Native Son By Richard Wright

Discuss how your investigation of the generic conventions of poetry has influenced your understanding of at least one poem that you have studied in this unit.

Mother Tongue is a story that describes how Amy Tan’s mother was treated unfairly because of her “broken English”. As the second generation of Chinese immigrants, Tan faces more problems than her peers do. Her mom, who speaks “limited” English, needs Tan to be her “translator” in order to communicate with the native English speakers. Tan has felt ashamed of her mother “broken” language at first. She then contemplates her background affected her life and her study. However, she changes her thought at the end since she realizes things behind language might be more valuable than language itself sometimes. Through the various different literary devices and rhetorical strategies such as the ethos, pathos, and logos appeals, as well as a

The poem “Mothers and Daughters” is written by Pat Mora. Pat Mora is a contemporary award winning writer, who writes for children, youngsters and adults. She was born in El Paso, TX in the year 1942. She attains a title of a Hispanic writer; however, the most of her poems are in English. In her literary work, one can observe the different aspects of the immigrants’ lives such as language issues, family relationships, immigrants’ experiences and cultural differences (1187).

Words and actions have a large impact on the way you work with the world around you, they have the ability to make you feel indescribable emotions in every way. The poem “Little Boy,” written by B.H. Fairchild begins as a young boy questions his father’s hurtful past, as the speaker demonstrates that he asked the questions as he would’ve asked if he ever saw “Dimaggio or Mantle,” and develops into an examination of a lifeless relationship between father and son. In the poem the little boy’s persistent focus on the father’s brutal past reveals a case of PTSD from his involvement in WWII, and how it affects the advancement of an already bad and unsteady and unchanging relationship of a father and son.

Growing up poor and African American, I quickly realized the disadvantages I was faced with. That becomes evident when I reflect on the lives of my childhood friend Jonathon and mine. We were both creative and smart young men, but got into a little trouble at school. At the age of 13 we built a go-kart using junk parts and anything we could find in the garbage dumpster. I always believed young minds like ours should have been nurtured and supported. But rather than help us or get a better understanding of why we’re not behaving in school, we were punished.

“[A] recent author and public figure…[Colin Powell, wrote a] book, My American Journey, [that] helped me harmonize my understanding of America’s history and my aspiration to serve her in uniform…Powell gave me another way to think about the American dilemma and, more than that, another way to think about my own life” (Moore 131-2). Author Wes Moore wrote the book The Other Wes Moore, both an autobiography and a biography about a man who shares his name and has a similar backstory, to demonstrate how people’s destinies are primarily influenced by the environment into which they are born. Examining stories including and similar to those of both Wes Moores, as well as reflecting on one’s own personal experience, can provide insight into

Education and economic justice were two forms of systemic inequalities that make inequality difficult to talk about. Education is a requirement if someone wishes to have a better life, but not everyone has access to quality education. In the U.S there has always been a battle, people of color have fought to be able to access quality education, (Philips, 2016: 130) they are constantly attending inferior and ineffective school where there are many distractions for students to be fully successful in the classrooms. Often these schools where children of color attend lack quality facilities, educational resources, and qualified teachers. Someone can’t help to notice that in general such unqualified schools are mostly in color people’s neighborhoods.

For generations African Americans have been disadvantaged in America and effects of these injustices have made a lasting impression. Education is one of the leading problems in the black community. Though there have many reforms in education over the years, racial injustices still exist because no attention in placed on how legislature affects people of color. I was raised in a middle-class family of educators. My entire life I’ve been told to “stay in school, get an education, and work hard so that you can beat the system.” Recognizing the structural forces in my life has helped me understand my place in society. Being able to “understand everyday life, not through personal circumstances but through the broader historical forces that

Jonathan Kozol, in the chapter entitled “Other People’s Children, discusses and justifies the kinds of limitations placed on children who must attend poorly funded, educationally inferior school. Kozol argues that children in the inner-city schools are not fit to go to college and that they should be trained in schools for the jobs they will eventually hold, even though these jobs are less prestigious, lowest-level jobs in society. Kozol’s argument is based on the fact that students from the inner-city or rather from the societies that do not have enough job opportunities are not supposed to learn much because their society cannot accommodate most of the courses that are often found in the urban settings. For example, there is a point where Kozol cites one of the businessman’s statement which says, ‘It doesn’t make sense to offer something that most of these urban kids will never use.’ The businessman continues to argue, ‘no one expects these ghetto kids to go to college. Most of them are lucky if they are literate. If we can teach some useful skills, get them to stay in school and graduate, and maybe into jobs, we’re giving them the most that they can hope for’ (Kozol 376). This statement clearly indicate that the society should accept the inequalities and exercise the same inequalities even in education.

“The Indian presence precipitated the formation of an American identity” (Axtell 992). Ostracized by numerous citizens of the United States today, this quote epitomizes Axtell’s beliefs of the Indians contributing to our society. Unfortunately, Native Americans’ roles in history are often categorized as insignificant or trivial, when in actuality the Indians contributed greatly to Colonial America, in ways the ordinary person would have never deliberated. James Axtell discusses these ways, as well as what Colonial America may have looked like without the Indians’ presence. Throughout his article, his thesis stands clear by his persistence of alteration the Native Americans had on our nation. James Axtell’s bias delightfully enhances his thesis, he provides a copious amount of evidence establishing how Native Americans contributed critically to the Colonial culture, and he considers America as exceptional – largely due to the Native Americans.

