Mary Elizabeth

I thought Mary Elizabeth was a very interesting story. I think it brought up some interesting topics. The first I noticed was how naive the narrator was to Mary Elizabeth's sufferings from slavery and that even though it was abolished at the time it still had long term effects on people. At one point the narrator states "It had been such a long time since I had thought of slavery". This stood out to me because she could forget about slavery. To her it was an awful thing that happened and now it's over. I think the author really wanted to make that statement that some people can't forget. The other thing that stood out to me was the ending. The double standard of gender was painfully obvious when Roger told her that Maggie should have waited for him yet it was okay for Cassius to marry again. He then told the narrator that if she did that to him even though he had married fifty times he would kill her. That made such a statement in my head and it made me think- are things really that much different now?

Cane 1-25

I thought the first section of Cane was interesting. Some of the readings I was really confused about but most of them I found very interesting. I thought "Song of the Sun" and "Georgia Dusk" were similar in that they both were discussing the Negro songs and how they might be broken and weary in the day they come alive at night. In "Song of the Sun" he writes "for htough the sun is setting on A song-lit race of slaves, it has not set."
I also noticed the main characters of the story were tragic women. All them had something horrible happen to them and they all had a deep sadness and a sense of being outcasted."Carma" was one of favorites and also confusing to me. I wasn't quite sure I understood the ending but I loved the writing style. "Words, like corkscrews, wormed to her strength" was a great line. "Fern" was also a perplexing story which left a feeling of sadness and desperation with the reader. I think that Cane speaks to a lot of people about a race truly torn apart. There are these private portraits of people in absolute desperation and hopelessness and never a solid happy-ending conclusion.

Claude Mckay

I really enjoyed the poems of Claude Mckay. I think he he said what he wanted to say and felt no remorse or fear of repercussions. His feelings were clearly presented through his writings. I especially loved "The White House" and "Harlem Shadows".
I think that in "The White House" Mckay portrays his anger and his strength to never succumb to the constant hardships he's slammed with nicely. His words are strong and direct and the first line says it all "Your door is shut against my tightened face, and I am sharp as steel with discontent". He's never going to settle and give in to what he feels is unjust. He made a strong statement.
I thought "Harlem Shadows" was heartbreaking. He portrays how his own heart is breaking at the sight and sounds of "his own fallen race" being pushed into such horrible situations and how it's unjust. He makes you feel bad for these girls just as he does and he almost portrays them as innocent ("ah, little dark girls who in slippered feet...") despite what they are doing. It shows the situations that whites' oppression put them in.

Johnson, chapters 6-9

Chapters six through nine really were a distinct time in the narrators life. It seemed he left young adulthood with his friends and his mother then after he left college he seemed to turn into a different person. He was more wild and yet still very dependent on others. He seems like a tag-along in these chapters. It wasnt until chapter nine that he really seemed to figure out who he was. This struggle has played out throughout this entire book so far and I think the difining moment finally occured. The scene in the theatre with his sister and father portrayed that inner struggle of not knowing who he is or where he belongs. The millionare also portrayed that struggle in his speech about being better off living the "white" culture than coming out as a black musician. I think that this point in his life really made him question who he is and who he wants to be.

About Me

Hi my name is Kristen. It's my senior year at St.Rose. My major is early childhood education with a concentration in American Studies (thus taking this course). I'm turning 22 this month (yeah!) and I expect to graduate in May :)