Graduation Day by Maya Angelou and One Friday Morning by Langston Hughes - Essay Example

Attis Duporte Mary Hansen English 102 December 27, 2009 Outline Introduction Differences in Race Discrimination Issues Discouragement and Encouragement by other Races Tenacity of the Minority Group´s Youngsters Positive Feedback concerning the Minority Youngsters and their Experiences Conclusion Comparison Essay Maya Angelou’s “Graduation Day” and Langston Hughes “One Friday Morning” Race and color have been common issues that many African Americans have been confronted with in schools in the past up till the present. In modern times it may be easier to think of racism as part of history. It is, however, essential to continue to remember the past, and remember the epic struggles that the minorities have been forced to live with. Maya Angelous “Graduation Day” and Langston Hughes “One Friday Morning” presented examples of the difficulties minorities had to endure during that era. These two stories, explain the disappointments that often shape a person’s character, allowing each to have a varying response to one’s frustrations and often leading to creating stronger or weaker personalities. Both stories displayed the effects of racism—Angelous from a working-class perspective; Hughes from an educated home. Angelou showed the nature of despair in a racist environment. Her story related her experiences and emotions during her high school graduation day. For some people, this day is one of great excitement and achievement. While for others, it may feel as an accomplishment of what they have achieved, a typical excitement concerning the dynamic future ahead of them. Angelou shows however, that this was not always the case for people of color. Angelou lived in Arkansas at the time of this event. Her story gave a sense of build-up to the day of finality and expectation. The story implied that the students at her school did not have good facilities as the predominantly white schools. This inequality caused feelings of fear and inferiority. Angelou indicated the importance of smaller inequities, such as the lack of the elegant landscaping at her segregated school. She described it as being simply two buildings on a hill. While the absence of manicured lawns may have seemed to be of little importance, Angelou makes it clear that this absence reinforced the feelings of sadness and overwhelming adversity that were common among the oppressed minorities. Maya Angelou showed that while the predominantly colored community that she lived in was not extremely well educated, it did value education. Parents and other community members were rightfully proud of the accomplishments of their progeny. The entire community, including the younger children, was involved with planning and executing the graduation ceremony and celebration. The graduates were to be treated to a grand celebration, completed with entertainment and food. This showed that the minority group attempted to stick together and make the best of their regrettable situation. As the ceremony progressed, the effects of racism began to show, when a white speaker from out of town delivered the keynote address, Angelou showed her despair. Switching from a hopeful and vibrant community, the speaker began to reinforce the racism of the time. He made spirit-crushing remarks regarding the natural place of colored persons in society. He pointed out that the minority students did not have the potential for fulfilled hopes and aspirations compared to those of a white majority class would have. This was devastating for Angelou. Nonetheless, the next address reminded her of something powerful. The valedictorian delivered a speech in contradiction to the keynote speaker. This speech renewed Angelous hopes. The speech reminded her that no matter how hard the adversity against her may be; she will prevail with hard work. The fluctuations of the young graduates spirit reminded modern readers of how real and unimaginable the deprivations of racism must have been. Yet, however, racist the original speaker may have been, he was ultimately wrong. Hughes story recalled a similar struggle, albeit from a different background. Hughes wrote regarding another young ladys experiences in her finishing days of high school. While this young lady must have had overcome significant challenges as well, she does this from a different perspective. The stories showed the different feelings of minority adolescence: Angelous narrative showed much discouragement and disappointment, while Hughes´ showcased a proud and upbeat character. The presence of sympathetic adult characters in Hughes story indicated a more complete and positive outlook. In Hughes story, a young lady by the name of Nancy Lee is finishing her high school career. Having been raised by well-educated parents, Lee is excited to enter college and receive an appropriate training. This is a goal that is easy to understand in modern times. Lees outlook was central to her story. Hughes wished to portray a less victimized, a more independent protagonist than