Aldana, Jasmine Entry #2: A Choice Made by Women

            In both of the short stories, “No Sweetness Here” and “Everyday Use” the conflicting views of staying true to your culture and moving forward with your success are evident through the lives of the women. Both authors offer the idea that womanhood consists of caring for your child and providing them with a life betterthan your own, while also demonstrating the idea that a woman should be able create a successful life for herself. Both authors depict that these two conflicting views come with a cost that determines a woman’s quality of life.

 

           In “ No Sweetness Here” by Ama Ata Aidoo the life portrayed by Maami Ama represents one of a woman where all she has is her child. She demonstrates a woman that is an extremely hard worker and provides for her child. At the cost of providing her son Maami Ama stays within the horizons of what her village has to offer her. She is not a woman who is trying to expand her life to places where she can reach success. During a conversation with Chicha, Maami Ama states “ Chicha, I shall willingly submit to your canes if he gets his sums wrong “ (Aidoo 56). She will go as far as taking her sons punishments in order to keep him safe. This is a lifestyle she has chosen herself as a woman. Culturally her child’s life means more to her than her own life and will do anything at any cost to keep him safe.

 

           Mama in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a woman like Maami Ama who has chosen to work very hard in order to be a good mother. She describes herself as a “ large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” (Walker 86), she is clearly not afraid of work. Mama and her daughter Maggie have chosen a life style where they are true to their ancestors and the culture that has raised them, whereas her second daughter Dee is depicted as a woman who has chose to stray away from this lifestyle in order to create a better one. The cost of losing culture and value is seen through the name change Dee has given herself. She goes from being called “Dee”, full of value and “named after [her] aunt Dicie” (Walker 88), to “Wanergo Lee-wanika Kemanjo”. While Dee has chosen the lifestyle of success at the cost of her culture, her sister Maggie demonstrates the complete opposite decision. Where she has been living with her mother and the value of their culture allowing her to understand the value of the quilts wanted so badly by Wangero, but will never be able “to make something outof [herself]” (Walker 91), according to her sister.

          

            There is no right or wrong decision when a woman chooses a specific life to live, like the women in both of the stories. Even though both authors depict the two conflicting life styles that are achieved through certain costs, each woman chose one knowing what they were doing. Mama and Maggie both chose to live with their culture while Dee chose to leave it behind her precede success. Maami Ama chose to live for her son and leave behind her own life at the cost of losing it all in the end. Women have this freedom and it is up to them to choose how they want live at whatever cost it may be.

Romano, Lauren Entry #2: Depictions of Females and Education Through Literature

       Throughout  both the short stories, “ No Sweetness Here”, and “Everyday Use” the idea of women veering away from the traditional domestic role as the house keeper to being more educationally and academically involved is depicted as a rarity, and a big deal.  Each author makes it a point to imply that the social norm is not for woman to further their education, but that marriage or raising a family and keeping a home is what determines their life successes.

In the story “ No sweetness Here” by Ama  Ata Aidoo,  there are multiple parts in which the author demonstrates what is viewed as  important in maintaining the woman’s role in order to conform to society.  The common experiences such as, raising a child or keeping a husband happy are clearly defined as vital aspects of womanhood in that particular time period and society.  This is shown discretely when the narrator, Chicha is explaining a picture in her mind that she remembers of one of the main characters, Mama Ama. “ Oh that picture is still vivid in my mind. She was sitting on a low stool with her load before her. Like all the loads the other women would bring from the farms into their homes, it was colourful with miscellaneous articles.”(aidoo, 76)  By mentioning a household chore like bringing back food  from the farm to cook and provide for a family, and applying it a broader statement such as “Like all the loads the other women…” , it expands this idea in the narrators head to what is a normal occurrence in the life of a woman in this certain society.

In addition to mentioning what is a normal part of a woman’s life, Aidoo implies a very important second idea through the text. She is able to communicate that women who have received an education, or hold an academic standing in society such as, being a teacher is depicted as an accomplishment. “When an old man felt inclined to be talkative, especially if he had more than me for an audience, he would compliment me on the work I was doing. Then he would go on to the assets of education, especially female education..” (Aidoo, 76.) When the author chooses to add the “ especially female education” part it conveys the message that female education is an accomplishment, more specifically one can even grasp that it is not often achieved because of the fact that it is singled out in this manner.

