PREFACE:

The present essay, is aimed to analyze some major works of the authors in American
literature. First of all, I chose carefully two out of the six assigned authors and I concentrated on the
one I decided to emphasize. In addition, I searched for two extra authors of my own choice, in
order to compare the passages. I decided to use both sources from the website, as well as my lecture
notes, in order to use as more information as possible.
Each part of the essay begins with general information, summary of the work and
commentary or comparison and contrast correspondingly. The sections presented discuss the main
ideas of the essays. Therefore, in section 1 the following links have been used: general introduction
to Zora Neale Hurston, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston#Further_reading
In section 2, the following have been used: summary and analysis of What It Feels Like to
Be Colored Me, http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-it-feels-to-be-colored-me
http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/who-intended-audience-456771
http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/metaphor-final-paragraph-serves-suggest-that-459915
http://voices.yahoo.com/on-zora-neale-hurstons-essay-feels-colored-775557.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/on-zora-neale-hurstons-essay-feels-colored-775557.html?cat=37
http://noorsenglishblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/normal-0-false-false-false.html
In section 3, the following have been used: summary and analysis Of Mules and Men,
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-mules-and-men/topicsfordiscussion.html
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/67224/10.1177_0308275X9301300404.pdf
?sequence=2 http://www.enotes.com/topics/mules-and-men/characters
In the section 4, the following has been used: summary and analysis of the Their Eyes Were
Watching God, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/eyes/quotes.html
In the section 5, the following has been used: general information of The Bonfire of
Vanities, http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-bonfire-of-the-vanities/
http://www.novelguide.com/bonfire-of-the-vanities/theme-analysis http://www.shmoop.com/eyeswere-watching-god/quotes.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bonfire_of_the_Vanities
In the section 6, the following passages has been used: summary and analysis of SelfReliance, http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/e/emersons-essays/summary-and-analysis-ofselfreliance/paragraphs-3350 http://www.enotes.com/topics/self-reliance
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-selfreliance/style.html
In the section 7, summary and analysis of Invisible Man, http://www.shmoop.com/invisible1

man-ellison/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Manhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/invisibleman/
In the section 8, a brief summary of the poets included in the summary, using the Wikipedia.

SECTION 1

ZORA NEALE HURSTON

Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the major writers of twentieth-century AfricanAmerican literature. She was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author. Hurston was
closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced many writers of the period.
Born in 1891, in Notasulga, in Alabama, her family moved to Eatonville , Florida in 1887,
when she was three. During this period Florida was one of the first black-towns in the United
States. Actually, her father later was elected as a mayor of town and became preacher of its largest
church. Eatonville felt like home to her, and she even said that it was her birthplace. In addition,
she referred to Eatonville in her stories as a place where African Americans could both live as they
desired and independent of white society. It was not until 1901 that some northern schoolteachers
visited Eatonville and gave Huston a number of books, which made her keen to writing. According
to her, it was a kind of birth! While spending the rest of her childhood in Eatonville, Hurston
describes her experiences in her 1928 essay, called "How It Feels to Be Colored Me".
In 1918, she entered the Howard University and took courses in Spanish, English, Greek and
public speaking. Later she won a scholarship to Barnard college, where she studied anthropology
and received her B.A. in the field in 1928, when she was 37. In 1927, she married Herbert Sheen,
her classmate at Howard, but their marriage ended after a while. After she married Albert Price, a
man 25 years younger than her. However neither this marriage lasted for long.
Hurston wrote four novels and more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays.
However, her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, written in 1937, was the one that made her
popular. In addition, some of her works were published posthumously like her manuscript Every
Tongue Got to Confess, a collection of folktales gathered in the 1920s.
To sum up, Hurston is one of Black American writers who have helped realize the dream of
racial equality in America. Unfortunately, she died in 1960, due to hypertensive heart disease. It is

also interesting to mention that Alice Walker had inscribed on the tombstone of Hurston the words :
"A genius of the South, novelist, folklorist, anthropologist".

SECTION 2
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE COLORED ME

What it feels like to be colored me, is an autobiographical short story written by Zora Neale
Hurston in 1928 and originally published in The World Tomorrow. In other words it is a widely
anthologized descriptive essay in which Hurston tries to analyze her identity and self-pride.
Therefore the main topic of the essay is the cultural identity.
The story is about Hurstons young life, when she was 13 years old and moved from the
small black-town of Eatonville, Florida to the more white influenced town of Jacksonville, Florida.
Actually, at the age of 13 her mother passed away and she had to attend a boarding school in
Jacksonville. It was only then that Hurston realized she was different than anyone else. Thus,
throughout the essay, Hurston is talking about the ways in which she does and does not feel her
color with an optimistic attitude towards herself in difference with so many other African
Americans of her period, At certain times I have no race, I am me, I have no separate feeling
about being an American citizen and colored.
As it is evident, the main focus of the essay is the relationship and differences between
blacks and whites. Throughout the novel, as we may see from the passage there are powerful
descriptions, colorful diction , imagery, bags, white, red and yellow ,metaphor, But in the main,
I feel like a brown bag of anecdotes and figurative language, which keep the readers attention.
Furthermore, the essay consists of 17 paragraphs and is written in first person, according to the
poets point of view and is in present tense, I am me.
The passage is from the last parts of the essay, paragraphs 13-17. The first sentence of the
passage, "At times," I have no race, I am me", reveals the authors attitude towards herself. She tries
to emphasize her uniqueness and pride for individuality. She doesnt want to belong to a race or
color, which means she wants to be herself. Hurston generally appears as a strong woman with a
5

