Essays on Mama

It is always difficult to watch movies about impaired people, let alone see them in real life. However, it is the real life that we must accept. Cinema is an excellent field and sphere to analyze the potential symptoms of characters playing the role of an impaired man or woman. Forrest Gump is an excellent example of the director’s and actor’s mastery at showing the people what a real psychopathology is. Watching Forrest Gump one always thinks of the protagonist as mentally retarded (or rather suffering from mental retardation - a congenital form of an intellectual disability ...

1. Identify a textual moment

Page 1294, Act 1, scene 1)

2. Three words to pluck out

Clowns Running 3. To Ruth, at that moment;

Crazy- someone who is unreasonable

Clowns: foolish people Running: talking too much 4. Fill in the blank with a word or concept of your choice

The characters philosophy of maturity FRAMES his/her perception of the textual moment

5. Determine the anchor that holds the fixed structure together. The God factor in these words is maturity. Ruth believes that Walter should be old and mature enough to know that their child should be going to bed early instead of holding conversations in the boy's bedroom and letting him sleep late. He refers to them as clowns because he ...

Questions and Answers Based on Hansberry’s, A Raisin in the Sun.

Walter enquired about Ruth because he could see that she was looking fatigued. It is arguable that his concern towards her was fueled by the knowledge of her physiological situation. The fact that Ruth was pregnant means that her new physiological state might have contributed to the concern expressed by Walther in enquiring about her condition.

Why is Ruth upset when Walter gives Travis the money?

There are to plausible reasons as to why Ruth is angry at the decision of Walter to give some money to Travis. Firstly, Walter’s actions are irresponsible given the financial situation in the household. They did not have surplus from which they ...

Lorraine Hansberry's play is one of the most famous literary works of the late 50s, which raises the issues of racism, racial discrimination, and cultural identity of African Americans. The author touches on the social problems of the postwar period, and most of these problems relates to the African-American cultural heritage. Hansberry describes the life of an ordinary African American family living in the south of Chicago. The family members' relationship and the response to the opportunity to achieve something more reveals the basis of the plot and the perspectives of the play. The play's problematics affect mainly the ...

Many Americans tend today to believe that a realist drama A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry is a brilliant example that clearly opens up and brings to public such important themes as economic hardship and racial prejudice. The author did perfectly her job, as she portrayed not only how important the family is, but also send the message to society that every individual should value and reach the set goals in life, despite racial discrimination, troubles, and obstacles on his way. First and foremost, a united family is the most precious thing that every individual may ...

Abstract

“Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry is about the Youngers an African American family living on Chicago’s Southside. The various members of the family try to accomplish their dreams while dealing with issues of self, racism and poverty. Prior to the events of the play the father has died as a result of the backbreaking labor he had done all his life. As the family waits for the 10,000 insurance payout, each member of the family has their dream of how the money would benefit them.

Thesis

Each member of the Younger family has a specific dream. ...

“Like Water for Chocolate” is a drama and a romance about the lives of women in Mexico The following quote is from chapter six titled “A Recipe for Making Match and it describes the way Mexican women thought about love, about passion and about life in general and everything was connecting with cooking. “My grandmother had a very interesting theory; she said that each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves; just as in the experiment, we need oxygen and a candle to help. In this ...

Published in 1889, Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate is set in revolutionary Mexico of the early twentieth century. At that time, society and the family institution exercised an authoritative and oppressive control on women’s activities and expression; in fact, such control had existed since colonial times, Up until recent times, women had been playing a subservient role from which even in the twenty-first century they are still struggling to break themselves free. Not only were women denied participation in society and politics as individuals with their own voice and identity, but they were mostly confined to ...

18th Century Neoclassical Art

Neoclassicism began in the second half of the eighteenth century Europe. This era became known for the rise in the influence of classical antiquity. This can be reflected in the simple yet exquisite designs of the art works produced during this century. The neoclassical century also paved the way of reviving the art styles of the artists of the past. In the neoclassical period, two of the most prominent artists were Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. One of the works of the Jean-Baptiste was an oil painting entitled “Broken Eggs”. This painting was exhibited in the Paris Salon, ...

