Shame Dick Gregory Analysis

A feeling that can be expressed even by young children is called, “Love”. In the provided short story that was given, the excerpt taken from the opening paragraph of Shame, Dick Gregory does this, through his use of stylistic elements such as Symbols, Insipid, and Hyperbole, Gregory reveals a facetious tone. The author shows his frivolous attempts at winning the light complexioned little girl, even though he was living in poverty and was a dark complexioned little boy. In the beginning in the opening paragraph, Gregory declares that he was just about seven years old, he was in love with the light-skinned little girl named Helen Tucker. Saying that he “went to school then mostly look at her.” (1). In addition, he talks about how she was

Focusing mostly on Insipid. He describes how the teacher never really paid much attention to the young boy and how she never bothered to call on him because all she saw was just a foolish child. For example, “The teacher thought I was stupid… Teachers were never interested in finding out that you couldn’t concentrate” The educator never gave the kid much thought, despite her being the one that would mold the younger generations mind. (2). Gregory writes out how the teacher shows a flippant tone, because the way she treats the young boy without respect, even though she is much older than him, she doesn’t act like a teacher, “I guess she couldn’t see a kid who made noises because he wanted someone to know he was there.” Gregory would do everything in his power to get even the slightest bit attention, even if he had to act Facetious. Adding bits and pieces of inappropriate humor here and there. But, then when it was time for the Community Chest, he wanted to impress Helen Tucker and hopefully a good majority of the kids that he could pay more, but the teacher didn’t bother to call on him so, “I stood up and raised my hand. “What is it now?” “You forgot me?” She turned toward the blackboard. “I don’t have time to be playing with you, Richard.” The way the teacher is acting is like she doesn’t have much respect for the kid, she was

Focusing mostly on visual appeal, he describes how he was “pregnant with poverty. Pregnant with dirt and pregnant with smells that made people turn away” Using Metonymy, he would over exaggerate and associate the heavy burden he is faced to carry like his hygiene, even if he smelled nice, people would make assumptions on his smell, because he wasn’t like them or his poverty that he can’t leave, he was born in that lifestyle. Like how a Mother has to carry a child for nine months, she can’t give up halfway and say she didn’t want the baby seven months in the pregnancy (2). In addition, “She always picked me to wash the black board on Friday, after school. That was a big thrill for me; it made me feel important.” In his mind, he assumes the teacher likes him because she would make him clean up, but in reality she was just making the dark skinned boy clean up so he would be useful. The blackboard is closely associated to “challenges” not everyone likes to clean up, the teacher as well, wasn’t a huge fan of it. Like when you’re being challenged or told to do something hard, you wouldn’t want to do it. That’s why the teacher makes the Richard clean the board instead of her. (4). Richard treats this issue in a very facetious matter, he may act like it’s an honor to do something kind for the teacher, but he treats it in a very over exaggerated way. “School might not function right” in his head he