Reading Response Color, heritage, and culture can greatly impact an individual or group in many interesting ways that most may not recognize. Zora Hurston for example, is a black female who doesn’t notice differences of skin color until she went away from her hometown to school. Elizabeth Wong is trying to learn her Chinese culture, per her mother’s request, while she relates more to the American culture. Last but not least Richard Rodriguez is of Hispanic culture and sees opportunities for the Hispanic culture and American culture to influence one another thus strengthening both. In essence, all can greatly have impacts on a life and on the lives surrounding that individual. Zora Hurston was a lady of color who grew up in a town where color was not noticed by her, nor was she influenced by the color of her skin. Zora didn’t realize the difference in color until she left her hometown and went away for school, only then did it become noticeable. What ultimately gave her the insight was someone saying comments on how she was born from slavery, she would be the only one of color surrounded by whites, or one white in a crowd of people colored. The …show more content…
Wong said “Nancy Drew, my favorite book heroine, never spoke Chinese” (Wong 90). Her brother also wanted to fit into mainstream America. He often corrected his mother on her manner of speech and blamed his mistakes in the English language on her for her bad example. Elizabeth believed the Chinese language to be embarrassing due to it having no pattern nor beauty. After two years Elizabeth’s mother finally agreed to let her leave Chinese school. The people of Chinatown believed Wong would go far because she had a better understanding of American life. Even though she sees herself as multicultural and an American she is still judged based on
The memoir “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, was first published in 1928, and recounts the situation of racial discrimination and prejudice at the time in the United States. The author was born into an all-black community, but was later sent to a boarding school in Jacksonville, where she experienced “race” for the first time. Hurston not only informs the reader how she managed to stay true to herself and her race, but also inspires the reader to abandon any form of racism in their life. Especially by including Humor, Imagery, and Metaphors, the author makes her message very clear: Everyone is equal.
The more important in Zora Hurston's view is her personal identity. “At certain times I have no race, I am me." (14)
She had a younger brother named John (“Zora Neale Hurston”). Her sister, Sarah, was her father’s favorite child (Hurston 19). Zora’s oldest brother was up in Jacksonville in school and he arrived home after her mom’s death (Hurston 65). Hurston was the daughter of a 2 former slaves (Bio). “A little of my sugar used to sweeten his coffee right now.” That is a Negro way of saying his patience was short with me!” (Hurston 19). She grew up in an exclusively black community and gave her a unique background (Gates 425). She experienced racism early since the town was all one race (“Zora Neale
Zora Neal Hurston, an accomplished African American writer, philanthropist, scholar, and woman’s rights activist born January 7th 1891 and died in 1960. Zora is one of the founding mothers of literature in the African American renaissance. Zora’s writing is one of the most vivid writings’ of its time, her literary descriptions help the reader understand her perspective while giving the reader a “set stage” to envision each scene in the story. “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” dealt with a time period after slavery was abolished, but discrimination and segregation were still present in people’s minds. Through humor, anecdote and metaphor, Hurston addresses her personal experiences as a Negro in the 1900s.
Once her mother passed, she was “passed about like a bad penny.” Her father treated her like he didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Her father told her that she’d be hung for sure, since she was filled with passion and imagination. She felt as though once her daddy remarried the bond that they had been broken. Zora and her step mother Mattie Moge never got along with each other. They always exchange words and sometimes it would get intense to the point of them fighting. A few years later poor Zora would get tired of what she was going through. Zora worked her way up to the top, and later enrolled in school with a false birth date. Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist
Zora Neale Hurston, known as one of the most symbolic African American women during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930’s. Hurston was known as a non fiction writer, anthropologist and folklorist. Hurston’s literature has served as a big eye opener during the Harlem Renaissance, celebrating black dialect and their traditions. Most of her published stories “depict relationships among black residents in her native southern Florida, was largely unconcerned with racial injustices” (Bomarito 89). Hurston was unique when it came to her racial point of views, promoting white racism instead of black racism. Even though her works had been forgotten by the time of her death, now her literature has left a bigger impact to future literature
One of Hurston’s stories, How it Feels to Be Colored Me, reflects the author’s perspective of the colored race (specifically herself). According to the story, when Hurston reached the age of thirteen, she truly “became colored” (1040). The protagonist was raised in Eatonville, Florida, which was mainly inhabited by the colored race. She noted no difference between herself and the white community except that they never lived in her hometown. Nevertheless, upon leaving Eatonville, the protagonist began losing her identity as “Zora,” instead, she was recognized as only being “a little colored girl” (1041). Hurston’s nickname “Zora” represents her individuality and significance; whereas, the name “a little colored girl” was created by a white society to belittle her race and gender (1041).
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891 in Alabama. She is known to be one of the most influential novelist of the twentieth century in African America literature. Hurston is described to be a very opinionated woman that stood for what she believed in; which reflected in some of her works. In addition to her many titles such as, being an anthropologist and short story writer, she was closely related and heavily focused on the Harlem Renaissance. Zora Neale Hurston and her political opinions placed her at odds with important figures during that time which I wholeheartedly believe played a part in the undeniable attraction that most people have towards her works. Being that Hurston was such a unique writer, to understand the ethics and themes of her and how she contributed to African American literature comes with an understanding of the background and childhood she had.
Hurston prides herself on who she is because of her background. Her identity of being a black woman in a world
Zora Neale Hurston was a phenomenal woman. At the height of her success she was known as the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance.” She came to overcome obstacles that were placed in front of her. Hurston rose from poverty to fame and lost it all at the time of her death. Zora had an unusual life; she was a child that was forced to grow up to fast. But despite Zora Neale Hurston’s unsettled life, she managed to surmount every obstacle to become one of the most profound authors of the century.
2, pp. 358). When people reminded her that she is the granddaughter of slaves, it doesn’t sadden her. She acknowledges that slavery is a part of the past and “slavery is the price I paid for civilization” (Hurston, vol. 2, pp. 359). Zora now saw herself differently amongst a sea of white peoples; prior to now she was unaware of any differences. However, even feeling colored she finds herself; the negative doesn’t define her. She doesn’t see the difference she just sees the contrast of color. She notices a contract while at a jazz club with a white male nearby. She becomes consumed by the music from the band and in her head she is in the South African jungle doing a deer dance hunting for prey. The orchestra finishes the song and the white male sitting near only acknowledges it was good music. The song hadn’t touched him like it had her. He only heard the song that she could feel in her bones and that is when she notices the contrast between them. “He is so pale with his whiteness then and I am so colored” (Hurston, vol.2, pp. 359).
In Zora Neale Hurston’s essay “How It Feels To Be Colored Me”, her racial identity varies based on her location. Towards the beginning of her life when Zora was in her own community she could be a lighthearted, carefree spirit. However, when she was forced to leave her community, Zora’s identity became linked to her race. In this essay I will demonstrate how Zora’s blackness is both a sanctuary and completely worthless.
Elizabeth Wong puts pressure on herself at an early age to fit in the dominant culture. She wants to be the stereotypical All-American girl. Wong starts off describing the Chinese school her and her
Purpose- Hurston’s purpose is to demonstrate that she is proud of her color. She does not need the bragging rights of having Native American ancestry, nor does she ‘belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it.’
Reflecting back on my upbringing and the impact culture had on it was a disjointed journey. My growing up was insulated at times from other cultures and ethnicities, and heavily involved with other cultures at others. We went on missions trips as a family, served with my mom helping at risk kids in an after-school program she ran, and my dad even legally adopted my youngest brother’s best friend who was African American. I also attended heavily caucasian private schools from the time I got into Middle School until I graduated. Nevertheless, the significance of race and culture was never something I fully awoke to until after I got out of Middle School. One would think with all of my family’s interactions with different cultures there