Reaction Paper # 2—After reading this week’s notes “Reading Fiction” and “Graduation” by Maya

Angelou, complete reaction paper 2 as described below.

Discussed in the notes this week are 6 elements of fiction: Tone, Plot, Characterization, Setting, Theme

and Point of View. Choose one element (other than POV) and reflect on how Angelou uses it in her

writing. Give specific examples and quotes from the text to show how she uses the element and its

effect on the story. Be sure to quote correctly (using quotation marks and providing paragraph #s).

Remember that reaction papers should be 1-2 pages, double-spaced.

Below is a brief sample of how to discuss one of the elements with examples from the text. The example

discusses the use of point of view in the story:

Maya Angelou’s story “Graduation,” is told from first-person point of view, told through the

main character, Marguerite Johnson. Although it is not yet clear who the narrator is within the first 5

paragraphs, in paragraph 6 Angelou writes, “In the Store I was the person of the moment.” Thus, we are

introduced to the narrator of the story. The rest of the story uses pronouns such as we, me, my which

solidifies the narrator’s point of view.

Hearing the story unfold from first-person POV gives credibility to the theme of the story.

Maguerite Johnson is one of the graduates excited to be graduating, and is present at every point of the

story—from the events leading up to the day, the events during the ceremony, and her feelings about

what has occurred.

In paragraph 7, she tells us, “My class was wearing buttery-yellow piqué dresses, and Momma

launched out mine.” She goes on to describe the expert way her mother crafted her dress. It is clear

from all of her descriptions that she, her family and the community looked toward the day with great

anticipation, even though as the narrator states, “I was only twelve years old and merely graduating

from the eighth grade” (paragraph 8). She goes on to explain that many teachers in the Arkansas Negro

schools had the same diploma but were able to teach. This shows that at the time, an eighth-grade

graduation was quite an achievement which could lead to possible (anticipated) professions…

(continued)

Reading Fiction Fiction creates imaginary worlds by telling stories written in prose (ordinary, unrhymed language) about realistic characters, set in physical environments, and with attention to descriptive detail.

Works of fiction ​narrate, ​or tell stories. Narrative is not specific to fiction or to any other literary genre. Telling stories pervades almost every aspect of our daily lives. We learn very early on how to recognize and tell stories, and we rely heavily on narrative to organize and make sense of our experience. Even in our sleep, we tell stories in the form of dreams. It is impossible to imagine our lives without these narratives; in fact, every culture uses them to order and make sense of lived experience. Of course, narrative fiction is not meant to recount actual events, though it may refer to real events or real people. Rather than relate actual experiences, fiction uses narrative to shape imaginary ones. Works of fiction cannot be reduced simply to a listing of their narrative elements any more than paintings can be reduced to technical aspects of drawing. However, it is important to explore methods of fiction to enhance our understanding of a work of fiction.

Elements of Fiction

Tone ​t​he tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance, an editorial in a newspaper that described its subject as "not even having the guts to do the job himself," has a tone that is both informal and critical​. The tone of a piece of writing depends on a confluence of different factors, including:

● The ​connotation​ of the words used: Are they positive or negative? What

associations do the words bring to mind?

● The ​diction​, or word choice​:​ Are there lots of thou's and thine's? Does the

writer use slang? Are the words long and technical, or short and childish?

● The use of ​figurative language​:​ Is there a lot of metaphor, hyperbole, or

alliteration? Does the language sound lofty and poetic?

● The ​mood​:​ How does the language make you feel as the reader? This can

reveal a lot about the tone of the piece.

All of these things work together to determine the tone of a piece of writing.

Plot​ is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story. There are five main elements in a plot.

● Exposition​ or​ Introduction​--This is the beginning of the story, where characters and​ setting​ are established. The​ conflict​ or main problem is introduced as well

● Rising Action​--Rising action occurs when a series of events build up to the conflict. The main characters are established by the time the rising action of a plot occurs, and at the same time, events begin to get complicated. It is during this part of a story that excitement, tension, or crisis is encountered.

● Climax—In the climax, or the main point of the plot, there is a turning point of the story. This is meant to be the moment of highest interest and emotion, leaving the reader wondering what is going to happen next.

● Falling Action​--Falling action, or the winding up of the story, occurs when events and complications begin to resolve. The result of the actions of the main characters are put forward.

● Resolution​--resolution, or the​ conclusion​, is the end of a story, which may occur with either a happy or a tragic ending.

The plot is what forms a memory in readers’ minds, allowing them to think about the book and even making them want to read it again. By identifying and understanding the plot, the reader is able to understand the message being conveyed by the author, and the explicit or implicit​ ​moral​ of the story. Characterization Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. Characterization is revealed through direct characterization and indirect characterization. Direct characterization is when the author ​tells​ the audience what the personality of the character is (shy, arrogant, patient, for example). Indirect characterization ​shows​ things that reveal the personality of a character such as the character’s speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, the way a character looks and

dresses. Characterization cannot easily be separated from the other elements of fiction, as it depends heavily on tone, plot, theme, setting, etc. One obvious difference between the short stories we will be reading and novels is that story writers develop characters rapidly and limit the number of developed characters. Many short stories have only one ​round character; ​the other characters are frequently flat. ​A character is said to be "flat" if it is one-dimensional or lacking in complexity. Typically, flat characters can be easily and accurately described using a single word (like "bully") or one short sentence (like "A naive and idealistic school teacher with a fragile heart of gold"). The important thing about flat characters is that they never transcend or break with the formula that defines them​. ​A character is said to be "round" if they are lifelike or complex. Round characters typically have fully fleshed-out and multifaceted personalities, backgrounds, desires, and motivations. A round character will have multiple facets to their personality. It would be difficult to describe a round character using an adjective or a single sentence. Like real people, they're complicated, and sometimes their desires and motivations are contradictory. For more explanation on round and flat characters, click on the video link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOODHYmpJ6k Setting​--​Setting is ​where ​and ​when​ a story or scene takes place. The ​where ​can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined location, like Middle Earth in J.R.R. Tolkien's ​The Lord of the Rings. ​Similarly, the​ when ​can be a real time period (past or present) or imagined (the future). Other aspects that determine a setting include landscape, architecture, time of day, social context, and weather. ​Unlike novels, short stories usually work themselves out in a restricted geographical setting--in a single place within a short period of time. Any consideration of a setting should include the historical time when a story takes place and the social situation set in the story, as well as the physical location of the events. Theme​--​A theme is a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature. One key characteristic of literary themes is their universality, which is to say that themes are ideas that not only apply to the specific characters and events of a story or play, but also express broader truths about human experience that readers can apply to their own lives. For instance, John Steinbeck's ​The Grapes of Wrath​ ​(about a family of tenant farmers who are displaced from their land in Oklahoma) is a book whose themes might be said to include the inhumanity of capitalism, as well as the vitality and necessity of family and friendship.

Every work of literature—whether it's an essay, a novel, a poem, or something else—has at least one theme. Therefore, when analyzing a given work, it's always possible to discuss what the work is "about" on two separate levels: the more concrete level of the ​plot​ (i.e., what literally happens in the work), as well as the more abstract level of the theme (i.e., the concepts that the work deals with). Understanding the themes of a work is vital to understanding the work's significance. Writers often use symbols to emphasize or hint at a work's underlying themes. Spotting symbolism at work in a text can help you know where to look for its main themes. Broadly defined, a symbol is anything that represents another thing. In literature, a symbol is often a tangible thing—an object, person, place, or action—that represents something intangible. Symbols might occur once or twice in a book or play to represent an emotion, and in that case aren't necessarily related to a theme. However, if you start to see clusters of similar symbols appearing in a story, this may mean that the symbols are part of an overarching motif, in which case they very likely ​are ​related to a theme​.​In the ​Lord of the Rings​, the One Ring is a symbol for power, selfishness, and greed. Everyone wants it and many characters are willing to kill for it. Some begin with good intentions, but ultimately the Ring corrupts them and bends them to its will. The symbolism of the story implies that power seduces, corrupts, controls, and destroys people who are attached to it, just as the Ring does to its owners. Point of View​-- Point of view (POV) is what the ​character​ or narrator telling the ​story​ can see (his or her perspective). The author chooses “who” is to tell the story by

determining the point of view. Depending on who the narrator is, he/she will be

standing at one point and seeing the ​action​. This viewpoint will give the narrator a partial or whole view of events as they happen. Many stories have the

protagonist​ (the main character) telling the story, while in others, the narrator may be another character or an outside viewer, a narrator who is not in the

story at all. The narrator should not be confused with the author, who is the

writer of the story and whose opinions may not be those written into the

narrative​. Although there are several possibilities for POV in a narrative,

generally, the brevity of the short story makes the first-person or

limited omniscient narrations the most frequently used points of view

for these works.

Types of Point of View:

● First person:​ First person POV means that the story is told from the perspective of a narrator who speaks in the first person (I, we, my,

our).As a result we are seeing events through the eyes of the character

telling the story.

● Third person:​ With third-person point of view, the narrator is describing what’s seen, but as a spectator. If the narrator is a character in the story,

then we are reading what he or she observes as the story unfolds. This

narrator has three possible perspectives.