Similarly, the short story, “Everyday Use” written by Alice Walker, communicates the same kind of idea in regards to womanhood and education.  The main character is the mother of two daughters, who explains the character of both of her daughters. She mentions that the oldest daughter Dee has further pursued her education . “ But that was before we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school.”( Walker, 87) By including this Walker is able to depict her daughters education as hard to obtain.  Then, specifically right after she goes as far as to state, “I never had an education myself, after second grade the school was closed down.” This statement was important to include right after the segment about Dee’s education because it makes the fact that she has received it, seem even more privileged.

Although both authors do it subtly, they depict the idea of female education as a great accomplishment, that is both difficult and rare to achieve. In addition to this, raising a family and taking care of children in both societies is shown to be the main component of a woman’s obligations and priorities through both texts as well.

Pelosi, Joe Entry #2 How Woman Are Treated

Pelosi, Joe Entry #2 How Woman Are Treated

In the short stories “No Sweetness Here” by Ama Ata Aidoo, and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, both depict similar qualities of the way a woman is treated, and the credentials of respect, as respect if not given, is not received. These qualities can define the depictions of womanhood.

In “No Sweetness Here”, Aidoo illustrates the third person views through a narrator, who is the teacher of Kwesi. Her main focus throughout the narration is the mother of Kwesi, Maami Ama. She defines the woman as a strong hearted, as she has no family due to losing them to death. The only close family she has is her prized possession, her son Kwesi, who’s the son of Kodjo Fi. Chicha, the narrator, digs more information out of Maami when she discovers Kodjo, his other two wives, and Family members do nothing but disrespect her. As she offers nothing but respect towards them, but apparently doesn’t reach the high standards set for Maami Ama. Maami would try to consult with her husband as “I use to ask him why. He always replied, “Its Nothing.” If I had not been such an unlucky woman, his mother and sisters might have taken my side, but for me there was no one (Adioo, 61)”.

Furthermore, Chicha learns the information of divorce. Astonished by the news, her main concern is “what will happen to Kwesi (Adioo, 63)”, who she adores.  The divorce hearing was to be determined by the elders, as Chicha watched on, she witnessed the horrific treatment of a woman, as Maami Ama was being bashed by the opposing family, but more surprisingly by her own aunt. Her aunt was proclaiming, “you are a fool. For seven years you have struggled to look after a child (Adioo, 68)”. How could she make such a bold statement towards someone who has already taken so much abuse? Everyone has a breaking point, and unfortunately for Maami Ama, it was reached when she took on a tremendous amount of hatred, and had no other choice but to give up her beloved son, to the person she opposed most.

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a prime representation of the respect and treatment towards woman. A mother of two daughters, Maggie and Dee, narrates the story. It becomes apparent to the reader that Dee is an outspoken and ungrateful person throughout the story, as “”no” is a word the world never learned to say to her (Walker, 23)”.  On the other hand Maggie is represented through her actions, illustrating that she is a respectful person, and grateful for what she has. The reader discovers that this family had lost their house in a fire, and unfortunately, Maggie was left with scars that would remain on her arms. Though she was scared which effects her appearance, she remains humble, and soft-spoken, continuously grateful for the little she has, and the scarce amount of belongings her mother has to provide for her. Though with the little they have, they remain happy.

Dee on the other hand, is the complete opposite, not being pleased with what her mother has to offer, and provide for her children. Always wanting more, not being satisfied with what she has. As the story develops, the reader soon learns Dee no longer lives with the family, as Maggie waits for the return of her sister. She returns, but not to her mothers surprise, displaying a flashy lifestyle. Dee shares the information with her mother that she has changed her name, which has been handed down from generations, has been changed to Wangero. She completely disregards the fact of respect and tradition towards her mother, and she takes away what the person who brought her into the world had given her. Upon visiting her so-called family she is not focused on the importance of separation between a sisterhood, she is focused on what she can take from her mother, of what little they have. Merely focusing on how the pieces will make her place look better, and if given to her sister will be destroyed. Dee has no concern or regard towards womanhood through sisterhood, which is displayed in this story, as family is more important then material things.

