How It Feels to Be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was a Columbia University graduate, and the author of 4 novels as well as more than 50 other works. One of those essays, How it Feels to Be Colored Me, was written during the Roaring Twenties and the Harlem Renaissance, both of which were times of self expression. Hurston describes her life as a colored woman in America, the times when she started to feel like an outcast, and the ways she does not allow her ancestry to limit her present life. For example, she states that, “Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me” (Hurston 115). Even though Hurston’s family members were negatively affected by racism, she continued to live her life without letting that bring her down. Her purpose in writing the piece is to show readers that race, or any other characteristic of a human being, should not define who they are or how they act. Hurston does not let other people’s views of her affect her outlook on life, and attempts to convince her readers to ignore differences rather than single them out. She often utilizes metaphors throughout the essay, allowing her audience to connect to her words no matter their gender or race. The author specifically proves this at the end of  her work, when she describes “the jumble in the bags, could they be emptied, that all might be dumped in a single heap” (Hurston 117). At this point in the essay Hurston is describing how, while she sometimes feels discriminated against, she never truly has understood why. When she writes about the brown bags, she is stating that, while the items look different, when they are in the same environment (or in the human case, the same country), each of the objects are equally important. Despite the fact that Hurston did not utilize many rhetorical devices, her frequent use of metaphors successfully helps her audience relate to her story, whether or not they went through the same experiences as she did.  

Similar, but Different

This image, from Business Insider Australia, relates to How It Feels to Be Colored Me because the lion, tigers, and monkey all get along, despite the fact that they are different animals. Similarly, in How it Feels to Be Colored Me, Zora Neale Hurston discusses the fact that she tries to ignore any differences between her and her fellow American citizens.

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/unlikely-animal-friendships-2013-6

The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday

The Way To Rainy Mountain was written in 1967 by N. Scott Momaday, who acquired his Ph.D. at Stanford University, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969, and received the National Medal of Arts in 2007. While events such as the Space Race and Vietnam War raged on, The Way to Rainy Mountain’s tranquil and nostalgic tone is helpful in reminding Americans of the beauty of their land, and of the hardships of the Native Americans. Momaday describes the land on which his family’s tribe, the Kiowas, lived before his time in order to appeal to Americans. The author mainly focuses on his grandmother’s house, which he visits following her death, and the stories she used to tell about life with the Kiowas. Figurative language, especially imagery, personification, similes, and alliteration, are frequent in this paper. The descriptive word choice and recurrent rhetorical devices are valuable strategies attributes for keeping the audience attentive and showing the beauty that his ancestors saw in the land before it was taken away from them. It is evident that Momaday’s audience is adult Americans due to the fact that, although the paper is overall informal, there are sophisticated words here and there. In addition, the author references landmarks in the United States, such as Palo Duro Canyon and the Smoky Hill River familiar only to Americans, specifically from the Midwest; therefore, Momaday targets citizens of the United States, educating them on his culture and the beauty of the Earth that his family sees. I believe that the author accomplished his goal in proving his purpose because, while keeping readers entertained with his figurative language, Momaday also includes information on how innocent Kiowas “surrendered to the soldiers at Fort Sill” in order to save themselves, and “were imprisoned” (Momaday 314) by said soldiers. N. Scott Momaday successfully opened Americans’ eyes to the beauty and sadness in the soil of the country.

Native Americans’ Lost Land

Sam B. Hilliard, a Louisiana State University geography and anthropology professor, created these maps. The images show how much of United States territory used to belong to Native Americans, and illustrates the amount of homes the Native Americans lost due to new settlers.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/07/21/animated-map-shows-loss-western-tribal-lands-1784-124688

The Old Stone House by Edmund Wilson

In 1933, while the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression devastated America, Edmund Wilson wrote The Old Stone House. Wilson graduated from Princeton University in 1916. After receiving his diploma, he worked as a reporter for the New York Sun, managing editor of Vanity Fair, associate editor of The New Republic, and more. His essay The Old Stone House describes the building in which his ancestors lived, and the place his family visited every year. The author provides readers with the appearance of the house, an inventory of the items within the building, and a short history on the past inhabitants of the home and the town. Wilson’s target audience would be adults, due to the higher-level vocabulary and the frequent allusions to books, events, and people of the time period. Whilst reading this essay, the audience is awed by Wilson’s love for the old house. The imagery and description of his memories is meant to intrigue and entertain the audience, and reminds readers of the importance of family. In my opinion, Edmund Wilson accomplished his purpose in his essay because his nostalgic tone and descriptive writing caused me to think back on the adventures that I had as a kid, the stories of my family members, and the antiques found in the homes of my elders. For example, when Wilson names the objects in the house “that are nowadays sold in antique stores” (Wilson 122), I was reminded of the random items that I used to come across in my grandmother’s house, each paired with a story. Part of Edmund Wilson’s purpose was to do just that: make his readers connect their own lives to the story, and remember the constant presence of family in everyone’s lives. In order to achieve his purpose, Wilson uses repetition frequently in order to display how he reminisces often, and will never forget the house. Also, Wilson alludes to books, such as The Woman Who Did and History of Lewis County, and quotes them, building to his ethos and making it easier for the audience to relate to his story.

The Uniqueness of Homes

This is a picture of Gru’s house from Despicable Me (This specific image is from http://despicableme.wikia.com/wiki/Gru's_House). Edmund Wilson describes his family’s home in The Old Stone House; however, all houses are unique. The combination of The Old Stone House and Gru’s house could cause readers to share what makes their own homes special, or, perhaps, what each of the buildings have in common.