Preview

Ideas And Groups In Ann Petry's The Street

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
342 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ideas And Groups In Ann Petry's The Street
The Street, by Ann Petry, is a novel which heavily questions value of institutions in 1940’s Harlem, with some characters such as Lutie Johnson believing these fundamental organizations within America to be like a stone mansion, while time and time again Petry shows other characters in higher positions of power who have not put stock in those same institutions, recognizing them to be the house of cards that they are. Three prominent institutions within the novel deserve deep examination—that of marriage, law enforcement, and the State (with regards to children’s services). It is apparent in the novel that Petry believes ideas and groups put in place to assist members of society often fail at their function (particularly if said member is a
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire
    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page

    Summary Of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire

    Furthermore, Tennessee Williams’ realistic drama ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ presents two groups within society in a confined setting. His play sets out a realist effect on the middle class versus working class environment. Williams does this by personifying the two classes by using the relationship between two sisters. Stella, is the oldest sister who represents a working class, she lives in a shabby flat with her alcoholic, abusive, Polish husband Stanley, and is pregnant with his child. Blanche on the other hand is a middle class, sophisticated and self sufficient woman who is shocked at the way the working class lives, particularly her sisters living conditions. It could be suggested a class system is the cause of fragmentation within society,…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Review of "Ordinary Resurrections" by Jonathan Kozol
    • 2149 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Review of "Ordinary Resurrections" by Jonathan Kozol

    The children in this book at times seem wise beyond their years. They are exposed to difficult issues that force them to grow up very quickly. Almost all of the struggles that the children face stem from the root problem of intense poverty. In Mott Haven, the typical family yearly income is about $10,000, "trying to sustain" is how the mothers generally express their situation. Kozol reports "All are very poor; statistics tell us that they are the poorest children in New York." (Kozol 4). The symptoms of the kind of poverty described are apparent in elevated crime rates, the absence of health care and the lack of funding for education.…

    • 2149 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Catharine Beecher Compare Contrast Essay
    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Catharine Beecher Compare Contrast Essay

    In the article Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Architects of female power, Valerie Gill compares the beliefs of both Charlotte Gilman and her great-aunt Catharine Beecher. One of, if not the most important, factor of this article that the reader sees repeatedly is the environment in which the american woman tenants should be the center of all their commerce. This process continued to establish the idea that what initiates in the woman's home will continue to emit throughout the lives of the woman and her family. Both Beecher and Gilman attempted to define the roles of american women beginning with their private life and continuing on into their public life. Although both Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Gilman had “disparate notions about what kind of lives american women should lead..” the foundation of the argument appears to be, regardless of one's interpretation, based on the same reality.…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mikey Kaus 'Street Hassle'
    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page

    Mikey Kaus 'Street Hassle'

    In “Street Hassle”, Mikey Kaus argues that Cynthia Grant Bowman, though her view of the subject is somewhat skewed, has brought to light a significant issue that is causing distress to countless members of the American public. Bowman became an object of ridicule for those who disagreed with her feminist outcry. Many people who oppose Bowman’s claim are the very same who hypocritically call for public order and propriety. Kaus offers three possible solutions, the first being re-education, which would likely lead to mockery rather than actual change. Giving victims of street harassment the right to sue is the second option, however he questions the practicality of this. Lastly, Kaus suggests making street harassment a misdemeanor, but concludes…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Alice Goffman's On The Run: Fugitive Life In An American City
    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alice Goffman's On The Run: Fugitive Life In An American City

    The author Alice Goffman does a remarkable job with the details and really goes above and beyond to understand the subjects at hand. Goffman’s motivation for her study on the fugitive life in Philadelphia caught my attention right from the start. On the Run serves as a kind on eye opener for the war on drugs in the United States. The war on drugs was aimed mostly at young African American men. This destroyed any trust between residents of an urban community and African American’s, especially young men. People that lived in an urban communities felt as if young African American men were just out on the street dealing drugs and causing trouble. This is all because of how the media has us portray young African American men.…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Gender Roles and "The Yellow Wall-Paper" Essay Example
    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Gender Roles and "The Yellow Wall-Paper" Essay Example

