Miss Cheikh’s Sample

“How it Feels to Be Colored Me” I AM COLORED but I offer nothing in the way of extenuating circumstances except the fact that I am the only Negro in the United States whose grandfather on the mother's side was not an Indian chief. I remember the very day that I became colored. Up to my thirteenth year I lived in the little Negro town of Eatonville, Florida. It is exclusively a colored town. The only white people I knew passed through the town going to or coming from Orlando. The native whites rode dusty horses, the Northern tourists chugged down the sandy village road in automobiles. The town knew the Southerners and never stopped cane chewing when they passed. But the Northerners were something else again. They were peered at cautiously from behind curtains by the timid. The more venturesome would come out on the porch to watch them go past and got just as much pleasure out of the tourists as the tourists got out of the village.The native whites rode dusty horses, the Northern tourists chugged down the sandy village road in automobiles. The town knew the Southerners and never stopped cane chewing when they passed. But the Northerners were something else again. They were peered at cautiously from behind curtains by the timid.

I am not ashamed…  Paraphrase : She recognizes her blackness but doesn’t regret it or apologize for it.  Style and Craft :  Diction – “extenuating” means to lessen the severity of – Hurston is trying to make light of the situation by framing racism this way.  Humor – She aims the joke at whites who think being black is a problem that needs a solution and at the New Negros who don’t see themselves as just black.  Style – Hurston italicizes “not” to emphasize her humor.  Relevance : It is so important to not let others determine your self-worth. Even though racism is a horrible atrocity, to allow your view of yourself to be contingent on others’ opinions is foolish. We should base our self-worth on our internal character and not on our exteriors. I define myself by my own expectations.

Differences  Paraphrase: The Southern whites are vastly different from the Northern whites who almost seem to come from another planet. The Southern whites chew sugar cane – a common practice. The Southern blacks just stare at the Northern whites with caution and curiosity.  Style and Craft:  Parallel Structure – Hurston is trying to show how different people viewed the inhabitants of Eatonville, and how the people of Eatonville viewed both the Northern and Southern whites.  Imagery – Her descriptive language (“white rode dusty horses, “chugged down,” and “cane chewing”) appeal to the senses and engage the reader.  Diction – Hurston uses “peered at” to evoke not only curiosity but also a sense of apprehension and fear of the unknown.  Connection: This reminds me of the times I’ve gone to Tunisia. Being an American girl, I stuck out in the conservative Muslim town I stayed in. I felt out of place and felt as if all eyes were on me. I think if Hurston was in my position, she would have been completely comfortable and would have liked the attention given how she responds to the Northern “tourists.” “How Soon is Now?” – The Smiths I am the son And the heir Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar I am the son and heir Of nothing in particular You shut your mouth How can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved Just like everybody else does npILIIo9ek