1. Limited – In limited third-person, the narrator sees only what’s in

front of him/her, a spectator of events as they unfold and unable to

read any other character’s mind.

2. Omniscient – An omniscient narrator sees all, much as an all

knowing god of some kind. He or she sees what each character is

doing and can see into each character’s mind. This is common with

an external character, who is standing above, watching the action

below (think of a person with a crystal ball, peering in).

3. Limited Omniscient – The limited omniscient third-person narrator

can only see into one character’s mind. He/she might see other

events happening, but only knows the reasons of one character’s

actions in the story.

● Second person:​ In second person POV, the narrator is speaking to YOU. This isn’t very common in fiction, unless the narrator is trying to talk to

the reader personally. We see second-person point of view mostly in

poems, speeches, instructional writing, and persuasive articles.

Point of view is important in a story because it helps the reader understand

characters​’​ feelings and actions. Each character will have his or her own perspective, so whoever is telling the story will impact the reader’s opinion of

other characters and events.

74 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

k n e w c o u l d w r i t e , I w o u l d t e l l h i m I c o u l d w r i t e a s w e l l a s h e . T h e n e x t w o r d w o u l d b e , " 1 d o n ' t b e l i e v e y o u . L e t m e s e e y o u t r y i t . " I w o u l d t h e n m a k e t h e l e t t e r s w h i c h I h a d b e e n s o f o r t u n a t e a s t o l e a r n , a n d a s k h i m t o b e a t t h a t . I n t h i s w a y I g o t a g o o d m a n y l e s - s o n s i n w r i t i n g , w h i c h i t i s q u i t e p o s s i b l e I s h o u l d n e v e r h a v e g o t - t e n i n a n y o t h e r w a y . D u r i n g t h i s t i m e , m y c o p y - b o o k w a s t h e b o a r d f e n c e , b r i c k w a l l , a n d p a v e m e n t ; m y p e n a n d i n k w a s a l u m p o f c h a l k . W i t h t h e s e , I l e a r n e d m a i n l y h o w t o w r i t e . I t h e n c o m m e n c e d a n d c o n t i n u e d c o p y i n g t h e I t a l i c s i n W e b s t e r ' s S p e l l i n g B o o k , u n t i l I c o u l d m a k e t h e m a l l w i t h o u t l o o k i n g o n t h e b o o k . B y t h i s t i m e , m y l i t t l e M a s t e r T h o m a s h a d g o n e t o s c h o o l , a n d l e a r n e d h o w t o w r i t e , a n d h a d w r i t t e n o v e r a n u m b e r o f c o p y - b o o k s . T h e s e h a d b e e n b r o u g h t h o m e , a n d s h o w n t o s o m e o f o u r n e a r n e i g h b o r s , a n d t h e n l a i d a s i d e . M y m i s t r e s s u s e d t o g o t o c l a s s m e e t i n g a t t h e W i l k S t r e e t m e e t i n g h o u s e e v e r y M o n d a y a f - t e r n o o n , a n d l e a v e m e t o t a k e c a r e o f t h e h o u s e . W h e n l e f t t h u s , I u s e d t o s p e n d t h e t i m e i n w r i t i n g i n t h e s p a c e s l e f t i n M a s t e r T h o m a s ' s c o p y - b o o k , c o p y i n g w h a t h e h a d w r i t t e n . I c o n t i n u e d t o d o t h i s u n t i l I c o u l d w r i t e a h a n d v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f M a s t e r T h o m a s . T h u s , a f t e r a l o n g , t e d i o u s e f f o r t f o r y e a r s , I f i n a l l y s u c - c e e d e d i n l e a r n i n g h o w t o w r i t e .

1845

Graduation M a y a A n g e l o u

T h e c h i l d r e n i n S t a m p s ' t r e m b l e d v i s i b l y w i t h a n t i c i p a t i o n . S o m e i a d u l t s w e r e e x c i t e d t o o , b u t t o b e c e r t a i n t h e w h o l e y o u n g p o p u - l a t i o n h a d c o m e d o w n w i t h g r a d u a t i o n e p i d e m i c . L a r g e c l a s s e s w e r e g r a d u a t i n g f r o m b o t h t h e g r a m m a r s c h o o l a n d t h e h i g h s c h o o l . E v e n t h o s e w h o w e r e y e a r s r e m o v e d f r o m t h e i r o w n d a y o f g l o r i o u s r e l e a s e w e r e a n x i o u s t o h e l p w i t h p r e p a r a t i o n s a s a

'A rural, segregated town in Arkansas.

Graduation Maya Angelou 75

k i n d o f d r y r u n . T h e j u n i o r s t u d e n t s w h o w e r e m o v i n g i n t o t h e v a c a t i n g c l a s s e s ' c h a i r s w e r e t r a d i t i o n - b o u n d t o s h o w t h e i r t a l e n t s f o r l e a d e r s h i p a n d m a n a g e m e n t . T h e y s t r u t t e d t h r o u g h t h e s c h o o l a n d a r o u n d t h e c a m p u s e x e r t i n g p r e s s u r e o n t h e l o w e r g r a d e s . T h e i r a u t h o r i t y w a s s o n e w t h a t o c c a s i o n a l l y i f t h e y p r e s s e d a l i t - t l e t o o h a r d i t h a d t o b e o v e r l o o k e d . A f t e r a l l , n e x t t e r m w a s c o m - i n g , a n d i t n e v e r h u r t a s i x t h g r a d e r t o h a v e a p l a y s i s t e r i n t h e e i g h t h g r a d e , o r a t e n t h - y e a r s t u d e n t t o b e a b l e t o c a l l a t w e l f t h g r a d e r B u b b a . S o a l l w a s e n d u r e d i n a s p i r i t o f s h a r e d u n d e r - s t a n d i n g . B u t t h e g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s e s t h e m s e l v e s w e r e t h e n o b i l i t y . L i k e t r a v e l e r s w i t h e x o t i c d e s t i n a t i o n s o n t h e i r m i n d s , t h e g r a d u - a t e s w e r e r e m a r k a b l y f o r g e t f u l . T h e y c a m e t o s c h o o l w i t h o u t t h e i r b o o k s , o r t a b l e t s o r e v e n p e n c i l s . V o l u n t e e r s f e l l o v e r t h e m s e l v e s t o s e c u r e r e p l a c e m e n t s f o r t h e m i s s i n g e q u i p m e n t . W h e n a c - c e p t e d , t h e w i l l i n g w o r k e r s m i g h t o r m i g h t n o t b e t h a n k e d , a n d i t w a s o f n o i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e p r e g r a d u a t i o n r i t e s . E v e n t e a c h e r s w e r e r e s p e c t f u l o f t h e n o w q u i e t a n d a g i n g s e n i o r s , a n d t e n d e d t o s p e a k t o t h e m , i f n o t a s e q u a l s , a s b e i n g o n l y s l i g h t l y l o w e r t h a n t h e m s e l v e s . A f t e r t e s t s w e r e r e t u r n e d a n d g r a d e s g i v e n , t h e s t u - d e n t b o d y , w h i c h a c t e d l i k e a n e x t e n d e d f a m i l y , k n e w w h o d i d w e l l , w h o e x c e l l e d , a n d w h a t p i t e o u s o n e s h a d f a i l e d .

U n l i k e t h e w h i t e h i g h s c h o o l , L a f a y e t t e C o u n t y T r a i n i n g S c h o o l d i s t i n g u i s h e d i t s e l f b y h a v i n g n e i t h e r l a w n , n o r h e d g e s , n o r t e n n i s c o u r t , n o r c l i m b i n g i v y . I t s t w o b u i l d i n g s ( m a i n c l a s s - r o o m s , t h e g r a d e s c h o o l a n d h o m e e c o n o m i c s ) w e r e s e t o n a d i r t h i l l w i t h n o f e n c e t o l i m i t e i t h e r i t s b o u n d a r i e s o r t h o s e o f b o r d e r - i n g f a r m s . T h e r e w a s a l a r g e e x p a n s e t o t h e l e f t o f t h e s c h o o l w h i c h w a s u s e d a l t e r n a t e l y a s a b a s e b a l l d i a m o n d o r b a s k e t b a l l c o u r t . R u s t y h o o p s o n s w a y i n g p o l e s r e p r e s e n t e d t h e p e r m a n e n t r e c r e a t i o n a l e q u i p m e n t , a l t h o u g h b a t s a n d b a l l s c o u l d b e b o r - r o w e d f r o m t h e R E . t e a c h e r i f t h e b o r r o w e r w a s q u a l i f i e d a n d i f t h e d i a m o n d w a s n ' t o c c u p i e d .

