Her short story "Everyday use", written in 1973 draws on her own background, but also has a lot to say about the black female identity. ... After she was involved in a fire accident many years ago, she has been both mentally and physically reduced. ... That is the way my Maggie walks." ... I think this is one of the major points in this short story. ... "Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they"d be in rags. ...

• Word Count: 1135
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

I travelled down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where my roommate was from last year. ... " This was my first encounter with racism in the South and I often wonder what it would be like to live in a time period when racism was acceptable. ... Throughout most of O'Connor's writing there is a racism factor in each novel or short story. ... As I read on in O'Connor's short stories I came across a short story called "The Barber.... Times were changing and the black community had enough of being treated like a dog. ...

• Word Count: 2519
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

But the trooper set loose a drug-sniffing dog to comb the car's exterior, including the windshield, the hubcaps, and the taillights while Wilkins and his family stood in the rain. ... In recent years, victims report blacks as perpetrators of around 25 percent of violent crimes, although blacks constitute only about only about 12 percent of the nation's population. ... And, because demographics show that in the United States, whites tend to live longer than blacks, it would be perfectly rational for insurers to charge blacks higher life-insurance premiums. ... One was former Northwest...

• Word Count: 1414
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Later, on another occasion, Celie thinks she sees her daughter who was sold six years before. ... She admits, "For the first time in my life, I feel just right."" ... It seems that she has gotten on with her life, but wishes to return to say hi to those she loves. ... Three years later, however, Sofia does become the servant of the mayor and his wife. ... Celie learns that Nettie's letters have been taken by Mr. __ and kept from her all these years. ...

• Word Count: 4341
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School