African-American Dream In Roxane Gay's 'Hear Me'

“I am a black feminist… I recognize that my power as well as my primary obsessions come as a result of my blackness as well as my womaness, and therefore my struggles on both of these fronts are inseparable” … As a woman of color, I find that some feminists don’t seem terribly concerned with the issues unique to women of color—the ongoing effects of racism and post-colonialism, the status of women in the Third World, working against the trenchant archetypes black women are forced into (angry black woman, mammy, hottentot, and the like). (Gay 173).

Today in America, some think the American Dream is fictional, and is exactly what it sounds like; just a dream. But the American Dream is achievable, and has been since the birth of this great country. The American Dream is an individualized goal that a person has which is usually very tough to achieve, but all have a chance to work toward it because of opportunities like high level education, jobs, and especially an equal chance to achieve one's desired life. America still provides access to the American Dream because regardless of background, current financial status, or race, the American Dream is achievable with hard work.

African Americans? To what degree do you think the author’s view is shared by others in the

The article, “Just Walk on by” by Brent Staples talks about the struggles faced being an African- American male in today’s time. Honestly, what African Americans deal with nowadays is excessive and uncalled for. Staples goes over everything he endured throughout most of his life in the reading. The worst things Staples had to deal with included his insomnia, other people’s confusion, and the fact he was born into a tough inheritance with conditioned expectations to go along with it.

They shed a light on the myth of America being the city on a hill by showing how immigrants are enticed by the belief that America is the home of the morally superior and the home righteousness yet it treats its own citizens so poorly. Arnade builds upon this by showing how it's not only immigrants who believe that the American dream is flawed but Americans themselves. Arnade gives a few examples, one being Brendon Worth from Green Bay, Wisconsin who is a Native American who says, “To be free. There has been no American dream for me. I am a Native American, born on a reservation, and my people’s freedom has been taken away before, and my freedom taken away and I have been thrown in jail”(Arnade). Native Americans were the original people who were in the United States, and in today’s world they are treated as immigrants and are forced to live on reservations. Another example is Isaiah, an African American who has been through all of America’s tragedy as a colored male. He says, “What Martin Luther King said 50 years ago: The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of your skin color. We still fighting for that now. We still watching our children killed needlessly for nothing.”(Arnade). As an American who has lived for a long time, he has seen America’s transition from century to century and has witnessed the flawed American dreams and it's hypocritical nature throughout his many years of living. He knew that everything that the American dream stood for has disappeared. He is an African American male who is saying that young African Americans are being subject to the same treatment as immigrants. He shows that both young African Americans and immigrants are taught that they can trust the

For example, in an article titled “Inequality, Race, and Remedy” for The American Prospect, Alan Jenkins states “Poor people of color are also increasingly more likely than whites to find themselves living in high-poverty neighborhoods with limited resources and limited options” (Jenkins). This illustrates that an individual’s race can completely affect their home, job, financial situation, and overall way of life. According to this article, person of color has a higher chance at living in poverty than a white person does. This example shows that colored people aren’t given as many opportunities and as a result, it may be harder for them to succeed in life. The oppression they face is all because of the color of their skin, not because they are any less smart or human than others. The poor lifestyle is a result of racial identification and false labeling. People automatically stereotype and judge black people because of their skin color and often times it has a negative outcome.

This denotation to the silent cries supports for an emotional appeal to an example of the silent cries in African American women. As stated in the title, Powell is aware that black women are merely being betrayed in the hip-hop industry and simply states that the choice of words that hip-hop artist chose to rap about is simply “the ghetto blues, urban folk art, a cry out for help.” (298) and it is rubbing off on almost every man in our American society and giving them a different perspective of women all because women refuse to speak out and speak up. “As a result, female rappers are often just as male-identified, violent, materialistic, and ignorant as their male peers.” (298). Over 100 years ago, women were not even allowed to vote, the closest they got to voting was sitting there and watching. They were not allowed to work, they were forced to be stay at home wives while their