Shaffer, Mary Blog #2 : A Cross Women Have To Bear

Both “No Sweetness Here” by Ama Ata Aidoo and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker present the idea that sometimes being a woman means not only standing up against abuse from society, but also, more shockingly, abuse from family members.

In “No Sweetness Here” the focus of Chicha’s narration is Maami Ama. She is a kindly woman who does not seem as if she is ever inclined to cause any kind of trouble with anyone. As the mother of Kwesi and one of the wives of Kodjo Fi, she faces much difficulty in her life. It is obvious to the reader that her abuse does not come from her son, whom she dotes on though she feigns modestly. As Maami tells Chicha her trouble is mostly with her so-called family members, ” ‘They suddenly began hating me when Kwesi was barely two’ ” (Aidoo, 61).  Near the opening of the story Chicha learns that Maami Ama and Kodjo Fi’s divorce is going to occur. It seems it is a small shock to her as she calls Kodjo Fi a “selfish and bullying man, whom no decent woman ought to have married” (Aidoo, 60). It comes as no surprise that after her husband gave her the smallest plot of farmland to feed herself and her son, as well as, endured years of verbal abuse from her husband’s mother, other wives, and sister that Maami Ama would not argue when he demanded a divorce.

During the divorce proceedings Maami Ama is insulted once again by her in-laws, but also by her own aunt. She tells Maami Ama that she is a fool for spending many years looking after her son with no help from others and now she is “allowing them to take him away” (Aidoo, 68). Maami had stated earlier that she was not just fighting her husband for her son. She said that if he and his family had asked for Kwesi she would refuse them. However, if the village elders commanded her to give away her son to his father she would not argue with them. From all sides, Maami Ama is fighting abuse and judgment. She stands up for herself against her family as best she can, but recognizes she cannot fight the law, although it is abusive towards her.

In “Everyday Use” the story is narrated by a mother dealing with the abuse and condescension from her oldest daughter Dee, who informs her fairly early in the story that she has changed her name to ” Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo.” Before the reader is introduced to Dee they learn that she has a tendency to be displeased with her life and her mother. “I am the way my daughter would want me to be,” says the narrator (Walker, 24).  As the story progresses it becomes painfully obvious to the reader that Dee has a very strong personality. Her mother states, “Hesitation was no part of her nature” (Walker, 25). Dee seems to be acting out of her usual character for a good portion of the story. Her mother describers her to the reader as someone who always wants better than she has, and wished her family was more like her. However, Dee spends a good portion of the story expressing nostalgia and good feelings towards old pieces of furniture and makes no ill remarks about the food her mother has prepared.

This seems to be a deliberate set up for what follows on Walker’s part. After the family has finished eating with Dee’s potential husband, it is never confirmed, Dee asks her mother for two hand sewn quilts.  Her mother seems to consider giving them to her, yet stops when she hears her younger daughter, Maggie, run out the kitchen door. It reiterated that Dee is used to getting what she wants, “Dee (Wangero) moved back just enough so that I couldn’t reach the quilts. They already belonged to her” (Walker, 33). For what appears to be the first time Dee is refused by her mother, who states the quilts were meant to be a wedding present for Maggie and that Dee can pick one or two others. Dee lashes out and says that neither her sister, nor her mother, is able to truly appreciate the quilts “properly.” However, her mother stands her ground and Dee eventually lets up.

It is implied by the ending to “Everyday Use” that a woman should never be abused and commanded by her child, and yet sometimes they are. “No Sweetness Here” shows a more common scenario, even in society now, of a woman being abused by her community and her in-laws. Both imply that standing up to those who abuse you as a woman is the right thing to do. They also demonstrate that it is not as easy as it sounds, and sometimes the consequences are difficult to bear. 

Why Do Men View Women as Objects?

This video is an example of how men and woman stereotype one anthers physical appearance and intelligence. In both short stories “Everyday Use” and “No Sweetness Here” womanhood is theme and the characters handle the stereotypes of womanhood differently. I found this video to be important because it shows how stereotypes of men and woman exist in a variety of ways and still exist today.

Ireland, Samantha Entry # 2: Who Decides How Women Should Act?

Who Decides How A Women Should Act

           The short stories “No Sweetness Here” by Ama Ata Aidoo and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker have opposing views as to what role women should play in society.

