Wednesday, September 8, 2010
How It Feels To Be Colored Me.
I guess considering I am a mother of three I have lots of labels. I am a mother, dictator, nurse, therapist, the list could go on forever. It helps me a lot because the kids always have problems with each other or ouchies that need kissed and mended. I have to make sure to live my life the way I would want them to live. I don't want them to grow up insecure or scared of new things. Hurston's idea is not to be afraid of who you are or try to hide it. Be yourself! That is probably one of the best ideas. It is one I try to explain to my teenage daughters. It seems they are totally different girls every other day. That is why I have so many labels. No one could fit me just right at every moment of life.
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HI Cristina,
ReplyDeleteI like the labels that you have included for yourself. As a mother, you have many as do so many mothers. Think about Hurston's labels too. How does she view herself among her people, her community? Now against a stark white background (e.g. white community)? How do they differ?
Around her own community she feels like everyone else. She doesn't feel out of place or colored at all. Against a stark white background or white community is when her color really stands out and that is when she feels most colored. When you are around people like you, most of the time you don't feel different. But if you are in a room full of people not like you, then you sometimes start to feel uneasy and different.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true, Cristina. Thank you for your reply. Especially in Hurston's time, this is true. When we think about the 20s and 30s, we think about WWII, Civil Rights, Women's Rights and the South. There was segregation. Understanding the context of the timeframe helps us to understand how she felt at this time and place.
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