    Charlotte Perkins Gilman is noticeably sympathetic towards the oppressed housewife in “The Yellow Wall-Paper.” We are shown the psychological breakdown of a woman through a first-person narrator, which serves well to the purpose of the story because we see the demise of the narrator firsthand. Through carefully placed details and character interpretation, Gilman shows the true nature of oppressive relationships. Throughout the story, Gilman feeds the reader carefully selected details in order to comment on gender conflicts within the institution of marriage.…

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Thesis on Flannery O'Connor's Good Country People
    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Thesis on Flannery O'Connor's Good Country People

    In the short story "Good Country People," by Flannery O'Connor the world is made smaller in order to look with great scrutiny at the players of this game of life. There is very little going on of consequence in the action plot, but massive movement in the character arc. In order to achieve this O'Connor focuses in on the key personality traits of the characters. The narrator first introduces two families of social classes that are stratified by money, yet paralleled in some ways. Mrs. Hopewell, a widowed mother of an adult child, lives in a neatly circumscribed life of documented social correctness. Her daughter Hulga, whom has changed her name from Joy, lives with her mother in only a physical sense. She sees herself as above the country by virtue of a higher education. In this case, a PhD in Philosophy which frightens her mother and does nothing to alleviate her self imposed confinement in the rural setting. Mrs. and Mr. Freeman are introduced with their daughters Glynese, and Caramae. Of the four only Mrs. Freeman is seen in the story as a participant, the others used as a means to further the argument of sound common sense and hearth wisdom. Examples of these are the discussions of marriage in the church vs. the courthouse, chiropractic care for a sty, and the eating of prunes to alleviate cramping.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    General Sociology - Code of the Streets
    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    General Sociology - Code of the Streets

    In the article “The Code of the Street” by Elijah Anderson, he allows a glimpse of everyday life through the eyes of two completely different worlds wrapped up within one universe. He compares street families to what he refers to as “decent families”. Although the meaning can take on different perceptions to the eye of the beholder, the author described it as a code of civility at one end of conduct regulated by the threat of violence. Within these most economically drugged, crime-related, and depressing neighborhoods, the rules of civil action have been severely weakened, and their stead of survival known as this “code of the street” often holds many their key to survival.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lutie and Bub
    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Lutie and Bub

    In The Street, by Ann Petry, Lutie and her son Bub, as well as most of the characters, are clearly portrayed as victims. One is ultimately led to believe that their victimization and the barriers they face are because of race. Race is clearly the main obstacle for Lutie and Bub. It is what holds them back from leaving “the street”. Born into prejudice, they are basically prescribed a future. The three characters which best represent the victimization of African-Americans and women are Bub, Lutie, and Min. The main obstacle facing Lutie is obviously the color of her skin. This prevented her from being able to advance the way she wanted to. The fact that Lutie is a woman contributes to her struggle even further. Women have to deal with male dominance and being victimized by men, in addition to being a minority. Both Lutie and Min try to break free these constraints, but ultimately fail because the task lies deeper than within themselves. This story is a perfect example of the struggles African-Americans, and in particular, women, have to endure, and a perfect illustration of the vicious cycle that keeps them unable to achieve the lives that they wanted and worked so hard for. There was a force that was keeping African-Americans on the street, and according to Ann Petry's views, it was the system in which they were living. Lutie is faced with being a single parent. She must provide child care as well as earn money to keep her and her son alive. Her life is a double edged sword, because she needs to be at home and working at the same time: an impossible task. Because of these two factors and the invisible barriers they pose, it is impossible for Lutie to achieve the life she desires for herself and Bub. In the beginning of the story, Lutie was forced to take action and support her family because Jim could not find a job. She left her family and home and sent all her earnings to support them. In that time, it was hard enough for a woman to get a job, let alone an…

    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Code Of The Street Analysis
    • 104 Words
    • 1 Page

    Code Of The Street Analysis

    I feel that Anderson is correct about the code of the streets. These codes essentially exist because as stated in, the code of the Streets, many communities are in the ghetto and are struggling to survive. Thus crime derives and someone has to be in charge of the crime. Who ever gains control, establishes the codes of the street and the subordinates have no choice but to follow, whether decent or street oriented. With many street communities facing different problems, and geographical locations, I don’t feel that every street has the same codes; some may be more unyielding, while others may be more laissez-faire.…

    • 104 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Article Review Gill, Valerie. "Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Architects of Female Power." Journal of American Culture (Summer 1998).
    • 732 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Article Review Gill, Valerie. "Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Architects of Female Power." Journal of American Culture (Summer 1998).

