An Analysis Of Anne Moody's Coming Of Age In Mississippi

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Coming of Age in Mississippi is an autobiography that depicts Anne Moody’s life as a poverty stricken child and civil rights activist young adult. Instead of letting her struggles with poverty and racism define who she is and pull her down; she overcomes everything with great effort. Certain events in Moody’s youth inspire her to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement and she was mostly focused on economic success rather than political success in the movements. Anne really does come of age in this book, from when she is a young child to her young adult life, you can tell she is hardened by what happens in her youth and contemplates everything that happens to her. When Anne is four years old, she and her mother, Toosweet, her father, Diddly, …show more content…

Toosweet and the children, end up moving to at least six different homes in over six years. Toosweet, eventually becomes a waitress in a cafe for blacks and then as a maid for white families. Even with all the hard luck, Anne does exceptionally well in school—in the fourth grade, Anne begins to work part time cleaning the homes of white families just like her mother. She will continue to work until his last year of high school, spending most of her time after school doing menial jobs to put food on the family table. Most employers are fairly easy to treat. The Claibornes even encourage Anne in school and invite her to eat with them at their table (Moody, …show more content…

Anne’s family did not understand her growing interest in the movement for civil rights; in fact, they were afraid of it. Anne accepted a basketball scholarship Natchez College, stifling conservative Baptist college in Mississippi. Eventually, Anne transfers to Tougaloo College for her last two years of college (Moody, 260). In Tougaloo, she joins the NAACP, despite strong protests from her mother. The local sheriff even tells Anne's mother that she should not attend events with the NAACP or that could mean serious problems for the family. However, Anne was active in the NAACP and the civil rights movement, despite the pleas of her family to resign (Moody,

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