Momma The Dentist And Me Analysis

The “Mama might be better of dead” is a book that has an ethnographic story of the life of four generations of African American families who live in one of the poorest communities in Chicago. It takes place in the 1990’s in the North Lawndale and it is located in the Westside Abraham (2013). The story discusses in detail how the health care system does not work for most low income families. The story states that the Banks family is going through many challenging and traumatic situations where they do not have all the necessary health care due to low income. This story deliberates that Jackie Banes is head of household and she takes care of her grandmother, Cora Jackson who suffers from a diabetes, high blood pressure and had her leg amputated due to not getting treatment right away.

In Maya Angelou’s chapter Mrs. Flowers, Marguerite Johnson, finds how to become successful in a segregated America. What Mrs. Flowers does is teaches Marguerite how to avoid racist people, that usually meant staying home. Mrs Flowers made her memorize many works of literature such as poems. “Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit I want you to recite it.”

Just like Douglass’ speech, Angelou’s poem greatly reflects discrimination and just how little people’s opinions about her do not mean anything. Maya Angelou one stated, “Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise.” (pg. 3) She mentions that even if she may come from a past layered in gut-wrenching pain, no matter what has been thrown at her, she will look beyond them. Angelou also mentions, “Bringing the gifts thay my ancestors gave, I am the dream and hope of the slave.”

She realizes that she must be proud of heritage and never let it go. Tan perception is told to her and this cause makes her not to be valiant. In contrast, Maya Angelou is aware of her situation from the start of the story. She observes a group of African-American men talking big; how Joe is “gone to whip that white boy” (111) and then it becomes quiet. She sees the men how they are insulting the white fighter with each other because they know that are safe.

Angelou’s eighth grade graduation takes place in the racially segregated town of Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou was a kind hearted girl, who’s nervousness and excitement had her feeling many different emotions leading to her big day. “I had taken to smiling more often, and my jaws hurt from the unaccustomed activity.” As Angelou is showered with gifts from friends, family, and complete strangers, she feels hopeful and optimistic about her graduation.

In “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Baby: An American Grammar Book,” Hortense Spiller opens up the reading by focusing on the names that America has given African American women. (Hortense 64) She tries to explain how America judges them only because the color of their skin. Spiller talks about her own personal feelings about the way that these women were treated throughout her story.

The rise is in equality. In Angelou’s poem however, the rise of blacks is above those of whites. By accentuating the “badness” of whites, and the mistreatments they enforces, she shows that blacks are in fact greater and stronger at heart than the whites. African American literature in the 1900’s contain differences due to the constant change of black image, and also similarities in its inherent essence. Because Langston Hughes’ “I, Too, Sing America” is written in the beginning of the century, and Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is written in the latter half of the century, the transformation of black mindset is apparent.

The white women is oppressed but relishes in the freedom of her race. The black woman faces a unique combination of prejudice for both her gender and the color of her skin. When society tries to separate humanity into categories, including “ladies” and “colored people,” it is made unclear where we belong, according to Cooper. The women’s movement that is sweeping the nation is meant to teach courteousness and compassion, yet the white woman still looks down upon the black woman as her inferior. Likewise, while she acknowledges that some members of the black community have received honors, the race will not rise from oppression until the whole race does so, particularly black women.

Mr. Freeman did not come in contact with Angelou again until months later, when he committed and completed the rape. Angelou predicted the rape and tells him no, but that did not stop him. He raped her. She remembered, “Then there was a pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart.

“From her penny of beauty Posing lofty, …. She praises all who kneel and whispers softly, … a solitary figure Hold her eyes”. Maya Angelou humbly accepts the fact that she does not look fair and good-looking but her resisting power is astounding. Being born as a black lady she is upset at times but, it lives for a short while. She advises all women to join hands with her in her march towards a Utopia where they would also be treated on par with everyone.

In the passage, Maya Angelou does not use powerful and strongly meaning words. Like in the sentence “Birds of a feather and all that, but I took a chance and told him Bailey was in Sing Sing.” (271), Maya Angelou is simply stating what she just said. She could have expanded on this sentence and used diction to provoke an emotional response to the reader. A more meaningful sentence would be: (Birds and feather and all that, but I took courage and told him a secret that I had. That Bailey, my only brother was in Sing Sing.)

This literacy source is a collection of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies and contains five different parts: Gather Together in My Name, Singin’ and Swinging’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas, The Heart of a Woman, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes, and A Song Flung Up to Heaven. By looking at this work, one is able to witness Maya Angelou grow up in a racist society. Accordingly, Angelou focuses on what it was like being African-American in the 1900s; a time when Whites refused to accept that African-Americans were free. As specified by Angelou, “If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat” (9).

One individual who could play an example of one of the symbolic images Angelou describes is Stanton. “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation on the part of man toward women…” (Stanton 112). Stantons use of diction displays her hard work and determination to fight for women that eventually lead to achieving her goal. According to Angelou it's about hard work of others that keep a lasting impact to this day and with it one can achieve success; Stanton preaches hard work now to later achieve one's ultimate

Life Lessons Lead to Maturity Growing up is an inevitable fact of life. No matter how fast or slow life passes, lessons will be learned along the way, shaping future lives. Maya Angelou discusses the topic of life throughout the autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This novel takes place in the 1930s and shows the hardships of racism through the main character, Maya.

Angelou’s exposition of the roles her ethnicity contributes to society reveal the limitations negative words inflict. Angelou affirms this claim, “We were maids and farmers, handymen and washerwomen, and anything higher that we aspired to was farcical and presumptuous” (Angelou, 2015, p. 186). The expected classification of Angelou’s race exhibits a lack of significance for receiving an education. Consequently, an individual’s sense of importance diminishes resulting in an ideology of desperation. Angelou proclaims, “It was awful to be a Negro and have no control over my life” (Angelou, 2015, p. 186).