O v e r t h i s r o c k y a r e a r e l i e v e d b y a f e w s h a d y t a l l p e r s i m m o n t r e e s t h e g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s w a l k e d . T h e g i r l s o f t e n h e l d h a n d s a n d n o l o n g e r b o t h e r e d t o s p e a k t o t h e l o w e r s t u d e n t s . T h e r e w a s a s a d n e s s a b o u t t h e m , a s i f t h i s o l d w o r l d w a s n o t t h e i r h o m e a n d t h e y w e r e b o u n d f o r h i g h e r g r o u n d . T h e b o y s , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , h a d b e c o m e m o r e f r i e n d l y , m o r e o u t g o i n g . A d e c i d e d c h a n g e

76 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

f r o m t h e c l o s e d a t t i t u d e t h e y p r o j e c t e d w h i l e s t u d y i n g f o r f i n a l s . N o w t h e y s e e m e d n o t r e a d y t o g i v e u p t h e o l d s c h o o l , t h e f a m i l - i a r p a t h s a n d c l a s s r o o m s . O n l y a s m a l l p e r c e n t a g e w o u l d b e c o n - t i n u i n g o n t o c o l l e g e — o n e o f t h e S o u t h ' s A & M ( a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d m e c h a n i c a l ) s c h o o l s , w h i c h t r a i n e d N e g r o y o u t h s t o b e c a r p e n - t e r s , f a r m e r s , h a n d y m e n , m a s o n s , m a i d s , c o o k s a n d b a b y n u r s e s . T h e i r f u t u r e r o d e h e a v i l y o n t h e i r s h o u l d e r s , a n d b l i n d e d t h e m t o t h e c o l l e c t i v e j o y t h a t h a d p e r v a d e d t h e l i v e s o f t h e b o y s a n d g i r l s i n t h e g r a m m a r s c h o o l g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s .

P a r e n t s w h o c o u l d a f f o r d i t h a d o r d e r e d n e w s h o e s a n d r e a d y - 4 m a d e c l o t h e s f o r t h e m s e l v e s f r o m S e a r s a n d R o e b u c k o r M o n t - g o m e r y W a r d . T h e y a l s o e n g a g e d t h e b e s t s e a m s t r e s s e s t o m a k e t h e f l o a t i n g g r a d u a t i n g d r e s s e s a n d t o c u t d o w n s e c o n d h a n d p a n t s w h i c h w o u l d b e p r e s s e d t o a m i l i t a r y s l i c k n e s s f o r t h e i m - p o r t a n t e v e n t .

O h , i t w a s i m p o r t a n t , a l l r i g h t . W h i t e f o l k s w o u l d a t t e n d t h e 5 c e r e m o n y , a n d t w o o r t h r e e w o u l d s p e a k o f G o d a n d h o m e , a n d t h e S o u t h e r n w a y o f l i f e , a n d M r s . P a r s o n s , t h e p r i n c i p a l ' s w i f e , w o u l d p l a y t h e g r a d u a t i o n m a r c h w h i l e t h e l o w e r - g r a d e g r a d u - a t e s p a r a d e d d o w n t h e a i s l e s a n d t o o k t h e i r s e a t s b e l o w t h e p l a t - f o r m . T h e h i g h s c h o o l s e n i o r s w o u l d w a i t i n e m p t y c l a s s r o o m s t o m a k e t h e i r d r a m a t i c e n t r a n c e .

I n t h e S t o r e I w a s t h e p e r s o n o f t h e m o m e n t . T h e b i r t h d a y g i r l , e T h e c e n t e r . B a i l e y h a d g r a d u a t e d t h e y e a r b e f o r e , a l t h o u g h t o d o s o h e h a d h a d t o f o r f e i t a l l p l e a s u r e s t o m a k e u p f o r h i s t i m e l o s t i n B a t o n R o u g e .

M y c l a s s w a s w e a r i n g b u t t e r - y e l l o w p i q u e d r e s s e s , a n d M o m m a 7 l a u n c h e d o u t o n m i n e . S h e s m o c k e d t h e y o k e i n t o t i n y c r i s s c r o s s - i n g p u c k e r s , t h e n s h i r r e d t h e r e s t o f t h e b o d i c e . H e r d a r k f i n g e r s d u c k e d i n a n d o u t o f t h e l e m o n y c l o t h a s s h e e m b r o i d e r e d r a i s e d d a i s i e s a r o u n d t h e h e m . B e f o r e s h e c o n s i d e r e d h e r s e l f f i n i s h e d s h e h a d a d d e d a c r o c h e t e d c u f f o n t h e p u f f s l e e v e s , a n d a p o i n t c r o c h e t e d c o l l a r .

I w a s g o i n g t o b e l o v e l y . A w a l k i n g m o d e l o f a l l t h e v a r i o u s s s t y l e s o f f i n e h a n d s e w i n g a n d i t d i d n ' t w o r r y m e t h a t I w a s o n l y t w e l v e y e a r s o l d a n d m e r e l y g r a d u a t i n g f r o m t h e e i g h t h g r a d e . B e s i d e s , m a n y t e a c h e r s i n A r k a n s a s N e g r o s c h o o l s h a d o n l y t h a t d i p l o m a a n d w e r e l i c e n s e d t o i m p a r t w i s d o m .

Graduation Maya Angelou 77

T h e d a y s h a d b e c o m e l o n g e r a n d m o r e n o t i c e a b l e . T h e f a d e d b e i g e o f f o r m e r t i m e s h a d b e e n r e p l a c e d w i t h s t r o n g a n d s u r e c o l - o r s . I b e g a n t o s e e m y c l a s s m a t e s ' c l o t h e s , t h e i r s k i n t o n e s , a n d t h e d u s t t h a t w a v e d o f f p u s s y w i l l o w s . C l o u d s t h a t l a z e d a c r o s s t h e s k y w e r e o b j e c t s o f g r e a t c o n c e r n t o m e . T h e i r s h i f t i e r s h a p e s m i g h t h a v e h e l d a m e s s a g e t h a t i n m y n e w h a p p i n e s s a n d w i t h a l i t t l e b i t o f t i m e I ' d s o o n d e c i p h e r . D u r i n g t h a t p e r i o d I l o o k e d a t t h e a r c h o f h e a v e n s o r e l i g i o u s l y m y n e c k k e p t a s t e a d y a c h e . I h a d t a k e n t o s m i l i n g m o r e o f t e n , a n d m y j a w s h u r t f r o m t h e u n a c c u s - t o m e d a c t i v i t y . B e t w e e n t h e t w o p h y s i c a l s o r e s p o t s , I s u p p o s e I c o u l d h a v e b e e n u n c o m f o r t a b l e , b u t t h a t w a s n o t t h e c a s e . A s a m e m b e r o f t h e w i n n i n g t e a m ( t h e g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s o f 1 9 4 0 ) I h a d o u t d i s t a n c e d u n p l e a s a n t s e n s a t i o n s b y m i l e s . I w a s h e a d e d f o r t h e f r e e d o m o f o p e n f i e l d s .

Y o u t h a n d s o c i a l a p p r o v a l a l l i e d t h e m s e l v e s w i t h m e a n d w e t r a m m e l e d m e m o r i e s o f s l i g h t s a n d i n s u l t s . T h e w i n d o f o u r s w i f t p a s s a g e r e m o d e l e d m y f e a t u r e s . L o s t t e a r s w e r e p o u n d e d t o m u d a n d t h e n t o d u s t . Y e a r s o f w i t h d r a w a l w e r e b r u s h e d a s i d e a n d l e f t b e h i n d , a s h a n g i n g r o p e s o f p a r a s i t i c m o s s .

M y w o r k a l o n e h a d a w a r d e d m e a t o p p l a c e a n d I w a s g o i n g t o b e o n e o f t h e f i r s t c a l l e d i n t h e g r a d u a t i n g c e r e m o n i e s . O n t h e c l a s s r o o m b l a c k b o a r d , a s w e l l a s o n t h e b u l l e t i n b o a r d i n t h e a u - d i t o r i u m , t h e r e w e r e b l u e s t a r s a n d w h i t e s t a r s a n d r e d s t a r s . N o a b s e n c e s , n o t a r d i n e s s e s , a n d m y a c a d e m i c w o r k w a s a m o n g t h e b e s t o f t h e y e a r . I c o u l d s a y t h e p r e a m b l e t o t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n e v e n f a s t e r t h a n B a i l e y . W e t i m e d o u r s e l v e s o f t e n : " W e t h e p e o p l e - o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s i n o r d e r t o f o r m a m o r e p e r f e c t u n i o n . . . . " I h a d m e m o r i z e d t h e P r e s i d e n t s o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s f r o m W a s h i n g t o n t o R o o s e v e l t i n c h r o n o l o g i c a l a s w e l l a s a l p h a b e t i c a l o r d e r .

M y h a i r p l e a s e d m e t o o . G r a d u a l l y t h e b l a c k m a s s h a d l e n g t h - e n e d a n d t h i c k e n e d , s o t h a t i t k e p t a t l a s t t o i t s b r a i d e d p a t t e r n , a n d I d i d n ' t h a v e t o y a n k m y s c a l p o f f w h e n I t r i e d t o c o m b i t .

