Prejudice and Personal Loss Prejudice is a preconception that is not based on reason and personal loss can cause an individual to lose hope of their dreams ever coming true due to adversities. Although prejudice and focusing on personal loss are avoidable, individuals tend to shy away from moral reasoning during difficult times. As a result, society can become selfish and divided. An author who shows this problem, is Judith Ortiz Cofer. In her piece, "American History", she tells a story about Elena. Elena is a Puerto Rican teenager living in Paterson, New Jersey in 1963, during John F. Kennedy’s presidency. Elena deals with loneliness until she meets Eugene, who Elena feels positively impacts
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Although John F. Kennedy’s presidency seemes to unite the United States, Elena faces racial prejudice which ultimately results in personal loss. Ortiz Cofer's work, "American History", uses the green door and the white snow to convey that prejudice and personal loss are not put on hold even when the country seems to unite due to a public loss Ortiz Cofer uses the green door to convey that prejudice is still apparent, even though the country seems united. On the day of John F Kennedy’s assassination, Elena is supposed to go study with Eugene, which has been her dream for quite some time. Although, Elena’s mother does not approve of Elena going to study with Eugene because she should be mourning JFK's death, but Elena goes anyway. Elena is standing on Eugene’s doorstep and is looking at the door before she knocks and she notices, "The door [is] painted a deep green: verde, the color of hope, I had heard my mother say …show more content…
Elena is talking about how her mother is unhappy in Paterson, and how she listens to her parents' dreams, which are spoken in Spanish, about their hope of being able to move out of Paterson. Her family dreams of one day being able to move out of Paterson, to be able to live a typical suburban life and due to the hope that JFK has created for the minorities, her family hopes to achieve the American dream. Elena is talking about her dreams and the better life that she feels awaits her in the suburbs, "Every Sunday we [drive] out to the suburbs of Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, out to where people [mow] the grass on Sundays in the summer and where children [made] snowmen in the winter from the pure white snow, not like the gray slush of Paterson which [seems] to fall from the sky in that hue" (Ortiz Cofer 245). This shows how Elena's focus is on her own dreams and the dreams she has for her family. Although JFK is responsible for creating the hope Elena feels, her focus is not on him because she is overwhelmingly captivated by the idea of the suburban lifestyle that he has created for her family. The white snow represents how the dream for a new life is always in the back of her mind. White is symbolic of purity, innocence and a successful beginning. The white snow is used in comparison
Although John F. Kennedy’s presidency seemes to unite the United States, Elena faces racial prejudice which ultimately results in personal loss. Ortiz Cofer's work, "American History", uses the green door and the white snow to convey that prejudice and personal loss are not put on hold even when the country seems to unite due to a public loss Ortiz Cofer uses the green door to convey that prejudice is still apparent, even though the country seems united. On the day of John F Kennedy’s assassination, Elena is supposed to go study with Eugene, which has been her dream for quite some time. Although, Elena’s mother does not approve of Elena going to study with Eugene because she should be mourning JFK's death, but Elena goes anyway. Elena is standing on Eugene’s doorstep and is looking at the door before she knocks and she notices, "The door [is] painted a deep green: verde, the color of hope, I had heard my mother say …show more content…
Elena is talking about how her mother is unhappy in Paterson, and how she listens to her parents' dreams, which are spoken in Spanish, about their hope of being able to move out of Paterson. Her family dreams of one day being able to move out of Paterson, to be able to live a typical suburban life and due to the hope that JFK has created for the minorities, her family hopes to achieve the American dream. Elena is talking about her dreams and the better life that she feels awaits her in the suburbs, "Every Sunday we [drive] out to the suburbs of Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, out to where people [mow] the grass on Sundays in the summer and where children [made] snowmen in the winter from the pure white snow, not like the gray slush of Paterson which [seems] to fall from the sky in that hue" (Ortiz Cofer 245). This shows how Elena's focus is on her own dreams and the dreams she has for her family. Although JFK is responsible for creating the hope Elena feels, her focus is not on him because she is overwhelmingly captivated by the idea of the suburban lifestyle that he has created for her family. The white snow represents how the dream for a new life is always in the back of her mind. White is symbolic of purity, innocence and a successful beginning. The white snow is used in comparison