Mrs Anne Moody Sparknotes

The memoir of Mrs. Anne Moody is a chilling tale of the oppressive natures that young black women often faced while growing up in the south. In Coming of Age in Mississippi, Moody vividly details her experiences of growing up in Mississippi from childhood through to her mid-twenties. This memoir tells the tale of overcoming adversity, fixed-mindset versus a growth-mindset, and the loss of hope in the face of adversity. While this memoir emphasizes the racial tension and divide, it also focuses on the impact family and community have on an individual, which is essential in understanding the outlook Anne Moody had on the world throughout this book.
Anne Moody started facing adversity at birth, she fought to earn a right to education and an improved

life. Moody did not live an easy life, almost burned to death in a house fire at four by her cousin, parents splitting up at a young age. Raised by a mother who had numerous children, yet could not afford to take care for even two of her kids properly. The tale of Mrs. Moody and her struggles begins at a young age, however, the real struggles do not ensue until issues with her step-father arise and she is forced to leave home. The pattern of running away from unpleasant or desirable situations takes place regularly throughout the book, “I felt like running back to Daddy’s and packing my suitcase again.(p. 218)” Never settling anywhere for long and always worrying about finances for food and housing, this was the life of a young Anne Moody. These times of adversity only enhanced her drive towards equality and freedom for all during the Civil Rights movement. It is with this mindset that Mrs. Moody was the first to graduate from college for her family and worked with multiple organizations that fought for equality.
In the memoir Coming of Age in Mississippi a minefield of emotions in the form of a conflict between a fixed-mindset and a growth-mindset during the beginning stages of adulthood Anne Moody experienced. The introduction of a difference between the two mindsets was brought up in comparison to the elderly versus the adolescence. When Moody stated, “All their lives their minds had been conditioned to Mr. Charlie’s do’s and don’ts. If we wanted to educate the vote, I thought, we should be working at minds that were susceptible to change.(p. 363)” These moments are depicted in subtle ways through the Actions on Moody, an example of this is her choosing to continue on with the movement despite family pleas. Anne Moody was intellectually evolved, understanding the importance of expressive thoughts rather than a suffering silence. This also shows that the dichotomy between a fixed-mindset and a growth-mindset, the necessity for one function with the other but having different roles in determining personality characteristics. The conflict within Anne Moody accurately portrays the relationship between two different trains of thought, and what enlightenment means in terms of the mind.
While the majority of this memoir is painted by Anne Moody in a positive and hopeful state of mind, towards the end one starts to see the deterioration of her mental state and hope for the civil rights movement.

Optimism may be an essential factor in remaining steadfast in the face of oppressive forces, however, behind the facade of hope lies the truth in fear. With each passing moment and each innocent black man being jailed or killed, the audience reads a small piece of Mrs. Moody’s personality and resolve fade away. “Martin Luther King went on and on talking about his dream. I sat there thinking that in Canton we never have had time to sleep, much less dream.(p. 335)” This is one instance in which despite the positivity, Anne Moody’s attitude slips to one of negativity, causing the entirety of her mentality towards working with the NAACP to a negative light after many failed attempts. With the passing of many men her eventual mental strength dissipates, in the end the sight of C.O. Chinn in the chain gang in prison makes her flee from Canton and search for anywhere to escape the oppression. The final pages in the memoir show you the mental toll that fighting takes on a person, and makes her strength more

admirable.
The resounding strength that Anne Moody projects in Coming of Age in Mississippi inspires one to push through even the worst situations, allowing one to fall into the ebbs and flows of life, but in the end bouncing up and continuing the fight against the oppressive force. While observing the tale of overcoming adversity, a fixed-mindset versus a growth-mindset, and the loss of hope through adversity, the power and resilience of Anne Moody is truly shown. This memoir was written to inspire courage and understanding for the women and behind the scenes in the movement, however, the truth of Anne Moody and her story were imperative tales to tell for each individual to understand the true nature of the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement