Metaphors In In Search Of Our Mother's Garden

During the years 1825-1850, in the United States, was the age of reform. A time where nationalism and pride grew in the hearts of the American people, that they struggled to bring back the true meaning upon which their country was built. Social, intellectual and religious reform movements in the United States during the years 1825-1850, caused the expansion of democratic ideals through the reformers and reform movements; such as the Women’s Rights Movement, Temperance Movement, Abolitionist Movement, Asylum Reform, Jail Reform, Transcendentalism and the Second Great Awakening, by introducing the idea in the increase of women’s rights, encouraging an abstinence from alcohol, abolishing slavery, improving the treatment of the mentally unstable,

So long ago was the life of Phillis Wheatley, one of the most influential African American writers of her time, but her admired works of literature remain immortal. In merely eight lines of iambic pentameter, Wheatley’s notorious poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America” delivers a more optimistic opinion and addresses how her faith has freed her during somber times of slavery. Using personification and allusions, Phillis Wheatley relates Christianity with her personal experiences of slavery in her renowned poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America.”

The excerpt I chose to reflect on is called “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman!” by Claudia Jones (1949). Jones express the concerns that women of color in her time suffer from the neglect and degradation they receive throughout their lives. During this time, the reason many African American women go through the struggles in their community originated from the notion that the “bourgeoisie is fearful of the militancy of the Negro woman” (108). In my opinion, they have every right to be afraid of African American women. As Jones stated nicely "once Negro women undertake action, the militancy of the whole Negro people, and thus of the anti-imperialist coalition, is greatly enhanced" (108). All Jones was trying to say is that if women were given the opportunity take action to change their current situation there will be no stopping them from

The thesis’ aim is to analyze and discuss African American women’s quest for voice, acceptance and fulfillment based on the selected novels written by Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.

The story Everyday Use was written by Alice walker. Alice walker was an American author, poet and activist. She has written many novels, poems and stories. She wrote both fiction and nonfiction books. Everyday use was one of her books and it was published in 1973. This story talks about a family that consists of the mother (narrator) and her two daughters’ (Dee and Maggie). In the story they never say anything about the father because he was dead. The main things that the story is revolving around is the heritage and how it is important, the relationship between the two sisters, how education makes a differences, and finally about how generations changed by time.

Thought out a persons ever changing life, the one thing that is always consistent is their name. However, sometimes a persons identity will change so much that their own name seems foreign when speaking it out loud. This creates the need for a new name to match a new identity. Kingsolvers The Bean Trees and Lena Coakley’s Mirror Image both apply characterization, conflict, and symbolism to show how identity changes with names and labels.

In The Yellow Wallpaper written in 1894, Gilman portrays the protagonist as a victim of oppression. Oppression is defined as being heavily burdened mentally or physically by troubles or adverse conditions. Oppression is also a form of authority over someone who is in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. During the 1800’s women were subject to strict laws of society which prevented them from many civil rights and opportunities. The narrator feels oppressed by her relationship with her husband, her house, and the wallpaper.

Purpose: Walker describes the impact of oppression on the relationship between mother and daughter, and how the oppressed view themselves. Walker uses a false analogy to describe Maggie’s walk. Walker compares Maggie to a lame animal (49). The way Maggie walks is comparatively similar to a dog walking up to someone “ignorant enough to be kind to him” (49). The man has to be ignorant

Transitional states of maturity can be challenged or championed by unexpected discoveries which can be confronting or provocative. This is explored through Alice Walker’s 1973 prose fiction, “The Flowers”, as the protagonist’s view on the world is transformed due to the personal zemblanic discovery made. The short story explores the themes of loss of innocence and death in order to address cultural indifference and the prejudice experienced by certain groups within society, which in turn causes individuals to be effected negatively. Walker hopes to evoke sense of political and social reflection in her audience, hoping that intimate discoveries of past inequity by her readers will ensure cultural equity maintains future momentum.

Sojourner Truth was a woman who believed strongly about human rights and spoke blatantly about the importance of women’s rights. In doing so, she traveled the world to tell the truth about the importance of women’s equality rights, hence her name Sojourner Truth. She sacrifices family time to travel from place to place making sure everyone is aware of women’s inequality. Harriet Jacobs, on the other hand, sacrifices differently. As a child, she underwent the exposure of oppression and prejudice. This exposure to oppression shaped her to be the person she is today. As her “Incidents” show, she was not afraid to use her past as a stepping stone for future success. Truth and Jacobs’ sacrifices demonstrate the evolution one might call rags to riches. In this case, however, the riches displays a sense of impact that both women achieve. They fought until their dying breaths and their legacy still holds strong

Written by the great Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon is where the song of African- Americans is sung with the most genuine and sincere voice in utmost entirety. In this essay, the masterpiece will be examined with gender studies approach and cultural studies approach, the function of Pilate and Ruth would be examined in depth, the suggestion that the protagonist should be more loving and caring for others would be fully explained, and the value of this book will be carefully examined.

Walker’s essay shows the dehumanization and abuse that black women have endured for years. She talks about how their creativity was stifled due to slavery. She also tells how black women were treated more like objects than human beings. They entered loveless marriages and became prostitutes because of the injustice upon them. Walker uses her mother’s garden to express freedom, not only for her but for all the black women who had been wronged. Walker described her mother as radiant when she was planting, her work outshining the wrongdoings done to her and the people before her. The garden was where her mother could make truly make “art.” The garden was also a representation of the creativity of the women who hold a talent close to their heart

The Help is set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. Skeeter, a southern society girl, interviews the black women who have spent their lives being servants for wealthy white Southern families. There are various scenes throughout the film that show social stratification, racial inequalities, gender inequalities, and class inequalities.

Racism has been a big epidemic since the early 1600’s and is still a problem throughout society today. According to Dictionary.com, racism is a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle exemplifies racism and discrimination by the dividing of communities from the impoverished minorities and the superior majority. Boyle reveals how more fortunate people stereotype the way minorities and poverty live rather than acknowledging

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a short story containing a first-person point of view, narrated by the mother in the story. “The mother” is not named in the story, yet holds an important role in being the protagonist while also incorporating vital details of the characters’ emotions, views, and ideas of each other. The narrator tells the audience everything she knows about the other two main characters, giving the audience insight on how to view these characters in the story. Walker does a great job using two specific literary elements in “Everyday Use” to pinpoint the story’s theme. In “Everyday Use”, Walker develops the theme of the importance of Christ-like behavior by unifying these literary elements: point of view and characterization.