What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith...

What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith Compared to Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer. Carolynn Hanson ENG125: Introduction to Literature (ABG1239A) Instructor: Corey King October 15, 2012 When comparing and contrasting the poem What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith with the short story Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer. The poem and the short story are both great examples of the difficulty of life between different ethnic backgrounds. The Poem What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith is more recent than the short story Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer they are written during different time frames and their stories are unique within their time frame. Both the poem and the short†¦show more content†¦The feeling of not belonging, the feeling of being different, and unique is best stated by Patricia Smith What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl, â€Å"first of all, it’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished, like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong† (pg 267 Clugston). When comparing and contrasting the poem Patricia Smith What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl to the short story Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer you see that the these two young black women want to be accepted in the world around them. The girl in the poem is trying to change her image by once again quoting â€Å"like theres something, everything, wrong, its dropping food coloring in your eyes to make them blue and suffering their burn in silence. Its popping a bleached white mophead over the kinks of your hair† (pg 267 Clugston). Where as the short story states that nobelprize.org states that Nadine Gordimer â€Å"Born in Springs, South Africa, 20/11/1923. Daughter of Isidore and Nan Gordimer. Has lived all her life, and continues to live, in South Africa. Principal works: 10 novels, including A Guest of Honour, The Conservationist, Burgers Daughter, Julys People, A Sport of Nature, My Sons Story and her most recent, None to Accompany Me. 10 short story collections, the most recent Jump, published 1991, and Why Havent You Written: Selected Stories 1950-1972, published 1992.Show MoreRelatedComparison of What Its Like to Be a Black Girl and Country Lovers1895 Words   |  8 Pagesof â€Å"What it’s like to be a black girl† and Country Lovers African American Literature dates back to the 18th century. These writings tend to focus on issues of racism, inner struggles, slavery, prejudice, and the pursuit of freedom as well as equality. Two renowned contributors to this field of literature are Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith. Throughout this paper, details of the short story Country Lovers, by Nadine Gordimer and the poem, â€Å"What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl,† by Patricia SmithRead MoreCultural Comparison2188 Words   |  9 Pagesethnicity,the customs of their countries and how they attempted to handle their life situations. Child f the Americas by Aurora Morales, gives us a view of a woman who is happy with herself and adjusts well to her life. The second is What It’s Like to be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith, a story of transition from childhood to adulthood for a young black girl having problems with both growing up and her place as a black woman in society. The third Country Lovers by Na dine Gordimer is the story of growingRead MoreSummary of Patricia Smiths What Its Like to Be a Black Girl2370 Words   |  9 PagesWhat it is like to be a black girl and country lovers What its like to be a black girl and country lovers Patricia Smiths What its like to be a black girl is a breathtaking poem to read as it gives the real picture of what a black American girl who is faced by racial prejudice, inner struggles and slavery. This poem will be compared and contrasted with Nadine Gordimers country lover which is also a heart-rending story about a young black skinned girl-Thebedi finding herself in love with a