Shame by Dick Gregory - Essay Example

Gregory reminisces of having past occurrences where he felt his worth in life. There is a feeling of ‘shame’ at some point that surrounds his existence. The memories reflect a sensation of pain. The adoration for Helene Tucker is a gift in disguise that ends up in humiliation. The storyline is about the reflection of his entire existence when facing humiliation in front of people. Many assumptions are made concerning Gregory’s childhood. His feelings of embarrassment changed into a solution later on.

There is a flashback on the diner party where he wears a brown and orange jacket because formal wear was a necessity at the time for other black children in such a setting. This dinner was a good thing bearing in mind that the level of poverty forced him to depend on food stamps from delivery trucks at a point. He could not afford, and food items at the market hence ate the little he could find. Everybody gets to learn his storyline, especially after the teacher tells the class. This is how Helene Tucker learns about his fatherless childhood.

All these shameful childhood experiences leave a mark in Gregory’s life. The sheer weight of Gregory having to grow without a father and languishing in poverty changes him. Gregory desires revolved around mustering the courage to step up and ask Helene Tucker out. The feeling of humiliation living as a black kid and having to depend on dumpster food proves much to overcome. There are revelations about his childhood, with the biggest being that he is an outcast. His race at the time was a factor while growing up as a fatherless child.

In case Gregory was born with white privilege, he could find a welfare program easily. Under the welfare program as a white kid, he could receive payment and food. He is taken advantage of by the trainer. Many people just view the young boy as an easy target. The view further changed the rest of his existence. Most of the vices happen because of his racial affiliation. The vices also base on the fact that he understands the root of all his shameful experiences. The story presents a classic representation of all the hardships encountered by black children.

It recounts the life of a black child during the past half-century. It is a portrayal of the time with struggles that black children have to put up with as part of their growing experience. It is also a suggestion of the humiliation that portrays the black character and what they went through by virtue of being black and, to some extent, growing up without a father figure in their life. The story is a pictorial presentation of the cruelty at the hands of racism.  The appearance of people just goes beyond the outside world and awareness of their feelings.