The cast. Slavery in the civil war and the African American struggle throughout history influences Beloved’s author throughout her works. Born in Lorain, Ohio on February 18, 1931, Chloe Anthony Wofford became one of the most influential and inspiring authors of the century. The second child of four, Chloe was extremely independent and eventually changed her name to Toni. After leaving home, she attended Howard University and Cornell University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a Master of Arts Degree, respectively. Marrying Harold Morrison in 1958 brought great joy to Morrison, but they divorced in 1964. From that relationship, she was blessed with two beautiful children, Harold and Slade. She often uses her

Throughout the novel it is apparent that everyday instances of racism occur, causing people of color to feel outcasted. There are two very obvious occasions where this happened. In the first instance two African American woman are in a workspace of primarily all white co-workers. When a woman they worked with got these two names mixed up, it was stated that she had a “fifty-fifty chance of getting it right” insinuating that these two women are the only black ones working here. Later, the woman who had the mix-up with the names wrote an apology note; however, in the note she stated it was “our mistake” and seemingly put part of the blame on the to women. This is a primary example of how African Americans can be thrown against a white background making them seem different than everyone else.

In high school classrooms, the memoir, Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, is being read and discussed by high school students. During class discussions concerning the book, there are many critiques that are talked about. At East Noble High school, freshmen are asked to write an essay forming their own stance on one critique. The critique that is handed out on the paper handout is , “ Although Griffin did observe racism firsthand, he can never fully empathize with the black race because he was only a temporary Negro for 6 weeks, knowing he would soon be returning to his white skin.” After reading the prompt, I believe that Griffin could fully empathize with African Americans. This can be evident by the many instances of racism he experienced viewed on his journey through the South.

Everyone wants to achieve the American Dream. However, the American Dream is different for everyone. In the novel “Fearless”, Adam worked hard to achieve this. He spent many years working to make his life and the life of his family wonderful. Adam Brown achieved his American Dream by overcoming drug addiction, fighting for his country as a Navy SEAL, and being a good husband and father.

After reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I felt that the most powerful message in the book was Coates’ assertion that African Americans are striving for the “Dream” which is in fact unreachable. The “Dream” is supposed to be the desire of people to live in a big house with a white picket fence and a big yard, however because it was built on the backs of black people, literally, it is not something that is a realistic goal or a realistic dream. Coates wants his son to realize that America has been built on the marginalization of black people and other minorities and that because of this, it is not a place which will allow races that white people have deemed as “lesser” to prosper. The first major takeaway that I got from reading

Even though the optimal American Dream doesn’t promise that all citizens will achieve personal success, it offers equality and fortunes for them to pursue dreams through hard work. However, during the Industrial Age, the American Dream didn’t apply to the lower class. Most immigrants from southern and eastern Europe arrived in the United States to escape religious persecution and poverty in their home countries and also seek new opportunities. But, they realized the brutal reality after their arrival. As unskilled foreigners who suffered poverty and lacked experience and English skills, immigrants lived in nasty tenements located in city ghettos, earned little wages that at times couldn’t even enable the whole family to survive, and were taken advantage from bosses because of their naivete and lack of power. African Americans faced a crueler circumstance because of the long-lasting racial discrimination. In the 1880s, a number of African Americans migrated from rural south to industrial cities in order to avoid poverty, violence, and oppression they faced in the deep South. However, they rarely found factory jobs or professional opportunities. Women also couldn’t rule their destinies during the Industrial Age. Desiring to be more independent and provide financial help to families, many women worked in factories. Most of them experienced disadvantages, including gaining less wages than men did and experiencing sexual harassment from their foremen. Even though the federal

In society, majority of African Americans are portrayed as being related to negative figures. African Americans are portrayed as having low income, being obnoxious, or living this low lifestyle compared to other ethnicities. In the 2004 comedy “Soul Plane”, all three of these examples are shown through a Caucasian family of four; a husband, wife, son, and daughter.

At this moment, Kendrick’s monologue addresses the battle encountered by African Americans today and the frustration that comes with wanting and deserving more than they have. The backing vocals in this section of the song imply that American society wants African Americans to submit to it and praise it, even though many of them have suffered from it. This introduction signifies how dazed society is to the black people and how there is a constant battle between