Mama Day Essay

It is impossible to interpret Gloria Naylor’s 1988 novel, Mama Day, in one way. There are multiple standpoints that a reader can take in explaining various events that occur throughout the book, as well as different ways that the characters in the book interpret these events. The author never fully clarifies many questions that the story generates so as to leave the readers with the opportunity to answer them based on their own personal experiences and beliefs. The multiplicity of perspectives in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day is embodied in the legend of Sapphira Wade and the dynamics between logic and the supernatural and between George and Cocoa.

The ecological system theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner views the child development as being in a system of connections affected by many levels of the surrounding environment (Berk,2006). This approach discussed by Berk (2006) starts with the inner most layer of this system being the microsystem. This system is made up of all the settings that personally interact and influence the child. Explained from Laser and Nicotera 2011) the immediate influences from the microsystem for an infant starts with the home and the interactions the child has with their parents or caregiver. This level in the system helps the child form social relationships that later in their life will take part in activities outside of the home. This type of involvement builds on the child’s physical skills (playing at the park, or out on recess) and cognitive abilities (involvement with preschool, schools and daycare). For Walter, many of

Baby suggs and Sethe are both the Mother figues in beloved and despite their suffering from slavery they both cared for their children greatly. Baby Suggs and Sethe connected through Motherhood to develop a close bond. They shared the love for their children a bond that all mothers can relate with. Sethe has four children that she loves very much but she could not deal with her past of sweet home. Sethe could not bare for that to happen to her children so she had to save them from the schoolteacher and slavery by trying to kill them. She kills one child whom is referred to as beloved for what is written on her tomb stone, but fails to kill howard buglar, and Denver. Sethe motherly natural instincts caused her

She is an important character that is viewed as a significant figure. Mama’s behavior through the plays shows that women could play the role of being a man. She conducts the house to her satisfaction. When Beneatha says, “There simply is no blasted God—there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!” (51). Mama reacts by slapping her across the face to show her that this is her house and that she is in control. Not only did Mama control her family’s actions in her house, but she also controlled any guests’ actions in her household. Mama was the controller of the house and the whole neighborhood knew about it. Mrs. Johnson even reminded herself of Mama’s control by saying to Mama, “Oh I always forgets you don’t know ‘low that word in your house” (101). Mama illuminates her status of being woman with not only her control but also her attitude and her dreams.

Pearl, the leading child in the novel, is an excellent example of childish innocence combined with almost preternatural perception. Her willpower and imagination make her a blessing and a curse to her mother, who

George and Ophelia, two characters in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day, have a complex yet intimate relationship. They meet in New York where they both live. Throughout their hardships, Ophelia and George stay together and eventually get married. Ophelia often picks fights with George to test his love for her, and time after time, he proves to her that he does love her. Gloria Naylor uses George as a Christ figure in his relationship with Ophelia to eventually save her life.

    One of the best ways to fully understand an era is to study its literature. The printed word has the incredible capacity to both reflect and shape the hopes, fears, and ideologies of the time. This is very evident when reading literature from 1960's America, a turbulent period in the history of our country. While the authors' styles are very different, there are definite thematic patterns and characteristics evident in many of their works. For one, there is a prevalent concept of the unenlightened masses. This concept serves as a foil for the enlightened few often represented as the main characters and more specifically as the authors themselves. There also

While urban life places great value on being self-reliant, the people of Willow Springs depend upon Mama Day and other forces to help them in their time of need. When Bernice falls sick after taking fertility pills, it is Mama Day who correctly diagnoses her problem and nurses her back to health. Although conventional medicine prescribed by Dr. Smithfield is used in severe cases, Mama Day's herbal mixtures are quite effective for most of the problems her "patients" encounter. Much of the effectiveness of her herbal remedies stem from her strong belief in their worth and from the willingness of her patients to believe in her and all that she represents. For example, Bernice is adamant in her belief that she will become pregnant if she visits the "other place" with Mama Day. Before taking her to the other place, however, Mama Day buys Bernice some time by giving her "magic" seeds and advising her to engage in daily rigorous chores. When Abigail questions Mama Day's use of pumpkin seeds, Mama Day replies:

Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day, through prefatory documents at the beginning of the novel, is able to further her rewrite of the African experience post-slavery. Naylor published Mama Day in 1988. During that year the term African American had been coined by Jesse Jackson. By using this term today we are able to honor our current place as American while also giving recognition and preserving our African Heritage Through the use of three prefatory documents Naylor is able to rewrite the historical African experience post-slavery.First through the use of the Day family tree to allude to the bible and the depiction of Sapphira Wade as a God-like person. Secondly through the use of the Bill of sale to demonstrate the relationship of slaves with

For my oral history project, I decided to interview my mother. I am pretty close with my mom, as we talk daily, and I am comfortable often to seek advice from her. A challenge that I faced was trying to find an appropriate date and time for the interview. My mom works six days a week, and I am often preoccupied with classes and school work. Another challenge was my mom’s hesitation with going into too much detail about her experiences. In addition, it was difficult to interview another family member such as a relative because I was not particularly close with my uncles or aunts, nor were any of them easy to contact due to variations in time zones. Furthermore, arguably one of my largest reason why I choose to interview my mom was because I never had taken the time or initiative to ask about my mom’s past. I had only knew of some general aspects, but never asked too much into detail. The oral history project was a perfect opportunity to dwell deeper into my family’s history and how they came to America.

Alison Bechdel’s memoir, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama, focuses on Alison and her relationship with her mother. Her relationship with her mother affects the way she relates to people, especially her mother. Bechdel begins this portrayal of Alison’s relationship with her mother on the cover of the book. The red, wood-like background of the cover of the book, is behind all of the other objects. This background is most likely a desk or table of some sort with several objects sitting on top of it. Firstly, I notice the mirror. Mirrors are typically seen as a symbol of self-indulgence and vainness. The mirror is golden and the title of the book, Are You My Mother? is placed in the mirror itself. Secondly, I see the red beaded necklace. The beads are not completely on the book cover. Beads, jewelry, and the color red are often seen as signs of affluence and richness. Next, I see the black and white picture. What appears to be two females are present in the picture. One is older than the other. The woman in the picture looks like she is sitting and appears to be smoking and reading some sort of book, magazine, or newspaper. There is a girl off to the left side of the woman in the picture, clasping her hands, smiling, and watching the woman from a distance. Finally, I notice the lipstick on the cover. The lipstick is in a white container with a gold band. I can clearly see that it is a red shade of lipstick. Again, red lipstick is usually seen worn on someone of importance.

character. Ophelia’s dependence on others is, sadly, what lead to her death. She could not

What can one say about their mother? One may talk about her positive and negative

At age three I said “I love you mommy.” At age seven I said, “Mom, stop kissing my cheek!” At age fifteen I say, “You’re so annoying – I can’t wait to move out!” At age eighteen, I’ll be saying “I miss home.” At age twenty-seven I’ll be saying “I miss my mom.” At age forty I’ll be saying “I miss you so much; I wish you didn’t have to go.” My mom is the sun to my shine.

I often wondered if my mother would have chosen to immigrate to the United States of America, after repatriating to Holland, to begin a new life from absolutely nothing but the clothes on our backs for the second time, if my parents had stayed together. Was it their divorce that inspired Mom to lead us on our path to prosperity? Eventually I understood that my Mom’s ultimate motivation was her vision of a brighter future for her family, regardless of her marital status. In Holland, Mom could not bare to watch her mother be the sole breadwinner and living off a Dutch government's subsidized income was equally unacceptable. Following Aasje’s death, Evie observed Oma, overcome with grief, lose her spirit, and she aspired for a better life