How do the authors present accurately the eras they portray?
The authors of Dragonwings, (Laurence Yep) and Let the Circle Be Unbroken, (Mildred D. Taylor) accurately present the eras that are involved in the novels through providing a reasonable and relatable story. The authors use various techniques such as themes, character development, symbolism and supporting plot points to develop an enjoyable and understandable novel. Alongside these techniques, each author incorporates the time period that the novel revolves around with the story itself. They connect the character’s story, experience and feelings with the era that the character is living in, presenting the era accurately and making it more understandable to the readers.
Laurence Yep’s
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This era segregated the Chinese immigrants, in fear that they would dominant the work-force and take all the jobs. The “Company” is introduced and the readers can determine that they serve as protection, “watching each other’s backs” just like how they continuously protect Black Dog. Moon Shadow says, “During the next year, I learned that the company was more than a group of men wanting money. We were brothers; strangers in a strange land who had banded together for a mutual help and protection. There were arguments, of course, but they were always worked out.” (Yep pg.63) This shows that the time period that the characters were in and how people in similar situations where treated. They made bonds with each other and large groups in order to have some type of protection. They were oppressed and not treated fairly and were forced to find a way to live in such a manner. The author uses character develop and relationships to show the readers the type of era that America was in during the time, but most importantly from the perspective of the ones that it affected the most. Mildred D. Taylor’s novel Let the Circle Be Unbroken, is also a children’s historical novel but the setting is during a different era but with similar situation but shown in a different light. The Logan family are characters who are living during the 1930’s in Mississippi during the Great Depression. Race relations were at a rocky point during this time. Blacks and whites did not see eye to eye and the author expresses the overall tone of the era through the prejudice that the black community were faced with, especially in the
Immigrants during this time period came to America seeking wealth for their family they had brought with them, or to send back to their families in their homeland. Whichever case it was immigrants spent the majority of their time working in the factories in hope for a better life than the one they gave up in coming to America. However, upon arriving immigrants soon realized that the home they left behind was not all that different than their new one. Immigrants came seeking the types of jobs that would give them Liberty and independence, leaving them only to find themselves just a working part in a large factory dependent on machines, rather than their own skills.
The stories that the author told were very insightful to what life was like for an African American living in the south during this time period. First the author pointed out how differently blacks and whites lived. She stated “They owned the whole damn town. The majority of whites had it made in the shade. Living on easy street, they inhabited grand houses ranging from turn-of-the-century clapboards to historics”(pg 35). The blacks in the town didn’t live in these grand homes, they worked in them. Even in today’s time I can drive around, and look at the differences between the living conditions in the areas that are dominated by whites, and the areas that are dominated by blacks. Racial inequalities are still very prevalent In today’s society.
Consistent in literature throughout every era and culture, archetypes represent a recurring image, pattern, or motif mirroring a typical human experience. An idea developed by Carl Jung, archetypes in literature exist as representations reflecting vital perceptions of the human psyche expressing the manner in which individuals experience the world. Using Jung’s concept, writers of all epochs embeds archetypes in structures, characters, and images of their narratives. John Gardner, in his novel Grendel, integrates several of Jung’s archetypes into his epic tale derived from the early story Beowulf. Gardner associates Jung’s personas of the outcast, the shadow, and the mentor-pupil relationship through the identities of Grendel, the narrator of events, and the dragon.
Anne Moody's story is incredible. She overcame divorced parents, heavy poverty, deliberate murders of her family and friends by whites, and numerous death threats. I believe she succeeded in her effort to write a book with enough power for the reader to appreciate the evil of racism and intense inequality. For Miss Moody and other blacks, life was not much different from slavery, which ha...
Students today should be informed about the racials tensions and struggles that black people faced in the 1930s. To Kill A Mockingbird explains the difficulties of the racial divides of that time. In the book there were several different racial
For Anne Moody, what were some of the most difficult obstacles to black progress—both within and outside of the African-American community—in the Jim Crow South? What degree of success did she and others achieve in addressing those obstacles? What was her perspective on her own past and future, and on the past and future of her country, by the book’s end?
Often times, literature reflects the problems within a society. An author finds their character’s struggles and triumphs in the people of each era. Inspirations from real life events fuel not only great literature but also books that become remarkable social pieces. A perfect example is Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. This novel is reflective of the 1930’s era. In the story racism runs rampant through society with only a noble few trying to stop it. The racism that is apparent and a focal point for the novel is, although fiction, closely matched to that of a racist era in America. Racism represents fear of the unknown in many themes in the book as well as in the daily aspect of life.