L o u i s e a n d I h a d r e h e a r s e d t h e e x e r c i s e s u n t i l w e t i r e d o u t o u r s e l v e s . H e n r y R e e d w a s c l a s s v a l e d i c t o r i a n . H e w a s a s m a l l , v e r y b l a c k b o y w i t h h o o d e d e y e s , a l o n g , b r o a d n o s e a n d a n o d d l y s h a p e d h e a d . I h a d a d m i r e d h i m f o r y e a r s b e c a u s e e a c h t e r m h e a n d I v i e d f o r t h e b e s t g r a d e s i n o u r c l a s s . M o s t o f t e n h e b e s t e d m e , b u t i n s t e a d o f b e i n g d i s a p p o i n t e d I w a s p l e a s e d t h a t w e

78 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

s h a r e d t o p p l a c e s b e t w e e n u s . L i k e m a n y S o u t h e r n B l a c k c h i l d r e n , h e l i v e d w i t h h i s g r a n d m o t h e r , w h o w a s a s s t r i c t a s M o m m a a n d a s k i n d a s s h e k n e w h o w t o b e . H e w a s c o u r t e o u s , r e s p e c t f u l a n d s o f t - s p o k e n t o e l d e r s , b u t o n t h e p l a y g r o u n d h e c h o s e t o p l a y t h e r o u g h e s t g a m e s . I a d m i r e d h i m . A n y o n e , I r e c k o n e d , s u f f i c i e n t l y a f r a i d o r s u f f i c i e n t l y d u l l c o u l d b e p o l i t e . B u t t o b e a b l e t o o p e r a t e a t a t o p l e v e l w i t h b o t h a d u l t s a n d c h i l d r e n w a s a d m i r a b l e .

H i s v a l e d i c t o r y s p e e c h w a s e n t i t l e d " T o B e o r N o t t o B e . " T h e r i g i d t e n t h - g r a d e t e a c h e r h a d h e l p e d h i m w r i t e i t . H e ' d b e e n w o r k i n g o n t h e d r a m a t i c s t r e s s e s f o r m o n t h s .

T h e w e e k s u n t i l g r a d u a t i o n w e r e f i l l e d w i t h h e a d y a c t i v i t i e s . A g r o u p o f s m a l l c h i l d r e n w e r e t o b e p r e s e n t e d i n a p l a y a b o u t b u t t e r c u p s a n d d a i s i e s a n d b u n n y r a b b i t s . T h e y c o u l d b e h e a r d t h r o u g h o u t t h e b u i l d i n g p r a c t i c i n g t h e i r h o p s a n d t h e i r l i t t l e s o n g s t h a t s o u n d e d l i k e s i l v e r b e l l s . T h e o l d e r g i r l s ( n o n - g r a d u a t e s , o f c o u r s e ) w e r e a s s i g n e d t h e t a s k o f m a k i n g r e f r e s h m e n t s f o r t h e n i g h t ' s f e s t i v i t i e s . A t a n g y s c e n t o f g i n g e r , c i n n a m o n , n u t m e g a n d c h o c o l a t e w a f t e d a r o u n d t h e h o m e e c o n o m i c s b u i l d i n g a s t h e b u d d i n g c o o k s m a d e s a m p l e s f o r t h e m s e l v e s a n d t h e i r t e a c h e r s .

I n e v e r y c o r n e r o f t h e w o r k s h o p , a x e s a n d s a w s s p l i t f r e s h t i m b e r a s t h e w o o d s h o p b o y s m a d e s e t s a n d s t a g e s c e n e r y . O n l y t h e g r a d u a t e s w e r e l e f t o u t o f t h e g e n e r a l b u s t l e . W e w e r e f r e e t o s i t i n t h e l i b r a r y a t t h e b a c k o f t h e b u i l d i n g o r l o o k i n q u i t e d e - t a c h e d l y , n a t u r a l l y , o n t h e m e a s u r e s b e i n g t a k e n f o r o u r e v e n t .

E v e n t h e m i n i s t e r p r e a c h e d o n g r a d u a t i o n t h e S u n d a y b e f o r e . H i s s u b j e c t w a s , " L e t y o u r l i g h t s o s h i n e t h a t m e n w i l l s e e y o u r g o o d w o r k s a n d p r a i s e y o u r F a t h e r , W h o i s i n H e a v e n . " A l t h o u g h t h e s e r m o n w a s p u r p o r t e d t o b e a d d r e s s e d t o u s , h e u s e d t h e o c c a - s i o n t o s p e a k t o b a c k s l i d e r s , g a m b l e r s a n d g e n e r a l n e ' e r - d o - w e l l s . B u t s i n c e h e h a d c a l l e d o u r n a m e s a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e s e r v i c e w e w e r e m o l l i f i e d .

A m o n g N e g r o e s t h e t r a d i t i o n w a s t o g i v e p r e s e n t s t o c h i l d r e n g o i n g o n l y f r o m o n e g r a d e t o a n o t h e r . H o w m u c h m o r e i m p o r t a n t t h i s w a s w h e n t h e p e r s o n w a s g r a d u a t i n g a t t h e t o p o f t h e c l a s s . U n c l e W i l l i e a n d M o m m a h a d s e n t a w a y f o r a M i c k e y M o u s e w a t c h l i k e B a i l e y ' s . L o u i s e g a v e m e f o u r e m b r o i d e r e d h a n d k e r c h i e f s . ( I g a v e h e r c r o c h e t e d d o i l i e s . ) M r s . S n e e d , t h e m i n i s t e r ' s w i f e , m a d e

Graduation Maya Angelou 79

m e a n u n d e r s h i r t t o w e a r f o r g r a d u a t i o n , a n d n e a r l y e v e r y c u s - t o m e r g a v e m e a n i c k e l o r m a y b e e v e n a d i m e w i t h t h e i n - s t r u c t i o n , " K e e p o n m o v i n g t o h i g h e r g r o u n d , " o r s o m e s u c h e n c o u r a g e m e n t .

A m a z i n g l y t h e g r e a t d a y f i n a l l y d a w n e d a n d I w a s o u t o f b e d b e f o r e I k n e w i t . I t h r e w o p e n t h e b a c k d o o r t o s e e i t m o r e c l e a r l y , b u t M o m m a s a i d , " S i s t e r , c o m e a w a y f r o m t h a t d o o r a n d p u t y o u r r o b e o n . "

I h o p e d t h e m e m o r y o f t h a t m o r n i n g w o u l d n e v e r l e a v e m e . S u n l i g h t w a s i t s e l f y o u n g , a n d t h e d a y h a d n o n e o f t h e i n s i s t e n c e m a t u r i t y w o u l d b r i n g i t i n a f e w h o u r s . I n m y r o b e a n d b a r e f o o t i n t h e b a c k y a r d , u n d e r c o v e r o f g o i n g t o s e e a b o u t m y n e w b e a n s , I g a v e m y s e l f u p t o t h e g e n t l e w a r m t h a n d t h a n k e d G o d t h a t n o m a t t e r w h a t e v i l I h a d d o n e i n m y l i f e H e h a d a l l o w e d m e t o l i v e t o s e e t h i s d a y . S o m e w h e r e i n m y f a t a l i s m I h a d e x p e c t e d t o d i e , a c c i d e n t a l l y , a n d n e v e r h a v e t h e c h a n c e t o w a l k u p t h e s t a i r s i n t h e a u d i t o r i u m a n d g r a c e f u l l y r e c e i v e m y h a r d - e a r n e d d i p l o m a . O u t o f G o d ' s m e r c i f u l b o s o m I h a d w o n r e p r i e v e .

B a i l e y c a m e o u t i n h i s r o b e a n d g a v e m e a b o x w r a p p e d i n C h r i s t m a s p a p e r . H e s a i d h e h a d s a v e d h i s m o n e y f o r m o n t h s t o p a y f o r i t . I t f e l t l i k e a b o x o f c h o c o l a t e s , b u t I k n e w B a i l e y w o u l d n ' t s a v e m o n e y t o b u y c a n d y w h e n w e h a d a l l w e c o u l d w a n t u n d e r o u r n o s e s .

H e w a s a s p r o u d o f t h e g i f t a s I . I t w a s a s o f t - l e a t h e r - b o u n d - c o p y o f a c o l l e c t i o n o f p o e m s b y E d g a r A l l a n P o e , o r , a s B a i l e y a n d I c a l l e d h i m , " E a p . " I t u r n e d t o " A n n a b e l L e e " a n d w e w a l k e d u p a n d d o w n t h e g a r d e n r o w s , t h e c o o l d i r t b e t w e e n o u r t o e s , r e c i t - i n g t h e b e a u t i f u l l y s a d l i n e s .

M o m m a m a d e a S u n d a y b r e a k f a s t a l t h o u g h i t w a s o n l y F r i - d a y A f t e r w e f i n i s h e d t h e b l e s s i n g , I o p e n e d m y e y e s t o f i n d t h e w a t c h o n m y p l a t e . I t w a s a d r e a m o f a d a y E v e r y t h i n g w e n t s m o o t h l y a n d t o m y c r e d i t . I d i d n ' t h a v e t o b e r e m i n d e d o r s c o l d e d f o r a n y t h i n g . N e a r e v e n i n g I w a s t o o j i t t e r y t o a t t e n d t o c h o r e s , s o B a i l e y v o l u n t e e r e d t o d o a l l b e f o r e h i s b a t h .