            In Aidoo’s short story: “No Sweetness Here”, Chicha stands up against the gender norms of society by going through a divorce with her husband. In Chicha’s village, women are expected to do as they are told by men and when she begins to voice the emotional pain she has from her marriage with her husband she is told: “ in marriage, a woman must sometimes be a fool” (77).  Despite being told to just deal with the pain, Chicha feels as though no women should be treated poorly because of her gender as she responds to this advice with: “But I have been a fool for far too long a time” (Aidoo, 77). The village expects women to do as they are told and not to question how men make them feel.

            However, Chicha decides that she no longer wants to live a life in misery as it is starting to strip who she is and she discusses her feelings with her mother: “our people say a bad marriage kills the soul. Mine is fit for burial” (Aidoo ,78).  So, she continues to share how she feels hoping that one day the village will change the way women are viewed. Also, she has the hope that men and women will be given equal rights. It takes quite a bit of  “bravery” to fight back against the village’s ways but she continues to express her feelings to try and eliminate the stereotypes that corrupt a society.

            As she tries to make a societal change in the village, the other women voice their opinions of her: “She is a bad women and I think you are well rid of her” (Aidoo, 80). In order to make the village have equal rights for men and women, this is what Chicha feels she has to do. No matter how lonely the divorce and sharing of her emotions makes her, Chicha stands up against the power of manhood by showing that no man can tell her who she is and how to act. Therefore, in the short story “No Sweetness Here” Chicha feels as though women need to fight back against the stereotype so they have the right to say how they feel and have their life the way they want.

            On another note, in the short story “Everyday Use” women are proud to be the stereotype of what a woman is. Societies stereotype of a woman is the person who cooks, cleans, and runs the family. In societies eyes, it is the woman’s job to run the family. In addition to running the family, a stereotypical woman also fits men’s physical and mental expectations. The Women in “Everyday Use” strive to have a family that fits all stereotypes, similar to the ones on TV where: “ the mother and father weep, the child wraps them in her arms and leans across the table to tell how she would not have made it without their help” (Walker, 86). The family relies on the women to be the perfect mother and wife ensuring all members of her family with happiness.

            Also, “Everyday Use” places the importance of women fitting the physical expectations of men by having a body that is considered “good” while also always looking presentable. The physical presentation of a woman is what makes one woman viewed as more respectable than another: “ Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure. She’s a woman now, tough sometimes I forget”(Walker, 86). Physical features remind society who a woman is and if their body and physical features fill the expectations of a man than they are successfully fulfilling their duties of womanhood.

            The stereotype of what a woman should look like and how one should act is transferred from generation to generation because of the teachings being passed down as the years go by. Part of womanhood in the eyes of Maggie and Dee is the value of family and having pride in the successes you have led them to have. By upholding promises and keeping traditions going, a women is doing her job by being her families role model: “ Some of the pieces like those lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her…I promised to give them quilts to Maggie, for when she marries John Thomas” (Walker, 90). The mother promises to pass down clothing and quilts to keep the families traditions alive and by doing this is showing her daughter how to be a good mother and future wife. In conclusion, stereotypes of women come from the earlier times of life and in “Everyday Use” the women strive to fit every aspect of it by running the family, fulfilling the physical needs of men, and by passing down family traditions and heirlooms. Being a successful woman, wife, and mother makes it so her family has a successful life as well as her daughter’s families.

            With this all being said, the conclusion can be drawn that the short stories “No Sweetness Here” and “Everyday Use” share contrasting ideas as to what a women should strive to be in life whether it be an individual or a conformist.

 

 

 

 

Jasmine Aldana Blog Post #1: Failures of Parenthood

“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, “Gorilla, My Love” by Toni Cade Bambara and “533” by LaShonda Katrice Barnett, establish the failure of parenthood through the lives of the children.