Marquez’ worldwide reputation of a prolific and outstanding author is undeniable. His international recognition reached its peak in 1982 when he got the Nobel Prize in Literature. Because of the poverty of Colombia, Marquez experienced and witnessed economic and social inequity that was one of the most dramatic on the Latin American continent. Marquez employs national history to produce plots that surprise readers because of the writer’s ability to combine techniques of the fantastic and realism. To be more exact, Marquez was the master of a style, which is known as magic realism. It helped the author to ...

The inventive mechanism which complements the imagination and the will is what the Capricho refers to his artworks. They have irrational unsystematic and psychological and most important are not bound to the rules of art. Nonetheless, there is detrimental impulse that produces defective results. Capricho dictates that the defective natures of his arts are a mental form created by illusion. Both the idea and the image are independent as a result of sense perception and intellect. It is the motivating concepts that refer to artistic principles of design. Capricho also stimulates erraticism in his works of art. For instance, ...

Because Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun takes its title from Langston Hughes’ poem about the dangers of deferring dreams due to racism, many people assume that the primary theme of the play is the corrosive effects of racism on the souls of African Americans. Indeed, this play is about a family of African American extraction who runs into racism as they try to move from the inner city projects of Chicago to the suburb of Clyborn Park. However, there are other themes at work in the play as well, such as the ins and outs ...

Loraine Hansberry’s iconic play A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of the beleaguered Younger family, who face racism and interpersonal strife in their life on Chicago’s south side. Given the title’s status as a line from a Langston Hughes play, “A Dream Deferred,” A Raisin in the Sun is itself about dreams, and the ways in which they are denied to people of color in America. The dreams of Walter, Benethea and Mama Younger are ‘deferred’ in this way throughout the play, showcasing the unique struggle that black families have to get ahead in ...

Introduction

This novel revolves around kitchen, and its contextual interpretation is in the Mexican society. The recipe was a major element to the Mexican kitchen, and it signified the life endeavors in this society. The thesis of this essay is a discussion on various attributes of the Mexican kitchen through the ailing Mama Elena, her three daughters and the surrounding love inferno between Tita and Pedro in the contextual ranch setup. 1. What was the general interpretation of this novel, and what impacts did it have? ( what conversations did it start or what understanding did the book generally bring to ...

The Name of the School

My Life as a Slave My name is Elijah Johnson and I was born a slave. I say I was born a slave because that was what became my identity for the first fifteen years of my life. It did not matter that I was a boy, a child, a brother or a son. I was looked upon as a slave and treated like one all through my formative years. I was born in the year 1850, on the 23rd of October. I know because like every other child born on the plantation my birth was recorded too. Even ...

Introduction

The early childhood education is more important than most of us can imagine. Teaching children can become very complicated and render a teacher to be clueless if the materials, teaching methods are not well-prepared, proven too complicated or not delivered well articulately, enthusiastically or professionally. In this report, I will describe three groups of peer teaching and the pupils in an observation I did about the Practices in Early Childhood Music Education. The purpose of this report is to reflect on the peer teaching strategies and class environment in relation to what was learned during the Teaching Methods class. ...

1.What do you know about the mother of the story? The mother in the story is a hard working woman who does not care much for her appearance and someone who loves both her daughters dearly.Considering the fact that she seems to do all the household work, including that which is traditionally relegated to a man, it also appears that she is single. “In real life I am a large, big.boned woman with rough, man.working hands (Walker par 5).” 2. When we have a first-person narrator, we have to decide if she is reliable or unreliable. Do you trust ...

Why I Live at the P.O. is a short story written by Eudora Welty and the protagonist is a young woman who is called Sister throughout the story. Sister is the narrator of the story and it is told from the first-person perspective. Her character is presented both directly and indirectly. It is revealed directly through her actions and her lines and indirectly through the attitude her family has towards her. There was a balance between direct and indirect representation. The motivation of the characters is seen through their actions and their attitude towards each other. It is clear ...

