Literature and the Community, How Similar They Are

ENG 125: Introduction to Literature

Heather AltfeldFisher

July 16, 2010

Abstract

Often times, art is a reflection of life as we know it. Artists are often inspired to create based on their surroundings, and life experiences. Literature can take people to places in which they never thought they could be a part of. This paper will briefly review two works of literature. We will then review how the works reflect the communities in which the stories are based on.

The Lessons of Life

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara is a novella set in the projects of New York City in the 1970’s. Sylvia is a street wise kid living in the projects being mentored by a well educated woman named Miss Moore. Sylvia seems to be proud, and smart and is acutely aware of the surrounding in which she lives in. Miss Moore is considered to be a well educated woman in the neighborhood. She feels as if she is obligated to show Sylvia, along with the other children a different way of living. Miss Moore becomes a mentor for the children and decides to take them out on an excursion. The language of the narrative lets the reader become familiar with what kind of neighborhood in which "The Lesson" is taking place. Bambara does not give details on what kind of neighborhood this is but the reader is able to get a picture of it through the language. Even though the story seems to start off very light hearted it takes on and gives very valuable life lessons that can be understood today. Bambara shows the reader that equal opportunity still does not exist in America. She shows, through Miss Moore and the students, when they realize the bigger lesson, the drawback of the American capitalistic culture and that change is needed for equality. Despite the fact that this story is set in the 1970’s, we still see today that communities within the United States are still divided by socioeconomic classes. Although poverty affects virtually every race of people, it is the black community that has a disproportionate amount of lower class citizens. This story shows the daily struggles of the black community, and how there are very few mentors that are accessible in the community. The Lesson is set in what is contemporary America, the next story that we will examine occurs in an earlier period of American history.

Life in the South

William Faulkner takes the reader on a journey to a make believe city in the southern United States in his story “A Rose for Emily”. This is a story of terror first published in 1930, is considered by many scholars one of the most authentic and the best narratives ever written by William Faulkner. It is a story of a woman, Emily Grierson, and her relationships with her father, the man she was in love with and the community of Jefferson, the town she lived in. The tale is written in five parts and begins with the announcement of Emily’s death. The story is told by an unknown townsperson, and starts off by stating, “When Ms. Emily died our whole town went to the funeral”. Emily refuses to leave the past behind her even as the next generation begins to take over. This character was seen as a devoted daughter to her father, but once her father died, she became a pauper. This community illustrated to be a very giving community, as the town, out of sympathy and traditional respect for a lady, ignored Emily’s tax debt for years. Eventually, the town confronts Emily about her back taxes owed, and soon gets a foretaste into this character’s bizarre antics. Sections two thru four talks about her growing up with an overprotective father, and Emily’s meeting of Homer Barron, a lover that she later kills with arsenic. While her family was once very prominent, like her looks, the house has deteriorated and has become an eyesore. As with the previous story, in “A Rose for Emily”, one gets a glimpse into the role members of the community plays in the life of the main character. One gets a snapshot of 20th century southern Mississippi through the eyes of this author. This story also demonstrates how society at large was living during the specific time periods in specific regions of the United States.

Conclusion

Community is a part of everyone’s daily life. These two stories illustrate how communities play a vital role in the development of the characters of the stories. Whether one is living in the south in the early part of the 20th century, or in New York City in the 1970’s, the neighborhood becomes a central figure in the theme of the story.
References
DiYanni, R. (2007). Literature, reading fiction, poetry, and drama (Ashford Custom 6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.