The Rise to Motherhood in Larsens Passing - Literature Essay Samples

Throughout much of Nella Larsen’s Passing, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry are portrayed as polar opposites. Though they both occupy the role of a young African-American mother living during the prosperous 1920s, they define that role in intensely different ways. Clare is a vivacious, wild woman who rejects her â€Å"people† in favor of freedom and glamour, whereas her good childhood friend Irene is more subdued and tries to act proud of her racial background for the sake of her family. Their differences ultimately manifest in their approaches to motherhood, and much of the novel revolves around the choices they make with regards to racial passing and parenting. Maternity is central to the racial passing experiences of both Irene and Clare, because Larsen is suggesting that mothers are responsible for carrying on the honor of the race that they belong to. Clare’s attitude towards her racial passing and Irene’s beliefs against it are each shaped and affecte d subsequently by the ways they view themselves as mothers, and it is this friction that drives the narrative towards its inevitable tragic conclusion.The importance of the maternal figure is established early on in the novel, beginning with the free spirited Clare Kendry. Her own origins are tense and dramatic, with her â€Å"drunken father, a tall, powerfully built man† (p. 143) often asserting his masculine dominance over her. The lack of Clare’s own mother – a Negro girl, who as â€Å"they say, would have run away if she hadn’t died† (p. 153) – would later prove to be detrimental to Clare’s development. After the death of her father leaves her orphaned and without anyone to help her deal with her interracial heritage, Clare continues to evolve into an emotional roller coaster, something Irene remembers more clearly while she scrutinizes Clare’s character: â€Å"Sometimes she was hard and apparently without feeling at all; sometimes she was affectionate and rashly impulsive† (p. 144-145). Without a mother to properly nurture her feelings and sensibilities, Clare chooses to rebel against all expectations of her black race by passing for a white woman in order to compensate for her troubled childhood.In addition to lacking a nurturing mother, Clare is left under the care of her father’s sisters, considerably the biggest influences behind Clare’s passing. Her aunts serve as substitute maternal figures for Clare, and they basically teach her to ignore the ancestry of her biological mother. â€Å"For all their Bibles and praying and ranting about honesty, they didn’t want anyone to know that their darling brother had seduced†¦a Negro girl. [†¦] They forbade me to mention Negroes to the neighbours, or even to mention the south side. You may be sure that I didn’t,† Clare explains to Irene while discussing her life with her aunts (p. 159). These women essenti ally condition Clare to deny the existence of her Negro blood, and with nobody else around to show her how to be proud of the African American race, Clare rejects her heritage and readily slips into the persona of a pure white woman.When Clare becomes a mother herself, she earnestly continues to pass as white and this leads to her neglecting even her own child. Throughout Larsen’s novel, Irene points out to Clare that she must remember the well-being of her daughter Margery. Clare laments over the prospect of leaving New York, and even when Irene reminds her about Margery, Clare is still daunted that she cannot stay and mingle with the rest of the Harlem society. â€Å"Children aren’t everything†¦ There are other things in the world, though I admit some people don’t seem to suspect it,† Clare complains (p. 210). Clare obviously admires the glamour of her white appearance, and to be reminded by her child that she still carries (and has passed on) Negr o blood would set her back. Coupled with her husband John Bellew’s adamant rule that there be â€Å"no niggers in my family† (p. 171), Clare cannot be a good mother to her child without admitting to her true nature. She understands that within the white race, there is an expectation that the pure white blood will carry on in future generations. Rather than nurturing her child to atone for her own mother’s absence, Clare continues the cycle by making herself as unavailable as she can for her daughter. With Margery around, Clare cannot be as vibrant and as exuberant as she wants to be.In contrast to Clare’s rejection of maternity and family in favor of self-gratification and social status, Irene takes her own role as a mother very seriously. â€Å"I am wrapped up in my boys and the running of my house. I can’t help it. And really, I don’t think it’s anything to laugh at,† Irene responds to Clare (p. 210). She believes it is her r esponsibility to instill proper values in her two sons, and wants them to be able to grow up and freely embrace their African American heritage. After young Ted inquires about why only colored people were lynched, Irene and her husband Brian feud over how best to approach the subject of their sons’ race. Brian argues that if â€Å"they’ve [Ted and Junior] got to live in this damned country, they’d better find out what sort of thing they’re up against as soon as possible† (p. 231). He wants their children to be equipped to handle racism, but Irene wants â€Å"their childhood to be happy and as free from the knowledge of such things as it possibly can be† (p. 231). Irene fears that if her sons are more aware of the harsh bigotry and prejudice that awaits them out in the real world, they will become ashamed of their African American heritage and will suffer for it. If she fails to make her children’s lives happy and ‘as free from t he knowledge’ of racism before they are ready for it, then Irene will not only have failed her position as a mother, but she will have failed her position as a mother of the Negro race. Unlike Clare, who does not want to be discovered that she is secretly carrying on the blood of the slaves, Irene wants to see her race progress into a better social stratum.Irene’s decision to remain within the confines of her race and not publicly deny it also relates to the fact that the rest of her family is of a darker tone: â€Å"Irene†¦now said in a voice of whose even tones she was proud: ‘One of my boys is dark’† (p. 168). She has to be honored by her family’s skin color for the sake of her children. Irene ‘proudly’ describes her son as dark, and she sees it as her duty to foster this darkness and show off to the world how great the African American man can be. As opposed to Clare – who, as a deserter, has â€Å"to be afraid o f freaks of the nature† (p. 169) – Irene has to deny actively passing and embrace her black heritage, and she believes that by uplifting future generations into overcoming white racism and prejudice, she will have done her part superbly as a colored mother.The differences that separate Clare and Irene as mothers ultimately lead to their final confrontation and the tragic circumstances that surround them in the novel’s conclusion. Clare wants to free herself from John Bellew, but Irene believes that she is being selfish in neglecting Margery. â€Å"I think†¦that being a mother is the cruelest thing in the world,† Clare declares (p. 197). Clare believes that her child is holding her back from happiness and independence, and Irene tries desperately to explain to her that she has a duty to Margery. â€Å"We mothers are all responsible for the security and happiness of our children,† Irene argues to Clare in response. As a fellow parent, Irene wants to stop Clare from ruining the lives of herself and her child. It almost appears as if she wants to take them under her wing as well and nurture their appreciation – or at least acceptance – of their African American ancestry. When at the end, it seems as if Clare might have done the unthinkable and violated Irene’s own family, Irene comes to see Clare as a failure of the black race. Though Clare may have openly denied her race by passing as white for her entire adult life, Irene still believed that there was a chance to reclaim Clare.In the end, Clare’s lack of dedication towards her maternity and family holds steady and Irene is zealous at maintaining the visage of a happy, successful African American family unit. The themes of family and womanhood are constantly being questioned and refashioned by Larsen in Passing because Clare and Irene’s passing – whether active or passive – experiences are deeply shaped by their maternal ident ities. These two radically different mothers interact with each other the entire novel, but their beliefs are too firm to be shaken. Mothers are expected to uphold the pride of her race, and since Clare could not do this for the white race she was a part of, she paid the consequences for it.

The American Dream - 1344 Words

Is the American Dream Still Alive? Being equal means that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, it doesnt mean that all Americans have the same things. Some people will work much harder to succeed, those people have more than people who dont want to work to succeed. The American Dream is that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, initiative, and happiness. But many wonder if it is still alive today. Many studies have proven that the American dream is still alive today. The American Dream still exists because the unemployment ratio has decreased , the salary for the jobs has increased, and people of America have freedom. The American†¦show more content†¦As he grew up and made a career, he took the same success that got him through his early years, and applied it to his career. Miglani said, â€Å"Some years were better than others but I grew in my career and felt happy in my life.[...] Somewhere along the way, I felt as though I was let down by that formula for life. Work hard and do everything right wasnt working for me.† (Miglani). As Miglani continued to work hard, be nice to people and do everything right, he sometimes felt that that wasnt enough. Some days for him were harder than others, but he kept pushing through it. He never wanted to disappoint anyone in his family so he kept doing what he does best with the way he does it because he needed the money. Although, many citizens of American believe that American Dream no longer exists because many immigrants have traveled from Central America and took many of the Americans jobs. What the American citizens dont realize are that there is more job opportunities as the population increases. Along with the unemployment rate decreasing, the salary rate has increased. A salary is a fixed regular payment, typically paid on a monthly or biweekly basis, but often expressed as an annual sum, made by an employer to an employee. A salary is based on the minimum wage of the state a person works in. A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their workers. The minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour,Show MoreRelatedImmigrants And The American Dream1362 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants and the American Dream In the article â€Å"The American Dream†, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and highRead MoreThe American Dream By Kimberly Amadeo1637 Words   |  7 PagesNowadays, a large number of people migrate to the United States to work and achieve the American Dream. According to the Article â€Å"What is the American Dream?