The short stories “Thank You, Ma’am” and “The Scholarship Jacket” both possess a symbol that represents something the protagonist dreams of attaining. In “The Scholarship Jacket” the main character, Martha, worked very hard to get the scholarship jacket which was given to the top student. Martha was the top of her class but the school didn’t want to give it to her because she was poor and Mexican, so they wanted to hand it to the rich girl, Joann, but Martha stands up for herself and gets her jacket. In “Thank You, Ma’am” the lead figure, Roger, wants a pair of blue suede shoes, and he tries to steal in order to obtain it but fails and the woman he steals from gives him money to buy it. The scholarship jacket represents hard work, bravery, …show more content…
This can be proven because in “Thank You, Ma’am” the text states, “The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up… ‘Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes.’” This proves that when Roger tried to steal he didn’t succeed as he hoped, but the person he tried to steal from gave him the money, so he was able to get the shoes in the end. In “The Scholarship Jacket” it states, “‘Martha has a straight A plus average and you know it’... ‘Look, Joann’s father is not only on the Board, he owns the only store in town; we could say it was a close tie’... ‘Martha is Mexican’... ‘This year the Board decided to charge fifteen dollars---which still won’t cover the complete cost of the jacket’... I looked at him, forcing my eyes to stay dry. “He said if I had to pay for it then it wouldn’t be a scholarship jacket,’ I said and stood up to leave… ‘We’ll make an exception in your case, I’ll tell the Board, you’ll get your jacket.’” This shows that the school wasn’t going to give it to her at first because of her race and she wasn’t rich, but she stood up for herself and got the jacket. The two characters fail at first but Martha gets her jacket and Roger gets his shoes in the
She talks about how the pay gap is different and that women get paid way less. Wambach states, “We talk a lot about the pay gap. We talk about how we U.S. women overall still earn only 80 cents on the dollar compared to men, and black women make only 63 cents, while Latinas make 54 cents.” Wambach states this to inspire the women of the graduating class to stick together as women, no matter what race, and fight. She proves effectively that each individual has worth and they deserve the same amount of pay.
In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, written by Peggy McIntosh, suggest a list of invisible privileges, which she is immune towards due to her ethical background. McIntosh names the numerous ways and examples of privileges she obtained from her white heritage. Which most other ethical race would have to think twice before attempting. People of the white heritage in the United States, are not stereotyped or live in fear of being a victim of racism like many other race. McIntosh provides a solid point; in addition she supports her arguments through observations and examples of her personal life.
This leads to her being elected for homecoming queen, where her father even gave her gown for the occasion. This marked a very special time in her life. But Anne still saw inequality amongst whites and blacks in day to day living conditions. When Anne discovered the NAACP, she began to contemplate how racial inequalities could be changed. Anne’s mother does not understand her interest in the civil rights movement, nor agrees with it.
There are two main storylines in this play. One main event is about a Nuyorican man named Patrick who is very proud of his ethnicity. However, most people do not care about the specific details, so when he is applying for a $25,000 scholarship his ethnicity has to be categorized. The lack of racial concern Sarah and the scholarship committee express
Instantly, her story is captivating due to the nature of the emotion she encases us in with the events before and following the riots. Due to the nature of her race, Korean-American, she is not qualified for medical treatment, food stamps, welfare, and many prominent necessities poorer Americans need and receive from the federal government. What’s enlightening, in the negative connotation, is the fact that we learn about how “Many Afro-Americans…who never worked…get [the] minimum amount” where they are unable to get all of that since many Korean-Americans have a semi-successful business and have the luxury of having cars and homes while being high taxpayers. From this, we can determine that not only is there a highlight of racism between the white Americans and the Afro-Americans, but there is evidence of mistreatment of these Korean-American people that have come to the United States for freedom and to live a better life, which may or
For example, Montejano emphasized the hardship that Mexican faced with labor by telling the story of a writer who discovered a Mexican man, “ the same old-time boss working for the city with pick and shovels”2. Ironically “He [the old boss] still wore high-topped boots and, and as before, retained the leather hat string beneath his chin” (94)2. The fact that the old boss did not change his clothes even though he is no longer a boss shows that he is not satisfied with his job, therefore, he kept his old clothes as a hope that he will get back to what he was. That can also mean that he got poor to the point that he can not afford new clothes. This shows that although not all Mexican were of a minority group when they were incorporated with the United States, they all became viewed as minority afterword and thus were only offered low paying jobs as secure ones.
“Behind every success, large or small, there is a story, and it isn't always told by sex or skin color” (page 2, par. 15), Fortgang, T (2014). Some people base their success on their racial background. “Checking My Privilege” by Tal Fotrtgang was written in an effort to voice his opinion on this matter. In his essay, Tal Fortgang says, “I actually went and checked the origins of my privileged existence, to empathize with those whose underdog stories I can’t possibly comprehend. I have unearthed some examples of the privilege with which my family was blessed, and now I think I better understand those who assure me that skin color allowed my family and I to flourish today”
There is so much truth to Dr. Goffman’s words in regards to specific entitlements just for the color of one’s skin. I am sure all of us can give several examples of school fights – and I (as well as my white friends) tell these stories with half-hearted grins, or similar to embellished fishing stories, and these stories never end behind bars, or in court rooms.
The story started when a third grade student Linda Brown had to walk a long distance to attend school. Because of the previous Supreme Court decision that was called separate but equal, she was not eligible to attend classes at any of the schools that were reserved for white colored students even if there were some just right where she was living at. Linda’ father was worried about her little daughter that she had to walk daily next to the railroad. He decided to register his daughter at one of the white schools. Unfortunately, his application was denied under the pretext of
(Salinas - 4) In this moment the author uses character dialogue to show the theme because it shows that when she stood up for herself and didn’t give up she got what she wanted. If Martha didn’t talk to her grandpa about it and get good advice she probably never would’ve gotten the jacket. But now she's more confident and won’t give
Martha is a determined character because she wants to get good grades, earn the scholarship jacket, and help her grandparents. The scholarship jacket is a great short story about a Texas girl who lives with her grandparents. She tries
The foreshadowing in the story shows there was a hard decision to make between the teachers, in order for Martha to get the jacket. An example of this in the text is, “ I was almost back at my classroom door when I heard voices raised in anger as if in some sort of argument. I stopped. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just hesitated, not knowing what to do” (107). The arguing between the teachers shows that there is going to be an issue with her receiving the jacket.
Short stories are written to share a lesson, or show and experience for the reader to relate to their own lives. Most stories show a challenge that someone has to overcome, such as a physical threat, or a mental confrontation that they have to face. In the story “Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers, one of the two main characters, Lemon Brown, faced both types of challenges while having taught a message to the protagonist Greg Ridley. LIkewise, in the story “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, Mrs. Jones caught a child named Roger who tried to steal her purse for a pair of shoes. When thrown into a problematic situation, even without a similar background in the slightest, Lemon Brown and Mrs. Jones address their problems similarly..
In the short story, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker the narrator and her daughters battle with the internal conflict of their culture. A symbol in literature is described as an object which has a meaning other than its literal meaning. The quilts described in the story symbolized the history of the family. The quilts were handmade by the narrator, her sister, and her mother.
Due to traditional norms and gender roles, Baker's sisters were not given the same opportunity to attend college as his brother. Baker's African American friends also faced systematic bias and discrimination that made it hard for them to go to college or move up in their jobs. These stories show that not every person has the same obstacles to realizing the American Dream and that systemic hurdles to opportunity and social mobility still remain in American