Clifton L. Taulbert’s historical story “Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored” takes place in the United States during the early 1900s, a time in which discrimination was abundant. Cliff, a young colored boy, is promised by his Uncle Cleve a visit to a Jackson tent show, which was primarily hosted by white men and women. Upon entering the show, they are quickly approached by an usher, who tells them they are unwelcome due to the fact that they are colored, an issue that Cliff does not understand and his uncle is unwilling to educate him on. One lesson this story suggests that discrimination is a serious issue that affects people of many minority races, causing anger and sorrow to those who are discriminated and preventing them from integrating into society.
This lesson is demonstrated throughout the story, as Cliff thinks to himself on the ride home, “I was too young to understand why this had happened to us, and my uncle would not explain”, showing how a problem he did not understand in any way affected him greatly (Taulbert, 3). The demonstration of his emotions by Taulbert shows the innocence and inexperience Cliff had with society, and causes the reader into feel sorrow and empathy for him. Even though they were not interrupting the show in any way, the boy and his uncle were told in the …show more content…
Cliff, a young boy hoping to travel with his uncle to a show, was discriminated and prevented from watching a show, impacting him and his uncle greatly. Consequently, it becomes necessary to cease discrimination of minorities for the betterment of society. In order to stop bigotry, a problem that impacts many people, individuals must practice inclusion of all people in society, no matter their race, religion, or
This lesson is demonstrated throughout the story, as Cliff thinks to himself on the ride home, “I was too young to understand why this had happened to us, and my uncle would not explain”, showing how a problem he did not understand in any way affected him greatly (Taulbert, 3). The demonstration of his emotions by Taulbert shows the innocence and inexperience Cliff had with society, and causes the reader into feel sorrow and empathy for him. Even though they were not interrupting the show in any way, the boy and his uncle were told in the …show more content…
Cliff, a young boy hoping to travel with his uncle to a show, was discriminated and prevented from watching a show, impacting him and his uncle greatly. Consequently, it becomes necessary to cease discrimination of minorities for the betterment of society. In order to stop bigotry, a problem that impacts many people, individuals must practice inclusion of all people in society, no matter their race, religion, or