...Zora Neale Hurston recounts the day she began to feel colored in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me.” Hurston does not recall feeling colored until after her thirteenth birthday because up until then she had lived in an “exclusively … colored town.” (1) Thus, surrounded by individuals coming from a similar culture background Hurston never felt different. However, Hurston began to feel colored once she moved schools to the white Jacksonville. Still though, Hurston does not feel too colored until she is “thrown against a sharp white background.” (3) When Hurston feels the most colored she experiences a sense of loneliness because she has no one of the same background to relate to at her current residence, unlike her previous home. However, sometimes feeling colored does not give her negative feedback, rather it empowers her. For instance, when Hurston visits a jazz club she revels in the music and feels as if her “face is painted red and yellow and her body is painted blue,” because she is “in the jungle and living the jungle way.” (3) After, when she looks around and realizes that her white friends did not experience the music as she did, Hurston is grateful to be colored. Because she has a greater appreciation for the rhythm and colors that her white friends cannot see....
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...Zora Neale Hurston is a powerful writer of African American literature. Hurston is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and influenced many writers during the time period. In 1928, Hurston’s article “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” was published by The World Tomorrow. The essay argues against the typical ideologies of racial segregation. Hurston states that she “do[es] not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood” (“How It Feels…”, 1-2) that requires her to internalize past and present injustices faced by African Americans. Hurston later published another article in 1950 titled “What White Publishers Won’t Print”, where she addresses the lack of interest in society about the lives, emotions, and culture of African Americans. White people find their interest sparked by...
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...level of worldly representation through their works. They achieved this representation through vastly different methods and fundamentally different brushstrokes. As brushstrokes are to the canvas of the painter, diction is to the pages of an author’s work. The stark and frequently unadulterated realism that Richard Wright, one of the major novelists to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance, is known for, is often contrasted to his contemporary and rival, Zora Neale Hurston’s, more socially appealing racial and human sensuality. Much like Monet and Degas, who aimed to achieve some level of inspiration through their art, Hurston and Wright both actively sought to expand the minds of their audience through socially provoking writing. While no record of contemporary criticism is in existence between Monet and Degas, the same cannot be said for Hurston and Wright. Both authors were passionate about their own methods and styles and rarely shied away from an opportunity to vocalize their opinions regarding the other’s work. Hurston and Wright grew up in diametrically different spheres and shared very little in common regarding early life experiences. As a child, Wright was raised without his father,...
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...Zora Neale Hurston, was born on January 7, 1891. She was born into the family of John and Lucy Ann Hurston; she was one of their eight children. Hurston and her family were originally from Notasulga, Alabama. However, they moved to Florida, when she was just a toddler and Hurston, had little, if no memory, of Notasulga. Many of her writings, reflect the culture and happenings of Eatonville, Florida. Hurston, was anything but a usual African-American woman. She defied numerous odds against her, to complete college, travel past the borders of her home town, and become something more than a poor housewife. Despite all difficulties, Hurston received her associate degree from Howard University, in the year of 1920. A few years later, she would begin working on her bachelors, at Barnard College, were she studied anthropology....
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...How It Feels to Be Colored Me Analysis Paragraph Novelist, Zora Neale Hurston, in her narrative essay, How It Feels to Be Colored Me, describes her childhood struggles with identity. Hurston, as a young girl, was known as “Zora of Eatonville”. Eatonville, a predominantly African American town, was a sort of utopia for Hurston. She did not have to face racial issues until she moved to Jacksonville, where Zora changed the way she viewed both Black and White people. Hurston’s purpose in her essay How It Feels to Be Colored Me is to describe a shift in her views on Blacks, Whites, and herself because of her move to Jacksonville. Hurston adopts a sanguine tone in order to persuade her audience that no matter one’s race, all people are made the same....
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...During the Harlem Renaissance, an era is known to be an intellectual, artistic and social explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, which spanned during the 1920’s to early 40’s. This era was better known as the “New Negro Movement” which was during the Harlem Renaissance. Many authors such as Angelina Weld Grimcké (1880-1958), Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) and many others had influential works that bloomed from this era and movement. Many of these authors and writers were known as the ideals of the “New Woman” and the “New Negro” which was known to be the Negro Womanhood. For many of these women, they faced issues such as striving as African American women and attempting to defending the racial and gender stigmas, while taking control...
