Report From The Bahamas Summary

Improved Essays
June Jordan 's account of her vacation in Report from the Bahamas brings up many of the social issues facing the world in the 1980 's, many of which are still unresolved today. Jordan brings up a womens fight for rights, freedoms, and desires which emphasis that her report is based on her concern for women. Factors of race, class, and gender are constructed through June Jordan 's accounts of social structures in the Bahamas in 1892 along with connections to her own past experiences as a black woman. Those factors are then deconstructed through her telling of a bond between two students that had transcended factors of race and class and expressed a unification in the struggles of women.
Issues of class, race, and gender structures are on display
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Even despite the political upheaval and racial tension in South Africa during this time, the South African woman, Sokutu, is able to confide in the Irish girl named Cathy who has dealt with alchoholics in her life. This shows that the bond between women who have struggled does in fact transcend race and class differences. Remembering this occurence changes Jordan 's perspective and reminds her of positive bonds between every human being conflicting with her strong oppinions on race, class, and gender structures. This idea of a women sharing a common identity despite being of different races and coming from different backgrounds is a powerful realization for Jordan but also brings to light the important value of empathy. This value is something that still holds importance today, with so many minority groups being alienated from our modern society it is hard for people to remember that we are all members of the human race who need to do out part to help one

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