Literary Elements:
Characterization: is used throughout this passage, it is used a lot for the characters of Emma Lou and Hazel Mason. Emma Lou was an African American girl from Idaho, who came from a upper class family. She leaves home to go to college at the University of Southern California, which is primarily a white school but many upper class African Americans are also enrolled. Emma Lou is in search for friends at school with her same skin color and is hoping that she can be treated equally as everyone else. Characterization is use by giving us a brief description of Emma Lou's background, her search for fellow colored classmates, her disappointments, struggles and how all of these events leads to the change of her views and expectations.
“..in the colored social circles of Los Angeles, Emma Lou was certain that she would find many suitable companions, intelligent, broad-mined people of all complexions, intermixing and being too occupied otherwise to worry about either their own skin color or the skin color of those around them.” pg 438
Themes: Discrimination: Emma Lou is trying to go to school in a different state and area then her hometown, looking for equality for an upper class African American, in a school that is primarily white.
“Besides being disappointed at the drabness and lack of romance in college routine, Emma Lou was also depressed by her inability to make much headway in the matter of becoming intimately associated with her colored campus mates.” pg 442 This selection from the story tells me that Emma Lou really went to college to look for colored campus mates and the education was not her main focus, she was good at it, but it did not make her happy. After Emma Lou’s first year of college she returned home for the summer, discouraged and depressed, her college experience was not what she wanted it to be. “There was no place in the world for a dark girl.” pg 446 Emma Lou could not escape the challenge of being born a dark skinned girl.
Context: Through out the passage, there are signs of discrimination and inequality. Although, this was a college that allowed African Americans to be students, they were not treated equally, still felt uncomfortable and not apart of the college experience. Unfortantally, still today many years later there is still discrimination, races that are treated unfairly and do not feel welcomed.
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ReplyDeleteI think that your analysis is very and very well organized. I didn't read the story for my analysis but it sounds really good just by the way you described it. I also like how you what about describing the content of the text. I completely agree with you when you say that there is still discrimination today. Personally I don't think that there will never not be discrimination there will always be people discriminating against others. Hopefully we come to a world where less is given out.
Hi Amber! You did a great job on analyzing this story. I think your choice of words: "... her search for fellow colored classmates, her disappointments, struggles and how all of these events leads to the change of her views and expectations." where perfect. I really enjoyed reading this story and your analysis on it. Great job! I think anyone who did not read this story could easily understand what it is all about just by reading your analysis.
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