Anne Moody was born on September 15, 1940, In the Centerville area of Mississippi. She grew up in a very harsh and racist society. Moody became a college student who engaged in civil rights work for many groups. She endured a tumultuous childhood, coming to fear the hate as seen in the murder of Emmett Till and experiencing rampant prejudice in her own life, with racial tensions rising she was forced to flee the area. Given all that she had endured during this …show more content…
time I clearly see why moody did not have faith in the Civil Rights Movement.
Throughout the novel Moody much shows displeasure with her very own family and fellow black citizens for simply accepting life as they knew it and for not longing for a change as much as she did.
Multiple times she refers to the elder blacks being brainwashed by “Mr. Charlie”, referring to the white man. Moody admits that she despised the white man for committing such acts, however she despised the black man just as much for apparently doing nothing about it, which shocked me. It makes sense for her to admit such things. That was the main reason she wanted so badly to participate in civil rights organization, despite her family’s disapproval. Moody Joins the NAACP becoming very involves with the civil rights movement, she later on becomes a CORE activist where she became a large target of violent treats. After much work Anne sees that the movement is not focused on the wrong things. Too much attention on voter registration and other such mock votes, she felt to distract the blacks, without them really knowing. She felt that the movement should focus more on economic issues rather than
political.
One essential theme in this book is the way prejudice can be damaging to society. Society in the South is brimming with prejudice: there is a bias from the white individuals against black individuals, of the wealthy against the poor people and even of the black whose skin is lighter towards the blacks whose skin is darker. Anne has certainly faced each kind of prejudice, with causes her much pain. The a victim of such act, Anne in return becomes prejudice against whites and the lighter skinned blacks, so much that she almost refuses to go to Tougaloo college.
Moody solely longed for the racial inequality to be ended, she wanted all people to live in harmony. I, just like her feel that we are all the same. Though we come from different places, have different skin color, and maybe even different views, should all be treated the same. We as Americans all have the same rights, unalienable rights declared in the constitution. Reading this novel I felt for Anne, I hurt for her. But, she was so strong. She didn’t rights this novel for sympathy, she wanted all to know what she went through to make the smallest changed in our world. It is because of people like Anne moody America is where it is today.
“To say that Anne Moody was brave would be an understatement. Moody is the epitome of a woman whose pride and courage were unfailing and whose spirit carried her forward to participate in something that she knew in her heart would be worth the fight. And it was, because she will not be forgotten”