Analysis Of A Swimming Lesson

Jewelle L. Gomez “A Swimming Lesson” describes the relationship and friendship she shared between her and her beloved grandmother. While also teaching emphasizing on the life lessons her grandmother had taught her through their time spent swimming at the beach during summer vacations. The story is introduced with the beach being a very fun, normal place that she was used to going to every summer but then leads into having a much deeper meaning. How racism, body insecurities, life lessons can all also be involved and over looked. Racial discrimination involves “being made fun of, being an outcast, being treated rudely or unfair or being insulted.” (Bernstein, Park, Shin, Cho, & Park, 2011) This Short story is not only about standing up and embracing

Because of Lydia Gomez grew up to be strong and independent African American Women, she grew up to love the skin she has and embrace her own culture. Gomez also learned that “Lydia was actually never was a great swimmer herself” (Gomez, 372) Learning that made Gomez gain even more respect for Lydia, she said “At first id felt disappointed, tricked, the way id used to feel when id learn that a favorite movie star was only five feet tall. But then I quickly realized what an incredible act of bravery it was for her to pass on to me a skill she herself had not quite mastered- a skill that she knew would always bring me a sense of accomplishment.”(Gomez, 372) Instead of letting the discrimination from 1957 affect her in a negative manner she grew up, analyzed and shared her selfless experiences. Gomez has also gone off and written other works also relating to slavery and discrimination. We can all assume that “The Swimming Lesson” is one of many detailed filled lessons grandmother Lydia taught Gomez and is somehow related into her other works such as “The Gilda Story” (Lewis,

When Gomez explains the “narrow hips, straight hair, flat stomachs and small feet” (Gomez, 371) of other women. This is the first time in the story when we see her beginning to feel self-conscious, insecure about her own body. Her grandmother than began to teaching her how to swim, but with pride, years later this is the moment Gomez looked back on and realized how beautiful and independent her grandmother was. Although her grandmother was beautiful and independent, at the time Gomez was still too young to see how or why. “It was a place in which we were meant to feel comfortable at best and hunted at worst.” (Gomez, 373) Gomez was still looking at the smaller picture; she was looking what was going on around her and judging only on what she saw instead of listening and learning on the bigger picture her grandmother was trying to teach her. Thanks to Grandma Lydia, Gomez learned to gain self-respect and confidence at a young age. Memories, details and imagery were all used through out her short story “A Swimming Lesson”. Though “A Swimming Lesson” was not the only piece of work Gomez has wrote about discrimination against African Americans she has various other works including poems, essay and other