...board table next to the nickelodeon...” (O'Connor 967), a “Jukebox” (Pickering fn.4, 967) which were popular in the nineteen fifties. Another example that lets the reader the know that the story takes place during the nineteen fifties is when the family sees a black child without any jeans on, and the grandmother says, “Little niggers in the country don't have things like we do” (O'Connor 965). The setting relates to the central idea because the story takes place in a time where society rejected religious and social value changes due to the lack of understanding and the unknown outcome of the changes.
The Civil Rights Movement marked a crucial moment in United States history. African Americans fought for their right to be treated equally and to put an end to discrimination and segregation. Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” features two girls of the opposite race and how their friendship was affected during this time period. The United States has come a long way since the days of slavery, but African Americans’ rights were still not being fully recognized. As a result of this the Civil Rights Movement developed to peacefully protest for equality. Toni Morrison’s short story, “Recitatif”, takes place during the Civil Rights era of the United States to show the reader how stereotyping, discrimination, and segregation affected two girls,
...brought with it discrimination of African American women, “They were targets of brutality, the butt of jokes and ridicule, and their womanhood was denied over and over. It was a struggle just to stay free, and an even greater struggle to define womanhood” (162). As the men fought the war the women who were now dependent upon themselves more than ever had to take on the role of the father. The Mammy figure now stood up for herself and would often times leave the white family, the family they left would often have feelings of remorse for their tremendous loss. Women were standing up for themselves and where now the maker of their own destiny, but with that still came the harsh reality that they would be still the most vulnerable group in antebellum America. Many single African American women were faced with poverty and had a really hard time dealing with the war and depending on themselves. Deborah Gray White’s view of slave women shows us that their role was truly unique, they faced the harsh reality that they were not only women or African American, they were both, so therefore their experience was one of a kind and they lived through it, triumphed, and finally won their freedom.
Work and racial consciousness are themes during the Civil Rights Movement that made Anne Moody’s autobiography a unique story. Her amazing story gave the reader a great deal of insight on what it was like to live in rural Mississippi in the middle of a Civil Rights Movement. As an African American woman, she also provided the reader on how her gender and race impacted her life. Coming to Age in Mississippi was an awe-inspiring autobiography of the life of Anne Moody, and provided a lot of information about the social and political aspects of what was going on during her life.
When a group of children known as the Little Rock Nine stepped onto the campus of Central High School of Arkansas on September 4th, 1957, they changed history forever. By being the first black students to attend a traditionally white high school, the nine students helped move America toward a more fair and constitutional attitude toward colored people. To Kill a Mockingbird was written during this time period and deals with many of the same cultural issues even though it’s story takes place a few decades earlier. If this were not the case and the novel’s characters had grown up during the same time as the Little Rock Nine, there is no doubt that Scout, Atticus, Bob Ewell, and many other characters would have had strong opinions about and may have even taken action for or against the Little Rock Nine or the Civil Rights movement as a whole.
Throughout all of history there is someone around to see it happen and give record of what they saw. “Coming of Age in Mississippi” written by Anne Moody is a first person autobiography set in Mississippi. Being an autobiography the story mainly follows Anne Moody growing up, showing her different ways of thinking as she grows older. From poverty filled childhood to becoming an activist within the Civil Rights Movement. The story feels authentic, adding a realistic perspective showing her struggles of living in Mississippi. She faces various obstacles which disillusion her in the fight for equality. Although the novel only gives one perspective the novel’s authenticity relies in the reality of raci...
Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi is a narrated autobiography depicting what it was like to grow up in the South as a poor African American female. Her autobiography takes us through her life journey beginning with her at the age of four all the way through to her adult years and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The book is divided into four periods: Childhood, High School, College and The Movement. Each of these periods represents the process by which she “came of age” with each stage and its experiences having an effect on her enlightenment. She illustrates how important the Civil Rights Movement was by detailing the economic, social, and racial injustices against African Americans she experienced.
The “Black Boy” book by Richard Wright explains both the evident and dangerous effects of racial discrimination in the Southern United States during 1920s. By reading this book, readers can clearly learn about horrible ways African Americans were treated by whites, how only limited employment and educational opportunities were available for them and Christianity role played in black’s life.