Different Worlds of Black Girl Lost and Baby of the Family

1798 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Children in poverty, poverty and the effects on children

Different Worlds of Black Girl Lost and Baby of the Family

Although, African Americans are considered minorities in the United States, not all of them live in poverty. Many African Americans live in a middle class society along with the dominant culture. However, many African Americans do not live in a middle class society, but rather live in poverty and have to suffer along with this poverty. For instance, Donald Goines’s Black Girl Lost and Tina McElroy Ansa’s Baby of the Family, two narrative novels, that illustrate the difference in two young African American girls lives and the society in which they inhabit. Not only do these young African American girls represent the two sides of poverty, they also represent how children can also qualify in the minority category. For example, Sandra lives in a run down apartment with a drunk mother who could care less about her daughter. In addition, Sandra remains all on her own and has to find ways in which to survive each day. But on the other hand, Lena lives in a nice size home with her two parents, her two brothers, and her grandmother, all who love her very much. Moreover, Lena has many family members who look after her and take extra special care for her because she is the baby of the family. Although, both Sandra and Lena lead very different lives, both are faced with challenges as a minority and as a child which questions their view on life.

The home in which a child lives in is suppose to be a place of warmth, love, and protection. A home also offers other important aspects into a child’s life, for instance, self-confidence, pride, and security. If a child does not reside in a home that offers warmth, love, and protection, that child will not feel good about herself or the home in which she lives in. A child wants a home that he or she can be proud of enough to bring home a friend or two. In addition, if a child does not feel safe and secure in his or her home, then she will not posses these qualities in the outside world. Moreover, their lack of security can cause major disruptions and distractions within their everyday routine, like with Sandra. For example, the homes that Lena and Sandra live in illustrate the exact opposite of each other.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing the Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell It On the Mountain

    2317 Words  | 5 Pages

    Historically, the job of women in society is to care for the husband, the home, and the children. As a homemaker, it has been up to the woman to support the husband and care for the house; as a mother, the role was to care for the children and pass along cultural traditions and values to the children. These roles are no different in the African-American community, except for the fact that they are magnified to even larger proportions. The image of the mother in African-American culture is one of guidance, love, and wisdom; quite often the mother is the shaping and driving force of African-American children. This is reflected in the literature of the African-American as a special bond of love and loyalty to the mother figure. Just as the role of motherhood in African-American culture is magnified and elevated, so is the role of the wife. The literature reflects this by showing the African-American man struggling to make a living for himself and his family with his wife either being emotionally or physically submissive. Understanding the role of women in the African-American community starts by examining the roles of women in African-American literature. Because literature is a reflection of the community from which it comes, the portrayal of women in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952) is consistent with the roles mentioned above.

    Read More

  • Unequal Childhoods Class Race And Family Life Summary

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book “Unequal Childhoods Class, Race, and Family life” by Annette Lareau it talks about children’s reality and how upper class, middle class, working class, and poor families live. The working class families that she observed live in a neighborhood that can be dangerous for the children and not a desire place for the kids to be in, in the contrary the middle class families live in houses that are adequate for the children, families have access to grocery stores, and children are able to participate in activities that are not part of the school. This book is interesting because she talks about the different situations that families and children encounter. Not everyone comes from families that are able to support them or give them the attention that they need. This book shows the reality on how different social class families live under what conditions, how their school looks like, and the overall environment of the children.

    Read More

  • Redemption for Whom?

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, Lemann documents horrible accounts of violence against freed blacks. The casual observer views the underlying reasons for these attacks as simple racial hatred. However, Lemann connects the acts of violence to show an orchestrated movement intended to undermine both keys to the freed blacks’ quality of life, organizing abilities and voting rights. Violence against blacks existed for years, but in the form of a master supposedly disciplining his slave. The acts of violence outlined by Lemann show a shift from fear and ignorance to organized intimidation. After all, whites of the time viewed themselves “as protectors of [the] natural order” meaning racial superiority (65). What first started as a fear of being the minority turned quickly to a fear of losing political power and economic wealth. In the end, the use of violence all...

