Sonny lives in the North during the late 50s while the setting of Battle Royal takes place during the 30s in the South, both navigate their own paths to manhood trying to defy the expectations set before them. ... The Ralph Ellison short story titled Battle Royal, is a great exemplary of this everyday struggle. ... Unlike Battle Royal, the short story Sonny's Blues takes place in the 50's but in the heart of New York city, however it does. In this short work the unnamed narrator (older brother of Sonny) opens the story to us with his own shock to find that his flesh and blood was hea...

• Word Count: 611
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Song Of Solomon: And its Several Shades of Black Song of Solomon, the epic story of a young man's evolution through discovering his families roots, while at the same time finally discovering his own identity. ... When he discovers that the sack was not filled with gold, rather the bones of his great grandfather, he begins the adventure back to his father's place of birth to settle whether this sack of gold really does exist. ... In the end he is finally alleviated of all vices, finds a new found respect for the world, most importantly women, rids himself of his fathers expecta...

• Word Count: 784
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In the novel and the short story, Morrison is able to relate herself to the racial indiscrimination and labels that her and her friends were exposed to as young children. ... The story is set in Lorain, Ohio, the town where Morrison was born in and grew up in. ... Furthermore, Morrison's family struggled financially during the Great Depression, similarly to the MacTeer family in the novel. ... " (Morrison 39) In Toni Morrison's short story "Recitatif", Morrison sets up expectations and breaks them down by showing us how much we rely on limited and stereotypical informa...

• Word Count: 1083
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Maya has taken her struggles and transformed them into inspirational poems and stories that reflect her ability to overcome adversity and make it in a world where the white male supremacy reigned. ... (Bloom1 199) Although Maya's autobiographies did describe her great struggle from rags to riches, they were not as in depth and good at reflecting her motivation and determination to overcome them like her poetry does. ... "Times Square- tells the story of a shoeshine man who cleans shoes at such a remarkable rhythm that it in fact keeps his spirit alive. ... She was determined to e...

• Word Count: 1347
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Aaron Shakespeare used the idea of a person being black to great effect in two of his plays. ... He is a man who is commonly respected for his great courage, and skill on the field of battle. ... This is quickly displayed in the story when the Duke seeks Othello's council immediately after hearing news of an impending attack by the Turks. ... Therefor all that he may do is to try to exceed his masters expectations of him, and there by win more power over his own life. ...

• Word Count: 1913
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Aaron Shakespeare used the idea of a person being black to great effect in two of his plays. ... He is a man who is commonly respected for his great courage, and skill on the field of battle. ... This is quickly displayed in the story when the Duke seeks Othello's council immediately after hearing news of an impending attack by the Turks. ... Therefor all that he may do is to try to exceed his masters expectations of him, and there by win more power over his own life. ...

• Word Count: 1882
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Because of this large time gap, the question arises as to why Morrison specifically chose to resume the story in 1965 - why not 1964 or 1966, for example? ... So while Toni and Norman's shared family name is a coincidence, the title of the chapter which binds the two together is not. 1965 is specifically highlighted because it is set apart in time from the rest of the chapters, the distance between them too great not to be significant. ... She does this by refusing to conform to the expectations of others ("When you gone to get married? ... Just one year before the publication of Sula, au...

• Word Count: 2386
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

It is a testament to the greatness of Martin Luther King Jr. that nearly every major city in the U.S. has a street or school named after him. ... To begin with, King was a preacher who spoke in biblical cadences ideally suited to leading a stride toward freedom that found its inspiration in the Old Testament story of the Israelites and the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ. ... The Blacks walked cheerfully sometimes in the rain, and very often for great distances. ...

• Word Count: 3558
• Approx Pages: 14
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School