The Street Brought The Story Of A Young Woman

Piri Thomas’s book Down These Mean Streets takes place in the mid-20th century it incorporates both the harshness of living in an unforgivable environment (Harlem) and the life style that is based on skin pigmentation (that of being a Dark Puerto Rican). Piri is a strong yet brash willed person who finds himself trying to do right but yet finds himself going down a different path. It’s able to break his life in to eatable segments that is easy for not only the reader to comprehend. This is presented in each chapter and sub-chapter enabling us (the reader) to understand the both the theme and the time era.

Missie May is a young black woman that will do anything for her husband. She often makes him food and gives him compliments such as, “Youse a pretty man” (211). When Otis Slemmons comes into town her first thought of him is that he is “puzzle gutted” (211). The situation is ironic because she ends up having an affair with Otis Slemmons, putting Joe in a bad predicament. Another reason why it is ironic because it would be unlikely that Missie would ever cheat on Joe, but the whole reason why she did it was to help her husband.

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

Society has always thought of racism as a war given to the lowly African American from the supposedly high class white man, but no one thought there would be prejudice within a hierarchical class system inside the black community. However within that class system, history has shown that darker colored women are at the deep trenches of the totem pole. In the novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” African American women are put under harm and control exposing the racism and sexism with their community. Through the life of Janie Crawford, Zora Neale Hurston portrays the concept of a woman finding her independence in a black, hierarchical, and racist society.

Initially Janie was raised in a impecunious African American household by her grandmother. She was taught from a young age that marriage equals love and that women depend on men for financial security. Janie wanted a love “sweet…lak when you sit under a pear tree” (29) but instead receives Logan, a man who wants her to “chop and tote wood” and calls her “spoilt rotten.” (31) Janie was stuck to succumb to these expectations when she was with Logan. However, Janie’s second marriage begins with a personal choice that Janie makes to leave Logan and follow Jody, a man whose plan was to build “a town all outa colored folks” and become a leader in the new city. Just the fact that she left her first husband was a very bold move, but the profound point is that Janie chooses to get together with another man. Janie expresses her true feelings and voice by leaving Logan and telling him that he “ain’t done [her] no favor by marryin’ [her.]” This displays that Janie’s views on marital expectations have took a turn and she will no longer be put under this illusion of a perfect woman during this time period. However this newly acquired confidence that Janie had gained

To engage a large audience, Staples appeals to readers with his use to two different points of views throughout the essay: societal views and black views. Staples tries to connect with the readers by giving examples of unconscious thoughts that run through the minds of most people when in the same situation as the “white women.” In his opening sentence, Staples calls the women a “victim.” In her own eyes, she herself was “victim” due to the influence of generalized stereotypes presented in our culture. She becomes quick to judge based on Staples appearance: his skin tone. Because of his color, his every action becomes nothing but threats and anxiety on the women. “She casted a back worried glance. To her, the youngish black- broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a

Through racist views Janie and her community were cast apart and alienated from society. They banded together as a united force, although strong, they were seen as less than equals to their white counterparts. Throughout the novel we see many examples of racism and it’s cruel remarks, however the most prevalent is found in Janie’s conversations with Mrs Turner. Through these conversations Mrs Turner informs the reader of her racist passions and thoughts of both black and white races. (Hurston, chp 16). In these remarks and racial slurs the reader is able to correlate the ideals of Mrs. Turner to the ones found in today’s society. We as a country are unfortunately built upon racism, and it is due to those beliefs of inferiority belonging to Mrs. Turner and others that our country is still so divided. However, with great love, we as Americans can fight for what’s right and take a stand like Janie did.

