I think Ruth May develops a lot in this reading. She comes to Africa from the south of the U.S., which at the time is full of racism. The amount of racism that she has been exposed to is evident when she talks about "jimmy crow who makes the laws." Ruth May is confusing this with the Jim Crow laws, which were used in the south between 1876 and 1965. Some of these laws were segregation of schools, transportation, public places, restrooms and restaurants. Although Ruth May is a young child and she confuses the name of these laws, it is still clear that while living in Georgia she was aware of how whites and blacks were treated differently. Ruth May changes in this reading, because while she was exposed to racism in Georgia, she is able to put the racism that she grew up with behind her and be the first of the Price girls to really befriend the children living in Congo. I am not really sure how Ruth May views Africa. I am not sure if Ruth May is mature enough to put her observations together, but from her observations I would think that she feels like Africa is a less judgmental place than the United States. Ruth May not only notices that the black people here are not held back because of their skin color, but she also notices how they view people with physical disabilities. Back home, people would stare at Adah for her disability, but Ruth May notices that in Africa, no one looks twice at Adah.
Throughout Books One and Two, Ruth May develops profusely as a person. When the novel begins, she is portrayed to be extremely baby-like and immature, but as the novel progresses we begin to see multiple sides of her. She is the only one of the four Price children to get the Congolese children to play games with her. Ruth May is a very keen observer and she becomes braver throughout Books One and Two. She leaves their yard even though she is not supposed to and sneaks out. Ruth May decides to climb trees and spy on people. She becomes open-minded and more grownup. At one point, she decides she wants to see a boy naked. Ruth May views Africa as an adventure. She is not dying to leave as Rachel is, and always has her own agenda. She loves to play with the Congolese children and enjoys exploring and finding new things. The experience of being a missionary in Africa is one she is very lucky to have, and although she can not truly appreciate it because of her young age, she does utilize the experience to the best that she can. She understands some things; like that her father is trying to convert the Congolese people to Christianity, yet can not fully comprehend everything. She finds Africa to be boring at times, when she can not leave the house, and exciting during a time where drama is occurring between the adults.
4 comments:
I'll use Ruth May.
me too
I think Ruth May develops a lot in this reading. She comes to Africa from the south of the U.S., which at the time is full of racism. The amount of racism that she has been exposed to is evident when she talks about "jimmy crow who makes the laws." Ruth May is confusing this with the Jim Crow laws, which were used in the south between 1876 and 1965. Some of these laws were segregation of schools, transportation, public places, restrooms and restaurants. Although Ruth May is a young child and she confuses the name of these laws, it is still clear that while living in Georgia she was aware of how whites and blacks were treated differently. Ruth May changes in this reading, because while she was exposed to racism in Georgia, she is able to put the racism that she grew up with behind her and be the first of the Price girls to really befriend the children living in Congo. I am not really sure how Ruth May views Africa. I am not sure if Ruth May is mature enough to put her observations together, but from her observations I would think that she feels like Africa is a less judgmental place than the United States. Ruth May not only notices that the black people here are not held back because of their skin color, but she also notices how they view people with physical disabilities. Back home, people would stare at Adah for her disability, but Ruth May notices that in Africa, no one looks twice at Adah.
Throughout Books One and Two, Ruth May develops profusely as a person. When the novel begins, she is portrayed to be extremely baby-like and immature, but as the novel progresses we begin to see multiple sides of her. She is the only one of the four Price children to get the Congolese children to play games with her. Ruth May is a very keen observer and she becomes braver throughout Books One and Two. She leaves their yard even though she is not supposed to and sneaks out. Ruth May decides to climb trees and spy on people. She becomes open-minded and more grownup. At one point, she decides she wants to see a boy naked. Ruth May views Africa as an adventure. She is not dying to leave as Rachel is, and always has her own agenda. She loves to play with the Congolese children and enjoys exploring and finding new things. The experience of being a missionary in Africa is one she is very lucky to have, and although she can not truly appreciate it because of her young age, she does utilize the experience to the best that she can. She understands some things; like that her father is trying to convert the Congolese people to Christianity, yet can not fully comprehend everything. She finds Africa to be boring at times, when she can not leave the house, and exciting during a time where drama is occurring between the adults.
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