Graduation by Maya Angelou and A Hole in the Wall by Andrea Barrett - Essay Example

Both authors eventually become stronger and more determined individuals as a result of these personal challenges.

Maya Angelou’s autobiographical work ‘Graduation’ explores the author’s personal struggles and the obstacles she faced particularly in relation to racial prejudices while attending her graduation ceremony from a segregated middle school in Arkansas. The author discusses the range of emotions she felt before, during and after the event. Initially, her primary feelings were those of excitement and pride at her educational achievements and accomplishments. She then went through a period of disappointment and anger while eventually letting go of the animosity she felt for others.

The author’s anticipation and enthusiasm at her impending graduation were well-deserved. She had received good grades and her family, particularly her mother, was extremely proud of her. Their preparations were detailed and filled with joy as she was given gifts, money, words of wisdom and praise. However, as the author sat at the ceremony and listened to the speeches, it became clear to her that the achievements of her black classmates were not regarded in the same way as those of her white contemporaries. The author's feelings changed immediately as she was overcome with disappointment, anger and resentment as this served to remind her of the stereotypical ‘place’ of black people at the time in terms of taking on quite menial positions such as cleaning and labour. Aspirations of further educational achievements and more respectable positions were dashed from her mind in these moments as she pondered “It was awful to be a negro and have no control over my life” (Angelou 37).

In Andre Barrett’s ‘A Hole in the Wall’, the author similarly reflects upon a time in which she experienced a traumatic and emotionally distressing event, in this case, the 2001 World Trade Centre attacks. She recounts how very shortly after she and her husband moved to the city, she witnessed the fateful event and how disturbing and upsetting it was, “Ash of building, Ash of places. Ash of people” (Bennet 201). The author and her friends and neighbors are utterly devastated by the events and find it very difficult to cope with them. They find some sort of solace in talking together “at a lunch delayed, and then finally held, all any of us can talk about are the events of the past weeks. Where we were when it happened and what we first knew; who knows the person to whom this or that happened; who lived, who died, who saw what unspeakable thing” (Bennet 209). However, it is this event that actually leads the author to accept her circumstances and to realize where her home actually is. It strengthens her emotionally and makes her more resilient.

In both of these works, the authors go through a level of emotional distress and disturbance. However, rather than suffering from them, these challenges lead them to become increasingly strong and professionally successful, as personal growth has occurred as a result of these troublesome events.