ipl-logo

Similarities Between Brownies And Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

1054 Words5 Pages

In ZZ Packer's “Brownies” and “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” both discuss the obstacles in life that allow reflection in the characters lives to discover the meanness in the world. “Brownies” is when young black girls go to summer camp with white girls, they are racially segregated by choice and prejudice is present. When they encounter a difficult situation with the white girls they are able to understand the world better as they go home. Furthermore in “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” Dina the main character is a black lady who struggles with finding her identity and accepting that she is lesbian while isolating herself from everyone around her. Through her encounter with a canadian white girl named Heidi they form a friendship that changes into …show more content…

In this short story the Brownie troops at the summer camp appear either all black or all white, no mixed troop is present. This displays the constant segregation occurring and the influence it has on young children who are vulnerable to a racially segregated environment causing them to portray themselves a certain way. The black girls have little knowledge of people different than them, “When you lived in the south suburbs of Atlanta, it was easy to forget about whites. Whites were like those baby pigeons: real and existing, but rarely seen or thought about” (pg. 5), because of these girls have little contact with one another and the black girls are extremely conscious of the differences they posses. The feeling of differences comes from the world around them, what they hear and see affect their opinions tremendously. Many of the differences are purely imaginary because of how others perceptions of whites have rubbed off on them “Man, did you smell them?" (pg. )These imaginary ideas stem from racial prejudice and the hostility history and current segregation at their time had pushed into their

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Warriors Don T Cry

    1344 Words  | 6 Pages

    Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattilo Beals is a memoir about Beals experiences and her journey while integrating Little Rocks Central High School. She wanted to share her story about what it was like to grow up in the middle of the civil rights movement and what it was like to be one of the nine students who were the first African Americans to integrate a public all white school. During and after reading the book a few thoughts went through my head. First, was my reaction at the horrific things that were done to Melba by integrationist in Central High. For example, while in the bathroom stall a group of girls locked her in and began dumping paper that was light on fire onto her.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Melba Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

    489 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Melba Pattillo Beals’ Warriors Don’t Cry, she recalls her adolescent years as being one of the nine African American students that chose to attend an all-white high school. In this memoir, she brings to light all of the horrible attacks they underwent. As a young girl, Melba became aware of the separation between whites and blacks, and strived to rise above that. She had a very religious family and black people during this time period learned to accept that they were less-privileged because of their skin color. She went to visit some relatives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was astonished when white people were nice, or simply even smiled at her.

    Read More

  • Why Is Warriors Don T Cry A Turning Point Essay

    552 Words  | 3 Pages

    Turning Points are often when something unexpected or something you can’t control happens in your life. The texts that concluded this idea was the Autobiography “ Warriors Don’t Cry’’ by Melba Pattillo Beals, the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, and the Drama excerpt “Dragonwings”by Lawrence Yep. Melba Pattillo Beals, The Main Character of The Road Not Taken, and Moonshadow all faced life changing experiences, that changed a big part of their lives. “Warriors Don’t Cry’’ by Melba Pattillo Beals is an Autobiography about how Melba Pattillo Beals was being escorted to go to school by fifty uniformed soldiers because of the color of her skin. The Turning Point that Melba faced, was when she was walking up the steps into Central High school were angry segregationist mobs had forbidden her and other students to go.

    Read More

  • Plessy Vs Ferguson Segregation

    996 Words  | 4 Pages

    On the front lines in Europe longer than any other American unit, the African-American 369th Regiment triumphed in battle and was recognized for courage and resilience by much of the American public. Yet, the mere existence of a segregated all-Black unit and the mixed reception of these soldiers during and after the war, testify to the entrenched mistreatment of Blacks in America and the ingrained White supremacy attitudes of Americans. Even when they served in segregated units, the presence of Black men in uniform threatened the racial hierarchy and unnerved Whites, which worsened the treatment of people of color. Despite the success of the regiment, their fame did not advance them individually, or the status of Blacks more broadly. Furthermore,

    Read More

  • Westward Expansion Dbq Essay

    899 Words  | 4 Pages

    These example show that white Americans felt they were better than and superior to other races. Again, the ones who portrayed the Mexicans, Natives and Africans as “lesser people” actually believed it, which helped them in the level of effort they put into defending their viewpoints. These portrayals turned public opinion against the minorities, and then when citizens moved west they also felt superior, and felt they should expand even further west, and this cycle continued until they reached the

    Read More

  • Racism And Prejudice In ZZ Packer's 'Brownies'

    425 Words  | 2 Pages

    The short story that we read by ZZ Packer, entitled “Brownies” discusses racism from the perspective of young African American girls who belong to a Girl Scout troop. The African American troop is separate from the Caucasian troop just like they are in society. The separation has created hatred and dislike by the girls. The African American girls used derogatory words “Wet Chihuahuas” and “Caucasian Chihuahuas and one of them accused the Caucasian troop of using the word “nigger”. This segregation impacted not only the children but also the adults.

    Read More

  • Brownies By Zz Packer Analysis

    620 Words  | 3 Pages

    The plot of the short story, “Brownies”, by ZZ Packer, is of a troop of young girl scouts who are of African American descent. The story depicts them attempting to brawl with another group due to the “brownie” troop assuming another called them a particular insult. Whether the other troop, Troop 909, in called the others a racial slur is left to ambiguity, although it is strongly suggested that they did not in fact refer to them in an invective manner. When the other troop is confronted about it, it is discovered that Troop 909 simply consisted of mentally disabled girls all in one group. Due to this, it is only fitting that the theme of the story was to indicate individuals with disadvantages in life should rejoice and unify rather than combat

    Read More

  • Argument Against Atticus

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever made a decision that created a negative effect on people around you? Attics, from To Kill a Mockingbird, faced this when he decided to take on the case concerning Tom Robinson. Everyone clearly agrees that Atticus did indeed take the case. But while some argue that he was right in taking it, others he should not have taken the case.

    Read More

  • Individuality In Toni Morrison's Sula

    1314 Words  | 6 Pages

    Toni Morrison’s Sula celebrates liberation from society’s constraints on individuality and self-discovery, and illustrates the negative impact of conformity. The novel follows the lives of several members of The Bottom’s community who refuse to relinquish their identities to fit the expectations of how a certain race or gender should act and the impact it has on their lives and their society. This society, influenced by the 1900’s racial segregation in America, enforces specific standards, and ostracizes whoever defies the cultural norm. Although certain characters choose to retain individuality and isolate themselves, they never fully establish their identities and desperately search for something in order to do so. The characters cling to

    Read More

  • Dear Martin By Nic Stone Book Analysis

    856 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine being a 17 year old African American kid always being judged just because of his skin color. Everywhere you go you feel like all eyes are on you, especially when you go to a school that only has eight black kids. That's exactly how Justyce McAllister felt in Dear Martin by Nic Stone. In the book, the main character Justyce goes through a lot of conflict involving his skin color. Even though he has a full scholarship at Braselton Preparatory Academy, and is a very smart student, he still gets judged.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Racism In ZZ Packer's Brownies

    1857 Words  | 8 Pages

    This is our first look at the seperation of races. At this elementary school, there is a large presence of black children. The students refer to Dennis, a particular young child, as “the only white kid in our school,” (Packer 4). When the group of white girls, also known as Brownie troop #909, arrive to the school, the black girls see them as being so different. They even compare

    Read More

  • Examples Of Racial Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

    929 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over the years many people have been prejudice to biracial children and adults. Many people believe that they are an outcast and don’t belong seeing as they aren 't necessarily one color. I believe as a biracial person myself that we are just as good and should be seen in the same light as every other person in the world. Many biracial kids and adults have been prejudiced against in different forms including being called only one color, not being able to marry the person they want, and being an outcast among other people.

    Read More

  • How Does Harper Lee Use Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    562 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, was published in 1960. This novel is a realistic fiction book about a family who lives in Alabama during the Great Depression. This book has a real life plot centered around prejudice ideas that are very relatable to people who lived during the Great Depression era. Prejudice causes many social injustice issues in the novel. Many of them are based on the segregation of whites and blacks in the south during the Great Depression era.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Growing Up In To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The hardest part of growing up is letting go of what we are used to and moving on to something you are not”-Paul Walker Growing up is one of the hardest, as well as one of the most important parts in life. Growing up should be fun, but in Scouts case learning about the cruelty and the reality she is living in is no fun. As the novel advances Scout experiences various emotional changes because of different events that take place. She starts to realize the unfairness that exists between different races and the discrimination that is rounding at the time.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Fairness And Justice Analysis

    912 Words  | 4 Pages

    By criticizing her “girliness” he was essentially telling her she was incapable of participating, and Scout was even more fired up to prove the boys wrong. Scout attempted to break this mold by “fitting in” right along the boys, and having fun. The story line elucidates how women were treated as second class citizens, during this period of time. In conclusion, the book depicts race and ethnicity as enormous issues that impact our society.

    Read More

More about Similarities Between Brownies And Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

Open Document