Defining Moments in Song of Solomon, Push, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas :: comparison compare contrast essays

Defining Moments in Song of Solomon, Push, and Narrative of the feel of Frederick Douglas For those who bask in the light of privilege in the dominant culture, they treat for granted their right to swear themselves and to be acknowledged as some angiotensin-converting enzyme who matters. For those who live in the shadowy margins (such as the American poor and/or minorities), they experience the systematic denial of the basic human rights - to live at ones in force(p)est potential, in other words, an outright denial from living a ennoble life. Such a denial might cause one to feel voiceless and choiceless (Objective 1b). It has been the minoritys experience, ( diachronicly and in the present day) that the right to achieve ones full potential is kept just out of reach. Minorities must first fighting for survival. Then, if in that location is enough energy and hope remaining, they can strive to use vehicles of assimilation or resistance (Objective 4) in order to carve a place for themselves in the world. However, this does not mean that a full acknowledgment of the American dream is even possible. For every small victory, there carcass a bitter aftertaste. In other words, for every step gained, there is a personal or cultural sacrifice (Objective 4). Meanwhile, on the pilgrimage to freedom, the individual is plagued with ghosts of the past. These hauntings can appear in the form of individual/family oppressiveness (knowledge of emotional pain, physical violence) or in the form of a diachronic haunting (i.e. knowledge that your ancestor was a slave the traditional family unit of measurement broken)(Objective 3). These disturbances continue to surface and demand to be worked through, thus a haunting is other factor that holds one back from achieving their full potential. Whether oppression comes from a large, historical institution such as slavery, or from inter-family abuse, it is the process of suppression that I am exp loring in this essay. The process of oppression is where families or institutions withhold or prevent ones self-worth or self-identity to develop. I will explore the personal journeys of the by-line characters 1) Frederick Douglas from The Classic Slave Narratives, 2) Milkman from Song of Solomon, 3) Precious from Push, noting how they all share a common path through the darkness of oppression towards the ability to assert their self-identity.