JoAnn Marshall - The Roles of Southern Women, Black and White, in Society

Once a child is brought into the picture a mother goes through what some may call one of the most precious stages, Motherhood. Mothers are the glue that bond everything together even when she feel like she may fall apart. Mothers are and should be highly praised for all that they undergo during motherhood. Examining all aspects of motherhood in the black culture helps to define the concepts of its symbolization, background, and relationships. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz factors out how it is always the dominant culture who has found it their duty to define the Black woman.

For example you have parents who are poor examples. Pauline a mother to one of the children doesn't even show the true her to her community. It states “ Pauline kept this order, this beauty, for herself, a private world, and never introduced it to her storefront or her children” (Morrison.143). Also “If Pecola would had announced her intention to live the life they did they would have not tried to dissuade..” . These two quotes show how the mothers barely even care for their daughters to acknowledge her beauty let alone their own.

The movie’s storyline is about a white woman (Bea) and her daughter (Jessie) gives the job of housekeeper to a black woman (Delilah) and provides her and her daughter (Peola) a place to live. The shows the differences of both girls growing up on the same house and because they have the same “skin color” they are treated as equal. This happens until the truth of Peola’s background comes to light. Peola started to feel embarrassed and discriminated because of her true identity and so decides to reject her mother completely. Bea and Jessie felt bad on how Peola treated Delilah but they couldn’t do anything to make Peola understand that she was doing wrong.

Role of Women in Indian Camp and Shiloh The women of "Indian Camp" experience a life much different from the woman in "Shiloh." Ernest Hemingway wrote "Indian Camp" giving the women a definite role in their families while Bobbi Ann Mason wrote "Shiloh" leaving the woman’s definite family role ambiguous. Because they are responsible for the birth of the babies, the Native American women of the preceding story are the nurturers as opposed to the men. The women accept their roles and partake in their duties without any protest. On the other hand, Norma Jean’s role is not as traditional compared to the other women’s since she and Leroy have no children, she basically lives alone, and she maintains a job.

When Dee finds out that her mama promise to give the quilts to her sister, Dee gets very angry and says that she deserves the quilts more than Maggie because Maggie would not take care of them like she would. Dee feels that she can value and treasure heritage more than her sister Maggie. Dee does what she wants, whenever she wants and she will not accept the word no for any answer. “She thinks her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that "no" is a word the world never learned to say to her.” Maggie is used to never getting anything. Throughout the entire story, it says that Maggie gives up many things so Dee can have what she needs or

She’s inspired so many people with her willingness and ambition to be successful. She encouraged black women to develop their own natural beauty and self-confidence and to love themselves. She wanted her people to pursue their dreams and to not limit themselves to what they can accomplish. She was America’s first black, self-made female millionaire, but always remembered she grew up in poverty. She was deprived of an education, so she built a school, she was born to former slaves so she spoke out for equal rights for black Americans and spoke out against discrimination.

Race-relations after the reconstruction era became worse, but it the issue grew outside of just race. Gender became a primary factor in determining the social hierarchies, especially in the south. In Grace Hale’s book titled Making whiteness she explores the roles of both black and white families within the south. Southern white women were able to not only reconstruct traditional race and gender roles, but they reinvigorated old southern ideology. White women were able to create their dynamics in the home, and that included the creation of the mammie.

As early as 10 years old, these ladies had worked for many white families all over southern states. They started off by just doing simple tasks such as answering doorbells and sweeping the yard. When they start to become older, they learn to become cooks and then eventually are suited to be a maid to white families in the south (History Matters). Firstly, an African American maid raised white children and had many chores while doing so. An experienced black maid quoted on “History Matters” refers to the amount of work she had to do by saying, “It’s “Mammy, do this, “or “Mammy, do that,” or “Mammy do the other,” from my mistress, all the time.” The maids were required to wash, dress, and feed the children more than three times a day.

Slaveholders would often rape and impregnate their slave women, and then never let the women care for their mixed children. Actions like this contribute to prostitution today, yet people still do not consider prostitution a form of slavery. These truths are tangible today due to African American authors Susie King Taylor and Kate Stone. Thankfully, white abolitionist women such as Ida B. Wells and Mary Chesnut were around to stand up for slaves and women.

The slave owners control the slaves' lives and destroy the traditional idea of motherhood and family. Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl deals with the issues of being a woman in slavery. The mothers throughout the narrative are powerless in keeping their children from harm. They watch as their children are hurt or sold and can't do anything about it. The mothers use everything in their power to protect their children and succeed in their motherly duty.