Throughout our history, racism has impacted the way we live as a society. Everyday people are involved in traumatizing events or issues that affect the way they live. These issues include: social, economic, and cultural prejudice, and stereotyping. Racial views are influenced by the environment around us. Parents influence their children to have the same beliefs as them. Parents will unconsciously condition their child to socialize a certain way based on their own experiences. Some children are unaware of racism until they are exposed to racial discrimination or attacks by another person. Racial discrimination contributes to a person’s identity. Overtime, a person will change due to perception and experiences they face throughout their life.
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The author describes the boys who are playing classical music, in ratty clothes and sneakers. Classical music’s target audience is educated white people, but having three colored boys playing classical music by a white composer, proves that music doesn’t care about race and people shouldn 't either. Toi Derricotte stated the following in her poem, “Beneath the surface we are one” (Derricotte 832). The speaker in the poem is saying that all people are the same. The color of a person’s skin should not define someone or prevent them from following their dreams and passions in life. Our society created a perception that white people should act one way and colored people should act another way which is not …show more content…
Her father is Chickasaw and her mother is a non-native. As the character grows up, she is conflicted between being a native american and caucasian. In the poem, the narrator states the following, “she left the large white breasts that weight my body down” (Hogan 289). She feels that her mom’s heritage is a heavy burden. Also, she describes her breasts as not her own, but as her mother’s breasts. This shows her insecurities within herself. The main character’s struggle to fit in affects how she grows and develops into an adult. Logan describes her grandmother’s “can full of black saliva spilled on her”, which created a large stain on her white shirt (Logan 289). The stain is a symbol of her genetic make-up, both brown and white. Hogan spends most of her time trying to find a balance between two worlds and seeks comfort in acceptance within her entire family. The poem shows how accepting life, and learning from experiences, helps a person grow as an
The author describes the boys who are playing classical music, in ratty clothes and sneakers. Classical music’s target audience is educated white people, but having three colored boys playing classical music by a white composer, proves that music doesn’t care about race and people shouldn 't either. Toi Derricotte stated the following in her poem, “Beneath the surface we are one” (Derricotte 832). The speaker in the poem is saying that all people are the same. The color of a person’s skin should not define someone or prevent them from following their dreams and passions in life. Our society created a perception that white people should act one way and colored people should act another way which is not …show more content…
Her father is Chickasaw and her mother is a non-native. As the character grows up, she is conflicted between being a native american and caucasian. In the poem, the narrator states the following, “she left the large white breasts that weight my body down” (Hogan 289). She feels that her mom’s heritage is a heavy burden. Also, she describes her breasts as not her own, but as her mother’s breasts. This shows her insecurities within herself. The main character’s struggle to fit in affects how she grows and develops into an adult. Logan describes her grandmother’s “can full of black saliva spilled on her”, which created a large stain on her white shirt (Logan 289). The stain is a symbol of her genetic make-up, both brown and white. Hogan spends most of her time trying to find a balance between two worlds and seeks comfort in acceptance within her entire family. The poem shows how accepting life, and learning from experiences, helps a person grow as an