Literature Core (1080-01 S2022)
In Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, the formal textual element visible that is the most impactful is the use of references. At the very beginning of the story, the author mentions Drake and Fetty Wap as a way to show that the main character, Riley, was not “self-hating” or against black people…
In the short story, “Gorilla, My love”, there is a common theme where the main character Hazel has no fear in the things she does or says. Throughout the text, Hazel has multiple examples of demonstrating this to the audience. We see this when she talks about going to the movie theater. She shows no…
A specific element in the text that I think is important is the use of nicknames. The text presents this content by using the narrator’s nickname, “Snot”, when her actions are changed by others, and the narrator’s first name, “Laurel”, when her actions stay true to her original intention. The Brownie troop was getting ready…
In “Brownies” by ZZ Packer, the author writes, “‘Dammit!’ she said. ‘We’ve got to get them alone’… no one entertained the thought that they might fight back.”(13). Throughout the story, Packer frequently italicizes a single word in a sentence, often a sentence spoken by one of the children in the Brownies troop. This quote from…
Identify: “We can’t let them get away with calling us n*****s. I say we teach them a lesson (pg 8).” This is near the beginning of the story when Arnetta claims that one of the troopers in the 909 troop, full of white girls, called Daphne the N-word. Contextualize: Throughout the story, Arnetta’s voice is…
Identify- “‘Go on Laurel,’ Daphne said… ‘What happened next?’” These are some of the only words that are spoken by Daphne throughout the entirety of ZZ Packer’s short story “Brownies.” In the first paragraph of page 29, Daphne encourages her fellow girl scout, Laurel, to continue telling her story about her father and herself at…
Identify – In the short story “Gorilla, My Love” by Toni Cade, Cade emphasizes the formal element of deception, saying that “if you say Gorilla, My Love, you suppose to mean it. Just like when you say you goin to give me a party on my birthday, you gotta mean it. And if you say…
From the prose “Blackness” written by Jamaica Kincaid, The author talks about her understanding and her relationship with blackness. It is not only the main idea of the prose, but it also has many different layers and meanings to it. One formal element(paragraph) from the text that stands out to me the most is the…
Identify a specific formal element and briefly explain: In the prose “Blackness”, written by Jamaica Kincaid, the author frequently mentions blackness. Blackness not only is the main idea of the prose, but it also has many different layers and meanings to it. The narrator has a complicated and conflicted relationship with blackness. From my understanding,…
Throughout Toni Morrison’s short story Sweetness, the narrator breaks the fourth wall and asks the reader questions throughout her narrative. In multiple instances, the narrator asks the reader questions to either validate, exaggerate, or emphasize her point of view regarding her disappointment with her daughter’s dark complexion, as well as her parenting style. One in…