    Read More

  • The Sam Sheppard Case

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today there are many crimes that happen daily. Many crimes are unknown about because they are small crimes such as someone stealing. With these crimes the media doesn’t get so involved. However, with that being said there are crimes done that are major where the media is finding out all about it. A huge crime of the 1950s was the Sam Sheppard case. This was a shocking case stating that Dr. Sheppard had murdered his wife Marilyn Sheppard in 1954. This is a murder case that will be unsolved forever.

    Read More

  • Searle Consciousness

    643 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...the fact that Qualia are quantifiably mental. To me, contrary to Searle, he believes therefore, that there is no reason why mental would be incapable of acting on the physical, and in addition to this, that there is no reason for the mental to be non-extended in space. These to him, are the main two mistaken assumptions.

    Read More

  • On Being Young-A Woman-And Colored By Marita Bonner Summary

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    On Being Young-A Woman-and Colored an essay by Marita Bonner addresses what it means to be black women in a world of white privilege. Bonner reflects about a time when she was younger, how simple her life was, but as she grows older she is forced to work hard to live a life better than those around her. Ultimately, she is a woman living with the roles that women of all colors have been constrained to. Critics, within the last 20 years, believe that Marita Bonners’ essay primarily focuses on the double consciousness ; while others believe that she is focusing on gender , class , “economic hardships, and discrimination” . I argue that Bonner is writing her essay about the historical context of oppression forcing women into intersectional oppression by explaining the naturality of racial discrimination between black and white, how time and money equate to the American Dream, and lastly how gender discrimination silences women, specifically black women.

    Read More

  • Milo and Otis

    3043 Words  | 7 Pages

    ...establishing a “home” has essentially been transferred from the parent to the child, and the traditional home, and consequently family, has all but disappeared in our society. This shift undermines the roles of the parents, and forces the child to take on adult responsibilities at a premature age. We live in an on-the-go day and age where nothing seems to remain constant for any time at all, and with this lack of continuity we have lost a great deal of what was once an integral part of society. The thought of a child ascribing to a “home” devoid of anything infallible is not a pleasant one. If every parent would spare a moment in their busy, fast-paced lives to consider the impact of the dissolution of the traditional home upon our children, we might not need films such as “Milo and Otis” to instruct our children to dissociate home from the world around them.

    Read More

  • Book Report On The Other Wes Moore

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richelle Goodrich once said, “To encourage me is to believe in me, which gives me the power to defeat dragons.” In a world submerged in diversity, racism and prejudice it is hard for minorities to get ahead. The novel “The Other Wes Moore” is a depiction of the differences that encouragement and support can make in the life of a child. This novel is about two men, with the same name, from the same neighborhood, that endured very similar adversities in their lives, but their paths were vastly different. In the following paragraphs, their lives will be compared, and analyzed from a sociological perspective.

    Read More

  • The Maids Now Have They Say Persuasive Essay

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Racial Insults and Quiet Bravery in 1960s Mississippi”,” by Janet Maslin and “‘The Maids’ Now Have Their Say,’” by Manohla ‘s Dargis both reflect the ignorance of the white women in the South during the 60s, rather than the ignorance of “The Help.” Stereotypically, black people in the 60s were uneducated, and problematic. Despite the civil rights movement, white children were raised and loved primarily by the help and never acknowledge the helps life outside of their southern plantations. The novel, by Kathryn Stockett explores the white white characters troubled relationships, lack of parenting skills, and problems similar to those experienced by the black characters. Stockett and Skeeter, the narrator of the novel, share the idea that the emotional needs and struggles of “The Help” should be recognized and credit should be given to these women who are the foundation of the white family.

    Read More

  • Removal from a Negligent Home in Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every day the safety and well-being of many children are threatened by neglect. Each child deserves the comfort of having parents whom provide for their children. Throughout the memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls explains the childhood from being born into the hands of parent who neglect their children. Many may argue that children need to grow with their parents; however, the removal of children is necessary if the parents disregard the kid’s needs and cannot provide a stable life for their children.

