In the literature piece titled “To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation, Leonie C. R. Smith lays out the struggles that have shaped her throughout her life. Ms. Smith explains her many personal struggles starting with the loss of her mother at the age of five. It seems to be a pattern in Ms. Smith life that results in her making realizations about herself and the world around her. She undergoes many struggles that are typical in Black America mixed with much more personal issues that she had to cope with.
It was important that Leonie C. R. Smith explains the beginning of her life and the background of her family. She has always been quick to make the necessary changes in her life in order to cope with those negative situations around her that she could not control. The reader is able to understand that Leonie Smith is not, by any means, weak at heart or easy to give up on herself or her dreams. Negativity shown in the beginning of the piece presented by the deceiving woman who wanted her grandmother’s land, simply sparked the unresting determination in Ms. Smith and her family. She was driven to be the best and succeed; this lets the reader know that in order for Ms. Smith to even be swayed by any such racism later in her life, it must have been outrageous.
Ms. Smith shares all aspects of the racism that was presented to her in her journey of success. “The difference in learning styles and the context of my literacy education were never taken into account” (Dowdy, 189). This part of the piece allows the reader to understand a major flaw in Ms. Smith’s education (and most educational systems) and its rigid structure and lack of accommodation. In Ms. Smith’s life, if all else failed, as far as her issues with the students in school and self acclimation to her new school, she should have been able to display her educational talent in school. This was not true because her intelligence was stifled by testing that limited the students to not take advantage of their various learning styles.
Finally in the literary piece, Ms. Smith leaves the reader with hope for her success to complete her Ph.D. It is easy to see the change in the person that Ms. Smith became through her hardships during her educational process. As she pressed forward, she was presented not only with new challenges, but with those that she had not ever experienced or ever knew existed. This literary piece should be an inspiration to anyone who reads it and understands that life literacy comes through experience, trials, and tribulations.
It was important that Leonie C. R. Smith explains the beginning of her life and the background of her family. She has always been quick to make the necessary changes in her life in order to cope with those negative situations around her that she could not control. The reader is able to understand that Leonie Smith is not, by any means, weak at heart or easy to give up on herself or her dreams. Negativity shown in the beginning of the piece presented by the deceiving woman who wanted her grandmother’s land, simply sparked the unresting determination in Ms. Smith and her family. She was driven to be the best and succeed; this lets the reader know that in order for Ms. Smith to even be swayed by any such racism later in her life, it must have been outrageous.
Finally in the literary piece, Ms. Smith leaves the reader with hope for her success to complete her Ph.D. It is easy to see the change in the person that Ms. Smith became through her hardships during her educational process. As she pressed forward, she was presented not only with new challenges, but with those that she had not ever experienced or ever knew existed. This literary piece should be an inspiration to anyone who reads it and understands that life literacy comes through experience, trials, and tribulations.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION:
Dowdy, Joanne Kilgore. Readers of the Quilt. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2005. 189. Print.
[NOTE: Italicize "Readers of the Quilt"]
PARENTHETICAL CITATION:
(Dowdy 189)
No comments:
Post a Comment