    In the article “Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Architects of Female Power” by author Valerie Gill, Ms. Gill attempts to bridge the gap between what appears to be two powerful women of their time with two totally different opinions of the American woman and the type of life they should lead. The author points out the obvious differences of opinions in the writings of the two women, who are related by the way, and the different era in which they write. Catharine Beecher was the great aunt of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and lived and wrote during a time when a woman working in any other place besides the home was not something that happened often. A woman’s job during this time was to raise children and make the home a warm, inviting space that had functionality that would allow for “separate spheres” for the men and women, allowing the men to have a place to discuss outside ventures and women to have a place to deal with domestic matters. Charlotte Perkins Gilman on the other hand, lived during a period where productivity was happening in factories all over the country. Her feminist attempt to undo her great aunt’s idea that women should be assigned to only the home made it appear that the two women had absolutely nothing in common when it came to the ideas on how women should be viewed socially.…

    • 732 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Mittell's The Wire
    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Mittell's The Wire

    “to produce an ‘authentic’ account of not only Baltimore but wider social issues facing America in particular, but has resonance far beyond its geographical locality” (Penfold-Mounce et al. 154). The social issues included in The Wire can transfer to any American city, as well as the different institutional struggles. Simon uses his series to comment on America and ask the question, “are our society’s largest institutions even capable of reform?”…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Class in Caucasia
    • 1629 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Class in Caucasia

    Sandy Lee, from Danzy Senna’s novel, Caucasia is born and raised into a very wealthy and well- known family. Sandy comes from the wealthy town of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Therefore, her father was a respected professor at Harvard University. Sandy received her high school diploma from Buckingham School, and gets accepted to Brandeis, which she later turned down. Sandy didn’t fit in around her community and was a rebel. She also tries to escape her upper-class lifestyle by marrying Deck, an African American who is a part of the lower class. In my essay I will argue that throughout her life, Sandy’s upper-class upbringing still impacts her personality and actions, despite her drop in economic status. I will use Paul Fussell’s essay, “A Touchy Subject” and James Lowen’s “The Land of Opportunity” to help support the central idea that although Sandy adjusted her economic status she couldn’t rid of her social status, even if she tried.…

    • 1629 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alice Walker's Meridian Analysis
    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alice Walker's Meridian Analysis

    Alice Walker’s historical novel, Meridian, illustrates how the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement directly contributed to the black women finding their voices and using them to shed light on the various issues that plagued women. One of those issues is that black females in the south still obey gender roles set up by a male-dominated society; however there were some who found liberation by defying to live up to those norms. The focal character, Meridian Hill, becomes an empowered black woman only after she decides to leave behind domesticity; by employing literary devices such as point of view, symbolism, and juxtaposition, Walker depicts Meridian’s transition from housewife to outspoken black woman. Such a transition manages…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    How far do you agree that the characters in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘A Doll’s House’ are affected by their social circumstances?
    • 1979 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How far do you agree that the characters in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘A Doll’s House’ are affected by their social circumstances?

    In 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'A Doll’s House' we are presented with characters that are trapped by their social circumstances. For instance Blanche DuBois is deeply affected by her social circumstances, as she believes that she needs to suit the expectations set for women of that time. Similarly, Nora's freedom is limited by her high social standing, as Torvald Helmer places restrictions on her freedom to protect his own social image. However, it is not only the characters’ social circumstances that are shown to affect them; the writers also show how their own decisions, both past and present, lead to their entrapment.…

    • 1979 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More