Compare and Contrast
1
Compare and Contrast
Morris Owens Jr.
Ashford University
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor Miranda Saake
June 24, 2013
2 When comparing and contrasting the poem “What It's Like to Be a Black Girl” by Patricia Smith with the short story “Country Lovers” By Nadine Gordimer. The character in “What It's Like to Be a Black Girl” is based more upon recent time while “Country Lovers” is based in a older time frame. However, both stories are uniquely about wanting to be loved. The poem and the short story are both great examples of the difficulty of life between two different ethnic backgrounds. While one concentrates more on tragedy the other is faced more with acceptance that leads to tragedy. Love although can't be explained, has many explanations to how one can love. Whether your love goes as deep as loving through tragic times or looking for someone to love you at all times. Both of these stories focus on issues of racism, inner struggles, slavery, prejudice, and the pursuit of freedom as well as equality. At the end, everyone wants and needs to be accepted and will do whatever it takes. The poem “What It's Like to Be a Black Girl” details the struggles of what African American women go through just to be noticed. The poem breaks down how it is okay to be “Black” yet look “White” because that's the look men want. In the poem the character addresses the issues about how African American women would spend countless hours in changing their appearance just to be accepted and loved by thee. “First of all, it's being 9 years old and feeling like you're not finished, like your edges are wild, like there's something, everything, wrong,” (Clugston. 2010). She goes in further detail describing how she hides her natural look because she accepted that her natural look isn't what society has pinned as natural or beautiful. So she adds blonde hair to her head and changes her eye color to look more like a “Marilyn
Compare and Contrast
Morris Owens Jr.
Ashford University
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor Miranda Saake
June 24, 2013
2 When comparing and contrasting the poem “What It's Like to Be a Black Girl” by Patricia Smith with the short story “Country Lovers” By Nadine Gordimer. The character in “What It's Like to Be a Black Girl” is based more upon recent time while “Country Lovers” is based in a older time frame. However, both stories are uniquely about wanting to be loved. The poem and the short story are both great examples of the difficulty of life between two different ethnic backgrounds. While one concentrates more on tragedy the other is faced more with acceptance that leads to tragedy. Love although can't be explained, has many explanations to how one can love. Whether your love goes as deep as loving through tragic times or looking for someone to love you at all times. Both of these stories focus on issues of racism, inner struggles, slavery, prejudice, and the pursuit of freedom as well as equality. At the end, everyone wants and needs to be accepted and will do whatever it takes. The poem “What It's Like to Be a Black Girl” details the struggles of what African American women go through just to be noticed. The poem breaks down how it is okay to be “Black” yet look “White” because that's the look men want. In the poem the character addresses the issues about how African American women would spend countless hours in changing their appearance just to be accepted and loved by thee. “First of all, it's being 9 years old and feeling like you're not finished, like your edges are wild, like there's something, everything, wrong,” (Clugston. 2010). She goes in further detail describing how she hides her natural look because she accepted that her natural look isn't what society has pinned as natural or beautiful. So she adds blonde hair to her head and changes her eye color to look more like a “Marilyn