† by Kimberly Amadeo, â€Å"The American Dream was first publicly defined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in Epic of America. Adam’s often-repeated quote is, ‘The American Dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyon e, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.’† There are many peopleRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The American Dream 754 Words   |  4 Pages Nyreel Powell Ms. Jones American Literature 1 June 2015 The American dream in A Raisin in the Sun Have you ever had a dream and it didn’t come how you wanted it to be? Have you ever had accomplishments that you wanted to achieve but people were getting in the way of them? The four main characters in this book all have good dreams but there are people in the way of getting to those dreams or their dream is too high to accomplish. A Raisin in the Sun a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, andRead MoreSister Carrie and the American Dream1618 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream is surely based on the concept of â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness† but it is above all, a matter of ambition. James Truslow Adams, an American writer and historian, in 1931 states: life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†, which not only points towards a better standard of living for Americans but also denounces a degree of greed in the US society. Ambition not only â€Å"killed the catâ₠¬  butRead MoreGrapes Of Wrath And The American Dream1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of the American Dream is ever changing depending on the person and the time of life that person is in. Although the main ideas of the American Dream remain the same to be educated, economically sound, healthy, to have a family, and equal rights. Many great films and works of literature were created to show case all the different ideas people have for their American Dream. The film â€Å"Grapes of Wrath† directed by John Ford and the poem â€Å"I Will Fight No More Forever† by Chief Joseph, both depictRead More Destruction of the American Dream Essay2145 Words   |  9 PagesDestruction of the American Dream I’ve talked about it in the past, the destruction of the American Dream. Always, there have been papers, writings, and thoughts that quantify a particular section of its ultimate demise, be it due to money, education, or sexuality. Maybe the destruction cannot be viewed as a singular event or cause. Perhaps instead it must be examined as a whole process, the decay and ultimate elimination of a dream. Self destruction, if you will†¦ Mr. Self Destruct Read MoreSuccess As One Of The American Dream1137 Words   |  5 PagesApril 2015 Success as One of The American Dream When we hear the word â€Å"success†, we often think of wealth and money. To some people, the embodiment of being success is earning a lot of money. In fact, the concept of success is primarily based on how much money a person earns. However, each person views the definition of success differently. One way to define success is something that has more to do with flash than it does with substance. John Wooden, an American basketball player and coach viewRead MoreJim Cullen And The American Dream2081 Words   |  9 Pages The American Dream, as defined by Cullen, is starting your goal off with a little and ending with more; it s like a business, you invest in it in order to gain more money. Usually, people will define the American Dream as being able to achieve your goal because everyone is offered opportunities. Cullen does acknowledge that people are born with different opportunities, so he talks about the good life. The good life describes different factors that determine your opportunities. Throughout the otherRead MoreFactors Influencing The American Dream1834 Words   |  8 Pagesindividual to succumb or to not succumb to the seductions of crime. These three factors are brilliantly portrayed in the television show, Breaking Bad and the novel, The Stick Up Kids. The American Dream is what many American citizens strive for. However, not all of those citizens are able to achieve the American Dream through a legal pathway. The reason an indivudal may not being able to do so is because of his or her background factors. It is important to note that background factors are a fractionRead MoreShark Tank And The American Dream1755 Words   |  8 PagesShark Tank and The American Dream The TV show Shark tank embodies everything the American dream represents. The show obtains successful Entrepreneurs ready to invest their own money into other Americans wanting to be just like them, reaching the American dream and become a successful entrepreneur. The show presents entrepreneurs working towards the goal of creating a business to not only gain wealth but also change the way we live today. The show is to keep the American dream alive and well while

Essay on Comparing College and High School - 498 Words

