Class prejudices can have a negative effect on a person’s judgment. Poverty deprives people of common necessities like food, clothing, shelter and clean water. Poverty is the lowest form of class or status a person achieves in their standard of living. Poverty can deprive people of opportunities to learn in order to obtain better employment and enjoy the respect of fellow citizens This type of dilemma is clearly seen in the story “Everyday Use” where the main character Dee is seen treating her family unkindly. She speaks down on the way she was brought up as well as her ancestral ways of living.
He and Esperanza were in love with each other but could not marry because of the different classes. Miguel was very poor but he was hard working and caring. An example of how Miguel was a caring person was when he took all of Esperanza’s money orders from Mr. Yakotas shop and then left Los Angeles and went to Aguascalientes to bring the money orders so that Abuelita so that she can come to the United States. Esperanza is a dynamic character; she changed throughout the story from starting as a little spoiled girl to becoming a poor understanding and caring young woman. Although Esperanza was dynamic, Mama and Miguel were static characters.
The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a society that is as good at excluding people as a middle school clique. We watch our heroine, Hester Prynne, live in isolation for years and years, cast out of Puritan society for having a child out of wedlock. Her isolation leads her to see her society in a new light and allows her to think outside of the box. Ironically, it seems characters who are the most appreciated by and involved in this society seem to be the most conflicted and alone. Measured by the prisoner’s experience, however, it might reckoned a journey of some length; for, haughty as her demeanor was, she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung in the street for
In contrast to Cindy’s new found self esteem, her mother seemed to uphold a strong lack of confidence in her daughter and in herself as well. By the same token, in the second article “The Thrill of Victory … The Agony of Parents”, the author presents the opposition through her mother. Jennifer Schwind’s mother appeared as an embarrassment to her publicly and emotionally. “In a voice so screeching that it rivaled fingernails on a blackboard, she told him that he was a disgraceful coach and that he should be ashamed of himself” (Pawlak 3). While in her mother’s eyes, she only supported her daughter and craved the absolute best for her child.
Women have always been thought of as the less domineering sex. All through history females have fought the stereotypes of being simple housewives with no greater use then producing babies and maintaining a household. This repression, combined with the social systems of years past has lead woman to feel inferior and naturally acquire an internal dependency toward the males in their lives who are viewed as superior. Many notable characters in literature have carried out the role of this inferior spouse and are no doubt created from the hostility of oppression women have felt for hundreds of years. We see two of these characters in Delia from Zora Neale Hurston’s story “Sweat” and John’s wife in Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper”.
“Given Circumstances” By: Shawna Betancourt Most parents at some point wish that they could have done some things differently and wonder what would have happened if they did. A single parent, bearing the burden of trying to raise their children, and maintain their household, face this to a greater degree. In the story “I Stand Here Ironing” written by Tillie Olsen, one mother’s struggle to raise her daughter the best she can is brought to life. She fought to stay afloat financially while trying to maintain raising her daughter to the best of her abilities. During this process her daughter’s destiny goes astray from what she had envisioned for her and blamed herself for the outcome.
However, some women joined the work force and would do jobs that men previously had held. Some were not forced to, but they had to work as hard as they could to support their families during this difficult time. In contrast, the writer Norman Cousins commented that there was a negative opinion on the women’s presence in the workforce despite women willing to acquire a living wage. He also stated in his book that the federal government proscribed holding government jobs by both members of a married couple, and many localities stopped hiring women whose husbands with a minimum wage (Cousins 1939). Another aspect of the Depression affecting life of women was the moral argument against working-women.
5 Paragraph Character Essay "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker is a short story about an unlucky family who struggles to make it. Maggie and Dee's mother goes out of her way to give them the life they deserve. In Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use," Dee is an unlikable person because she is arrogant, selfish, and ungrateful. Dee is a very arrogant person. Dee is under the impression that she appreciates her heritage more than Maggie ever could.
Knowledge is not always power because the more you know does not necessarily mean you understand what you have learned. In the short story “Everyday Use”, education seemed to make a rift in the relationship not only between the mother and the daughter, but also between the sisters. Dee was one to always try and outsmart her family members always seeking answers knowing no one knew. It was mama who eventually got the community together to help send Dee to school so her daughter would be happy and satisfied. The values of heritage seem to have been lost with the gain of knowledge when Dee has gone to college.
The women were treated very badly and were paid very poorly. In the nineteenth-century women’s roles were claimed to be “civilly dead”, however significant leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Catharine Beecher fought for their femininity and gradually won their rights for half the population, showing how important women truly are.