The playwright utilizes household rules, perseverance, and her plant to show us how strong Mama’s beliefs are. Mama’s stinginess in respect to household rules was evident when she slapped Beneatha for denouncing God. Mama demonstrates strength in her beliefs by not allowing Beneatha to impugn God in her household. Despite everything she’s been through, Mama maintains her beliefs, showing perseverance. This is evident throughout her adult life; as her dream of providing a nice life for her family never panned out.
Summary The book “Mama Might Be Better off Dead” awakens a sickening reality of how the healthcare system in America fails to adequate support many impoverished and poor minority families of color. This book tells a story of an African American family called the Bane’s, who everyday life consist of pain and sorrow due to their socio-economic status. The Bane’s family consist of the father Robert Banes, his wife Jackie Banes, their son Demarest, their two daughters Latrice and Brianna, and Jackie’s grandmother Ms. Jackson. The Bane’s family reside on the Westside of Chicago in the North Lawndale area, the newest and poorest neighborhood in the city.
The book “Mama might be better off dead” was an eye opening story that brought awareness to readers on the downfalls and limitations of the health care system in America. Mama might be better off dead, talks about a poverty stricken African American family who lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods on the Westside of Chicago. The Banes family faces life threatening illnesses and issues that are causing them to question their position in the health care system. Jackie Banes a wife, mother, granddaughter, and the glue that kept her family together, shows in this book her level of strength, vulnerability, concern, hurt, love, and care throughout the entire story. The book also shun a light on the role reversal of the family dynamics in America.
Audrey Petty uses “Late Night Chitlins with Momma” to express her own close bond with her mother and how it shaped her identity; this is expressed through the narrative style, the diction and syntax, the use of food as a metaphor, and the short story’s structure. Narratively this piece does an incredible job of making the reader feel personally invested in the story. The way Audrey Petty does this is through a multitude of techniques. The point of view is a first person omnipotent, allowing for a closer read to the narrator themselves; the narrative flow is akin to being told the story verbally instead of the traditional 3rd person omnipotence.
Her tragedy reflects not only the sexism in the African American families in early 20th century, but also the uselessness
This week, the readings point the spotlight at the some of the depressing hardships that the African-American population frequently experience. In “Naughty by Nature”, Ann Ferguson covers the different perceptions that society has of colored boys. David Knight’s work “Don’t tell young black males that they are endangered” seeks to explain the differents outcomes of African-American youth that arise when society constantly oppresses them. The last article by Carla O’Connor, “The Culture of Black Femininity and School Success”, focuses on the image of African-American woman that is created as a result of them attempting to preserve in a system that opposes them.
In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the meaning of heritage is admired differently by a family of the same background. Dee who now has an education and understands her heritage feud with Mama and Maggie who appreciate their heritage. Although they all come from the same household, their differences get in the way when it comes to the most valuable items in the house; including the churn and dasher that Mama and Maggie still use daily, the handmade quilts made by Grandma Dee, and how Dee is blinded by the truth of her own heritage. Dee wants the churn and dasher for decoration purposes only stating “I can use the churn top as a centerpiece for the alcove table,” (Walker 272.)
Dee has always been ashamed of her African culture and family. Dee would prefer that her mother and sister look different and that her home would be nicer. Her mother always knew how Dee felt about her, “My daughter would want me to be a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an uncooked barley pancake. But that is a mistake” (par. 6). Dee has returned from college to visit her family, but with a different attitude.
“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker Literary genius is a term thrown around often in this day and time. Many might say that the literary world has been diluted. However, if there is one who deserves that title, it is Alice Walker. It is especially so for her piece, ‘Everyday Use’. The short story was first published in 1973 as part of the author’s short story compilation.
Immediacy is when you bring someone into direct and instant involvement or giving a rise to a sense of urgency or excitment. Basically when you bring a side charater, such as momma, and bring them into the direct spotlight focasing them for a short period of time. the example of immediacy in this excerpt is momma. They siblings bring her in the direct spotlight by stating that she issued orders to them, pushing her large feet into homemade slippers and walking across the floor to oil the lamp. Their is no sense of urgency or excitment in this excerpt.
There are many open wounds in the African-American community that have not healed what so ever. Disintegration of family structures in the African-American community has been a persistent problem for far too long. High out of wedlock birth rates, absent fathers, and the lack of a family support network for many young African-Americans have led to serious problems in America's urban areas. The persistence of serious social problems in inner-city areas has led to a tragic perpetuation of racial prejudice as well. African Americans still face a litany of problems in the 21st century today.
Alice Walker wrote what Mama said about Dee or Wangero, “Dee wanted nice things.” Mama describes Dee as a lavish person who is only interested in herself and her fulfilling’s. Dee had changed her name to show that she is not accepting that a “white person” named her ancestors in way, so it can be passed down. Walker describes Mama as someone who is satisfied with what they have. “I will wait for her in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy yesterday afternoon,” Walker demonstrates how Mama is pleased with nature where her life takes place in.
But yet they both sometimes don’t respect their mother. Mama is a gentle women, she always has to be honest with her children. Mama is not an educated women her school closed at the second grade. ” I never had an education myself” (Walker, 316, 13).
“Dear Mama” by Tupac is a tribute song to Tupac’s mother. The song depicts Tupac’s love for his mother and his gratitude for her work and mother ship throughout his childhood. She raised him from poverty, crack addiction, and many other circumstances brought on by the world that formed Tupac Shakur and Dear Mama. The reason I love this song because Tupac addressed his mother with brutal honesty, forgiving her for abandoning him and thanking her for raising him. “Even though you was a crack fiend, mama/ You always was a black queen, mama, “he rapped.
And, womanism here represented through Mama, calls for a critical relatedness to the heritage. The narrative articulates the shallowness of Dee’s
