Going to Meet the Man

This story made me sick. I understand the writers purpose in showing us the way that people in that time where raised to feel and believe. I did not see it as Baldwin making an excuse it was more of here are the facts now what are we going to do with them. But the character in this story, Jesse, made me want to crack  HIS head open with a pistol. No human being should be treated the way he treats people. Including but not limited to the African American people under his "ruler ship."  I think that he pretty much did not treat anyone well, he was just a self righteous, self absorbed horrible person. From his reaction at that hanging as a child I believe that he would have turned out to be a horrible person weather or not he'd been raised by racist parents.

Sexy

When I read this all I could think was wow. At first I didn't quite understand why there was so much of the cousins story in it but it all came together nicely in the end. I still don't quite understand the emphasis on thier nationality. This was an interesting story that had me doing alot of thinking. Even though the story with the cousin is really sad and she had a D-bag for a husband. The little boys analysis  of what was going on in his parents marriage and what he felt that "sexy" really ment was eye opening for Miranda. She knew from the get go that what they were doing was wrong and from Laxmi's accounts of her cousins condition she probably should have taken stopped a long time ago. For the sake of having someone, and feeling loved she had decided to settle for much much less. I think it was after she realized what she was really allowing to happen not only to her but to Dev's wife. It made her make a difficult choice and that was to pretty much be alone.

Everyday Use

   When I read this story at first I was a bit angry. Dee was a selfish child who never really appreciated what her mother did for her or where she came from. She was that one child in every family who always seems to get their way. There was never speak of a father in this family so I assume that maybe he died when they were young. Yet her mother did all the work needed to take care of her girls and their farm. Yet Dee was nothing but ashamed of her mother and their meager simple lives. She even goes so far as to change her name. She tries to make it seem as though she changed it and became Muslim but it is evident that she hadn't at dinner. "We sat down to eat and right away he said he didn't eat collards and pork was unclean. Wangero, though, went on through the chitlins and corn bread, greens and everything else." Know several Muslims I know that there is nothing short of maybe starvation itself to persuade a Muslim to partake in pork that I am sure was not only the chitlins but also in the greens. ( And if anyone is confused the correct spelling of chitlins is chitterlings and it is pig intestine and is eating on special occasions my many southern people). So Dee left with a hatred of where she began and then came back with what she thought was an appreciation for heritage but yet still a disdain for her mother and sister. I feel that the adherence and "everyday use" that Dee's mother and Maggie had for where they came from was more then what Dee had which was just a want to show the material things off to people.