Shame In Dick Gregory

According to Merriam-Websters dictionary, shame is a feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness that you have because you know you have done something wrong. Dick Gregory’s childhood was full of shame. Looks of disgust from each person he sees, but people do not understand the way he feels. Many people do not feel the true feeling of shame. In this story of Gregory, an African American during the civil rights moment, he truly understands what shame is. The excerpt of Gregory is effective at convincing the audience to understand the meaning of shame by using rhetorical techniques, such as details, diction, and imagery. The author uses certain details to show how life was like on the inside of his house and the outside of his house. In the reading, Gregory describes himself as being “pregnant with five other people” in his bed. The word “pregnant” has a gloomy tone because it seems like he is stuck with the five people in his bed forever. Gregory feels disappointed that he has to live this life because it is not a normal way to live. Even teachers, who are suppose to be a good influence, are mean to him. They saw him as a “little black boy who squirmed in his idiot’s seat and made noises and poked the kids around …show more content…
As Gregory wants to donate money, the teacher says that they were collecting the money for “you and your kind” at him. This shows that the teacher does not seem him as a normal kid. This is because he is on welfare, and his mom is unable to support him with the money she makes. This makes Gregory feel worthless. The author repeatedly uses the word “Daddy”. This word is important because most normal kids have dads, but Gregory wants people to think that he has a dad so that he is able to fit in with the other kids to be normal. Even though he wants people to see him as a normal person, people just do not see him that way because of the way he his life