It is clear that the mother in “Girl” is setting her daughter up for failure. Throughout the story we see that the mother worries about her daughters reputation. This is seen when Kincaid writes, “on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming” (444); she later continues to use the word “slut” two more times. This mother focuses on the fact that her daughter should not act like a slut and will carry herself with class and do everything in the perfect way. We see that her daughter is full of innocence when she asks her mother “but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?” (Kincaid 445), clearly showing that she wants to obey her mother and fears her. The answer she gives demonstrates the failure of her role as a mother. She spends the whole story telling her daughter to be a perfect woman but then states “you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (Kincaid 445), insinuating that in order to be the woman who the baker lets near the bread she must be the woman who is a “slut”.
Bambara creates a strong young girl, Hazel who is not afraid of anyone or what they think. Her parents have taught her to speak up when she has something on her mind and to let the chips fall where they may (Bambara 63). This leads to her parents’ failure because Hazel is forced to face reality when confronting Hunca Bubba. When realizing her uncle has lied to her and has not stuck to his word about marrying her and waiting for she states when talking about her brother “ we must stick together or be forever lost, what with grown-ups playin change-up and turnin you round every way so bad. And don’t even say they sorry” (Bambara 64), Hazel has lost faith in the adults that fill her life. She is a child that was raised believing she was strong with her words and that no matter what she said is she had passion everything would work out. No one taught her to look out for being disappointed or hurt by the fact that others lie. This is the failure of parenthood in her life, not showing your children the disappointments of life.
Barnett introduces the idea of parenthood failure through the three different stories of children who have lost their futures due to their parents. This story brings together both stories mentioned above. Barnett writes, “ it ain’t enough to just provide for a child. That’s hard enough but what’s harder is protecting them from what they can’t see and sometimes what you can’t even see” (6). The mother in “Girl” and Hazel’s parents did not know they were causing harm by protecting their children from what they couldn’t even see. The mother in “Girl” did not realize she was setting her daughter up for failure when presenting her with such hypocritical words. Hazel’s parents did not realize that they were bringing her failure and harm when they hid the ugly of life that they probably did not even know existed. All of the parents in “533” did not realize they were failing as parents by keeping their children in the horrors that they were all blind to. The only exception is Menda and her decision to not have her baby, saving the child from failure.

Romano, Lauren #1: What Does Freedom Really Mean

            What does Freedom Really mean?

The short story “ Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid in 1949 proposes an interesting view on freedom, on how sometimes this word as a concept can have a different meaning other than it’s dictionary definition.  The story, written in a time period where the emancipation of African Americans  was quite recent and soon after, the woman’s rights movement, basically portrays a woman’s everyday role in society. The story is not written traditionally, where there is a clear chronological order in which the series of events are taking place. The writing, to me at least, comes across as something almost like a thought process of a woman, and her daily tasks, and what she must look out for and keep in mind. There are probably many interpretations of the theme or message the author is trying to convey, however throughout the short text, one can claim that the story is a good representation of the idea that although  we are liberated individuals, sometimes we are trapped inside of our gender roles pressured on us by society.

When we think of the word freedom often times it’s easy to associate it with being granted basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under the constitution. We may have freedom as humans to do what we want, however societal pressure can sometimes restrict this freedom.  Woman more so in the past than now, ought to act in a certain proper manner to ensure that they wouldn’t be perceived as promiscuous.  This fear of earning that sort of reputation is mentioned repeatedly throughout the text. “ always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach ; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not be the slut you are so bent on becoming”. (444, Kincaid) this quote from the story further demonstrates how women were pressured to live their lives a certain way, even in the most common, and “free” tasks one can perform like eating and walking. Is it really total freedom if one had these lingering thoughts of how to act in their head? In addition to this, the last part of the quote refers to promiscuousness and seems as though it’s a warning to prevent this kind of behavior that apparently whoever the speaker is directing it towards is “so bent on becoming.”  Another example of this idea being portrayed is from another part explaining more “womanly” tasks such as setting the table and putting tea on. “ This is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how you behave in the presence of men who don’t know you well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you of becoming.” This again explains that a woman is not entirely free to act as she wants in front of a man without the lurking fear of being discovered as a provocative woman.

Throughout the story   the constant repetition of what a woman must do in day to day life, without portraying herself in an un-lady like or promiscuous fashion can be summarized  in one statement.  That is that although a woman is a free person, and has the free will to do what she pleases, she is held captive by the redundant reminder to act a certain way because of social stigma.