Introduction

Family relationships are usually characterized with strong biological relationships. Sonny’s Blue story one of the family stories that exposes readers to an encounter between family members with different characters, values and experiences yet are tied with strong biological relationships. This paper provides an analysis of how the narrator’s values and experiences shape the story and how the story would have been told in the perspective of Sonny, one of the characters.

Sonny Blue’s story is told from a narrator’ point of view; he is Sonny’s elder brother, although throughout the story, his name is not ...

A short story “Everyday Use” was written by an outstanding American poetess, writer, political activist and a feminist Alice Walker. The writer pays close attention to the problem of deracination and national identity of people. The short story under consideration is dedicated to the idea of national heritage, its meaning, and a changing idea about its value. It has to be noted that nowadays, in the era of multiculturalism, people do not pay such a close attention to their cultural identity and do not try to make other people accept it, because they are respectful of one’s uniqueness, ...

Honor without sincerity in any circumstance is evident in the behavior and choices that are made by the individual who claims to have admiration and value. In the story “Everyday Use” by well-known African American author Alice Walker; evidence of insincere honor is displayed by one of the characters of the story. Dee, one of the sister’s in the story shows the lack of honor through her skewed sense of pride in the family heritage she has run from. The purpose of the following essay provides evidence of honoring one’s origin with sincerity as being more important ...

Introduction

Mama, as the people around commonly call her is an elderly person in her mid seventies. I met her at an elderly home where she frequently visits to chat and pass time with her fellow age mates as they share memories. At the home, they also get some medical checkups and treatment and receive counseling where necessary. I was quite interested in knowing more about her and how she has managed it through the years. In my inclusive interview with mama, I sought to find out more about her youthful life and how it felt when she ...

The plight of the African American woman is a subject of critical concern in the modern world. In practice, the African American woman faces diverse challenges in the dynamic and complex information society. Key to note, the changes coming in because of world paradigm shifts and developments have continued to redefine and shape the position of women in the society. Developments such as industrialization, globalization, and urbanization have brought unique challenges to the modern family set-up. Precisely, the rising cost of living among other economic factors continues to redefine the role of the women. Practically, women are increasingly adopting the ...

Character analysis of Lena Younger (Mama)

Introduction The character of Lena Younger in the drama A Raisin in the Sun in the year 1959 won the awarded of the New York Drama Critics Circle to be the best character that portrays the most Interesting and one of most important visions of women. The character of Lena Younger evolved from the images of female protagonists in Hansberry’s plays. This character was created to portray a female character during the 1950s that evolved from the African and White American plays that confirmed the standards of American stage prior to 1950. During that period the character of ...

The story of Alice Walker, entitled “Everyday Use”, was published in 1973, to focus on the tradition of quilting in African American women, which was prevalent for a long time (Whitsitt 443). The quilt has become a cultural artefact for the African Americans, making it a “symbol of gossipy women’s sewing circles” (Whitsitt 143), which was evident back in the 1960s. It also became the “central metaphor of American cultural identity” (Showalter 215). In the short story of Alice Walker, the quilt represents a creative legacy that they come to inherit from their maternal ancestors, who for them carry the centermost value ...

Feminist accused the male dominated society of the subjugation of the rights of women. The history of the human race is marred with the oppression of the female gender. The injustice perpetrated by women can be attributed to the ideologies taught in mainstream religions that women are responsible for the fall of the human race and the current evil that has salvaged the society for centuries. Nevertheless, communities and ethnicities that do not subscribe to the mainstream religions undermine women in the society. Towards the late twentieth century, feminist’s movement arose as a result of the skyrocketing of the ...