College and high school are not as different as one might think because they both share a common root: education. Most people will try to convince you that college is very different from high school. They would state all sorts of things to look forward to while graduating from high school to college. The housing situation, for example, is very different. In high school, (nearly) everyone lives at home, subject to their parents rules and regulations. There are preset curfew times and limits to the types and sizes of parties that one could hold. But as it turns out, college is much like high school in many ways. Taking classes to educate oneself is the essence of both high school and college. And just as there are some (or†¦show more content†¦People might say that you have more free time in college, but in reality the extra time you spend studying in college during odd hours of the day does a nice job of filling in any holes in your schedule. Thus, in both college and high school, a person has a rigid schedule that is followed routinely nearly all the time. Both periods in a youths life are said to be a time for experimentation, a time to discover oneself. In high school, teenagers are just starting to receive responsibilities such as driving. But they have a wonderful opportunity to try risky things while they are still minors and wont suffer the full legal consequences from any deviant behavior. College is virtually the same because by that time the students have full responsibility and independence. We all know that you are better able to experiment and discover things about yourself if you can be left alone. Even though it is through different reasons, college and high school both present youths with the ability to learn more about themselves. Another misconception is that the social life changes greatly when one moves on from high school. When examined more closely, it is obvious that just like in high school, college students will be around the same group of people for a four-year period. Everyone still gets into closely knit circles of friends. The only real difference is that there are more options of things to do with yourShow MoreRelatedComparing Westover High School And Darton State College873 Words   |  4 PagesWhen comparing Westover High School and Darton State College, the differences should be very stark. Westover is obviously just a public high school, while Darton is for those who seek higher learning. However, these two learning facilities actually have many more similarities than one would think. As someone who is currently dual enrolled at both Westover High School and Darton State College, I am able to offer a look at the type of people that attend these schools from both viewpoints. In my opinionRead More Comparing and Contrasting High School Teachers and College Professors947 Words   |  4 Pagesthe same light. They perform similar tasks. They teach. However, they are separated by a fine line of distinction. High school teachers help a student build a foundation of knowledge, and train the student to focus on learning. College professors help to shape and define a student’s foundation of knowledge, and challenge the student to cultivate the mind. High school teachers and college professors have similar goals and guidelines, but they take a differing approach to achieving the end result. TheRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School1335 Words   |  6 PagesWhen children start off school they’re exited to go learn, meet new friends, and experience what scho ol is really about. As they go into their middle school environment starts to change. Girls and boys going through changes, asking many questions because they want to know. 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By demanding that schools report achievement for racial, ethnic, and economic subgroups, the accountability system aims to shine a light on schools that â€Å"leave children behind.† Public Schools in America for a long time were regarded as the best public schools in the world, but with the developmentRead MoreDifference Between High School And College1294 Words   |  6 PagesThe authors essay is effective on distinguishing the difference between high school and college, but still still need to fix on being more in depth and also work on grabbing the audience attention. The authors have good structure by comparing and contrasting because it helped to give the difference between high school and college, to inform their audience, which is new incoming freshman s on what to expect in college. Comparing and contrasting makes a good argument, because it gives audiences theRead MoreEssay about Comparison of Universities and Community Colleges667 Words   |  3 PagesCommunity Colleges When you graduate high school you have your choice of what kind of an education you want to get. You have your choice of going to a 4-year university, or a 2-year college. In order to decide you will compare the two and use the comparisons to come up with your final decision. Questions to ask yourself would be, what are you looking for in college, how do you want to learn, and how much money do you have to work with. Comparing University and Community college the firstRead MoreThe Relation Between Education and the Quality of Life1263 Words   |  6 PagesDan Rather once held the assumption that â€Å"A college degree is the key to realizing the American dream, well worth the financial sacrifice because it is supposed to open the door to a world of opportunity† (Dan Rather Quote). With today’s rough economic conditions, social mobility and the quality of life are controversial topics that have many different theories. Some people believe that increasing social mob ility can be done in a variety of different ways, while others think achieving this mobilityRead MoreBenefits and Disadvantages of an Online Class856 Words   |  3 Pagesthe idea of whether or not students should go to college by giving them insights to some of the benefits and disadvantages of obtaining a college degree in comparison to a high school diploma. I did this by examining the cost of college, comparing the job prospects of different college careers, and by looking at some of the highest paying jobs that students can get after high school as an alternative to college. I chose this topic because college is an important decision to make in life. Students

It Happened To Nancy Essay Example For Students