D a y s b e f o r e , w e h a d m a d e a s i g n f o r t h e S t o r e , a n d a s w e t u r n e d o u t t h e l i g h t s M o m m a h u n g t h e c a r d b o a r d o v e r t h e d o o r - k n o b . I t r e a d c l e a r l y : C L O S E D . G R A D U A T I O N .

8 0 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

M y d r e s s f i t t e d p e r f e c t l y a n d e v e r y o n e s a i d t h a t I l o o k e d l i k e a s u n b e a m i n i t . O n t h e h i l l , g o i n g t o w a r d t h e s c h o o l . B a i l e y w a l k e d b e h i n d w i t h U n c l e W i l U e , w h o m u t t e r e d , " G o o n , J u . " H e w a n t e d h i m t o w a l k a h e a d w i t h u s b e c a u s e i t e m b a r r a s s e d h i m t o h a v e t o w a l k s o s l o w l y . B a i l e y s a i d h e ' d l e t t h e l a d i e s w a l k t o g e t h e r , a n d t h e m e n w o u l d b r i n g u p t h e r e a r . W e a l l l a u g h e d , n i c e l y .

L i t t l e c h i l d r e n d a s h e d b y o u t o f t h e d a r k l i k e f i r e f l i e s . T h e i r c r e p e - p a p e r d r e s s e s a n d b u t t e r f l y w i n g s w e r e n o t m a d e f o r r u n - n i n g a n d w e h e a r d m o r e t h a n o n e r i p , d r y l y , a n d t h e r e g r e t f u l " u h u h " t h a t f o l l o w e d .

T h e s c h o o l b l a z e d w i t h o u t g a i e t y . T h e w i n d o w s s e e m e d c o l d a n d u n f r i e n d l y f r o m t h e l o w e r h i l l . A s e n s e o f i l l - f a t e d t i m i n g c r e p t o v e r m e , a n d i f M o m m a h a d n ' t r e a c h e d f o r m y h a n d I w o u l d h a v e d r i f t e d b a c k t o B a i l e y a n d U n c l e W i l l i e , a n d p o s s i b l y b e y o n d . S h e m a d e a f e w s l o w j o k e s a b o u t m y f e e t g e t t i n g c o l d , a n d t u g g e d m e a l o n g t o t h e n o w - s t r a n g e b u i l d i n g .

A r o u n d t h e f r o n t s t e p s , a s s u r a n c e c a m e b a c k . T h e r e w e r e m y f e l l o w " g r e a t s , " t h e g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s . H a i r b r u s h e d b a c k , l e g s o i l e d , n e w d r e s s e s a n d p r e s s e d p l e a t s , f r e s h p o c k e t h a n d k e r c h i e f s a n d l i t t l e h a n d b a g s , a l l h o m e s e w n . O h , w e w e r e u p t o s n u f f , a l l r i g h t . I j o i n e d m y c o m r a d e s a n d d i d n ' t e v e n s e e m y f a m i l y g o i n t o f i n d s e a t s i n t h e c r o w d e d a u d i t o r i u m .

T h e s c h o o l b a n d s t r u c k u p a m a r c h a n d a l l c l a s s e s f i l e d i n a s h a d b e e n r e h e a r s e d . W e s t o o d i n f r o n t o f o u r s e a t s , a s a s s i g n e d , a n d o n a s i g n a l f r o m t h e c h o i r d i r e c t o r , w e s a t . N o s o o n e r h a d t h i s b e e n a c c o m p l i s h e d t h a n t h e b a n d s t a r t e d t o p l a y t h e n a t i o n a l a n - t h e m . W e r o s e a g a i n a n d s a n g t h e s o n g , a f t e r w h i c h w e r e c i t e d t h e p l e d g e o f a l l e g i a n c e . W e r e m a i n e d s t a n d i n g f o r a b r i e f m i n u t e b e - f o r e t h e c h o i r d i r e c t o r a n d t h e p r i n c i p a l s i g n a l e d t o u s , r a t h e r d e s - p e r a t e l y I t h o u g h t , t o t a k e o u r s e a t s . T h e c o m m a n d w a s s o u n u s u a l t h a t o u r c a r e f u l l y r e h e a r s e d a n d s m o o t h - r u n n i n g m a - c h i n e w a s t h r o w n o f f . F o r a f u l l m i n u t e w e f u m b l e d f o r o u r c h a i r s a n d b u m p e d i n t o e a c h o t h e r a w k w a r d l y H a b i t s c h a n g e o r s o l i d - i f y u n d e r p r e s s u r e , s o i n o u r s t a t e o f n e r v o u s t e n s i o n w e h a d b e e n r e a d y t o f o l l o w o u r u s u a l a s s e m b l y p a t t e r n : t h e A m e r i c a n n a - t i o n a l a n t h e m , t h e n t h e p l e d g e o f a l l e g i a n c e , t h e n t h e s o n g e v e r y B l a c k p e r s o n I k n e w c a l l e d t h e N e g r o N a t i o n a l A n t h e m . A l l d o n e

Graduation Maya Angelou 81

i n t h e s a m e k e y , w i t h t h e s a m e p a s s i o n a n d m o s t o f t e n s t a n d i n g o n t h e s a m e f o o t .

F i n d i n g m y s e a t a t l a s t , 1 w a s o v e r c o m e w i t h a p r e s e n t i m e n t o f w o r s e t h i n g s t o c o m e . S o m e t h i n g u n r e h e a r s e d , u n p l a n n e d , w a s g o i n g t o h a p p e n , a n d w e w e r e g o i n g t o b e m a d e t o l o o k b a d . I d i s - t i n c t l y r e m e m b e r b e i n g e x p l i c i t i n t h e c h o i c e o f p r o n o u n . I t w a s " w e , " t h e g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s , t h e u n i t , t h a t c o n c e r n e d m e t h e n .

T h e p r i n c i p a l w e l c o m e d " p a r e n t s a n d f r i e n d s " a n d a s k e d t h e B a p t i s t m i n i s t e r t o l e a d u s i n p r a y e r . H i s i n v o c a t i o n w a s b r i e f a n d p u n c h y , a n d f o r a s e c o n d I t h o u g h t w e w e r e g e t t i n g o n t h e h i g h r o a d t o r i g h t a c t i o n . W h e n t h e p r i n c i p a l c a m e b a c k t o t h e d a i s , h o w e v e r , h i s v o i c e h a d c h a n g e d . S o u n d s a l w a y s a f f e c t e d m e p r o - f o u n d l y a n d t h e p r i n c i p a l ' s v o i c e w a s o n e o f m y f a v o r i t e s . D u r i n g a s s e m b l y i t m e l t e d a n d l o w e d w e a k l y i n t o t h e a u d i e n c e . I t h a d n o t b e e n i n m y p l a n t o l i s t e n t o h i m , b u t m y c u r i o s i t y w a s p i q u e d a n d I s t r a i g h t e n e d u p t o g i v e h i m m y a t t e n t i o n .

H e w a s t a l k i n g a b o u t B o o k e r T . W a s h i n g t o n , o u r " l a t e g r e a t l e a d e r , " w h o s a i d w e c a n b e a s c l o s e a s t h e f i n g e r s o n t h e h a n d , e t c T h e n h e s a i d a f e w v a g u e t h i n g s a b o u t f r i e n d s h i p a n d t h e f r i e n d s h i p o f k i n d l y p e o p l e t o t h o s e l e s s f o r t u n a t e t h a n t h e m - s e l v e s . W i t h t h a t h i s v o i c e n e a r l y f a d e d , t h i n , a w a y . L i k e a r i v e r d i - m i n i s h i n g t o a s t r e a m a n d t h e n t o a t r i c k l e . B u t h e c l e a r e d h i s t h r o a t a n d s a i d , " O u r s p e a k e r t o n i g h t , w h o i s a l s o o u r f r i e n d , c a m e f r o m T e x a r k a n a t o d e l i v e r t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t a d d r e s s , b u t d u e t o t h e i r r e g u l a r i t y o f t h e t r a i n s c h e d u l e , h e ' s g o i n g t o , a s t h e y s a y , ' s p e a k a n d r u n . ' " H e s a i d t h a t w e u n d e r s t o o d a n d w a n t e d t h e m a n t o k n o w t h a t w e w e r e m o s t g r a t e f u l f o r t h e t i m e h e w a s a b l e t o g i v e u s a n d t h e n s o m e t h i n g a b o u t h o w w e w e r e w i l l i n g a l w a y s t o a d j u s t t o a n o t h e r ' s p r o g r a m , a n d w i t h o u t m o r e a d o — " I g i v e y o u M r . E d w a r d D o n l e a v y . "

N o t o n e b u t t w o w h i t e m e n c a m e t h r o u g h t h e d o o r o f f - s t a g e . T h e s h o r t e r o n e w a l k e d t o t h e s p e a k e r ' s p l a t f o r m , a n d t h e t a l l o n e m o v e d t o t h e c e n t e r s e a t a n d s a t d o w n . B u t t h a t w a s o u r p r i n c i p a l ' s s e a t , a n d a l r e a d y o c c u p i e d . T h e d i s l o d g e d g e n t l e m a n b o u n c e d a r o u n d f o r a l o n g b r e a t h o r t w o b e f o r e t h e B a p t i s t m i n i s t e r g a v e h i m h i s c h a i r , t h e n w i t h m o r e d i g n i t y t h a n t h e s i t u a t i o n d e s e r v e d , t h e m i n i s t e r w a l k e d o f f t h e s t a g e .

