After reading both of these pieces, I noticed a theme emerge. Both works highlight the often uncomfortable process of African-Americas moving up from slavery and oppression into the ranks of the middle class. In Mary Elizabeth, the narrator is shocked by Mary Elizabeth's tale of her father being sold by his master and sent far from his family, only to return years later. The tale reminds her of how close she is, historically, to slavery and oppression, despite her seemingly comfortable middle-class existence. This allows her to overlook the petty dispute with her husband that morning and be thankful for the security of their situation.
The Task of Negro Womanhood expands on these themes in more concrete terms. It gives numerous examples about the challenges associated with 'the Negro woman' moving up the socioeconomic ladder: the difficulty of affluent African-Americans finding peers and kindred spirits, the difficulty of finding professional jobs in white-dominated America despite qualifications, fear of competition on the part of white women, etc. This reading comes from The New Negro, and is therefore focused on this new kind of African-American who is working her way up the economic ladder and suffering the challenges that come with being a pioneer.
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I find it interesting that these readings show African American woman differently than do Toomer and McKay. In our previous reading woman are depicted as prostitutes or as worship symbols of older men that can’t wait to get their hands on them and their “beauty”. Now we are reading of women who are working hard to make it in the world and making better lives for themselves just as their white counter parts of the time. We are still focused on the women of the Harlem renaissance, but it is interesting to see the man’s take and the woman’s take on how things are.
You are right, Nick. I didn’t initially see the connection between these pieces of writing but both of them do focus on African American economic mobility. Some of the challenges to this mobility are also addressed in each of the writings. In Mary Elizabeth, this concept is expressed through the individual experiences of Mary Elizabeth and her husband, Roger. This story provides the reader with a more personal and situational approach to experiencing this attempt at economic mobility, whereas The Task of Negro Womanhood takes a broad look at four categories of African American women trying to move up the economic ladder.
I enjoyed reading the story about Mary Elizabeth because it was about an African American woman, which is much different than what we have been reading. I think it gives you a sense of the struggle that woman went through to become middle class and rise from slavery and oppression. I also thought the story that Mary Elizabeth told to Sally was striking but also surreal about what her parents had to endure during slavery.
I like how these writings give a different approach than what we have been reading so far. In Mary Elizabeth it seems that the ability of Mary to touch back on an aspect of her past really impacts and empowers the narrator. It seems that this struggle that has occured to Mary has really helped our narrator, where in the other stories we have read it seems that nothing but negativity was given off. It was nice to see a possitive occur out of such a terrible time in history.
These reading was interesting becuase they show the african american women different from other readings like cane. The women are looked at in a positve ways even though in new negro they have struggles but they are not struggle with men it is with the struggles of the work force. These radng were alot more easier to read and understand.
Nick, I think you are right. Toomer and McKay had a differnt outlook on women. They looked at them as prositues while these readings show women as more sacred and holy. It was as thought Toomer and McKay were giving into the whole stereo type of the black woman being sexually promiscous. I also like Fausettes writing because it was one step up in woman hood not only for the African American Women but for all women. As we know the civil rights movement went along with the women's rights movement.
That's a very interesting connection. I didn't think of that but you are absolutely right. They really both illustrate the point that they are still fighting off the degredation of slavery. Often people think that when slavery was abolished that was the end but there were so many mroe years of struggle and heartache left for them to endure. You could almost ask yourself if its over even now.
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