Analysis Of Gate And Finishing School: Response To Racism
Bryant Culotta
Mrs. Dennis
English 101-111
26 April 2013
Racism
“Achievement has no color”, a very true statement made by Abraham Lincoln. Americans should not be judged based upon their skin color, but judged upon accomplishments. America has come a long way with equality and freedom but room for improvement is here. What’s in a name? written by Henry Louis Gates JR. and Finishing School by Maya Angelou show how much America has changed. The response to racism is what makes all the difference. The different reactions to racism can be found in Gate and Angelou’s work by examining setting, plot, and characters.
Gates story took place during the 1950’s in West Virginia; a hardworking man took his son out for ice cream. At this cut-rate drug store the dad and his son experience racism. Not all African Americans were allowed to enter the drug store. The family was better …show more content…
Cullinan was an older white woman. She was born from a wealthy family. Hallelujah and Margaret were servants of Mrs. Cullinan. Mrs. Cullinan took it upon herself to rename Hallelujah and Margaret at her convenience. Mrs. Cullinan renamed Hallelujah to Miss Glory. Hallelujah had no problem being called Miss Glory, to her the name was shorter and she liked the name. Margaret on the other hand, took offense to Mrs. Cullinan renaming her. Mrs. Cullinan thought Margaret was too long and renamed her to only Mary. The next day Margaret came up with a plan to get fired. She took Mrs. Cullinan favorite dishes and broke them on purpose. Mrs. Cullinan was upset about the dishes and threw some of the broken dishes at Margaret. Margaret quit the job and left the house.
Gates and Angelou both shared experiences with racism. Gate’s characters respond without any emotion but Angelou’s main character takes a stand against racism and retaliates. The different reactions to racism can be found in Gate and Angelou’s work by examining setting, plot, and
Mrs. Dennis
English 101-111
26 April 2013
Racism
“Achievement has no color”, a very true statement made by Abraham Lincoln. Americans should not be judged based upon their skin color, but judged upon accomplishments. America has come a long way with equality and freedom but room for improvement is here. What’s in a name? written by Henry Louis Gates JR. and Finishing School by Maya Angelou show how much America has changed. The response to racism is what makes all the difference. The different reactions to racism can be found in Gate and Angelou’s work by examining setting, plot, and characters.
Gates story took place during the 1950’s in West Virginia; a hardworking man took his son out for ice cream. At this cut-rate drug store the dad and his son experience racism. Not all African Americans were allowed to enter the drug store. The family was better …show more content…
Cullinan was an older white woman. She was born from a wealthy family. Hallelujah and Margaret were servants of Mrs. Cullinan. Mrs. Cullinan took it upon herself to rename Hallelujah and Margaret at her convenience. Mrs. Cullinan renamed Hallelujah to Miss Glory. Hallelujah had no problem being called Miss Glory, to her the name was shorter and she liked the name. Margaret on the other hand, took offense to Mrs. Cullinan renaming her. Mrs. Cullinan thought Margaret was too long and renamed her to only Mary. The next day Margaret came up with a plan to get fired. She took Mrs. Cullinan favorite dishes and broke them on purpose. Mrs. Cullinan was upset about the dishes and threw some of the broken dishes at Margaret. Margaret quit the job and left the house.
Gates and Angelou both shared experiences with racism. Gate’s characters respond without any emotion but Angelou’s main character takes a stand against racism and retaliates. The different reactions to racism can be found in Gate and Angelou’s work by examining setting, plot, and