Julia's Justifications

#TeachLivingPoets In the poem A Tempest in a Teacup , A. Van Jordan characterizes Prospero as a old, heterosexual white man who fears the changing times of America. Even though the cultural shift that is occurring could benefit both parties, he is blind. From lines 1-6, Prospero explains how he did not get his dream job because it was given to a Black man. He is upset on how times are changing, as Black people are now able to get the same opportunities are whites. From lines 7-11, Jordan demonstrates how Prospero is able to financially support his family and send his son to school. He is not racially profiled from strangers on the street, and does not have to worry about whether his son comes home or not. From lines 12-16, Jordan demonstrates how he has hopes and expectations for his country, as it has always been there to allow him to succeed. Prospero is the model citizen for the country, with all worries free. From lines 17-20, Jordan demonstrates how Prospero does not have to worry...

  One time where I put the pieces back together was my sophomore year. I was really struggling in Geometry, and it did not matter how much help I got from my teacher, I just could not understand the concepts. I also did not understand how basically everyone else was getting it except for me . I remember the absolute dread of getting our tests back and not seeing the result I wanted, no matter how hard I studied. Since I had Geometry the first hour of the day, the dread followed me throughout my sleep. How was I supposed to prove that a triangle is a triangle, when the evidence is literally right there? It has three sides, does it not? (don’t come for me please) I have struggled with math ever since I could remember, so this was nothing new. I had spent so many sleepless nights worrying about math the next day, that I barely had any energy to do the work. I had to pretend I knew what the teacher was talking about, even though he explained it more than once. I will always be jealous ...

While trying to find a word that I found beautiful, I thought about when I would go with my dad to the grocery store, and we would pass by the salad dressing. When my dad would buy vinaigrette, specifically raspberry, and put it on a freshly tossed salad, I found it interesting how acidic it tasted, considering the name. It was not what I expected at all! I also always thought it was amusing that something as simple as dressing would have such an extravagant name. I chose this word because of how beautiful it sounds—like a name for an Italian ballet or a painter that creates pieces magnificent enough for a museum. I also like how seamlessly vinaigrette rolls off your tongue, and how it lingers on the latter half of the word. The word vinaigrette also does not exactly sound as it is spelled. You do not really enunciate the “ai” in the word, which I found interesting. I always knew how to pronounce it, but when I stopped to truly think, I realized how I pronounced it as “vinagrette”, and...

  While getting through whatever life throws at her, Janie has it especially hard not only because of her race, but her gender as well. Janie is now in her second marriage, however, it does not go as planned, because she is verbally abused and seen as an object. On page 71, Janie’s husband, Jody says, “Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. They sho don’t think none for themselves.” Janie tries to stick up for herself by saying, “Ah knows uh few things, and womenfolks thinks sometimes too!” Jody, however, believes that women are at the same level as that of dirty animals, and they “see ten things and don’t understand one” (Hurston 71). Janie has tried to fight back for herself, but it never seems to do her any good, because she will just end up getting abused more in the end. During the 1930s, this gender dynamic was very common, where men believed they had some type of superiority over women. While men went off to work every morning, women were expect...