In telling the stories of people leaving their homes, families, and oppression for equality, freedom, and a better way of life, Wilkerson describes the frustrations that compelled people to flee, the decision making process, the impact on their relationships to family, friends, and community, the challenges they faced, and their achievements and development during their stay. Throughout these different elements and with the use of Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, George Swanson Starling and Robert Joseph Pershing Foster, all of whom migrate to different cities and across different decades, Wilkerson invokes the implications of race, gender, class, and politics. In Gladney’s case, the decision to flee from Mississippi was made by her sharecropper husband, whose cousin was severely beaten over false accusations. Starling, who experienced financial mobility working at a Detroit plant, was forced to return home to Florida due to the riots and mob. Additionally, Foster’s brilliance and qualifications begin to be acknowledged when a white woman publicly

The men’s word choice and tone when speaking to Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale comes across as demeaning and belittling. For example, when the men walk in on the women talking about Mrs. Wright’s quilt, the sheriff scoffs, “They wonder if she was going to quilt it or knot it!” (Glaspell 601). Although the men limit the women to the “trifles” of housework and childcare, they still continue to mock them for delighting in those few things they are allowed. By continuously ridiculing their character and intelligence, the men are creating an oppressive state for the women to live in. They abuse their roles in the lives of their wives and ultimately spoil the concept of a happy marriage, creating tension and conflict between the men and women of their

Anne Moody, a black activist in the twentieth century, wrote an autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, which illustrated how life was like growing up poor and black in the rural south. She wrote in details of her life living in the racist society and what it meant to be black in the South twentieth century. Readers were able to understand her personal thoughts as well as her memories of the fight growing up in the south and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Moody grew up with a poor family and faced many challenges throughout her life. Anne Moody’s life is representative of the black experience in the American twentieth century by experiencing racism, and unfair prejudice; but also being persistent in her life and with the struggle to defeat white oppression.

For the black residents of rural Mississippi, systemic racism was all too common in the 1940s and 1950s. Blacks were persecuted in all areas of life, including attacks to their economic and social security. Furthermore; direct attacks on southern African Americans fueled fear that would lead to the total division between blacks and whites in every aspect of life. The fear of deadly attacks and lynchings was used to directly intimidate southern blacks, who increasingly became domicile and subservient with the lack of opportunity and hope. It is in this climate that Anne Moody learned to break the status-quo that existed in poor rural Mississippi through sure willpower and hard work. The memoir demonstrates that Anne is consistently driven by

In the book, The Help, Hilly Holbrook, a resident of Jackson, Mississippi, is distinctly portrayed as the antagonist of the novel. Her power and wit sustain her hunger for control among not only the “help” of the city but the socialites and newcomers of Jackson as well. However, She uses her height on the social status in town as leverage for her many schemes. Among the Junior League, new citizens of Jackson, and the initiation of new ideas to promote segregation in areas such restrooms within the homes of white citizens with colored “help”, Hilly empowers many southern whites at the time of the civil rights movement. It is through the portrayal of a female figure that the idea of segregation is enforced not only by the authoritative male figures of this time, but the dominant woman that drive the

Claudia Rankine analyze racism to its core, bringing to surface that miniscule event are just as problematic as televised one. Her words are beautifully brutal, striking up emotions for anyone that reads it. As readers we are taken through a journey from past to present events of racial incidents experienced by different genders and ages. Above all, Claudia provides a strong indication that racism is far from over.

Racism, prejudice and stereotyping, as the main themes of the movie, control all the sub-stories that are somehow linked to each other. Moreover, as the stories go on and events develop, it becomes possible to see how characters start to have changes in their perspective and attitude towards each other, either in a good or a bad way. An incident which can demonstrate our thesis on racism and stereotyping and how it might change in just one moment which brings people closer could be shown as the conflict between the racist police officer and the African American woman who gets harassed by him, and whose life is saved by him on the next day. The first encounter of the woman and the officer resulted with the woman

Alice Walker’s historical novel Meridian proposes a complex story of intersectionality describing the unequal social power dynamics between Black women, White women, and Black men throughout the Civil Rights Movement caused by the overlapping combination of race, gender rather than standalone factors (Collins 2). The novel deals explicitly with the Women’s Liberation movement: a journey through which women of all races break free from internal domestic struggles, exemplified by Lynne and Meridian’s characters. At the same time, these women struggle to define themselves and the causes of their actions. I argue that by presenting and constructing three main characters-Lynne, Meridian and Truman who are struggling to define themselves against expected social roles, Alice Walker is demonstrating that women who participate in political movements for rights of oppressed groups experience greater struggles, sacrifices and social criticisms than men who have done so. Their struggles create a rebellious social dynamic in which women break free from their expected role. In this paper, I will prove her aims by analysis of characterization, the characters’ actions and their connotations in reference to their relationships with men.