Essay on Discrimination in Langston Hughes "One Friday Morning"

Introduction

Racism, and all forms of discrimination are unfortunately almost inevitable. It is unlikely that you will ever find a society without discrimination. Langston Hughes, an African-American writer, demonstrates this in his short story, "One Friday Morning". Langston Hughes provides insight into topics such as the American Dream, equality, and The Declaration of Independence.

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This story deals with racism. The story is about a high school student in her final year. She is an artist who has a lot of talent. She applied for the scholarship at one of the nearby art schools. Her family is originally from the South of the United States. They moved to Washington, D.C. so that their daughter, the protagonist, could have better opportunities than the ones they had growing up. This story was set in the segregation era before Martin Luther King. The principal, a white woman of color, tells her ahead of time about her winning the scholarship so she can prepare her speech for the assembly. A few days later, she calls the office to find out that her piece of artwork is exceptional, but that they don't accept "colored" art. It's simple: you are black and therefore are not eligible for a scholarship. We are racist pricks. She has hope for her future thanks to the words of the principal after reading what she had read. Her actions were supportive of the actions of the scholarship board.

Discussion

Discrimination is everywhere. Everyone has experienced discrimination at some point in their lives. Langston Hughes, an African American writer, wrote "One Friday Morning" about a young girl who was discriminated against at school for being black. Many disappointments in life can make you stronger. Most people who discriminate have never been discriminated against.

Nancy Lee was humbled to learn that she had been awarded the scholarship. Her principal was proud to learn that Nancy Lee would be the first African American student to attend the art school. She was pleased to see that someone had finally overthrown the racial barrier that still existed at the school.

Nancy Lee, in One Friday Morning was an excellent example of someone who is fighting racism in today's world. It is certain that racism won't disappear completely. This means that every race will have the opportunity to take a stand and fight back. Nancy Lee was inspired by her encounter with racism to be stronger than she was to bring down.

Works Cited

Fuller, Harvey Fireside and Sarah Betsy. Brown v. Board of Education. Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publeshers Inc, 1994.

Hughes, Langston. “One Friday Morning.” In Introduction to Literature, by William Burto, William E. Cain Sylvan Barnet, 476-481. United States, 2006.

William A. McClenaghan. American Government. Upper Saddle River: Prenice Hall, 2005.