was Angelou. Lee had been attending school in a primarily white school and area, preparing her to face life as a minority with confidence. Indeed, Lee even claimed at one point that she sometimes forgot her color. This was largely due to the positive treatment given to her by other students. This fact showcased the remarkable variance in the minority experience. This was obviously the goal of a colorblind world, so Lee is on the right path. Unfortunately there were setbacks. A major setback came upon Lee when she won a prestigious scholarship within the arts field. Lee was overjoyed and excited regarding the opportunity to study a passion of hers. The reader is able to feel her jubilation and confidence as she hears the news. Others, however, were not so excited about her scholarship prize. In a climactic moment, Lee was called to see the principal of the school prior to receiving it. The principal, a kindly older Irish lady, informed Lee that the scholarship judges had decided they were not interested in having a colored person attend the school. Appearances indicated that Lee was shocked by this overt racism. She had not resigned herself to this sort of inappropriate pressure. Instead of having encouragement come from a peer, as in Angelous case, she received encouragement from the principal. The principal made remarks concerning the history of discrimination. She told Lee, how she and her family faced discrimination after emigrating from Ireland. She lifted Lees spirits by telling her that perseverance and diligence enabled the Irish to largely overcome racism. Lee was encouraged to adopt this same attitude in her struggles against oppressive discrimination. While Lee may not have liked the pace of the slow change, she must remain determined to see it. This encouragement from a main authority figure is central to Lees positivity and dynamism. Hughes storys main point was that of encouragement and positivity toward the future. Despite the challenges, everyone is able to succeed. Nonetheless, both stories show ultimate confidence and positivity regarding the ultimate result in the future. They achieved their respective aims with a difference in style. Stylistic descriptions are effervescent and difficult to capture. It is fair though, to say that while Angelou maintains a poetic description that allows the reader to deeply immerse himself or herself in the story, Hughes offers a more direct and active tale. Angelou on many occasions used metaphorical and symbolic speech to paint a picture. Hughes gave a vivid scenario dialogue to rapidly approach his goals. Every child has a dream. This dream gives them confidence and encourages them to stand out from the rest. Dreams convince every child to make a difference. However, with such diversity within the society, there are various factors affecting the children’s dreams. These factors either bring out the best out of every child or break their characters. Just as the characters in the literature – Nancy Lee and Maya Angelou, many of the colored people have been discriminated against. Some of those who discriminate against them are not even aware that they have been breaking these people apart. Their mouths are left unguarded of painful words that cut the heart of other persons of a different race. Although the two characters in the literature share the same heartaches, I find their responses to the situation interesting. There is too much depth on how the characters have handled the situations in which they thought their rights to a fair treatment was deprived. Since education is considered a stepping-stone towards success, graduation is a gateway that leads them towards it. As such, it is at this point when the two characters were faced with disappointments and discouragement, thus a rising of a different character that is shaped by these experiences. It may be noticed that both stories offer a different side of a single struggle. Angelous character is more prone to discouragement and demonstrates the inequalities. This may be due to her greater exposure to unfairness and segregation than was Lee´s experience. On the other hand, it may be due to differences in personality styles. Whatever the case may be, both students were helped to appreciate the value of hard work and determination. Indeed, the overarching societal implications of persevering people, have led to the immense progress as has been seen in modern times. Works Cited Angelou, Maya. “Graduation.” Literature for Composition. Eighth Edition. Barnet, Sylvan. Burto, William. Cain, William E. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice, 2007. Pages 865-872 Aubrey, Max. "Writers Workshop". Maya Angelou "Graduation". December 09, 2009. Herbert Donald, David. "Good Race Men". The New York Times On The Web. December 13 2009 . Hughes, Langston. “One Friday Morning.” Literature for Composition. Eighth Edition. Barnet, Sylvan. Burto, William. Cain, William E. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice, 2007. Pages 1131-1136 "Racism". Anti-Defamation League. December 11, 2009 Read More