How Stella Got Her Groove Back: An Analysis

During the 1900’s, society limited the rights of African Americans. Gwendolyn Brooks was a writer who experienced discrimination from the white population, and even African Americans who were fairer in complexion. She originally wrote about the oppression of African Americans, and their day-to-day struggles. Later on, she expanded her writings to include the struggles of African Americans everywhere. By the end of her life, she inspired thousands of young writers to write about things they’re passionate about. The impact Gwendolyn Brooks has on my life is incomparable to any other important figure I've studied. It's the steps that she took that made her a global leader and will impact my development as a global leader.

It took bravery and courage for John Howard Griffin to literally step into the shoes of not only another man’s life, but an entirely different race’s life. John Howard Griffin, a white middle-aged man with a wife and three children, put his entire life on hold to pursue the truth about racial indifferences. In 1962, Black Like Me won the Anisfield-Wolf Award (Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards). The Anisfield-Wolf Award is an award that honors American literary works that recognize racial and cultural differences. John Howard Griffin’s documentation of his personal experience crossing the color line is a story that will give perspective every man and woman regardless of the color of their skin.

Despite her criticism, Brooks deals with race relations objectively and implicitly recreates the black experience for her readers. Brooks shed the light on the African American story through writing. While she does not take a radical approach, such as young Amiri Baraka, in making demands, or use explicit terms such as “white supremacist”, Brooks, on her own platform, shows intellectuals and color-blind conservatives the horrors of being Black in America. Her main stream style of writing was able to reach people that marches, race riots, and church leaders could not (although, later she wrote

There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and

The reason I chose this book was because the title jumped up at me and my curiosity was aroused. I wanted to find out more about it. I was also drawn to the fact that the book was based on a true story. True stories interest me a lot and I instantly knew that I wanted to read this book. I also noticed that the book was a best seller and sold thousands of copies. As I read this book I’m glad that I choose it because it broadened my perspective on racism and the lengths that an individual is willing to go to in order to personally experience or understand a situation. This book has clearly

Lorraine Hansberry was the first Black woman to pen a Broadway play. In her writings, she wrote male characters, many of whom were male protagonists. Being the feminist that she was, many people saw Hansberry’s depiction of Black men in one of two ways; either as an unhappy retreat from her feminist concerns or as a negative representation of Black manhood. Throughout her career, in works such as “The Village Voice” and “Les Blancs” Hansberry’s wrote other male characters that showed a progressive, revolutionary movement towards a positive and withstanding view of Black masculinity.

At points though, he goes into too much depth. When at Howard University he did not need to go in as much depth as he did about meeting women. Although this did show that there was a wide range of diversity on campus, it was not necessary to get across his point of the endangerment or struggles of African Americans. Also, since the book was published in 2015, while an African American President was in office, he could have discussed more of the similarities and differences between his childhood and the present day racial

One such author, whose portrayal of the African-American woman as a heroine, thus stirring Wright's bitterest and deepest aversion and condemnation, is African-American female, Zora Neale Hurston. Like Wright, Hurston, also his contemporary, was a prolific artist, yet in a strikingly different style, and with drastically different thematic messages, she strayed from the tradition of bitterness and rage embraced by Wright.

In the short story “Drenched in Light” by Zora Neale Hurston, the author appeals to a broad audience by disguising ethnology and an underlying theme of gender, race, and oppression with an ambiguous tale of a young black girl and the appreciation she receives from white people. Often writing to a double audience, Hurston had a keen ability to appeal to white and black readers in a clever way. “[Hurston] knew her white folks well and performed her minstrel shows tongue in cheek” (Meisenhelder 2). Originally published in The Opportunity in 1924, “Drenched in Light” was Hurston’s first story to a national audience.

As a young child growing up in Eatonville, FL. Zora never really had to worry about her race, she was always confident in who she was, that’s was until she turned 13yrs old and moved to Jacksonville, FL for school, she encountered a obstacle she never had before, that obstacle was racism. Five years from now the story I will remember the most is Zora Neale Hurston’s “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” this story is such a stand out and really drew me in because of the conflict regarding race that she faces when reaching her teen years, and the connections from Zora’s life then, until my life on present day.

“How it feels to be colored me,” by Zora Neale Hurston deals with a personal narrative of a black woman dealing with her race and who she is as an individual. She’s an American folk writer, who influenced many future writers. (Rigolino) She was greatly influenced by

The works in the anthology focus on a major point in America’s history of equality based on race and ethnicity. Writers such as W.E.B Dubois and Wendy Ross focus on this issue. Each of their writings focus on the issue of inequality because of the color of their skin. Ross proves through her poem “If I Am Too Brown or Too White for You” that because she is brown she does not receive the same treatment and rights as she would if she had been born with lighter skin. This was a major issue in American history and it shaped the society that America is today. Works such as Dubois, Ross, Faulkner and many other writers during this time in American history are important today to help people today understand the things that people faced in history.

I enjoyed the female author Zara Neale Hurston. I found out a few things about this author born well over 100 years ago and she was black. She had an impressive resume for a black female brought up in the south. What I discovered while reading about her is the short story called “Sweat” that describes a working woman in relationship and the antagonist is her husband and his name is Sykes which is actually how you spell my name. The sad thing is Zara died penniless doing something she truly enjoyed and forty years after her death is when it’s been decided to publish her work. A critic mentioned that through her work you will discover a real “negro theater”. (Cole and Charles, Zora Neale Hurston, Project MUSE)

I wanted my stories to remind Bam of the best American writers, which to me were white. I did not want my stories to resemble Davis, Angelo, or Morrison. Since they wrote about the things I struggled with – beauty, skin color, self-perception, Bam suggested that I read them. She was confused as to why a black writer would not read black writers. I suppose that was the issue for me altogether. It is not that I did not want to read Hughes, Angelo, or Morrison. I enjoyed their stories and their talent and intelligence was undeniable. They captured the black experience, but I was insulted by the idea that I must read them. That it was my duty as a black woman to only study other black writers. Why were those authors somehow better for me than the classic ones? I thought that I was supposed to read to understand myself and not write to be understood. White writers did that all the time, but black writers did not seem to have that luxury. I believed that only reading black writers would pigeon-hole me. That I would somehow become the Al Sharpton of

Discrimination and racism is always an issue, but the hardship these women had to face and suffer is something that is still being discussed. Understanding the fear, struggle and hardship that women of color went through during this time period is very important. Both “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer and “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker discuss race and the struggle with trying to be accepted in society.