Analysis of Alice Walker's short fictional story, "Nineteen Fifty-five"
Alice Walker's short fictional story, "Nineteen Fifty-five", revolves around the encounters among Gracie Mae Still, the narrator, and Traynor, the "Emperor of Rock and Roll." Traynor as a young prospective singer purchases a song from Mrs. Still, which becomes his "first hit record" and makes him rich and famous. Yet, he does not "even understand" the song and spends his entire life trying to figure out "what the song means." The song he sings seems as fictional as certain events in this story, but as historical as Traynor's based character, Elvis Presley.
On one hand, the narrator chronologically describes historic events, which occurred during Elvis's life. Starting in 1955 when Traynor, just like Elvis, at age sixteen, started his career as a singer. Moreover, the narrator describes Traynor similarly to the way Elvis looked as a young boy, "about five feet nine, sort of womanish looking, with real dark and white skin and a red pouting mouth" with "black and curly" hair. Also they both appeared to look "like a Loosianna creole" and from south Louisiana. In the south, equally to Traynor, Elvis grew up around African people where he "learned to sing and dance." One year later in 1956 Traynor, performs on "channel 5" and like Elvis starting getting high around this time "looking half asleep from the neck up, but kind of awake in a nasty way from the waist down." Furthermore, when Elvis performed he would do the same "nasty little jerk" Traynor did, which fans screeched and screamed over.
During 1957, the narrator points out that Traynor gave her a Cadillac in appreciation for selling him her song. Elvis did not give a Cadillac specifically t...
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...e copied it "exactly" like he copied "someone else's record" he still did not have "a clue what marriage meant."
The narrator later points out that there "couldn't be nothing worse than being famous the world over for something you don't even understand." Indeed, when on the Carson show Traynor says to Mrs. Still that his fans been squealing for yrs and they don't know what they squealing about, which made "no more sense than hogs." At the show, after the real person behind the song, Mrs. Still sang, the audience clapped "politely for about two seconds." Then once Traynor sand the "imitation" of the song the fans went wild and starting squealing. The fans seem to only cheer for something that is fake, just like when they "was crying and crying and didn't even know what they was crying for." Thus, explains why "one day this is going to be a pitiful country."
Presley grew up in an era where racism was strong; his music brought all races together. His music had Caucasians singing black R&B despite the racism. Teenage girls all over the world would go hysterical over Elvis and his crude moves. Elvis received one of his nicknames “Elvis the Pelvis” with his sexual moves that could not be recorded on television. 1955 and 1956 was when Presley exploded in his musical careers with his single “Heartbreak Hotel” which sold over one million copies. As I listened to this single that sold so many copies I can hear the different genres and the way his voice was so different compared to other artist in this era. The main instrument being played in this single is a guitar. There is actually a hotel named after Elvis’s first hit single. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. Unfortunately, the hit song was inspired behind a suicide note that one of Pre...
Like Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” In the 1950’s the South was heavily racially segregated. Elvis Presley unintentionally put himself in the position to become a valuable instrument in the battle against segregation. “Without casting himself as a fighter for racial equality, Elvis became a subversive standard bearer for cultural desegregation at a time when the codified racism of the South was under increasing pressure.” How did an uneducated white hillbilly from the south influence both black and white teenagers against segregation? It was quite simple, for Elvis Presley had a unique talent of combining traditional black music; such as the blues and jazz, with the traditional white music; like country and white gospel. This unique style of blending different types of music, gave Elvis the edge on the musical racial barriers America was facing; and open the path for both sides to enjoy the music together and therefore desegregated.
On January 19, 1946, the delightful and astonishing Dolly Parton was born out of 12 relations. She was recognized as “The Queen of Country Music”. Her professions transpired as an actress, songwriter, singer, and musician. In addition, on January 8, 1935, the esteemed Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He fell from pure humble beginning to distinguished as “The King of Rock-n-Roll”. His professions transpired as a film, actor, and singer. In other words, they both explored together in the 60’s and recorded limited songs however they’ve never seen each other again.
It is also shown that in the story Traynor attempts to be around Gracie Mae a lot suggesting that he may have abandonment issues due to the fact his family is never seen. The reader learns nothing of his mother or father and the deacon that is seen at the beginning of the story does not appear anymore after that encounter in Gracie Mae’s home. This could be compared to the modern day artist Marshall Matthers or better known by his stage name Eminem. Eminem’s life has not been a smooth one due to where he grew up and the constant struggles his mom and not having a father in his life. The movie “8 miles” is a reference in which fans got to see the struggles of living in Detroit that Em...
Throughout Elvis’s childhood and into his teenage years, the Presley family struggled to get by, but they never left their strong Christian faith. Elvis was inspired by gospel music and loved singing in church. When he was ten years old, he sang on stage for the first time at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo and received a standing ovation. A few months later for his eleventh birthday, Elvis’s mom bought him a gift that would forever change history (www.history.com). It was a guitar that she purchased from the Tupelo Hardware Store for $6.95 because it was all that they could afford. Two years later, in search of a better life, the Presley family packed up everything they owned and moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis attended L.C. Humes High School and graduated on June 3, 1953. That summer, he stopped by The Memphis Recording Service and recorded a demo for $4 as a gift for his mom. The owner was pleased with Elvis and wanted him to team up with two local musicians, Scotty Moore and
In the 1950’s, segregation was a popular lifestyle within the United States. Segregation was the separation between the blacks and whites. Most black people were discriminated against just by the color of their skin, but with the help of Elvis Presley’s music he helped break those barriers between the white and black communities. Presley exposed the new generation of white Americans to the culture of African Americans. Demonstrating in which the ways they were treated and especially the difference in the style of music they listen to. African American music was how they communicated which each other because only the blacks could understand the meaning behind each melody sung. With this, Elvis Presley made an entirely new generation with his music and pelvic thrusting dance moves. Presley was considered one of the most significant figures of Rock and roll changing the entertainment industry completely, making Elvis Presley the American Dream.