In the book Half Brother, by Kenneth Oppel, Ben Tomlin is a very thoughtful person because he is considerate, caring, friendly, and kindhearted. Ben Tomlin, the main character in the book, lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada with his mom, dad, and a chimpanzee, Zan. Some things about Ben is that he has curly hair, he likes to play Risk and pinball, and he does cross-country and photography. First of all, Ben is a thoughtful person because he is considerate of others, especially his friends and family. An example that proves this is can be found in Half Brother, by Kenneth Oppel on page 371, said by Ben. “I paused, because this part was hard to admit. ‘I didn’t love you at first, Zan. I thought you were weird, and I guess I was jealous, and sometimes I didn’t want you at all. But that didn’t last long. You were my little brother. I really felt that. That was never fake.’” This quote explains that even though Zan is a chimpanzee, Ben still loves him because he cares for him and wants what’s best for Zan, which is a family. Another time where Ben shows his thoughtfulness by being considerate of others is when he understands why Zan is being crazy. Even though Zan is fooling around and he can’t stop him, he is not mad at Zan because he knows that Zan is an animal after all, even though his family is raising him like a human. He knows that Zan is only having his temper tantrum and he knows that he can’t stop him because he is an animal, not a human. In Half Brother, by

Being middle to lower class is not ideal for anyone to experience. It always feels as though the government and its current state is blocking you with a wall (pun intended). I personally see Educating myself is a way to climb that wall, to break away from the standard of “your black and female you probably won’t go far in today's world”. For me, I see the cost of wanting to do something with my life. Your old friends start to look at you and think “what happened”, your family, unfortunately thinks that you are “acting white”. Well, I think that is total bull crap, but this striving to educate myself has put in a place that I don’t think that I want to be in. In the essay by Richard Rodriguez “The Achievement of Desire” talk about when he got older he realized that he had abandoned his culture to be educated and somehow fit in. He discusses Hoggart’s scholarship boy. In a few aspects I am this “scholarship boy” I tend to think that if it isn’t proven or not from a textbook that it isn’t worth learning. Rodriguez also said that he read a list of the top books in high school, but he never really understood them. Rodriguez also felt shamed by his parents because they didn’t speak English and they weren’t educated “The scholarship boy’s parents are poor and are educated as my own and as he says”He (the scholarship boy) cannot afford to admire his parents. He permits himself embarrassment at their lack of education.” (341) So in this essay i’m going to discuss why I think that I can relate the Hoggart’s the scholarship boy but also how we differ. Rodriguez’s interpretation of Hoggart’s scholarship boy is not the original idea but he took the main points and changed them to fit him. That’s why i’m more like Rodriguez’s scholarship boy than the original.

Throughout history, African Americans have gone through numerous experiences, both good and bad, that have shaped their community to show that they are more than just a race. Some periods in time such as the segregated South and the Vietnam War have shaped and changed the lives of many African American families. Black Boy, a memoir by Richard Wright, talks about his youth and experience in the segregated South. Bloods by Wallace Terry, on the other hand, showcases a collection of stories, events, and experiences of African Americans that have gone through the Vietnam War. Both of these periods in time are very different, but similar in small ways. African Americans who were enlisted and fought during the Vietnam War wanted to prove to others and themselves that they had a purpose and were worth more than what other people viewed them to be. They got drafted and fought for the US in hopes of showing people that they deserved the rights they were supposed to be given. On the other hand, African Americans during the segregated South were mainly used as construction workers and to aid soldiers. However, as the war continued, they were drafted to be soldiers to fight in the war. But in the segregated South, African Americans had to suffer through lack of equality and education. Both of these eras have impacted African Americans dearly and have shown what they have gone through in the past. However,

Recently, the performers at Rollins College put on the two-act comedy The Foreigner by Larry Shue, directed by Thomas Ouellette. This brilliantly crafted show touches on themes of racism, prejudice, and religious corruption in the American south during the 1900’s. Along with the well crafted storyline, every theatrical element seemed to blend together perfectly to create a strong harmony throughout the show. It is no wonder that “the comedy by Larry Shue became a staple at regional theaters after its initial two-year Off Broadway run”, considering how thought provoking yet down to earth it is. (Jacobson)

In an interview with African Americans who lived through the great depression, H.J. Williams recalls his education, “they’d teach us about agriculture… …But far as mechanical work and so on like that they wadn’t teaching nothing like that at that time” Racists believe that other races deserve less than their own. By learning only about agriculture, the African Americans would most of the time be underpaid farmers. The victims of racism will be given less chances to succeed and will almost certainly have to work harder to get anything. Another quote from H.J. Williams states “daddy wasn’t able to buy me school books and that’s when I dropped out of school. Didn’t go no further. I went as high as the 8th grade” The education system was made by white Americans for white Americans to succeed. African Americans were forced to drop out because the books cost too much, they cost too much because the parents of the African American children don’t make enough money, and they don’t make enough money because they got a poor education. It’s a loop, the victims of racism are being forced into poverty, and thus can’t contribute to the betterment of our community. The people who are victim to racism are going to have a much harder time completing college then a rich white kid. All those people who could’ve made revelations in medicine, industry or agriculture get passed by simply because of the color of their