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...EN105 25 January 2015 Racism For many years African Americans have been discriminated against, not as individuals, but solely because of the color of their skins. In her essay “How it Feels to Be Colored Me”, Zora Hurston relays to the reader that being discriminated due to your color doesn’t take away from who you are as a person, nor does it change the morals and virtues and pride that you have for yourself. Hurston speaks of her life experiences, and through those experiences she has became to know who she was, which at the beginning made her feel ashamed. The author didn’t realize or have ever been truly exposed to racism until the age of thirteen, when she moved from Eatonville, FL., a predominately black community, to Jacksonville, FL. Until then white people only differed to Zora because they didn’t live in her town. There in Jacksonville Zora experienced racism and discrimination; through all of this Zora never felt bitter towards those that discriminated against her. “But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow damned up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood.” (Hurston 266). Though slavery was sixty years in the past, Zora understood that slavery was the price that was paid for civilization by her ancestors. Racism is alive and well. The past year many of us were stunned by the cases of racial intimidation and judicial bias, during the Michael Brown and Eric...
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...poets of this time included Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay. These poets not only encouraged African Americans in Harlem and around the world, they also paved the way for many subsequent African American poets. Each poet had a different style of writing and they each wrote about different things. For instance, Langston Hughes’ writing reflected his belief that black culture should be celebrated because it was just as valuable as white culture. Zora Neale Hurston’s writing reflected her belief that her people should be honored. She, like Langston Hughes, believed in celebrating black culture and uplifting the African American society. Lastly, Claude McKay’s writing reflected his belief that black aggression could suppress white supremacy. He wrote fairly militant poems challenging white authority in America. Although these poets each wrote about different topics, their contribution to the African American society will forever be remembered and embraced. To begin with, Langston Hughes embraced the African American community through his work of poetry and writing. In his poetry of “Fine Clothes”, Hughes explained the negative aspects of African American life. It says “If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either.” (Hughes). In this, he explain that it doesn’t matter what people feel about the black community as a whole, they...
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...How It Feels To Be Colored Me (Interpretation) Where does racism come from? Are we born with discrimination or racism? Is it easier for some to hold back their anger when being discriminated against? How It Feels to BE Colored Me, is a book reflected on racism and discrimination. Hurston goes on to describe how she experiences her life events. She grew up in a small town Eatonville, Florida. At the age of thirteen, she begins a new chapter in her life in a city outside of Eatonville, Florida. From there, she talks about life experiences she encounters and discusses some of her reactions to those encounters. In the beginning of the essay, Hurston talks about her childhood. Her childhood was an easy going one. Hurston grew up in a small town described to be exclusively of only colored people. While living there, she, from time to time, would see what she refers to them as Southerners and Northerners. Right here, she is already distinguishing the difference between her people (Southerners) and the people to the north of them (Northerners). Although she doesn’t know it, she is already beginning to label others. Why? This might be due to the fact that she is a part of a town that is mainly colored people. But the Northerners were something else again. They were peered at cautiously from behind curtains by the timid here (Hurston, 265). She goes into detail on how white people are unknown to her in the city she grew up in. If we were to dissect this sentence, a bigger picture...
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...home; The home of her birth and the home of her marriage which are totally different. Didion’s style is mainly that of storytelling. In her attempt to connect her two lives and show how difficult it was to reconnect to the home of her childhood, Didion takes the reader through a roller coster of rhythms. Note how she omits the use of conjunctions between words or phrases to produce a hurried rhythm, at another instance she over used the conjunction “and” in quick succession making the words feel like they are bouncing off the walls, and quickly returns to standard sentence structure to slow the pace. Didion seems to pay attention to details and dates as she described the content of the cupboard she tried to clean out; a bathing suit she wore when she was seventeen, a letter of rejection, three teacups and the 1954 photograph. Her tone mostly conveyed frustration. Frustration about losing and missing the home of her birth, her family, whose ways she had grown so use to; Frustration about the husband who is very much unlike them, unlike her. Frustration about the decay all around; physical and social. This frustration so real, she even spoke about them in the present tense. Interesting as it was, this essay left me totally exhausted and overwhelmed. How It Feels to Be Colored Me – Zora Neale Hurston What an overwhelming relief and exhilaration. I am glad I read this essay just after reading Didion. What a sharp contrast in style, and diction, and attitude, and tone, and outlook...
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...Race is a part of you. The Harlem renaissance explored this notion and popularized embracing black culture in writing and art. Zora Neale Hurston shares her experiences in her short story How It Feels to Be Colored Me. She describes her different treatment and views of being black in both cities she lived in. Hurston does not effectively argue her viewpoint due to her constant changes in opinions. She switches between believing race affects who one is and that it does not. Hurston is inconsistent with her arguments, but she uses harsh tones and opposition to show her view that race is a difference in human beings. She states that she is,”A dark rock surged upon, overswept by a creamy sea.” By using the adjectives dark and creamy she creates a sharp contrast for the reader and sets a harsh tone. Immediately, one separates the two in their minds. The objectification removes human emotions from the situation. There is no guilt or sympathy, but instead she creates a feeling of being overwhelmed physically. This contradicts her argument that race does not matter. She is being overwhelmed by the sea, so that shows white superiority in her mind. Then she goes on to say how she believes all humans are alike regardless of their race. The manifestation of that belief is in her objectification of herself, and all humans, as a brown paper bag. Color is used as a descriptor, but it only describes the outside of the...