The history of the twentieth century would not be complete without mentioning the impeccable influence of one of the best and biggest singers of all time. But before he started making his indelible mark in the sands of time, he started out from very humble beginnings, under the care of his loving, working class parents. Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Although, Presley was supposed to be a twin, his supposed twin brother, Jesse Garon, sometimes spelled Jessie was stillborn. Elvis Aaron Presley was an incredible American Singer, Musician and Actor with inspirational quotes such as this “Fingerprints are like values; you leave them all over everything you do.”
In the poem “Alice” by Shel Silverstein, many interpretations can be made about how to be different than other people. To begin the author uses a hyperbole, when he states “and she grew so tall\ down she shrank so small” (Silverstein 2.) The author might have used these to give a sense of risk-taking in the text to show that she actually was gargantuan after she drank the drink called drink me, then shrank down after she ate from the plate called taste me. And at the end of the poem, Shel wrote “ and so she changed, while other folks tried nothin’ at all” (Silverstein 5-6.) This could be implied to our theme; Do lots in your life and take lots of risks, because it's better to do something than nothing at all.
Eudora Welty, author of “A Worn Path”, and Alice Walker, author of “Everyday Use”, these two wonderful women wrote amazing stories about African American women. The stories; “A Worn Path” and “Everyday Use”, both share some similar values, however they also have a couple of differences. The stories include similar main characters who are African American and lived at the time where African Americans were treated differently from Americans. The differences of the two stories are the setting and theme. One of the stories setting takes place mostly outdoors while the other takes place in a home. On the other hand, the theme of one story is about love while the other is about heritage.
Elvis Presley was a well-known man and loved by many people. Based on http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/04/11/elvis-presley-teens-consumer-culture/Elvis Just like Muddy Waters, Presley timing was perfect as well. He came into and era (1950s) where the devastations of the great depression and world wars were over. People were now starting to have some freedom and enjoy the thing they loved which was listening to music and living life to the fullest. The social change that the 50s brought reflected music significantly, and Elvis Presley arose.. Kids were now starting to rebel against their parents and they had a lot of extra money to spend on records because of prosperity. During the Wars, money was limited and kids and adults had to work extra hard and save for survival purposes, but once the war-ended money could be used for pleasure reasons rather than just for survival. In addition, in the 50s our country had it’s own war, and I’m not talking about the World Wars, but yet human inequality. The civil rights movement was one of the biggest social changes in history and was a time where a lot of great artist prevailed and made songs on the issue. Elvis Presley showed just how social changes could influence or reflect the history of rock “n” roll. Presley started a culture, his hairstyle, the way he dressed all became part of the youth around the country. As I said our country was fighting its own war with segregation, Elvis music help bring people together. His music not on appealed white crowds, but black crowds listened to him as well. He brought people together through music, and proved to the world that he could be successful. He was one of the artist that mastered crossover, bringing every color to liking his music. Based on Larson fourth edition pg 38, it says that his record sales boomed, and then rock “n”
“I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man-working hands” Mama describes of herself in the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. Mama, who additionally takes the role of narrator, is a lady who comes from a wealth of heritage and tough roots. She is never vain, never boastful and most certainly never selfish. She speaks only of her two daughters who she cares deeply for. She analyzes the way she has raised them and how much she has cared too much or too little for them, yet most of all how much they value their family. Mama never speaks of herself, other than one paragraph where she describes what she does. “My fat keeps me hot in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing” (Walker, 60). She does not need to tell readers who she is, for her descriptions of what she does and how her family interacts, denotes all the reader needs to know. Although Mama narrates this story rather bleakly, she gives readers a sense of love and sense of her inner strength to continue heritage through “Everyday Use”.
In “Everyday Use”, the line between worth and value may tear two sisters apart. First, each character symbolizes something they are going through. Second, Dee does not understand the purpose of items passed down. Lastly, an argument breaks out about the quilts. Dee makes a visit to Mama and Maggie for many reasons.
“But Truman did not want a general beside him. He did not want a woman who tried… to claim her own life” (Walker, 112). Alice Walker’s Meridian is a modernist critique of gender in American society during the 1960s and 1970s. Walker uses third person point of view with an emphasis on the thoughts and feelings of Meridian to tell her story. The reader is able to characterize Eddie and Truman through the lens of Meridian’s beliefs and ideas about men, women, and sex. Eddie and Truman appear to the reader as archetypal misogynistic men, who use women for their personal pleasure and gain. The characterization of these integral men in Meridian’s life reflect the struggle to overcome the restrictive ideals for women imposed by the climate of sexual
Bryan Giemza, Director of the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and presenter of the 2014 Flannery O’Connor Lecture at Emory University, observes, “It’s no secret that the “three R’s” defining the South’s sense of difference … [are] race, rurality, and religion” (133). Although rurality and religion are present in Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” the short stories have more to say about race than the other two topics. The two authors write about race from different perspectives; Walker does so as a Black woman, while O’Connor is White. The perspectives, however, comport well with one another. Together these stories present a picture
The Contrast of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker After reading the four essays assigned to this sequence, it becomes interesting to contrast two author's points of view on the same subject. Reading one professional writer's rewriting of a portion of another professional writer's essay brings out many of each of their characteristics and views. Also, the difference in writing styles could be drastic, or slight. Nevertheless, the writers display how versatile the English language can be.