Social Realism was about bringing attention to the middle and lower classes all around the world. To try and open the eyes of those who were fortunate enough to never know what it truly meant to suffer. During the mid-1800’s two writer were trying to bring attention to some hardships happening all around the world and in doing so they were able to make a name for themselves in the literary society. Booker T. Washington was born a slave and worked beside his mother until he was nine years old. In his autobiography he speaks about his struggles as a young African American boy trying to make it in a “white person’s world.” Edith Wharton was subjected at a young age to how a woman should act in order to become the “perfect wife.” She was …show more content…
Washington’s autobiography From Up from Slavery brings to life the harsh realities African Americans faced daily until they got their freedom. Washington relives memories as he struggled to gain an education. Washington says, “The first thing I ever learned in the way of book knowledge was while working the salt-furnace… I soon learned to recognize that figure wherever I saw it, and after a while I got to the point where I could make that figure.” To me this is an amazing accomplishment for such a young person who has never been to school. Washington figured out on his own how to read and write a certain number because he saw the number every day. He had never written anything before in life including his name and yet thanks to working in a salt-furnace he learned the number eighteen. This was a milestone for him, he continued to prove he would never give up on his education. “My stepfather had discovered that I had a financial value, and so, when the school opened, he decided that he could spare me from my work” (Washington 686). Washington was so disappointed when he learned yet again he would not be able to attend school. He had come so close, only to be shut down again because he was only seen as a money maker, instead of a young boy needing an education. So he could make a difference in the world one day, to better help everyone not just his