LITR 4332 American Minority Literature 2013 Student Midterm Samples midterm assignment #3. Web Highlights

Frances Henderson

What It’s Like to Be Me: The Universality of Minority Literature

One of the topics that keeps being discussed during class is the importance of minority literature. Understanding our past as a nation, celebrating our differences, and preserving our heritages are all excellent reasons to study minority literature. But these reasons are not always helpful in keeping ourselves motivated and open minded. What really strikes me about the pieces of literature we are reading this semester is how universally approachable they really are. As I read previous semesters’ essays, it was their reactions to various works, their moments of “I too know how that feels!” that left an effect on me.

The first of these incidents I found was in OR’s “Literary Style that Captured Me.” The author says:

I have been teased and tormented throughout my life because of certain things I do that are considered “weird”.  However, this passage in [“Still I Rise”] makes me feel as though I can laugh in the face of those that taunt me because I will rise despite their ridicule.  I can honestly say that I know the true meaning of what it feels like to be looked upon with hatred.  I have cried countless tears due to the hatred of others.  Yet I know that I am a strong and virtuous woman and I will rise above all of these mean acts.  I felt proud as I read this poem, particularly this passage.

As I read this I could not help mentally fist pumping the air and shouting “Yes! Exactly!” So many times in my life I have been on the receiving end of looks and stares because of my eccentric behaviors and quirks. While I have not lived a life nearly has challenging as Maya Angelou’s, her words are moving. Her bold declaration of “still I rise” after countless struggles is an inspiration to women no matter what race. Having read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I know that Angelou was the first black trolley conductress in San Francisco due largely to her single minded determination. That perseverance and strength are a message that is universal.

  Another example of understanding is TP’s essay titled “The Mental Breakdown.” The author is discussing a passage from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass is describing how the slave owners manage not only to justify slavery to themselves but how they keep slaves thinking they want to be owned. The author says:

What affected me most by this passage was that it made absolute sense, which is a frightening thought in itself. The ability for humans to affectively keep another group of human beings from even craving their own freedom was astounding to me. What could be a worse violation of human rights than to take away a person’s desire for their own liberty? I could not help but having to read the passage repeatedly to find some way in which this method could not have worked. Yet, as I continued to read it, I realized that it had to have been uniquely effective. The psychological effects of these methods: ridding a slave of their identity, of their dignity, their hope, their spirit, and their mind, must have been more effective than the strongest of chains and the harshest of whippings.

This piece struck me because it cuts right to the truth of the matter—that the dehumanization of slaves worked to a greater extent that we really want to admit. Not only that, but there are still those in the world today who try to rid people of their identity, dignity, hope, and spirit. Therapists everywhere are helping victims of emotional, mental, and physical abuse deal with this. This passage just shows that not every aspect of human nature, while universal, is benevolent.

The final selection I found was an untitled selection from CW’s response to The Bluest Eye. It shows how discussing minority literature quickly becomes a discussion of culture. It reads:

But, I feel that in class the cultural issues hit home really hard for a lot of students, and it turns into a more cultural debate than a literary analysis.  During the lessons that the students present, the literary objectives are referred to, but the discussion always turns to a more personal, culture related topic.  I think that with literary devices like these it would be hard to keep the discussions only literature based.  I do not think there is really any way that you could resolve the issue of the discussion leading this way, because it is a very emotional subject and everyone is going to relate the stories to themselves or what they have heard from their families.

I agree that it “would be hard to keep the discussions only literature based.” It seems to me that the author of this feels that is a downside to discussing minority literature. I disagree. The argument for the importance of form and structure versus content in literary works has been raging for centuries and will probably never fully be resolved. I think they are equally important. While understanding the literary aspects of a piece of work, it is the content that keeps us engaged. This is why literature is still one of the many ways humans learn about the world and process through difficult ideas like gender roles, social differences, violence, and even cultural equality.

On a more personal note, I remember in high school reading Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. I should be honest; I remember skimming parts of it and Spark-noting the rest. “Why do I have to read this?” was the thought foremost in my head. I could not find what I considered a convincing answer to that question, and because of it, have no clue what the book was about. This was the mentality with which I read many curriculum required works. Sad, I know, but true. How could minority literature relate to me, the white, blue eyed, blonde haired, middle class girl from a stable home life? It’s taken growing up, maturing, and living in the real world for me to finally be able to answer that. Human emotions and suffering are really universal, as long as you keep an open mind.