Literary Analysis Essay on Coming to Age in Mississippi

Anne moody is the author of "Coming to Age in Mississippi", an autobiography that describes the experiences of a black woman growing up in the rural area around the 20th century. The text describes the life of moody from childhood to adulthood, comprising her role in the Civic Rights Movement that begun when she was in college. Anne was born in a poor dysfunctional family as her parents were sharecroppers on a plantation in Mississippi. Anne experienced extreme difficulties living in the pre-civil rights period in the south. She had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil but now there was . . . the fear of being killed just because I was black" (49). The book depicts education as an instrumental in equipping both Moody with the political and psychological power that surpasses issues of poverty, racism, and sexuality because she became a strong activist of equity and equality in Mississippi.

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Racial discrimination was one of the major issues affecting the African-Americans, and Moody started understanding its impact on teenagehood. The part "High School" evaluates her political awakening after she realized how the Blacks were killed and treated under Jim's crows. The death of Emmett Till occurred when she was in her first year. Emmitt was aged fourteen when he visited Mississippi from Chicago. He was tortured to death after offending a white woman, marking a turning point in Anne's life. Moody, devastated at the death of young innocent boy questions her mother on who killed him and why. Her mother is worried about the topic and answers that "an Evil Spirit killed him;" and that "it would take eight years to learn what that spirit was" (127). Moody had also "heard of Negroes found floating in a river or dead somewhere with their bodies riddled with bullets" (127). These events make her realize the level at which the whites may reach protecting their culture and pride (white supremacy). She notices how African-American were powerless, and the whites had no respect for them because they considered them savages. She then requests her mother to tell her the meaning of the NAACP after healing it from Mrs. Burke, her white employer. Her mother told her the word means National Association for the Advancement of Colored People but warned her against mentioning it again, specifically to a white person (129).

Mrs. Rice, Moody's teacher was the only adult willing to provide her with the issues she was inquiring. Mrs. Rice plays a significant role in Moody's activism career because she not only explained about NAACP and Emmitt murder, but she offered vast information on the dominance of racism in Mississippi. Moody won a scholarship and joined Tougaloo College, where she continued to search for information about NAACP. At 15 years, she hated all the whites and declares that "before the sit-in, I had always hated the whites in Mississippi. Now I knew I couldn't have a sickness. The whites had a disease; an incurable disease in it is the final stage" (267). She traveled to Balton Rouge during summer and worked for a white family that declined to pay her after a collogue betrayal that resulted in her job termination. She experienced challenges working for Mrs. Burke, but her need for money forced her to persevere until Jr, her younger brother wrongly accused. She went back to New Orleans and served as a waitress to save money for college. After her graduation in 1959, she decides to settle in New Orleans. These experiences of Moody during her teenage years demonstrate that the black-faced immense discrimination and racism in the workplace. They were forced to live in poverty due to low wages or lack of employment. Moreover, the whites undermined their ability to perform in white color jobs.

In college, Moody's passion for political activism increases. She receives a netball scholarship from Natchez Junior College, where she begins to fights for the rights of the students, for instance, she plans for a boycott when a leaner finds a maggot in food (265). It was the first incidence that Moody mobilized a group of people to start a designed revolution against the performance of a reputable institution. To proof her effective leadership, Moody offered financial assistance to help feed the students before the matter was resolved. Her academic excellence earned her a scholarship at the Tougaloo College, where she met with an encouraging secretary of the NAACP. Although the association faced violence and animosity, Moody decided to attend the subsequent meeting. Some members were imprisoned following a protest, but their return was supported by Medgar Evers to "get some of Tougaloo's spirit and try and spread it around all over Jackson" (271). Moody's academic performance reduced when he joined NAACP, but her commitment to see an equal society was greater than anything. She takes drastic measures to break the Jim Crow rules, for instance, she moved into the "Whites Only" section while on a shipping trip. The whites in the waiting areas were shocked and could not believe their eyes. After a few minutes, a threatening white crowd gathers around the Moody and Rose and threatens to beat them.

The "movement" section describes the struggles for civil rights, and Moody among other activists tries to break the Jim Crow rules. For instance, accompanied by two white activists, Moody seats in Jackson's lunch counter. Although the waitress refused to serve them, they continue to wait until they were physically assaulted by violent students. Although they were kicked and beaten, Moody was "dragged about thirty feet toward the door by her hair" (266). This was not enough punishment as the students smeared them with mustard, pies, ketchup, sugar, and any other item they found on the counter (266). The beating continues until Dr. Beittel the president of the college came to their rescue. Beittel helps Moody walk out of the Woolworth, and she saw almost ninety white officers watching the incident from the window. They had been there for some hours but never saw the need to save them because they were violating the non-equity rules of supremacy (267). Moody realizes that the whites had no mercy on the blacks, and she considered it a disease without a cure. They could kill another human to protect the segregated Southern culture (267).

Education serves as a powerful weapon to drive away poverty in society. Moody's childhood was dominated by poverty. Raymond or Mama could not find work because of racial bias in Mississippi, making the household a stressful place. Her family rented a small piece of the plantation where they could farm for household use. The food they harvested from the plantation was not enough, and they went for days without food. Likewise, Moody seeks simple jobs to provide for the family, compromising her educational and career objectives. In college, she was forced to find simple jobs to maintain her basic needs. Moreover, Moody recognizes that most black children drop school to find sources of income. Poverty denies children an opportunity to attend school and become successful in the future. Moody discovered that it also limits human cognition, and most end up in anti-social behavior such as robbery or prostitution. Education helps earn to discover and accept her identity. She becomes proud of her skin color and wants to prove the world that she has equal abilities to those of whites. Unlike her mother who is afraid of a revolution, Moody is willing to risk her life for better living conditions.

In conclusion, the book "Coming to Age in Mississippi" describes the various experiences a young black child endure in a society dominated by racism. Moody's coming-of-age stories show her determination to obtain freedom and civil rights for the African-Americans. Although she faces hunger, family dysfunctional, and physical abuse, she continues with her fight against racial bias. Education from childhood to adulthood equips her mentally and helps her develop a sense of belonging. Moody transcends an underprivileged childhood through education and willpower. She became confident and challenges other blacks for their willingness to remain under the meaningless rules of the whites.

Work Cited

Moody, Anne (1968). Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Bantam Dell. 1-300