Social Injustices In Cupcake Brown's A Piece Of Cake

Through the narration of Cupcake Brown’s childhood, A Piece of Cake emphasizes the importance of mental toughness and self-image and their influence on an individual’s ability to make ethical decisions. If my social environment is oppressive, is there any reason for living? Throughout the book, Cupcake poses this question to herself on several occasions. Throughout my reading of the story, I have come to realize the severity of the social injustices that tie into her traumatic life, causing her to have a degrading self-image. Before reading the novel, I had a limited understanding of the injustices that individuals face within the foster care system, the justice system, and generally in every aspect of their lives. There is a large array of

As a child, her perception of herself was very negative. She considered herself “a skinny little black girl” and she “hated [her] complexion”, “hated [her] hair”, and “hated [her] skinny legs and arms” (Brown 22, 2). While her mother and daddy would reassure and support her, I think it’s important to note how young her hatred for herself begins. As a small child, she learns from her school friends that she would not be “considered pretty unless she was light-skinned with long straight hair” (Brown 2). She consequently never understood the meaning of self-worth and never saw herself as

When surrounded by positive influences and role models, it becomes easy to have a laudatory view of yourself. She is showered with compliments such as, “Cup, you’re beautiful”, and “Cup, you have a beautiful smile” (Brown 409). This keeps her psychologically on track and dissuades pessimistic thoughts she might be having about herself. Ne-Yo’s 2008 hit single “Miss Independent'' contains an analogous illustration. Heis partner is currently struggling with her self-image, so he reminds her that “she walk like a boss, talk like a boss,” and that “she’s fly effortlessly” (Smith 0:44-0:54). He understands that she is having trouble with accepting her appearance, so he attempts to use his words to lift her spirits. The similarity between Ne-Yo’s partner and Cupcake is that they both have derogatory attitudes towards themselves, however, they both have people that they can rely on to comfort and exhilarate them. After receiving the compassionate words, both characters' self-images heightened allowing them to reach their true potentials. After Cupcake’s recuperation is complete, she is inspired to become an honour student and graduate with “the Judge Harold J. Haley Award for Exceptional Distinction in Scholarship, Character, and Activities” (Brown 460). The ability to make ethical decisions and prosper is made significantly easier when surrounded by individuals who have your best interests in