82 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

D o n l e a v y l o o k e d a t t h e a u d i e n c e o n c e ( o n r e f l e c t i o n , I ' m s u r e 34 t h a t h e w a n t e d o n l y t o r e a s s u r e h i m s e l f t h a t w e w e r e r e a l l y t h e r e ) , a d j u s t e d h i s g l a s s e s a n d b e g a n t o r e a d f r o m a s h e a f o f p a p e r s .

H e w a s g l a d " t o b e h e r e a n d t o s e e t h e w o r k g o i n g o n j u s t a s 35 i t w a s i n t h e o t h e r s c h o o l s . "

A t t h e f i r s t " A m e n " f r o m t h e a u d i e n c e I w i l l e d t h e o f f e n d e r t o 36 i m m e d i a t e d e a t h b y c h o k i n g o n t h e w o r d . B u t A m e n s a n d Y e s , s i r ' s b e g a n t o f a l l a r o u n d t h e r o o m l i k e r a i n t h r o u g h a r a g g e d u m b r e l l a .

H e t o l d u s o f t h e w o n d e r f u l c h a n g e s w e c h i l d r e n i n S t a m p s 37 h a d i n s t o r e . T h e C e n t r a l S c h o o l ( n a t u r a l l y , t h e w h i t e s c h o o l w a s C e n t r a l ) h a d a l r e a d y b e e n g r a n t e d i m p r o v e m e n t s t h a t w o u l d b e i n u s e i n t h e f a l l . A w e l l - k n o w n a r t i s t w a s c o m i n g f r o m L i t t l e R o c k t o t e a c h a r t t o t h e m . T h e y w e r e g o i n g t o h a v e t h e n e w e s t m i c r o - s c o p e s a n d c h e m i s t r y e q u i p m e n t f o r t h e l a b o r a t o r y . M r . D o n l e a v y d i d n ' t l e a v e u s l o n g i n t h e d a r k o v e r w h o m a d e t h e s e i m p r o v e - m e n t s a v a i l a b l e t o C e n t r a l H i g h . N o r w e r e w e t o b e i g n o r e d i n t h e g e n e r a l b e t t e r m e n t s c h e m e h e h a d i n m i n d .

H e s a i d t h a t h e h a d p o i n t e d o u t t o p e o p l e a t a v e r y h i g h l e v e l 38 t h a t o n e o f t h e f i r s t - l i n e f o o t b a l l t a c k l e r s a t A r k a n s a s A g r i c u l t u r a l a n c i M e c h a n i c a l C o l l e g e h a d g r a d u a t e d f r o m g o o d o l d L a f a y e t t e C o u n t y T r a i n i n g S c h o o l . H e r e f e w e r A m e n ' s w e r e h e a r d . T h o s e f e w t h a t d i d b r e a k t h r o u g h l a y d u l l y i n t h e a i r w i t h t h e h e a v i n e s s o f b a b i t .

H e w e n t o n t o p r a i s e u s . H e w e n t o n t o s a y h o w h e h a d b r a g g e d 39 t h a t " o n e o f t h e b e s t b a s k e t b a l l p l a y e r s a t F i s k s a n k h i s f i r s t b a l l r i g h t h e r e a t L a f a y e t t e C o u n t y T r a i n i n g S c h o o l . "

T h e w h i t e k i d s w e r e g o i n g t o h a v e a c h a n c e t o b e c o m e 40 G a l i l e o s a n d M a d a m e C u r i e s a n d E d i s o n s a n d G a u g u i n s , a n d o u r b o y s ( t h e g i r l s w e r e n ' t e v e n i n o n i t ) w o u l d t r y t o b e J e s s e O w e n s e s a n d J o e L o u i s e s .

O w e n s a n d t h e B r o w n B o m b e r w e r e g r e a t h e r o e s i n o u r w o r l d , 4 1 b u t w h a t s c h o o l o f f i c i a l i n t h e w h i t e - g o d d o m o f L i t t l e R o c k h a d t h e r i g h t t o d e c i d e t h a t t h o s e t w o m e n m u s t b e o u r o n l y h e r o e s ? W h o d e c i d e d t h a t f o r H e n r y R e e d t o b e c o m e a s c i e n t i s t h e h a d t o w o r k l i k e G e o r g e W a s h i n g t o n C a r v e r , a s a b o o t b l a c k , t o b u y a l o u s y m i c r o s c o p e ? B a i l e y w a s o b v i o u s l y a l w a y s g o i n g t o b e t o o s m a l l t o b e a n a t h l e t e , s o w h i c h c o n c r e t e a n g e l g l u e d t o w h a t c o u n t y s e a t h a d d e c i d e d t h a t i f m y b r o t h e r w a n t e d t o b e c o m e a

Graduation Maya Angelou 83

l a w y e r h e h a d t o f i r s t p a y p e n a n c e f o r h i s s k i n b y p i c k i n g c o t t o n a n d h o e i n g c o r n a n d s t u d y i n g c o r r e s p o n d e n c e b o o k s a t n i g h t f o r t w e n t y y e a r s ?

T h e m a n ' s d e a d w o r d s f e l l l i k e b r i c k s a r o u n d t h e a u d i t o r i u m a n d t o o m a n y s e t t l e d i n m y b e l l y C o n s t r a i n e d b y h a r d - l e a r n e d m a n n e r s I c o u l d n ' t l o o k b e h i n d m e , b u t t o m y l e f t a n d r i g h t t h e p r o u d g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s o f 1 9 4 0 h a d d r o p p e d t h e i r h e a d s . E v e r y g i r l i n m y r o w h a d f o u n d s o m e t h i n g n e w t o d o w i t h h e r h a n d k e r - c h i e f . S o m e f o l d e d t h e t i n y s q u a r e s i n t o l o v e k n o t s , s o m e i n t o t r i - a n g l e s , b u t m o s t w e r e w a d d i n g t h e m , t h e n p r e s s i n g t h e m f l a t o n t h e i r y e l l o w l a p s .

O n t h e d a i s , t h e a n c i e n t t r a g e d y w a s b e i n g r e p l a y e d . P r o f e s - s o r P a r s o n s s a t , a s c u l p t o r ' s r e j e c t , r i g i d . H i s l a r g e , h e a v y b o d y s e e m e d d e v o i d o f w i l l o r w i l l i n g n e s s , a n d h i s e y e s s a i d h e w a s n o l o n g e r w i t h u s . T h e o t h e r t e a c h e r s e x a m i n e d t h e f l a g ( w h i c h w a s d r a p e d s t a g e r i g h t ) o r t h e i r n o t e s , o r t h e w i n d o w s w h i c h o p e n e d o n o u r n o w - f a m o u s p l a y i n g d i a m o n d .

G r a d u a t i o n , t h e h u s h - h u s h m a g i c t i m e o f f r i l l s a n d g i f t s a n d c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s a n d d i p l o m a s , w a s f i n i s h e d f o r m e b e f o r e m y n a m e w a s c a l l e d . T h e a c c o m p l i s h m e n t w a s n o t h i n g . T h e m e t i c u l o u s m a p s , d r a w n i n t h r e e c o l o r s o f i n k , l e a r n i n g a n d s p e l l i n g d e c a s y l - l a b i c w o r d s , m e m o r i z i n g t h e w h o l e o f The Rape ofLucrece—it w a s f o r n o t h i n g . D o n l e a v y h a d e x p o s e d u s .

W e w e r e m a i d s a n d f a r m e r s , h a n d y m e n a n d w a s h e r w o m e n , a n d a n y t h i n g h i g h e r t h a t w e a s p i r e d t o w a s f a r c i c a l a n d p r e - s u m p t u o u s .

T h e n I w i s h e d t h a t G a b r i e l P r o s s e r a n d N a t T u r n e r h a d k i l l e d a l l w h i t e f o l k s i n t h e i r b e d s a n d t h a t A b r a h a m L i n c o l n h a d b e e n a s s a s s i n a t e d b e f o r e t h e s i g n i n g o f t h e E m a n c i p a t i o n P r o c l a m a t i o n , a n d t h a t H a r r i e t T u b m a n h a d b e e n k i l l e d b y t h a t b l o w o n h e r h e a d a n d C h r i s t o p h e r C o l u m b u s h a d d r o w n e d i n t h e Santa Maria.

