How It Feels To Be Colored Me
In the past couple months we have studied many articles that have brought up our attention. We read articles relating to gender equality, eating disorders, racism, and much more. In my opinion, the main two articles that have inspire me the most are Nancy Mairs’ essay “On Being a Cripple” and Zora Neale Hurston’s essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”. I have chosen these essays not only because of the ‘key concepts’ that can be found in each of these texts but also because of their similarities both stories share. They both discuss how they refused to be defined by how society sees them which makes both stories interesting and appealing to read. Mairs discusses the many obstacles she has to face every day in today’s society. She also talks about the demands American society wants her to
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follow and the many exclusions she has to face due to her disease, which is Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This disease has caused her to be isolated from a society that is being constructed based on appearances and normality. She does not like the way some people see her and interact with her. Most of the people only see her as someone who cannot stay still without falling to the ground. All these setbacks have made it difficult for her to adapt in today’s society. It is clear that people are not mentally ready to accept people like her or with other disabilities. These setbacks have caused her to become more aware of her condition and beginning to identify herself as a ‘cripple’. She started using the term ‘cripple’ to describe her situation, condition, and identity. Even though she identifies herself as ‘cripple’, it does not really define who she really is. America’s expectations are making it hard for others to explore themselves and discover what their self-pride is. Even though MS turned her life around she still feels like her old self. At some point society will have to finally understand that its’ expectations are not suitable for everyone that lives in America. Hurston discusses about her struggles of growing up in a society where she felt alienated. In the beginning of her story she recalls the time when she lived in an all black town called Eatonville, a town where she felt no sense of being colored. However, after she moved to another town called Jacksonville, she began experiencing racism and discrimination. At her new school she was classified as the “little colored girl” a term she was never called before. She began to notice that people at her school looked at her differently, some even reminded her of her family’s past, a past that had to do with slavery. Even though she was reminded of her family’s past and treated differently, she did not let those setbacks bring her down. In fact those setbacks allowed her to believe she had no race “I am me”. At the end of the essay she clearly shows that race does not define her and that been discriminated has little to do with her persona. Both of their societies made it difficult for people like them to fit in due to rising expectations.
For Mairs, being disabling has put a lot of pressure in her life but that has not stopped her from always being positive about everything. Her disease might have left her with difficulties in coordination and balance but this has made her stronger and capable of accepting anything that crosses her path. She has been able to overcome all these obstacles by just not paying much attention to what society expects from her. Her story is very similar to what Hurston had to go through growing up. For Hurston, moving from one town to another made her see what society thought about people of color. At her new racially diverse school, she began to be called “little colored girl.” This was something she did not have to go through in her old, all-black town. Fortunately at the end on her long journey, she was able to realize that society has no right to judge her. For Hurston, race was just a term but for society; an important factor that defines who you are. However, all the obstacles she had to go through helped her realize that she was the only one that could truly define who she
was. For me, both essays have come to a similar conclusion; they see how their “obstacles” do not have to stop them from being themselves. They both ended up succeeding no matter what their setbacks were. It is very impressive to read about women not letting anyone or anything bring them down. It has made me believe that, at some point, society will have to finally understand that its’ expectations are not suitable for everyone that lives in America.
follow and the many exclusions she has to face due to her disease, which is Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This disease has caused her to be isolated from a society that is being constructed based on appearances and normality. She does not like the way some people see her and interact with her. Most of the people only see her as someone who cannot stay still without falling to the ground. All these setbacks have made it difficult for her to adapt in today’s society. It is clear that people are not mentally ready to accept people like her or with other disabilities. These setbacks have caused her to become more aware of her condition and beginning to identify herself as a ‘cripple’. She started using the term ‘cripple’ to describe her situation, condition, and identity. Even though she identifies herself as ‘cripple’, it does not really define who she really is. America’s expectations are making it hard for others to explore themselves and discover what their self-pride is. Even though MS turned her life around she still feels like her old self. At some point society will have to finally understand that its’ expectations are not suitable for everyone that lives in America. Hurston discusses about her struggles of growing up in a society where she felt alienated. In the beginning of her story she recalls the time when she lived in an all black town called Eatonville, a town where she felt no sense of being colored. However, after she moved to another town called Jacksonville, she began experiencing racism and discrimination. At her new school she was classified as the “little colored girl” a term she was never called before. She began to notice that people at her school looked at her differently, some even reminded her of her family’s past, a past that had to do with slavery. Even though she was reminded of her family’s past and treated differently, she did not let those setbacks bring her down. In fact those setbacks allowed her to believe she had no race “I am me”. At the end of the essay she clearly shows that race does not define her and that been discriminated has little to do with her persona. Both of their societies made it difficult for people like them to fit in due to rising expectations.
For Mairs, being disabling has put a lot of pressure in her life but that has not stopped her from always being positive about everything. Her disease might have left her with difficulties in coordination and balance but this has made her stronger and capable of accepting anything that crosses her path. She has been able to overcome all these obstacles by just not paying much attention to what society expects from her. Her story is very similar to what Hurston had to go through growing up. For Hurston, moving from one town to another made her see what society thought about people of color. At her new racially diverse school, she began to be called “little colored girl.” This was something she did not have to go through in her old, all-black town. Fortunately at the end on her long journey, she was able to realize that society has no right to judge her. For Hurston, race was just a term but for society; an important factor that defines who you are. However, all the obstacles she had to go through helped her realize that she was the only one that could truly define who she
was. For me, both essays have come to a similar conclusion; they see how their “obstacles” do not have to stop them from being themselves. They both ended up succeeding no matter what their setbacks were. It is very impressive to read about women not letting anyone or anything bring them down. It has made me believe that, at some point, society will have to finally understand that its’ expectations are not suitable for everyone that lives in America.