This is a story of how my parents had bad luck connecting and how they would eventually find love. They both lived in Twin Peaks neighborhood of San Francisco. San Francisco is a city of hills and Twin Peaks is on the top of a large hill. Looking out from the top, you can literally see everything. On Fourth of July, you can see every firework going off in the city. Both my mom and dad grew up here. My mom and dad, despite living ten minutes from each other, never knew each other during childhood. This probably had something to do with my grandpa being known as “the mean man” in twin peaks. Everyone avoided my dad's house because of this except to pet my dads dog. Young Margaret Loo attempts to fix her car. “It's the carburetor.” Said …show more content…
My mom came back from Detroit. “Do you know that boy that works for Andre?”. “Yeah why?” Inquired margret. “He said he was going to ask you out.” Said obachan. My mom kept going to the gas station to see my dad, but always missed him. Finally one day Robert my aunt's boyfriend stopped off to tell my mom that my dad just started working and he saw him. “If you put five dollars of gas in my truck I'll take you down to see art.”said Robert “Will you go on a date with me?” Said art. “Yes where will we be going?” Said margret “Dinner then a movie.”Answers art. It was finally the day of the date and my dad was late by two hours. My grandmother said to my mom that she shouldn't date someone who is two hours late granted at the time my mom didn't know at the time, but my dad was notorious for being late my mom would find this out later. When my dad showed up, he said something like scuba lessons ran late. My mom never got that dinner butt they went to the movie. They didn't watch it, instead they talked about their
Journalist Charles Lane learned about the Colfax Massacre case while he was on The Washington Post case. In his book “The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, The Supreme Court, and The Betrayal of Reconstruction”, Lane spotlights the Colfax Massacre of 1873 and the result of that event. Lane gives an insightful and detailed analysis of the conditions in Louisiana during this time of reconstruction, both politically and socially. He describes the death of over 60 blacks as a result of the horrific attack that took place at the Colfax court house. Lane recounts the Federal and the Supreme Court trials and the aftermath of the criminals’ not guilty verdict.
Lorde, Audre. “The Fourth of July.” Models for Writers. 7th ed. Ed. Alfred Rosa and
“The most exciting attractions are between opposites that never meet.” -Andy Warhol. Opposites are exciting. When positive and negative spaces collide, new ways to look at art formulate. When left and right sides of the aisle combine in the chambers of Congress, revolutionary new laws are passed. When the dead meet the living, zombies rise from the grave, a subject so captivating, it has formed its own subgenre in all kinds of mediums. In writing, these opposites take a few forms. In African American author and poet, Audre Lorde’s narrative, The Fourth of July, a stunning display of juxtaposition helps the reader understand how Audre Lorde felt during her fateful trip to Washington D.C. and her argument that racism is a prevalent issue, despite
In Joseph Plumb Martin’s account of his experiences in the Revolutionary War he offers unique insight into the perspective of a regular soldier, which differs from the views of generals and leaders such as popular characters like George Washington. Martin’s narrative is an asset to historical scholarship as a primary source that gives an in-depth look at how life in the army was for many young men during the War for Independence. He described the tremendous suffering he experienced like starvation and privation. He did not shy away from describing his criticism of the government who he believes did not adequately care for the soldiers during and after the war. While he may be biased because of his personal involvement as a soldier, he seems to relate accounts that are plausible without embellishment or self-aggrandizement. Overall, “A Narrative of A Revolutionary Soldier” is a rich source of information providing an overview of military experience during the war.
Every year on the Fourth of July, America celebrates its independence and the freedom of the citizens. Before emancipation, the Fourth of July holiday was celebrated by all American citizens with the exception of the people who were not free, the slaves. If not everyone in America was free, then how could freedom be celebrated. Frederick Douglass points out the irony in America 's Fourth of July in his speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. Douglass uses immediate and larger context to present the purpose in his speech along with compelling use of ethos, logos, and pathos; his language and style displays his aggravation towards the celebration of the Fourth of July, making his speech highly effective.
In the essay “The Fourth of July,” Audre Lorde shares a story about a young black girl who struggles to find the answers to why her parents did not explain why things are the way they are. In the story, the young girl and her family, which consists of her older sister and her parents, are taking a trip to Washington D.C. They are taking this trip because her sister, Phyllis, did not get a chance to go when her class went in 8th grade because she is black and they would not let her stay in the hotel. Her father told her that they would take a family trip later on so she would not be upset. However, this trip was not just a normal family vacation; it was an eye opening experience for Lorde. Lorde expresses racism and the different issues that
During America celebration of its 76th birthday, a man by the name of Frederic Douglass delivered a magnificent speech in Rochester, New York, July 5th, 1852. Douglass request to deliver the speech on the United States most important celebration of them appeared to him as mockery of his former persona and unjust treatment of black slaves in the United States. His speech, “The Fourth of July Oration,” was a true masterpiece result of skillful, eloquent and intelligent man. He began his oration by acknowledging America’s independence from the mother land’s ruling, England. Douglass alluded that despite being a seventy-six year-old nation, the United States was still at the eves of its career. Being a young country compare to those that were at the time to be by the thousands rather than tenths, created a grant opportunity for change that may be easier to successfully obtain under as a young nation rather than an older one condemned with opposition on its reforms. Douglass on his speech venerated the monumental accomplishment of the forefathers’ of their nation, of fearlessly fighting for their freedom and speaking for what they believed was right later becoming a revolution which ended the life and hopes of many as well as he felt as if the country and government was going against what they have constructed and in relation to how vague and misinterpreted slavery was being represented in the Bible. After he concluded venerating their independent country, he questioned why America citizens were celebrating independence. It was a time of commemoration for white folks but a time for desolation and woe for the black slaves of their nation at the time.
