In her essay, Marshall identifies with her mother and the African-American tradition that her mother expressed. ... Marshall equates her being a writer to the oral heritage of her mother and explains how they both transcend the everyday. Through identifying with her mother, Marshall finds that they have things in common because they both express their creativity in an art form: one in the oral tradition and the other in the written tradition: The role of art in this tradition unifies the seemingly disparate themes of motherhood and orality. Mother love physically ...

• Word Count: 3271
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

In the stories "Raymond's Run" and "Gorilla My Love," Toni Cade Bambara, writes about unusual heroines - both called Hazel. However the character in "Raymond's Run," is known as and is referred to as Squeaky, mainly because of her voice, and because of the way that she is presented. To the reader, it seems to fit her personality as well as her appearance. Both girls are, to a certain extent unusual because of the way they express themselves and the way that they behave. Trust and respect are also very significant issues raised in both of the stories. ...

• Word Count: 2209
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

The two novels embody many similar concerns and methods that characterize the black women's literary tradition. ... Billy claimed that he and his friends had met Hurston and the other adults, whom she had never met, every Saturday afternoon at 4:30 for almost two years in the basement of a West 124th Street building and were paid 50 cents to allow one of the adults to have oral sex with them while the others watched. ...

• Word Count: 1464
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School