their thoughts had raise one after another.
This metaphor compares Scout’s school progress to a treadmill. The author shows how Scout hates school to make us believe that she has shown no progress in the Maycomb County school system. The comparison to a treadmill helps show that Scout’s learning experience is going nowhere. This is because a treadmill goes nowhere, as well. The quote means that Scout is slowly going through the school years.
It is her most prized possession. Little did she know, she was getting made fun of for it. There is one secret that Miss Brill does not know. Miss Brill illustrates the basic life for an elderly, friendless, Englishwoman.
Though the African American writers of the modernist era all sought to draw attention to the impact of racial inequality on black lives, they each had a unique way of illustrating the African American experience in a nation plagued with racism. Works such as Claude McKay’s poem “America,” Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat,” and Langston Hughes’s poems “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” shared a common goal, but the writers’ underlying agendas and portrayals of black lives varied. One of the noticeable qualities that distinguish the different authors’ works is whether they focus on the “vitality of black culture” or on the “burdens of racism” (Loeffelholz 18). Though these works were written decades ago, their relevance remains, for race relations and disagreement regarding the “right” way to portray the black experience while navigating a racist society continue to be issues in the
The Harlem Renaissance is a beautiful and exciting period of American Literature. Throughout class this semester we have talked about America’s literary identity crisis during and after the civil war. We have seen authors struggle with the questions of who are we and what should American literature look and sound like? As we step forward in to the Harlem Renaissance a new group of authors and artist emerge who know exactly who they are and what they have to say about life in America. “America” by Claude McKay and “I, Too” by Langston Hughes are great examples of this, they are similar in theme while written in two very different styles varying in structure and language.
Word choice is a potent power that can be employed to evoke a variety of feelings ranging from light-hearted amusement to pure rage. Zora Neale Hurston’s depictions of African Americans in “Sweat” simply as human being with little reference to racial inequality with white people is what defines Her as a modernist figure. Infusing dialect endemic to African Americans is what “makes it new” and adds dimensions of authenticity to her characters in a way which otherwise could not be achieved. Hurston uses dialect to bolster her attempt at effectively portraying African American day to day life likely for several reason including highlighting feminism as a social issue that should be viewed on par with racial equality, to show other African Americans
Tuten, Nancy. " Alice Walker 's Everyday Use." Explicator 51.2 (1993): 125. Literary Reference Center. Web.
‘The Colour Purple’, published in 1982, was written by Alice Walker and demonstrates the brutal treatment of black women within the early 20th century. During this time, there was much oppression, particularly for black women. They were mistreated purely because of their colour and gender. The form and content of the novel can be viewed as a slave narrative that reflects the struggle for one woman’s independence. Female independence and freedom from the patriarchal society are topics that many feminist literary theorists tend to explore, particularly those that belonged to the third wave of feminist writing.