The story “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde demonstrates that she comes across a realization that she had to speak up for her rights and independence when she visited the capital city of the United States, Washington, D.C. Lorde explains how she was frustrated with the situation that occurred in Washington, D.C., which shows that she had learned the reality of the society. She writes about many things that she came across during the trip to Washington D.C. in the summer vacation. In the essay, the meanings of independence for Lorde are to fight for it and to speak up for the rights that they deserve. Lorde and her family visit many places in the capital city where they were told to leave the place because black people were not allowed there.
It was not particularly hot that Fourth of July many years ago, but looking back it was the heat that impressed itself upon me the most. The true heat was much more than the temperature. The true heat that I felt was from the long, winding, awe-inspiring chase that the cops gave my friends and me.
The American Revolution was the war that arose from strain between Great Britain’s American colonies and the colonial government, this battle lasted from 1775 to 1783. The American Revolution, also known as the U.S. War of Independence, had two sides to it, the loyalists and the patriots. The loyalists were colonists loyal to Britain who would stand and supposedly fight for the crown as they promised, but the Patriots wanted independence from Britain and their government, hence the name the U.S. War of Independence. The Patriots wanted to part from Britain because of the unfair government raising taxes on the colonies, the taxes raised are known as the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, and the Townsend Act. All of these acts led to the colonies becoming
In Audre Lorde’s bildungsroman essay “The Fourth of July” (1997), she recalls her family’s trip to the nation’s capital that represented the end of her childhood ignorance by being exposed to the harsh reality of racialization in the mid 1900s. Lorde explains that her parents are to blame for shaping her skewed perception of America by shamefully dismissing frequent acts of racism. Utilizing copious examples of her family being negatively affected by racism, Lorde expresses her anger towards her parents’ refusal to address the blatant, humiliating acts of discrimination in order to emphasize her confusion as to why objecting to racism is a taboo. Lorde’s use of a transformational tone of excitement to anger, and dramatic irony allows those
In the short story, “Fourth of July”, Audre Lord transmits the main message of how one should resist and retaliate when afflicted to prejudice. Lorde displays the message of prejudice early in the story when she describes the complications Phyllis had trying to get to Washington D.C. with her high school senior class, just because she is a different skin color as the others. Lorde writes “Phyllis’s high school senior class trip had been to Washington, but the nuns had given her back her deposit in private, explaining to her that the class, all of whom were white, except Phyllis, would be staying in a hotel where Phyllis ‘Would not be happy,’ meaning, Daddy explained to her, also in private, that they did not rent rooms to Negroes. ‘We will
In both “The Fourth of July” and “Black Men and Public Space” the narrators did one very important thing; they expressed how the encounter made the narrator feel. This is crucial because it almost allows the reader to share the feeling of helplessness that was felt. In “The Fourth of July”, Lorde explained how she truly did not understand why the family was treated differently. She tells of her parents’ fruitless effort to shield their children from the harsh realities of Jim Crow by planning out virtually the whole trip. The highlight of the story is when the narrator expresses both anger and confusion at the fact that her family was denied seated service at an ice cream parlor because they were black.
On July 5th, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a “What to The Slave is Fourth of July” speech at a meeting of the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. He started out by asking audience, “Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?” Douglass referred the Independence Day as “your” instead of “our”. This was his way of drawing the line between blacks and whites, and reminding people of injustice, cruelty and slavery. Douglass was the most important black American leader of the 19th century. He was born to a slave mother in Maryland and when he was only 6 years old, he was taken away from his mother and
All the people around me were excited and were in a very festive mood; and they all were perfectly allowed to do so. After all, it was the Fourth of July, Independence Day, and my birthday. I had a very pleasant feeling as I strolled through the row of tents at the beach with my friends by my side, as I observed countless people enjoying themselves under the summer sun in the commotion of the small festival. The city was quite festive – decorated by splashes of red, white, and blue everywhere. People occasionally wore a plastic Uncle Sam’s hat, wore patriotic boardshorts, or somehow showed off how American they were proud to be. It was a wonderful feeling and it was by far the best birthday that