Anne Moody Coming Of Age Analysis

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Recommended: Anne Moody's coming of age in Mississippi

While living in a state with segregation, there also was a Jim Crow laws that were closely followed. Anne realized this was the case entering high school as she stated she entered high school with a new name, but also “a completely new insight into the life of Negroes in Mississippi.” (Moody,127). One prime example of where this comes from is the case of Emmett Till, the young black teenager who was lynched in Mississippi for reportedly whistling at a white woman (Hendrickson, 5 May 2017). This lynching that took place was one that highlighted the period that many were still living in. African Americans were being lynched without any fair trial to the crimes that the lynching mob claim are being committed. This caused many to live in fear for many became submissive to whites who instilled fear among the community. It can be argued that moments like this were a stepping stone to those who would begin to fight for the movement such as Anne Moody. Moody goes on to state, “I hated the white men who murdered Emmett Till and I hated all the others who were responsible for the countless murders […] But I also hated Negroes. I hated them for not standing up.” (Moody, 136). Moody …show more content…

From the blatant racism among every race to the differences between each generation, Moody makes it possible for us to gain a new perspective on the civil rights movement and its struggles. By understanding her childhood to her years in the movement, her life is one that can speak for what many young African Americans wanted those to know about why they fight for the movement and why it is something this nation could get behind. With this book, Anne Moody was able to teach generations about the darker years in American history and why we should pay attention to what she has to say about her life from earliest memories until her

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