The Other Side Literary Essay
The Other Side
The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson, is no ordinary children’s book. This story is about two girls, Clover and Annie, who are separated by a fence, and they both feel a bond between them right when they meet. Clover’s friend doesn't let Annie play with them because they are all black and Annie is white. As you see, Annie may look different, but she still has the same feelings and she just wants to be accepted. Woodson starts the book off by showing how Clover’s mama cares about her safety, “Don’t climb over that fence when you play.” Clover obeyed her mama’s rules, but when a mysterious girl, named Annie, stares straight at her, she couldn’t help but wonder why the fence was there. Around town the two girls would see each other and just stare. “Don’t stare,” Woodson wrote, “It’s not polite.” Clover doesn’t think about the differences between them, she just wants to know about Annie, and why she “lets herself get all wet” in the rain. Clover’s curiosity got the best of her one day, and she walked right up to the fence. She felt brave and free that day. She got up close to the fence, when suddenly Annie asked what Clover’s name was. Soon after that, the not-so-different strangers became friends. They sat on the fence and when Clover’s friends made funny faces at them they “just made believe they didn’t care.” Both of the diverse children were rebelling their own mama’s to become friends, despite their differences. Near the end of the book, Clover’s friends started to accept the different girl, Annie. All the little black kids and one white kid sitting in one long row atop of the fence. They didn’t even notice that fence that once separated their friendship, it was only a mere seat that was up so you can see “everything.” Nobody cared about the lightness of Annie’s skin, they knew that she was just like everybody else, with the same feeling of wanting to be
The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson, is no ordinary children’s book. This story is about two girls, Clover and Annie, who are separated by a fence, and they both feel a bond between them right when they meet. Clover’s friend doesn't let Annie play with them because they are all black and Annie is white. As you see, Annie may look different, but she still has the same feelings and she just wants to be accepted. Woodson starts the book off by showing how Clover’s mama cares about her safety, “Don’t climb over that fence when you play.” Clover obeyed her mama’s rules, but when a mysterious girl, named Annie, stares straight at her, she couldn’t help but wonder why the fence was there. Around town the two girls would see each other and just stare. “Don’t stare,” Woodson wrote, “It’s not polite.” Clover doesn’t think about the differences between them, she just wants to know about Annie, and why she “lets herself get all wet” in the rain. Clover’s curiosity got the best of her one day, and she walked right up to the fence. She felt brave and free that day. She got up close to the fence, when suddenly Annie asked what Clover’s name was. Soon after that, the not-so-different strangers became friends. They sat on the fence and when Clover’s friends made funny faces at them they “just made believe they didn’t care.” Both of the diverse children were rebelling their own mama’s to become friends, despite their differences. Near the end of the book, Clover’s friends started to accept the different girl, Annie. All the little black kids and one white kid sitting in one long row atop of the fence. They didn’t even notice that fence that once separated their friendship, it was only a mere seat that was up so you can see “everything.” Nobody cared about the lightness of Annie’s skin, they knew that she was just like everybody else, with the same feeling of wanting to be