Essay on American Government Part 1
Chapter 1 Sun to Sun
The first chapter of the book depicts the first encounter of the author with his father. The chapter provides the background information about the author, his origin and family life. The chapter shows that the main character has started the life being even not acquainted with his father, whom he has encountered for the first time, when he was nine, and had scarce encounters later. He originated from West Africa.
Chapter 2 As Good as Us
The second chapter focuses on the education of the author and his strife for learning. The author depicts his educational aspirations and attempted to show his progress in the course of his education. At the same time, the author uncovers that he was very concerned with his education but his aspirations have proved to be extremely challenging. For example, his desire to study at the white school was a challenge not only for his family or community but also for existing social and cultural norms which maintained segregation and did not allow a black student study at a white school.
Chapter 3 The Corridor
Chapter 3 reveals the turning point in the life of the author, when his father had thrown him off his own home, and he had to start the independent life on his own being a child. The author had to turn to the Holy Cross school as the only opportunity for him to survive and obtain his education. At the same time, the chapter reveals the full extent to which education was important for the author, who had found shelter in the Holy Cross school, being sent off his home.
Chapter 4 No Room at the Top
The chapter focuses on the development of the personal life of the author. The author encounters his first love, Kathy, a girl, whom he fell in love with for the first time in his life. At the same time, the chapter uncovers the persisting racism and injustice, which virtually seals the way for black students and people to top positions in society. Instead, they were doomed to hold the inferior position, in spite of the overall progress and individual skills and abilities of individuals. In other words, the chapter shows how the author has grown aware of the fact that the race of people played more important part in their social standing compared to their skills, abilities, intelligence and other individual features.
Chapter 5 The Golden Handcuffs
The chapter depicts the further education of the author and his settlement in the new family environment, which he considered to be inspiring since family members liked reading and were very sociable and often conducted debates on important social issues. On the other hand, they did not share the author’s idea of the support of students from low-income families. The title of the chapter is quite symbolic, since on the one hand, the author has improved his life and environment, but, on the other hand, he could not afford living with people, who did not share and condemned his ideas and beliefs.
Quotes
“The children from middle- and upper-class families would find it far easier to bridge the cultural gap and thus help to break down racial barriers” (Thomas, 92). This quote refers to the situation, when the author presented his idea that students from low-income families should be primary beneficiaries of preferential admission policies. However, Mrs. Wilson confronted his idea with the aforementioned message that reveals the deep-rooted belief that determined and maintained the racial inequality, which was based on the economic inequality. Low-income students, who represented the black community mainly, were not even considered to be able to tackle their problems and close gaps between them and upper-classes. Instead, the public personified by Mrs. Wilson believed it was the middle- and upper-class that should take the lead, while the lower-class remained inferior. Remarkably, such a reaction of Mrs. Wilson on the author’s idea about the wider access for lower-class students to education discouraged him from participating in debates within the family. In such a way, the author shows how representatives of the lower-class were simply deprived of an opportunity to share their ideas freely because they were immediately suppressed and condemned by representatives of upper-classes.
“Much of my family tree is lost to me, its secrets having gone to the grave with my grandparents” (Thomas, 2). The quote uncovers the background of the author, who does not know the history of his family but, in broader terms, this quote uncovers the tragedy of African Americans, who did not know their ancestry and family history. They were people, who have lost their family trees just like the author of the book. However, the lack of any links to their past and ancestors deprive people of the lion share of their cultural heritage, breaks up close social ties which exist in cultures, where traditions are transferred from one generation to another.
Essay on American Government Part 2
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