I t w a s a w f u l t o b e a N e g r o a n d h a v e n o c o n t r o l o v e r m y l i f e . I t w a s b r u t a l t o b e y o u n g a n d a l r e a d y t r a i n e d t o s i t q u i e t l y a n d l i s - t e n t o c h a r g e s b r o u g h t a g a i n s t m y c o l o r w i t h n o c h a n c e o f d e - f e n s e . W e s h o u l d a l l b e d e a d . I t h o u g h t I s h o u l d l i k e t o s e e u s a l l d e a d , o n e o n t o p o f t h e o t h e r . A p y r a m i d o f f l e s h w i t h t h e w h i t e - f o l k s o n t h e b o t t o m , a s t h e b r o a d b a s e , t h e n t h e I n d i a n s w i t h t h e i r s i l l y t o m a h a w k s a n d t e e p e e s a n d w i g w a m s a n d t r e a t i e s , t h e

84 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

N e g r o e s w i t h t h e i r m o p s a n d r e c i p e s a n d c o t t o n s a c k s a n d s p i r i - t u a l s s t i c k i n g o u t o f t h e i r m o u t h s . T h e D u t c h c h i l d r e n s h o u l d a l l s t u m b l e i n t h e i r w o o d e n s h o e s a n d b r e a k t h e i r n e c k s . T h e F r e n c h s h o u l d c h o k e t o d e a t h o n t h e L o u i s i a n a P u r c h a s e ( 1 8 0 3 ) w h i l e s i l k - w o r m s a t e a l l t h e C h i n e s e w i t h t h e i r s t u p i d p i g t a i l s . A s a s p e c i e s , w e w e r e a n a b o m i n a t i o n . A l l o f u s .

D o n l e a v y w a s r u n n i n g f o r e l e c t i o n , a n d a s s u r e d o u r p a r e n t s t h a t i f h e w o n w e c o u l d c o u n t o n h a v i n g t h e o n l y c o l o r e d p a v e d p l a y i n g f i e l d i n t h a t p a r t o f A r k a n s a s . A l s o — h e n e v e r l o o k e d u p t o a c k n o w l e d g e t h e g r u n t s o f a c c e p t a n c e — a l s o , w e w e r e b o u n d t o g e t s o m e n e w e q u i p m e n t f o r t h e h o m e e c o n o m i c s b u i l d i n g a n d t h e w o r k s h o p .

H e f i n i s h e d , a n d s i n c e t h e r e w a s n o n e e d t o g i v e a n y m o r e t h a n t h e m o s t p e r f u n c t o r y t h a n k - y o u ' s , h e n o d d e d t o t h e m e n o n t h e s t a g e , a n d t h e t a l l w h i t e m a n w h o w a s n e v e r i n t r o d u c e d j o i n e d h i m a t t h e d o o r . T h e y l e f t w i t h t h e a t t i t u d e t h a t n o w t h e y w e r e o f f t o s o m e t h i n g r e a l l y i m p o r t a n t . ( T h e g r a d u a t i o n c e r e - m o n i e s a t L a f a y e t t e C o u n t y T r a i n i n g S c h o o l h a d b e e n a m e r e p r e l i m i n a r y . )

T h e u g l i n e s s t h e y l e f t w a s p a l p a b l e . A n u n i n v i t e d g u e s t w h o w o u l d n ' t l e a v e . T h e c h o i r w a s s u m m o n e d a n d s a n g a m o d e r n a r r a n g e m e n t o f " O n w a r d , C h r i s t i a n S o l d i e r s , " w i t h n e w w o r d s p e r t a i n i n g t o g r a d u a t e s s e e k i n g t h e i r p l a c e i n t h e w o r l d . B u t i t d i d n ' t w o r k . E l o u i s e , t h e d a u g h t e r o f t h e B a p t i s t m i n i s t e r , r e c i t e d " I n v i c t u s , " a n d I c o u l d h a v e c r i e d a t t h e i m p e r t i n e n c e o f " I a m t h e m a s t e r o f m y f a t e , 1 a m t h e c a p t a i n o f m y s o u l . "

M y n a m e h a d l o s t i t s r i n g o f f a m i l i a r i t y a n d I h a d t o b e n u d g e d t o g o a n d r e c e i v e m y d i p l o m a . A l l m y p r e p a r a t i o n s h a d f l e d . I n e i t h e r m a r c h e d u p t o t h e s t a g e l i k e a c o n q u e r i n g A m a z o n , n o r d i d I l o o k i n t h e a u d i e n c e f o r B a i l e y ' s n o d o f a p p r o v a l . M a r - g u e r i t e J o h n s o n , ^ 1 h e a r d t h e n a m e a g a i n , m y h o n o r s w e r e r e a d , t h e r e w e r e n o i s e s i n t h e a u d i e n c e o f a p p r e c i a t i o n , a n d I t o o k m y p l a c e o n t h e s t a g e a s r e h e a r s e d .

I t h o u g h t a b o u t c o l o r s I h a t e d : e c r u , p u c e , l a v e n d e r , b e i g e a n d b l a c k .

^Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in 1928; married Tosh Angelou (divorced 1952); took the name of Maya Angelou in her early twenties.

Graduation Maya Angelou 85

T h e r e w a s s h u f f l i n g a n d r u s t l i n g a r o u n d m e , t h e n H e n r y R e e d w a s g i v i n g h i s v a l e d i c t o r y a d d r e s s , " T o B e o r N o t t o B e . " H a d n ' t h e h e a r d t h e w h i t e f o l k s ? W e c o u l d n ' t be, s o t h e q u e s t i o n w a s a w a s t e o f t i m e . H e n r y ' s v o i c e c a m e o u t c l e a r a n d s t r o n g . I f e a r e d t o l o o k a t h i m . H a d n ' t h e g o t t h e m e s s a g e ? T h e r e w a s n o " n o b l e r i n t h e m i n d " f o r N e g r o e s b e c a u s e t h e w o r l d d i d n ' t t h i n k w e h a d m i n d s , a n d t h e y l e t u s k n o w i t . " O u t r a g e o u s f o r t u n e " ? N o w , t h a t w a s a j o k e . W h e n t h e c e r e m o n y w a s o v e r I h a d t o t e l l H e n r y R e e d s o m e t h i n g s . T h a t i s , i f I s t i l l c a r e d . N o t " r u b , " H e n r y , " e r a s e . " " A h , t h e r e ' s t h e e r a s e . " U s .

H e n r y h a d b e e n a g o o d s t u d e n t i n e l o c u t i o n . H i s v o i c e r o s e o n t i d e s o f p r o m i s e a n d f e l l o n w a v e s o f w a r n i n g s . T h e E n g l i s h t e a c h e r h a d h e l p e d h i m t o c r e a t e a s e r m o n w i n g i n g t h r o u g h H a m - l e t ' s s o l i l o q u y . T o b e a m a n , a d o e r , a b u i l d e r , a l e a d e r , o r t o b e a t o o l , a n u n f u n n y j o k e , a c r u s h e r o f f u n k y t o a d s t o o l s . I m a r v e l e d t h a t H e n r y c o u l d g o t h r o u g h w i t h t h e s p e e c h a s i f w e h a d a c h o i c e .

1 h a d b e e n l i s t e n i n g a n d s i l e n t l y r e b u t t i n g e a c h s e n t e n c e w i t h m y e y e s c l o s e d ; t h e n t h e r e w a s a h u s h , w h i c h i n a n a u d i e n c e w a r n s t h a t s o m e t h i n g u n p l a n n e d i s h a p p e n i n g . 1 l o o k e d u p a n d s a w H e n r y R e e d , t h e c o n s e r v a t i v e , t h e p r o p e r , t h e A s t u d e n t , t u r n h i s b a c k t o t h e a u d i e n c e a n d t u r n t o u s ( t h e p r o u d g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s o f 1 9 4 0 ) a n d s i n g , n e a r l y s p e a k i n g ,

" L i f t e v ' r y v o i c e a n d s i n g ^ T i l l e a r t h a n d h e a v e n r i n g R i n g w i t h t h e h a r m o n i e s o f L i b e r t y . . . "

I t w a s t h e p o e m w r i t t e n b y J a m e s W e l d o n J o h n s o n . I t w a s t h e m u - s i c c o m p o s e d b y J . R o s a m o n d J o h n s o n . I t w a s t h e N e g r o N a t i o n a l A n t h e m . O u t o f h a b i t w e w e r e s i n g i n g i t .

O u r m o t h e r s a n d f a t h e r s s t o o d i n t h e d a r k h a l l a n d j o i n e d t h e h y m n o f e n c o u r a g e m e n t . A k i n d e r g a r t e n t e a c h e r l e d t h e s m a l l c h i l d r e n o n t o t h e s t a g e a n d t h e b u t t e r c u p s a n d d a i s i e s a n d b u n n y r a b b i t s m a r k e d t i m e a n d t r i e d t o f o l l o w :

" S t o n y t h e r o a d w e t r o d B i t t e r t h e c h a s t e n i n g r o d F e l t i n t h e d a y s w h e n h o p e , u n b o r n , h a d d i e d . Y e t w i t h a s t e a d y b e a t

86 Chapter 2 Education and Learning

H a v e n o t o u r w e a r y f e e t C o m e t o t h e p l a c e f o r w h i c h o u r f a t h e r s s i g h e d ? "

E a c h c h i l d 1 k n e w h a d l e a r n e d t h a t s o n g w i t h h i s A B C ' s a n d a l o n g w i t h " J e s u s L o v e s M e T h i s 1 K n o w . " B u t I p e r s o n a l l y h a d n e v e r h e a r d i t b e f o r e . N e v e r h e a r d t h e w o r d s , d e s p i t e t h e t h o u - s a n d s o f t i m e s I h a d s u n g t h e m . N e v e r t h o u g h t t h e y h a d a n y t h i n g t o d o w i t h m e .