“A Raisin in the Sun” is a highly acclaimed play by Lorraine Hansberry. Hansberry has portrayed the life of an African American family in a realistic manner. The portrayal of characters is something that attracts readers and also gives a glimpse of African Americans life in the mid twenties. This paper analyzes the character of Walter Lee, and also talks about different facets of the character. Walter Lee is the most popular character of the play that has been portrayed as a masculine, caring, ill decisive and confused man. Walter Lee is not satisfied with his current life style and stature in ...

[Institution’s Name]

Thesis Statement

Is there a relationship among lack of Communication among the family of Mama Blanca and Creation of Problem for Them? Introduction In Memoirs of Mama Blanca, we can see the lack of communication the family between the families of the center of the story. Mama Blanca's family is regarded as an old patriarchal and authoritarian family, including a long father. In addition, the mother is present in her own "world" did not notice her daughter's life a reality. Miscommunication led to many children. "Rebellious" behavior, such as word about the children see their parents, mothers talk to ...

The debut book by Laura Esquivel under the name "Like Water for Chocolate" was published first in 1989 and met an unexpected success among the readers and the critics. The success was so big that in 1992 Alfonso Arau, a talented Mexican director, has shot a movie under the same name based on this book. The movie was also a success and brought much fame to a director and the actors making it one of the most recognized non-American films in Hollywood. Moreover, the book itself and the popularity of it made the world publishers reconsider their cooperation with female writers and started ...

In the short story, "Everyday Use", the author Alice Walker makes use of daily objects, that are are portrayed in the story with particular detail, and the response of the key characters to these objects, to contrast the simple and practical with the stylish and faddish. The main individuals in this story, Dee and Maggie on one side and Mama on the other. Each have contrasting views on the worth and rate of a variety of points in their existence. The author makes use of this clash to make the point that the matter of an item, and that of ...

‘Instructor’s Name’

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Written in the year 1959, ‘A raisin in the sun’ by Lorraine Hansberry, premiered during the early stages of the Civil Right movement. Hansberry had experienced discrimination in her life, when her father moved their home outside the Chicago ghetto, and had to file a lawsuit to have his house protected. Influenced by these events, she wrote this play which talks about a poor Black family, and the financial and racial obstacles experienced by them. The play won the Best American Play award given by the New York Drama Critics Circle, ...

“A Raisin in the Sun” is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry. It tells the story of a 1950’s African-American family, the Youngers, living on the South Side of Chicago. As the play begins, many themes could arguably be considered the most important. Each one speaks to an important part of sociology, and even American history. Dreams are coming to fruition for many members of the play, and the characters show how important it can be, throughout their discourse, to follow those dreams. The importance of family is also evident throughout Hansberry’s play, as we see Walter Younger struggle ...

Ice T, Taylor Swift, and How Cultural Considerations Inform Their Music

“Fuck the police” chants Ice T, in his hit “Cop Killer,” “tonight we get even.” These are the some of the lyrics to one of his most successful, and most controversial, songs. Released in 1992, this song was written partially in protest of the acquittal of two police officers who beat Rodney King in LA. Conversely, almost twenty years later, we have another pop star, Taylor Swift, singing “Drew walks by me, can he tell that I can’t breathe?” She continues, “He’s the reason for the teardrops on my guitar. The only thing that keeps me wishing ...

Introduction

”Why I live at the P.O.” is a monologue story in which the main narrator, whom other characters refer to as “Sister,” clearly explains how it transpired that she left her family home in China Grove, Mississippi. While in the process of her narration, she unknowingly reveals her characters as well as reveals many family secrets (Crow, 26). According to the narrator, her experiences with her Uncle Rondo, her grandfather and her loving mother had always been harmonious until the 4th of July holiday. This is when her younger sister, Stella-Rondo, suddenly leaves her husband to return to her ...

‘A Raisin in the Sun’ is a play written by the Lorraine Hansberry in year 1959. The play is inspired by Langston Hughers’s poem “Harlem”. The play focuses on experiences of a black family. The poem also inform readers about the irrational and illogical world. The poem informs about the truth and reality of the real world. All the characters and story of the play is driven by the poem. One can easily find powerful connection between the circumstances and selections made by the characters in the poem and in the story. This paper intends to discuss the similarities between “ ...