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...She once stated that “It is exclusively a colored town” (Hurston 2). In the town she lived in her colored was inevitable to be recognized by the white community. She had also said “ He is so pale with his whiteness then I am so colored” (Hurston 4). When Mrs.Hurston’s was younger she didn’t quite understand the point of being divided due to her skin color. When she was younger it didn’t feel normal to her because she even said that “I feel almost colored when I am thrown against a white background” (Hurston 4). Society even today has continued to show a degradence in everyone who isn’t white. The Declaration of Independence was very narrow when it came to saying it was for “all men” but they made mistakes that’s why the ended up having to make amendments. Anyone other than the white race was deprived from their american dreams because the founding fathers didn’t make a big enough difference in the first...
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...Bibliography Alexie, Sherman. "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me." Http://www.qcounty.com/SCC/Spring10/Eng305_10035/Readings/ShermanAlexie--Superman.pdf. Web. Allen, James P. "Ethnic Geography Dynamics: Clues From Los Angeles." Yearbook Of The Association Of Pacific Coast Geographers 67. (2005): 97-116. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. Alpert, Emily. "Many Asian Americans Are as Segregated by Neighborhood as Latinos." Los Angeles Times 25 June. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. Didion, Joan. "Why I Write." (1976): 4-8. Print. Dweck, Carol. "The Perils and Promises of Praises." Print. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct07/vol65/num02/The-Perils-and-Promises-of-Praise.aspx>. Elbow, Peter. "Freewriting." (1973): n. pag. Print. Gruwell, Erin. The Freedom Writers. New York: Broadway, 1999. Print. Gurnee, Kim. Success Strategies. California: Impact, 2013. Print. Hughes, Langston. “Theme for English B.” The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response. Eds. Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 484-485. Print. Rose, Mike. “Lives on the Boundary.” The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response. Eds. Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 90-102. Print. Hurston, Zora Neale. “How It Feels to Be Colored Me.” The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response. Eds. Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J....
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...Fauset’s “The Sleeper Wakes”, and Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat”, the roles most often appear to have men as dominant, or in charge, figures. However, the typical view of the male figure being dominant and the female being submissive may not be quite as distinct in the above three texts, as first thought. It is even possible that the roles of the dominant and submissive parts are actually switched. The following will show how both the male/female and dominant/submissive combinations may be interchangeable, depending on which aspects are considered. In the stories “The Closing Door”, “The Sleeper Wakes”, and “Sweat”, male figures appear to be the ones that are in control, or dominant, in the situations. The women take direction from men. Throughout their stories it is pervasive that society is male dominated. Although there are many similarities between the stories in this regard, some of the differences are due to social, economic, physical, and moral divisions. These divisions, or aspects, become important in how one may look at domination in these stories. In the story “The Closing Door” by Angelina Weld Grimke, the two divisions that become important in respect to who controls things are physical and economic. Grimke describes the male character, Jim Milton, as being a “brown, good-natured giant” and also “He would reach her, it seemed, in one stride and would pick her up bodily, apron, money and all” (Grimke 94). These two are good examples of how the physical aspect with Jim...
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...African American literature is surprising, captivating, and spirited. Once you start reading a story it is easy to get caught up in the tale being told. The descriptive nature of the works makes it easy to relate to them. Throughout my readings thus far in the class I have noticed some common themes that reoccur in many of the stories and poems. Of course slavery was a very common topic but there were others such as inequality between the races and sexes, injustice and resentment, the black identity, and a strong faith and religion. Even though the words can be separated in the end they all come back together. There were many narratives written by fugitive slaves before the Civil War and by former slaves in the postbellum era. These narratives document slave life from the perspective of first-hand experience. The stories they tell are dark and ugly. The authors like Douglas and Jacobs reveal the struggles, sorrows, aspirations, and triumphs of slaves in absorbingly personal story-telling. Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was the first autobiography by a formerly enslaved African American woman. In it she describes her experience of the sexual exploitation that made slavery especially oppressive for black women. She also recounts her life in slavery in the context of family relationships with her escape and her struggle to free her children. Fredrick Douglas who wrote Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, an American Slave, Written by Himself...
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