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e w o r d s o f P a t r i c k H e n r y h a d m a d e s u c h a n i m p r e s s i o n o n m e t h a t I h a d b e e n a b l e t o s t r e t c h m y s e l f t a l l a n d t r e m b l i n g a n d s a y , " I k n o w n o t w h a t c o u r s e o t h e r s m a y t a k e , b u t a s f o r m e , g i v e m e l i b e r t y o r g i v e m e d e a t h . "

A n d n o w I h e a r d , r e a l l y f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e :

" W e h a v e c o m e o v e r a w a y t h a t w i t h t e a r s h a s b e e n w a t e r e d . W e h a v e c o m e , t r e a d i n g o u r p a t h t h r o u g h t h e b l o o d o f t h e s l a u g h t e r e d . "

W h i l e e c h o e s o f t h e s o n g s h i v e r e d i n t h e a i r , H e n r y R e e d b o w e d h i s h e a d , s a i d " T h a n k y o u , " a n d r e t u r n e d t o h i s p l a c e i n t h e l i n e . T h e t e a r s t h a t s l i p p e d d o w n m a n y f a c e s w e r e n o t w i p e d a w a y i n s h a m e .

W e w e r e o n t o p a g a i n . A s a l w a y s , a g a i n . W e s u r v i v e d . T h e d e p t h s h a d b e e n i c y a n d d a r k , b u t n o w a b r i g h t s u n s p o k e t o o u r s o u l s . I w a s n o l o n g e r s i m p l y a m e m b e r o f t h e p r o u d g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s o f 1 9 4 0 ; 1 w a s a p r o u d m e m b e r o f t h e w o n d e r f u l , b e a u t i f u l N e g r o r a c e .

O h , B l a c k k n o w n a n d u n k n o w n p o e t s , h o w o f t e n h a v e y o u r a u c t i o n e d p a i n s s u s t a i n e d u s ? W h o w i l l c o m p u t e t h e o n l y n i g h t s m a d e l e s s l o n e l y b y y o u r s o n g s , o r t h e e m p t y p o t s m a d e l e s s t r a g i c b y y o u r t a l e s ?

I f w e w e r e a p e o p l e m u c h g i v e n t o r e v e a l i n g s e c r e t s , w e m i g h t r a i s e m o n u m e n t s a n d s a c r i f i c e t o t h e m e m o r i e s o f o u r p o e t s , b u t s l a v e r y c u r e d u s o f t h a t w e a k n e s s . I t m a y b e e n o u g h , h o w e v e r , t o h a v e i t s a i d t h a t w e s u r v i v e i n e x a c t r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e d e d i c a t i o n o f o u r p o e t s ( i n c l u d e p r e a c h e r s , m u s i c i a n s a n d b l u e s s i n g e r s ) .

1970

" I Just Wanna Be Average" Mike Rose 87

"I J u s t W a n n a Be Average" M i k e R o s e

S o m e p e o p l e w h o m a n a g e t o w r i t e t h e i r w a y o u t o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s d e s c r i b e t h e c l a s s r o o m a s a n o a s i s o f p o s s i b i l i t y . I t b e c a m e t h e i r i n t e l l e c t u a l p l a y g r o u n d , t h e i r c o m p e t i t i v e a r e n a . G i v e n t h e r i c h n e s s o f m y m e m o r i e s o f t h i s t i m e , i t ' s f u n n y h o w s c a n t a r e m y r e c o l l e c t i o n s o f s c h o o l . 1 r e m e m b e r t h e r e d b r i c k b u i l d i n g o f S t . R e g i n a ' s i t s e l f , a n d t h e t o p o g r a p h y o f t h e p l a y g r o u n d : t h e s w i n g s a n d b a s k e t b a l l c o u r t s a n d p e e l i n g b e n c h e s . T h e r e a r e i m - a g e s o f a f e w s t u d e n t s : E r w i n P e t s c h a u r , a m u s c u l a r G e r m a n b o y w i t h a s t r o n g a c c e n t ; D a v e S a n c h e z , w h o w a s g o o d i n m a t h ; a n d S h e i l a W i l k e s , e v e r y o n e ' s c u r l y - h a i r e d h e a r t t h r o b . A n d t h e r e a r e t w o n u n s : S i s t e r M o n i c a , t h e t h i r d - g r a d e t e a c h e r w i t h b e a u t i f u l h a n d s f o r w h o m I c a r r i e d a c a n d l e a n d w h o , t o m y d i s m a y , h a d w e d d e d h e r s e l f t o C h r i s t ; a n d S i s t e r B e a t r i c e , a w o m a n t r u l y c r a z e d , w h o w o u l d s w e e p i n t o c l a s s , e y e s w i d e , t o t e l l u s a b o u t t h e A p o c a l y p s e .

A l l t h e h o u r s i n c l a s s t e n d t o b l e n d i i i t o o n e l o n g , v a g u e s t r e t c h o f t i m e . W h a t I r e m e m b e r b e s t , s t r a n g e l y e n o u g h , a r e t h e t w o t h i n g s I c o u l d n ' t u n d e r s t a n d a n d o v e r t h e y e a r s g r e w t o h a t e : g r a m m a r l e s s o n s a n d m a t h e m a t i c s . I w o u l d s i t t h e r e w a t c h i n g a t e a c h e r d r a w h e r l o n g h o r i z o n t a l l i n e a n d h e r s h o r t , o b l i q u e l i n e s a n d b r e a k u p s e n t e n c e s a n d p u t a d j e c t i v e s h e r e a n d a d v e r b s t h e r e a n d j u s t n o t g e t i t , c o u l d n ' t s e e t h e r e a s o n f o r i t , t u r n e d o f f t o i t . 1 w o u l d h i d e b y s l u m p i n g d o w n i n m y s e a t a n d p a g e t h r o u g h m y r e a d e r , c a r r i e d a l o n g b y t h e f l o w o f s e n t e n c e s i n a s t o r y . S h e w o u l d t e s t u s , a n d I w o u l d d r e a d t h a t , f o r I a l w a y s g o t C s a n d D s . M a t h e m a t i c s w a s a b i t d i f f e r e n t . F o r w h a t e v e r r e a s o n s , I d i d n ' t l e a r n e a r l y m a t h v e r y w e H , s o w h e n i t c a m e t i m e f o r m o r e c o m p l i c a t e d o p e r a t i o n s , I c o u l d n ' t k e e p u p a n d s t a r t e d d a y d r e a m - i n g t o a v o i d m y i n a d e q u a c y . T h i s w a s a s t r a t e g y I w o u l d r e l y o n a s 1 g r e w o l d e n I f e l l f u r t h e r a n d f u r t h e r b e h i n d . A m e m o r y : T h e t e a c h e r i s f a c e l e s s a n d s e e m s v e r y f a r a w a y . T h e v o i c e i s f a i n t a n d i s d i s c u s s i n g a n e q u a t i o n w r i t t e n o n t h e b o a r d . I t i s r a i n i n g , a n d I a m w a t c h i n g t h e s t r e a m s o f w a t e r f o r m p a t t e r n s o n t h e w i n d o w s .

M c G r a w - H i l l H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n

A D i v i s i o n of T h e M c G r a w - H i l l C o m p a n i e s

75 T H E M A T I C R E A D I N G S : A N A N T H O L O G Y

Published by M c G r a w - H i l l , a business unit of The M c G r a w - H i l l Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10020. Copyright © 2003 by T h e M c G r a w - H i l l Companies, Inc. A l l rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The M c G r a w - H i l l Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.

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15 thematic readings : an anthology / McGraw-Hil l , p. cm.

Includes index. I S B N 0-07-246931-5 (softcover : acid-free paper) I . College readers. 2. English language-Rhetoric-Problems, exercises, etc. 3.

Report writing-Problems, exercises, etc. 1 Title: Seventy-five thematic readings. I I . M c G r a w - H i l l Companies. P E 1 4 1 7 . A I 3 20O3 808' .0427-dc2l

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Contents I n d e x o f R h e t o r i c a l M o d e s x v i i

P r e f a c e x x v

C h a p t e r 1 L A N G U A G E A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N 1

R i c h a r d R o d r i g u e z : "Aria" 3

"My m o t h e r ! My f a t h e r ! After English became my primary language I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents."

M a x i n e H o n g K i n g s t o n : "Tongue Tied" 1 0

"During the first silent year, I spoke to no one at school, did not ask before going to the lavatory, and flunked kindergarten."

G l o r i a A n z a l d u a : "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" 1 5

"For a people who are neither Spanish nor live in a country in which Spanish is the first language; for a people who live in a country in which English is the reigning tongue but who are not Anglo; for people who cannot entirely identify with either standard (formal, Castillian) Spanish nor standard English, what recourse is left to them but to create their own language?"

G l o r i a N a y l o r : "A Question of Language" 2 2

"Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power."

V