For an introvert like me, I enjoy participating in solitary and reserved activities such as hunting, reading storybooks, fishing and using computers. Although I enjoy spending time with close friends, I enjoy spending time alone and participating in activities that one can perform alone. I do not find much interest in participating in the group’s activities. This explains why I found myself interested in the book “Where The Red Fern Grows” by author Wilson Rawls. I like stories about dogs, friendship, family, and life on a farm. This book is about a ten-year-old boy named Billy who lived on a ...

Do you like stories about dogs, friendship, family, and life on a farm? If so, you would enjoy reading the book “Where The Red Fern Grows” by author Wilson Rawls. This book is about a ten-year-old boy named Billy who lived on a farm in the heavily forested Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression with his Mother, Father, Grandfather, and three sisters. The conflict arises when Billy wanted to have two pups, but has no money to buy them. In tight times, Billy's parents do not want to spend on frills, and not keen to take chances on something risky ...

Introduction

The fact that literary works are aimed at mirroring the reality of the human society whether local or global means that there will be a point of convergence among them. The mirroring of the reality of the human society is informed by the need to facilitate and sustain debates that will lead to the finding of solutions to better human society and life. The converse is also true that literary artistes have their works colored by personal, ideological and sociocultural settings and because of this, literary works will diverge on structure, ideas and themes. The case is exemplified by the ...

Reading mama Lola has made me understand that religion is all about observing certain religious believes rather than just being part of a religious sect. Every religion is directed towards a supreme being, yet the religious proceedings are dependent on where an individual was brought up. Many times, people condemn others for observing certain religious rituals, terming them evil, yet they do not understand the reason behind it. One unique feature about religion is that anyone who dedicates his or her life to it feels it is the right form of religious worship. Religion plays an important part in an individual’ ...

and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker In Marriage is a Private Affair, the story tells of two people who are in love but because of tradition they are being kept apart. Nene and Nnaemeka are madly in love and are planning a wedding. Nene is from the city and Nnaemeka is from the rural area. Both lovers were from a different tribe and the Ibo ancestors have passed on the tradition or their beliefs that there should never be any marriage outside of the Ibo tribe. In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, traditions and culture also are at the forefront of ...

Essay

Everyday use is a short story by Alice Walker, from her story collection “In love and Trouble”. The storytelling of the “Everyday use” is made by “Mama”, who is a narrator of the story. “Everyday use” by Alice Walker illustrates very well the difference between the narrator and her daughter, Maggie, both raised according to traditional black culture of their region and Dee “Wangero”, educated and successful daughter of Mrs. Johnson, which tries to scorn her roots in favor of the native African identity. Narrator’s tone, addressed to Dee shows that Mrs. Johnson still considers “Wangero” as her daughter, ...

In reading about the voodoo art and objects, I was fascinated by the Three Figures on Motorcycles by Jean Herard Celeur. The figure is dedicated to the Haitian spiritual figure ‘Gede’ who is a major character in the voodoo religion. The artwork is also associated with the issue of negative perception of the Western people on the voodoo culture. The bizarre imaging of the artwork resembles how the voodoo spiritual figures are imaged as unusual and offensive (Wittmer, 73). The Haitian spiritual figure ‘Gede’ is very important in the voodoo art and religion since it personifies the death and sexuality. ...

Throughout her short story, “Everyday Use,” Walker presents the recurring theme of harmony and conflicts. The story gives an insight into the struggles of the African – American people through the characters of Mrs. Johnson, Dee and Maggie. Arguably, “Everyday Use” delves into the issue of the changes that occur when individuals in rural areas become educated. Much of the events surround the actions of the only educated Johnson. Dee gains a formal education, but when she faces her past, one sees that this formal education brings out her innate, self-centered qualities. Nancy Tuten writes of Mrs. Johnson “awakening to one ...

