Compare and Contrast Essay Work Day 1

Potential Topics ~

• Coping with racism -- How do Norris and Rachel deal with racism?  How does this impact their identity?
• Past affecting identity -- How do the pasts of the two protagonists affect their present identity?  Do they try to let it go, or do they embrace it?
• Parental influences -- How do parents or guardians shape the identities of Rachel and Norris?  Do they play an important role in shaping the identities of both characters?
• Beauty's influence -- How does the desire to look beautiful -- based on what the characters believe the definition of beauty is -- shape their identity?  What do they do to realize this?
• Silence -- How does the concept of keeping some things quiet -- and opening up about other issues -- affect the identities of the two main characters?

I am going to investigate the topic of silence in The Grace of Silence and The Girl Who Fell from the Sky.

        Silence, specifically the way we utilize it, is a quietly significant part of our identities.  The way we deal with conflict involves the question of either being silent and stoic, and moving on, or speaking back and fighting.  Also, in general, what we choose to say and what we don't choose to say has significant impact on our identities.  This is evident in both texts we read this year, The Grace of Silence and The Girl Who Fell from the Sky.  In the former, a large part of the book is about discovering truths, somewhat traumatic truths about Michele Norris' parents' pasts, that were kept secret from her.  Her parents were silent about her father getting shot in the leg as a young returning war vet in Birmingham, Alabama, and the job of her mother which subtly perpetuated racism -- an itinerant Aunt Jemima.  Michele Norris realizes that this silence had notable impact on her identity -- seeing that her parents had not told her so because they didn't want to weigh her ambitions down in regards to her race.  But at the same time, Norris is determined to push the silence back, and speak truths to the people, and listen to their truths.  This too, frames her identity.  In the latter book, Rachel experiences a tragic incident as a child in which almost everyone in her immediate family dies.  It changes her life forever -- and she decides not to talk about it.  This, I think, keeps the calamity with her and hinders her from moving on, yet at the same time helps her remember her family.  It affects her identity.  Another appearance of the concept of silence that we see throughout the novel is in Rachel utilizing the "blue bottle" to cope with racism, in which she puts all negative statements about herself and her race.  She does not address them, and this is corrosive to her identity until she finally does.  Certainly, this is one way she differs from Norris -- Rachel is much more willing to defer the problem to her "blue bottle" and to embrace silence, than to directly address the issue like Norris.  The same goes for facing the reality of their pasts.  Yet both are very open about their race and ethnicity.

Potential Thesis Statement ~

        The ways in which Michele and Rachel choose to address the issue of silence has profound impact on their identity.  They are both proud of their race and ethnicity and are not afraid to tell people; however, they differ in their ways of coping with racism, and that Rachel embraces silence about her past and Michele opens up to the world about it.

Key moments from both books that warrant discussion in the essay ~

• The roof incident that altered the circumstances in Rachel's life forever (GFFS)
• Michele's mother's stint as a traveling Aunt Jemima and her reaction that shapes her identity (GS)
• Finding out about the shooting of Michele's father and how Norris reacts to stereotypical, "traditional" perspectives from some interviewees (GS)
• Reflection on how not telling about these secrets affected Norris' identity (GS)
• "Blue bottle" and incidents with Tamika Washington in which Rachel initially embraces silence (GFFS)
• The fight with Tamika and talking back (GFFS)
• Talking to Brick about the incident -- coping with it effectively, moving on, and changing her identity into that of a mature person (GFFS)
• Reflections about silence in regards to the incident on the roof (GFFS)