Joy Triplett
Dr. Michael Williams
African American History
April 6, 2010
Coming of Age in Mississippi Analysis
“Coming of Age in Mississippi” demonstrated the struggle of Anne Moody and other black and white people as years passed in Mississippi. I feel that the title, “Coming of Age in Mississippi” was chosen for the book because it portrayed the lives of individuals as they were forced to live under certain conditions in Mississippi. The title also shows how certain things were beginning to make sense to Moody as she grew older and became more aware of the racism and violence that occurred between the people of Mississippi.
Growing up Moody and her family endured hardships as a sharecropping family. They were constantly working for other people as maids and farmers, but they still remained poor. Often times, they were forced to eat bread and beans and worried where their next meal would come from. Even though Moody and her family were constantly working they couldn't seem to escape the conditions of poverty that consumed them and other blacks. Moody and her family really struggled after her dad left for another woman. After her dad left Moody and her family were constantly moving from place to place. I feel that because Moody grew up in such poor conditions, it made her more determined to change the way she and other blacks were treated by the whites. She wanted to change the conditions herself and others had to live under so badly, and the harsh treatment only angered her. In order to change the conditions Moody knew that she needed to go to college. From the time she started school she made good grades, became active in different organizations, and was determined to go to college even though the issue of money constantly plagued her mind.
Fear played a major role in the lives of Moody and others. While Moody was working as a maid for a white women, her mother was very fearful of what Moody said around them. Moody was always told to act ignorant to...