It Happened To Nancy Essay This book is a diary that goes through the last two years of a young teenage girls life,who got infected with the HIV virus after being date raped . The girl in the book isnamed Nancy and she is important enough to have her diary published because her lifewent from being a normal teenage girl with normal problems, to an abnormal girl withAIDS and abnormal problems. She agreed to have her diary published so that otherpeople who think that AIDS and rape cant ever happen to them can have a differentperspective. The times in which this diary takes place is from April 14, 1991 to April 12,1993. the book starts out when Nancy is getting ready to go to a Garth Brooks concert with herfriends El and Red, Imagine me going to a concert! A Garth Brooks concert! (p.3), andends two days before she dies, Nancy died in her sleep April 12th two days after her lastentry (p.219). In Nancys diary the places that impacted her life were:- at her home in SouthCarolina with her mother, friends and boyfriend, in Phoenix, Arizona with her dad, and inIdaho with her Aunt Thelma. Nancy mostly loved to stay with her mother, but then had toleave for her mothers good. Her home in South Carolina is normal. Her mother was a real-estate agent, sothey didnt see each other that much. Her friends, El, Red, Dorie and Lew, are all part ofa group called the gaggle, which means talkative or a group of geese. Lew is of coarsethe gander, meaning the male goose, of the gaggle and Nancys boyfriend. Nancysfriends are apart of her life in the biggest way possible, Ill miss the gaggle, they are likemy sisters and not my brother (p.174). In Phoenix, Arizona she lives with her dad during the summer. Her dad loves herdearly, he is a very protective and caring figure in her life, Dad lovingly but firmly toldme that if I dont eat every two hours he is going to take me directly to the hospital(p.150). She spent her last couple of months with her aunt Thelma in Idaho. Her aunt wasthe biggest influence in her life. Her aunt taught her how to see even the smallest thingsand memorize them and paint them or describe them to her aunt as if her aunt was blind,Aunt Thelma had me close my eyes and describe the picture of the tiny garden in thesmallest detail (p.198). Many people influenced Nancys life from her aunt Thelma, who taught herself-discipline, to her three doctors, Dr. Sherian, Dr. Marx, and Dr. B, who all taught herabout AIDS and how to deal with it. Her parents really werent an influence in her lifebecause they were too busy with their own. Nancy didnt really accomplish anything in the last two years of her life. She wastoo busy with AIDS and her rape situation. She did accomplish though to have her bookpublished, which happened the last week of her life. A lady by the name of Dr. B came toIdaho and talked to Nancy about publishing her diary and Nancy agreed with delight, Aunt Thelma excused herself and went up to the house, leaving me and Dr. B to talkabout my book (p.213). The biggest disappointment of Nancys life was when she got raped. This affectedher a lot because other than the fact that her self-esteem had gotten very low, but it lefther with AIDS, and having AIDS changed her life socially, mentally and physically. .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff , .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .postImageUrl , .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff , .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:hover , .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:visited , .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:active { border:0!important; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:active , .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8f14f9555bfc72fbcbba4c060f7a3bff:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Learning The Hard Way EssayAIDS really changed Nancys social life when everyone found out about it. Everyone was going out of their way to be nice to her. Then that all stopped and peoplestarted teasing her, by pushing each other close to her and telling her to kiss that personand give them her special something. The only people that stayed nice to her after theyfound out that she had AIDS was the gaggle. Mentally she was breaking down. She always cried and thought that everythingwas her fault from her parents divorce, to her being raped, to her having AIDS, Imgoing nuts (p.139). Physically she was slowly starting to lose weight , at one point she was 61pounds, and also was losing energy. She became pale and fragile, I passed a full-lengthmirrorand the creature that looked back at me was like something from a horror flick!Stringy hair!sunken eyes and big ugly black things starting on my face and neck(p.217). In the last two years of her life Nancy was strong even though at times herweaknesses took over. She had to be strong in order to deal with AIDS and her rapesituation, which were all far from gone. On her sixteenth birthday her friend El had aparty for her and they went to the movies and right in the middle of the movie she wetherself, right there in her seat. She thought she was going to die, but she pulled herselftogether in the end, Everyone, everyone in the whole place, would witness myhumiliationmy pain, my shame (p.143), Ill be all right (p.145). Nancys favorite saying or quote is think about that tomorrow, which she foundby reading a book written by a lady named Scarlett. She would use that quote when shedidnt want to worry or think about the present problem or situation. Dr.B was the person that wanted to publish Nancys diary. Nancy agreed and saidthat her diary might help other people look at their life in another perspective and neverto say never, because they never know what will happen to them. It worked for me. Biographies