Introduction

People put different things into their bodies every single day, and people are even less concerned about what the food they eat is made of; nutrition is nutrition. The artificial dye content in food is a cause for concern, there are some people that are clueless as far as what artificial food dye is harmful. There are many kinds of artificial dyes that are found in foods such as Red 40 Allura Red, Citrus Yellow and Blue along with Green. These artificial dyes are very dangerous, and have been known to trigger different reactions within people. Some have been known ...

Abstract

Shaping is the process used to develop a terminal behaviour through reinforcing its successive approximations systematically and differentially. Successive approximations refer to the building blocks of the eventual behaviour. Shaping is applied in various contexts that can range from using shaping to teach children how to use contact lenses, how behaviour analysis can influence people with intellectual disabilities. Also, it used to study the performance track of athletes, and how to eliminate autism in children. Moreover, shaping is also applicable in helping people quit smoking and teach self-initiated toileting among children. The authors provide various agreements to advance their research, ...

ID Number The story “Mama Might Be Better off Dead” by Laurie Kaye Abraham centers on a challenging analysis of the delivery of health care for the urban poor. The story chronicles on the lives of the African American family and their experiences in America’s healthcare. Racial inequality is the primary theme in the story. Abraham used to write about health care; however, the story of Banes brings us to the other dimension of health care in America. Racial disparity in healthcare continues to exist at this present age. Minority Americans are more likely to confront problems ...

Fiction and drama often deals with how characters deal with their dreams and aspirations; often, characters sabotage themselves and prevent themselves from achieving their dreams, while other times the world they live in keeps them from having what they want. The American Dream means many things for different people, but its common conception is the idea that people can achieve social mobility and prosperity no matter what they start with, if they work hard enough and seize opportunities (Cullen 191). For African-Americans in the 20th century, the American Dream itself was much harder to achieve than for whites - ...

“Instructor’s Name’

The Raisin In the Sun A Raisin in the sun is a play that epitomizes the struggle of the African American community in America, during the Jim Crow era. The slavery shackles had been removed and many rights were bestowed on the Blacks during that period, but all those legislations and laws could not erase from the hearts of the people the racial disparity, which had grown strong roots over centuries. This play written by Lorraine Hansberry, won the award for the Best American Play and Hansberry went on to become the first American writer to get this award which ...

Orientalism encompasses an academic discourse featuring a patronizing attitude by Westerners towards Asian and African societies. The West perceives Asian and African societies as undeveloped and static and in this way, creates a fallacious oriental culture by which Asians and Africans can be studied, shown and reproduced. On the other hand, in this fabrication by the Westerners, the West is taken to be developed, flexible, dynamic and superior. An etiological analysis of this term will suffice. Orientalism finds its origins in the word “Orient” which translates to the East, as seen by the West. Further, the term Orient has its origins ...

20-Nov-13

The Final Redemption The Final Redemption Once upon on time there was a small village in the countryside located in Angola. It was one of the most blessed villages. Ages ago a group of fisher man found a mask in the countryside, which was later treated as their lucky charm. The mask was very colorful and every hue stood for a particular meaning. Red symbolized power and energy, green was for the natural beauty of the village, and white for peace. The concept behind the black color was that the mask was a savior of all anticipated torments and problems that could ...

The role and the plight of the women in the society are often ignored especially in chauvinist communities. In some cases, the women are mistreated and killed yet the society does not take keen notice of the vices against the women. “Four brothers” is a movie that shows the desire of the four brothers to revenge for the death of their mother (Robinson, 2000). They discover some people killed their mother and vow to revenge. Although the police and the society interfere with their plans, they vow not to give up on their mission. This paper analyzes the movie, “four ...

‘A Raisin in The Sun’ is an excellent literary work by Lorraine Hansberry that touches very emotional aspect of human life. The story moves around a poor family who lives on south side of Chicago. The story is very impressive and easy to understand. The family described in the story struggles for their daily needs and maintains dignity along with a dream of better future. The story very effectively describes relationship between family members. The story depicts how conflict arises in a poor family and how different family members react to those conflicts. The story successfully spread its magic on human emotions. ...

