Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi - Essay Example Anne’s life was devoid of the full-time love of her parents as they left for plantation work, early in the morning and returned late in the evening. They remained anxious about the safety and welfare of their children. In the absence of parental care and love, the children lived on day to day basis, worrying what calamity awaited them each day, as their caretaker was a rude individual. He often inflicted physical injuries on Anne particularly. Her father did love Anne but distress due to hard economic circumstances made him lose the temper and he punished her without rhyme or reason. She did not receive love to which a child was entitled to and craved for. The rounds of punishment by the caretaker bordered cruelty, and he indulged in it just for the heck of it. About the consequences of one such punishment Anne wrote, (2004, p.10) â€Å"I tried to sit down once. It was impossible. It was hurting so bad even standing was painful. An hour or so later, it was so knotty and swoll en I looked as if I had been stung by a hive of bees.† Race relations: Anne’s writings graphically revealed the history of African-Americans of the 1950s and 60s and details about the harsh realities of the black children growing up. Going by the provisions of the Constitution, all the citizens were equal. But the whites were unwilling to change. The habitation of the plantation laborers was of sub-human standard, whereas the plantation owner lived in a palatial building. The Christian principles of love thy neighbor did not work. The differences in the living standards of the plantation owners and plantation laborers were described by Anne poignantly. She wrote, â€Å"Most evenings, after Negroes had come from the fields, washed and eaten, they would sit on their porches, to look up toward Mr. Carter’s house and talk. Sometimes as we sat on our porch, Mama told me stories about what was going on in that big house.†(p.5) Next to parental love at home, the place where one could expect the growth of personality of children and get some affection was the school environment. The teachers played a decisive role in influencing the mindset of children. Anne and black children like her, did not carry the luck in that area also. Their teacher was harsh, inclined to give severe punishments that the children preferred to spend the time hiding in the toilets. The teaching style also made the students disinterested in the lessons. Anne described one such incident of her teacher rebuking her, and his tone was like the villain in stunt movies. She wrote about him, â€Å"One day he (teacher) caught me. ‘Moody, gal! If you don’t stop lookin’ out that window, I’ll make you go out in that graveyard and sit on the biggest tombstone out there all the day.’ Nobody laughed because they were all as scared of him as I was.†(p.15)The whites took the earliest opportunity to punish the Negroes. About one such grave incid ent Moody wrote, â€Å"Next thing we heard in the Negro community was that they had caught and nearly beaten to death a boy who, they said, had made the call to the white operator. All the Negroes went around saying, â€Å"Yall know that boy didn’t do that†¦.† ((p.139) Economic and educational options: Her childhood experiences shaped the bent of her mind like that of a trade-unionist. Fighting for her rights and that