    Read More

  • Abuse in Foster Care

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    Listening to a child’s viewpoint in today’s world is one technique to fully understand what they are thinking about and why they would be thinking about it. These children are having a horde of thoughts streaming through their mind with the foster children transitioning into a new home and receiving a new family. Although, the foster child is not the only one feeling anxious about the switch into another home but the f...

    Read More

  • Ann Petry’s The Street

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our society of today, there are many images that are portrayed through media and through personal experience that speak to the issues of black motherhood, marriage and the black family. Wherever one turns, there is the image of the black woman in the projects and very rarely the image of successful black women. Even when these positive images are portrayed, it is almost in a manner that speaks to the supposed inferiority of black women. Women, black women in particular, are placed into a society that marginalizes and controls many of the aspects of a black woman’s life. As a result, many black women do not see a source of opportunity, a way to escape the drudgery of their everyday existence. For example, if we were to ask black mother’s if they would change their situation if it became possible for them to do so, many would change, but others would say that it is not possible; This answer would be the result of living in a society that has conditioned black women to accept their lots in lives instead of fighting against the system of white and male dominated supremacy. In Ann Petry’s The Street, we are given a view of a black mother who is struggling to escape what the street symbolizes. In the end though, she becomes captive to the very thing she wishes to escape. Petry presents black motherhood, marriage and the black family as things that are marginalized according to the society in which they take place.

    Read More

  • Paule Marshall Brown Girl Brownstones Analysis

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    Paule Marshall’s Brown Girl Brownstones revolves around Barbadian (Bajan) immigrants living in Brooklyn, New York. As a non-native black population, the Bajan community is forced to consider their American identity, which presents issue that are new to them. Some people in the community are unable or are not willingness to assimilate into the established culture of America and they find themselves in a system into which they cannot fit. Marshall focuses the story on a particular family known as the Boyce family. They are Bajan decedents who settle in Brooklyn. Although, the Boyce family migrates to America for a better life, their lives are a tremendous struggle and pursuit of the American Dream utterly destroys the family.

    Read More

  • Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    With a socially imposed and personal devotion to attain a highly regarded status in his clan, Okonkwo’s life was one that valued traditional authority, customs, and kinship. As a protagonist, Okonkwo’s story exemplifies the altering role of the state as the marching boots of colonialism enter his village, Iguedo. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, he illustrates the societal life of the Umuofia clan prior to the arrival of and the encounter with early colonizers - offering an Igbo account of the transformation of local institutions. Once wielded by elders and the spiritually divine, the power of control fell into the hands of foreigners. Worship of ancestors, the supreme deity Chikwu, and other Earth gods transferred to the God revealed in the Bible. The interactions between the institutions of rule, belief, environmental management, and trade are each delicately reliant on each other, so that in Iguedo the ability to rule fails to exist without belief, religious believes are derived from the environment, and the mercy of environmental conditions dictates agricultural trade. Through the life and death of Okonkwo, the novel presents how the experience of the Igbo and their interaction with the state witnessed unquestionable change.

    Read More

  • Racism Exposed In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    Finally she say, Sofia, with a little laugh, This is the South. Yes ma’am, I say. She clear her throat, laugh some more. Look where you sitting, she say. I’m sitting where I always sit, I say. That’s the problem, she say. Have you ever seen a white person and a colored lady sitting side by side in a car, when one of 'em wasn’t showing the other one how to drive it or clean it?” (Walker 104) Not only was race a limiting factor for many but so was class. Working class people such as the main protagonist Celie, live their lives only ever visiting people close and hardly get any real education especially if there are female. However in the instance of Celie`s sister Nettie, Nettie runs away from home at a young age and finds herself with a rich colored couple whom with she travels to Africa with and gets an education. This social status is not entirely bias, but for the mostly in the south whites are the rich and elite class. While people of color such as Celie and her friends and family are the lower class, this social classification makes certain groups feel superior to colored minorities. Only a select few ever escape this catgazation of class by moving to the north, such as Shug and

    Read More

More about Different Worlds of Black Girl Lost and Baby of the Family

Open Document