Women have made immense contributions in the development of man throughout history more than it is acknowledged. It is vital to appreciate their accomplishments despite the challenges they faced. Historical literature has always been written subjectively making it hard to trace accomplishments of significant women. The search for women in jazz prior to 1945 is not an exception. The search is a painful experience but worth its reward. The history and development of jazz music has been attributed to a significant extent to men. Most texts name Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong as the pioneers of jazz music. However, this paper ...

Abstract

The aim of this report is to explain what the meaning Japanese popular culture. In this context it shall be also outlined what it means to be cool in Japan and what the potential implications for spreading of Japanese popular culture into other cultures and distinct societies are. The examples of popular music bands and manga will be analysed. Key words: Japanese popular culture, manga, anime, history, brand, fashion. In the contemporary world with its fast and predictable tempo of development and spreading of globalisation, it becomes quite difficult to distinguish one culture from another or the ...

Hansberry’s famous play “A Raisin in the Sun” premiered to an enthusiastic crowd on Broadway in 1959. The play was timely, as it premiered amidst the growing tension regarding the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and it dealt extensively with many of the issues that black families faced in the United States at that time. However, race is not the only important thematic idea that Hansberry’s famous play dealt with; inequality between genders, classes, and even generations is examined extensively throughout the play. Within “A Raisin in the Sun,” the issues of gender and racial ...

The story “Everyday Use” as written by Alice Walker displays a picture that is compelling on the differences that exist between two daughters and their mother. The story is narrated by Mama who is endearing and down-to-earth and provides a glimpse to the reader of members of the same family who do not appreciate similar traditional values or heritage. Combine with humor and wisdom, traditional values are imparted to the daughters by Mama. These traditional values are the ones that account for the strong diversity that is seen in this family (Walker). Mama, who comes from the old south and is a strong ...

In Laura Esquivel’s trenchant and fascinating novel Like Water for Chocolate, young girl Tita learns how to find her own voice in a patriarchal, restrictive Latin society through the art of cooking. According to Canadian author Pat Tryer, "Ultimately, Tita negotiates a voice through the elaborate, fantastical recipes she creates, thereby subverting gender suppression by speaking through the stereotypical women's sphere of cooking. These recipes and their fantastic results mirror and reinforce the central theme of the novel, that of the suppression of the female voice and its inevitable explosion of expression everywhere”. A wonderful work of fantastical magical realism, ...

“Name”

“Instructor’s name” Abstract In one of his address to the American Medical Association, President Barack Obama stated, “Make no mistake: the cost of our healthcare is a threat to our economy. It is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. And it is unsustainable for the United States of America.” Following these lines, ‘Mama Might Be Better off Dead ‘, by Laurie Kay Abraham, presents a disconcerting and an insightful look into the American health care system. This book offers a very unsettling, at the same time enlightening, view of the status of urban Medicare facilities, through the example ...

Introduction

In literary works, writers normally utilize characterization technique in revealing the personalities of their characters. This technique is categorized into direct and indirect characterization. In direct characterization technique, the writer usually makes statements that are direct about the traits of the characters. On the other hand, in indirect characterization, readers draw conclusions about the characters based on how such characters act, think, and look, in addition to what the other characters think about them. Both Walker and Maupassant utilize these techniques in “Everyday Use” and “The Necklace,” to bring out the characters of Dee and Mathilde respectively. This essay ...

In the African-American community, the topic of education has long been one of some considerable controversy. To some, access to education has been seen as the way out of some of the most endemic social problems that the community faces. To others, education has been seen as a choice to assimilate with the majority culture (DeCuir-Gunby). In defiance to that, such institutions as the hip-hop culture have arisen, showing other ways (although more harmful) that members of the African-American community can make a name for themselves. This debate is not new; in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and “Everyday Use,” ...