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Stephanie K Adams
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor: Mary Louise Phillips Becker
August 2, 2012
Today in the Twenty-first century we still encounter racism in many categories. Ethnic racism which is unfortunately common has been around for centuries. It would be nice to be able to say that racism is just a thing of the past and that it no longer exists; however, that is not the case. In this brief essay I will discuss the similarities and differences between the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl” and the short story “Country Lovers”. Each story depicts women who experienced racism or prejudices in some shape or form, whether it was because of the color of their skin, being a women or social economic background; in either case the results end up the same.
The problem of racism is a complex one; it is difficult to characterize it or place it into one category due to its far reaching effects and implications. The moral issues generate social concerns. ("Racism in america," 2002) Some may have experienced various forms of discrimination such as gender, economic status or weight, but how many have actually experienced racism based on their race? Patricia Smith wrote the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl “, this was written in 1991. (Clugston, 2010) There are several different tones Patricia uses during her poem, the first is sad a young girl describing how she feels. As the poem progresses you hear the rage or the bitterness in her voice as she gets older. In this poem she uses similes to describe her pain going through puberty and not bring able to control the way she looks or her body. “It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished, like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything wrong”. (Clugston, 2010)
In this poem she does not use persona but speaks first person identifying herself as the speaker, “First of all, it’s being
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor: Mary Louise Phillips Becker
August 2, 2012
Today in the Twenty-first century we still encounter racism in many categories. Ethnic racism which is unfortunately common has been around for centuries. It would be nice to be able to say that racism is just a thing of the past and that it no longer exists; however, that is not the case. In this brief essay I will discuss the similarities and differences between the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl” and the short story “Country Lovers”. Each story depicts women who experienced racism or prejudices in some shape or form, whether it was because of the color of their skin, being a women or social economic background; in either case the results end up the same.
The problem of racism is a complex one; it is difficult to characterize it or place it into one category due to its far reaching effects and implications. The moral issues generate social concerns. ("Racism in america," 2002) Some may have experienced various forms of discrimination such as gender, economic status or weight, but how many have actually experienced racism based on their race? Patricia Smith wrote the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl “, this was written in 1991. (Clugston, 2010) There are several different tones Patricia uses during her poem, the first is sad a young girl describing how she feels. As the poem progresses you hear the rage or the bitterness in her voice as she gets older. In this poem she uses similes to describe her pain going through puberty and not bring able to control the way she looks or her body. “It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished, like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything wrong”. (Clugston, 2010)
In this poem she does not use persona but speaks first person identifying herself as the speaker, “First of all, it’s being
References: Bourbon, Brett, . "What Is a Poem?." Modern Philogy. 105.1 (2007): 27-43. Web. 2 Aug. 2012. Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into Literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books. Hardy, Sarah, Style, . "A Poetics of Immediacy: Oral narrative and the short story." Academic Search Premier 27.3 (1993): n.pag. EBSCO Racism in america. (2002). Retrieved from www.allaboutpopularissues.org/racism-in-america- Faq.htm