Pelosi, Joe (Blog #1) – Qualities Of Parenthood

Qualities of Parenthood

     In her work “533”, LaShonda Barnett illustrated the qualities of parenthood and growing up with undedicated parents, through third person views. In the short story parenthood is continuously brought up, addressing the hardships a parent, or child faces growing up in a specific community. In most cases parenthood can be viewed as a blessing, or on the other hand can be viewed as a curse. When a child is brought into the world, it should be given the utmost respect and care, and treated like a precious gem. Parenthood can be a very difficult process, and not everyone is qualified or ready to take on the blessing of a child.

In Barnetts work, Menda Johnson, or as the narrator refers to her Miss Menda, is moving into a new apartment and is confronted by the narrates observing her moving into her new apartment. She tells her that “Ninety-eight was a bad year for babies, children too.” It’s not until the conclusion of the piece that she realizes the true meaning of what quality information she received. The narrator had been around the building and community for quite a while, seeing her share of babies, and children come and go. Throughout the short story she becomes friendly with Miss Menda, as they begin to spend time together. Still questioning the meaning of what was said to her, she asks the true meaning of the dialogue.

This is when she begins to share the knowledge she has acquired over the years of viewing parenthood in her community. She tells her stories of children being neglected and in some cases neglected to the point of them reaching death. The parents of these children were not fit to have a child, mostly because the financial status they experienced, which is the reason for being brought up in the community they were in. What Miss Menda doesn’t know, is that the narrator knows that she has become pregnant. This is what Barnett was illustrating through her work, as the lady was attempting to advise Miss Menda about parenthood and the difficulties parents and children faced in her community.

By receiving this information, and considering the advice she received through a reliable source, Miss menda quickly comes to the conclusion that she is not ready to bring a baby into the world. She received crucial information about past parents going through the same process that lied in her near future, and the odds where not in her favor. After reaching her conclusion, she asked the person who advised, and guided her to the correct path, to comfort her and be there to support her. The lady who had been telling her the stories of the community went with her to the clinic, to abort the precious life, which wasn’t ready for care.

After they finished at the clinic, on the walk home Miss Mend explains to the narrator that she will know have the memory of her baby, and pass the knowledge of waiting for the proper time to have a child to people in her community. This narrator can be viewed as an overseer and advisor of her community, as people with the most knowledge and experience know what is best.

-Joe Pelosi

Ireland, Samantha #1: What Is Freedom?

                                                                                

                                                                             What is Freedom?  

 

            In the short story “533” LaShonda Katrice Barnett discusses the struggle people of color had gaining freedom in the North and South.

 

            During the time of slavery, there was a constant battle between the North and the South as to whether or not people of color should remain enslaved or be set free. People of color were pushing to move North because they wanted more freedom but, “ we never did tell folks up here why we come” (3).  When they moved north, slaves were pushing for freedom and they worked towards overcoming “injustice and oppression.” Slaves felt as though the act of being held captive because they had a different color skin was not fair.  They also had the goal of putting an end to the physical punishment that was inflicted upon them by their masters. Living through the experience of being whipped left several emotional scars on the slaves. Unfortunately, the pain they felt was not only from their abuse but also by watching others be abused. Sometimes it is more difficult to watch those who you care deeply about be treated poorly for it was also from watching their loved ones being whipped and killed for what they felt was no reason.

 

            Fortunately enough, slaves escaped from the South to the North to have a life where they thought they would have more freedom. Achieving freedom was a tough thing for slaves but they used music to get through it all. Communication in the Underground Railroad was all done through songs. When slaves were being taken up the railroad, the messengers used songs to warn one another of danger and keep each other updated as to where they were. Once more of the slaves were in the North, they pushed harder for freedom.

 

            Additionally, in the short story, “533” slaves used music as an outlet for the emotional and physical pain they were experiencing. Specifically, rap music when, Zootie stated: “She claim rap helps people think and feel about a whole lot of things” (25).  Rap is a kind of music that is more prevalent in todays society and as more races and ethnicities have become accepted, more rap artists have come into existence and this connects to Barnett’s piece where it states: “We was proud to see one of our own make it on account of we ain’t never been make it (23). As society has progressed, the struggle people of color have had has decreased and freedom now exists in both the North and the South. The path for slaves escaping and eventually reaching freedom was paved through a few civil rights activists and these movements taught the world that one person could make a difference. Freedom is a right to citizens in America but in other countries people are still fighting against governments for their rights. As Americans, we are lucky to have our freedom and the fight those of colored skin put forth during the time of slavery and discrimination.