strong personality and a frivolous and sarcastic way of expressing herself, as it may be seen from
the absence of conjunctions, which make the sentence bold and fluid. In addition, the phrase I am
me, represents the authors position in society and expresses that she is not afraid to be different.
Also, it refers to the title, What it feels to be colored me, as both share the same meanings.
The following sentences of the passages, I have no separate feeling about being an
American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the
boundaries. My country, right or wrong, describe her feelings of being both an American citizen
and a colored person. She states that she has no separate feelings for either and express her loyalty
to her country, My Country, whether right or wrong. In fact the line is rather nationalistic.
At the end of the essay, the author is addressing both black and white people. Hurston
introduces a powerful metaphor, in which she compares herself to a brown bag and other around
her (black and white) to different colored bags filled with priceless and worthless things all propped
against the wall. The metaphor implies that we are all the same, in this case, we are all bags, no
matter the color we may have outside, the things in our bags are more or less the same. This
metaphor illustrates how human beings are all essentially the same. Finally, refers to God as the
creator, calling him the Great Stuffer of Bags,.
In short, Hurston is well aware that skin color is just one element of a person, and being
black or white is not something that matters very much. So, she wants to be recognized as an
individual rather than being seen as just another "negro." Hurston simply wanted to explain, as the
title says, how it feels to be who she is!

SECTION 3
OF MULES AND MEN

Of Mules and Men, is a non-fictional book written by Hurston in 1948. The book is based
on her work in South and is sponsored by a wealthy anthropologist. It is the first great collection of
black Americas folk world passed down through oral tradition.
It was not until the 1930s that Hurston returned to her village, Eatonville, Florida to record
the oral histories, sermons and songs that date back to the time of slavery, which she remembered as
a child. In addition, she moved to New Orleans for four months in order to carry out a study from
some Hoodoo doctors. Unlike other authors of her period, Hurston was a storyteller with a
difference. In this book she presents Afro-American lore as a way of celebration rather than a way
to defend her culture.
The unusual structure of Mules and Men indicates that this book is not a fictional narrative
but rather a collection folklore written in a narrative form. The book is divided into two parts. The
first part of the book is devoted to folklore and the second part to Hoodoo. The story is written in
the first person from the viewpoint of main character and author, Hurston. As I crossed the
Maitland-Eatonville township line I could see a group on the store porch. I was delighted. In fact
she doesnt relate the stories but tells them as they were told to her. Actually, there is a group of
people gathered to hear the stories along with Hurston. The stories are sometimes inspired by other
stories and the conversations are sometimes cut down in a sentence. Although many of the stories
stick to racist stereotypes, most of the time they are moving and funny at times. In addition, the
stories are sometimes nonsense, usually unimaginable and often fable. There are few exceptions
where the stories are true. After all, this is the fact which makes them important to the culture.
Although according to the title men have the privilege, Huston focuses on females as she
usually does. The passage is from the first part of the book, chapter one, the introductory part. As
7

we see, Hurston expresses her feeling, I was delighted, she is relieved to see her native town. In
addition, she mentions that the town had not changed, Same love of talk and song. This reminds
me of Sam Ewings quote, When you finally go back to your old hometown, you find it wasnt the
old home you missed but your childhood . In the following sentences we come across some proper
nouns. George Thomas, Jack and Charlie Jones, Gene Brazzle, B. (James) Moseley, and Seaboard
who are a group of card players and are the first to greet Zora when she arrives in Eatonville. The
passage is in past tense, but there are many conversations throughout the novel, which are in present
tense. The part is written in the same dialect the stories are told and as a result they are confusing
for readers who are used to a completely different grammar structure, "Well, if it ain't Zora
Hurston!/ "You gointer stay awhile, Zora?" However, the way it is written achieves to connect the
reader to the storytellers giving a sense of face to face hearing.
To sum up, of Mules and Men, is a book with a difference. With this collection, Hurston
depicts a beautiful and important part of American culture. Set within the social context of black
life, its elements bring back to life the humor and wisdom of African Americans individuality. In
my opinion, the book is a great opportunity to study African American culture.

SECTION 4
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

Their Eyes were watching God, is a novel published by Hurston in 1937, long after the
period of Harlem Renaissance. However, it is merely associated with Harlem Renaissance
literature. It was not until 1975 that both the novel and Hurston became well-known by another
African American female writer, Alice Wlaker due to her article entitled In Search of Zora Neale
Hurston." By that point both Hurston and her writing had gained again their popularity.
Through the passage, So the beginning of this was a woman and she had come back from
burying the dead, the story is about Janie Crawfords life, a black woman who tries to find true
love and her true self. The main character is an attractive, confident, middle-aged black woman
who after many years returns back to her home in Eatonville, Florida. Janie had married thrice, but
in the end she is alone and feels relieved and independent. So actually the novel is not her quest for
a partner but rather that of her secure sense of independence.
The title of the novel and to be more accurate its meaning, is associated with the themes of the
novel like the racial theme. However race is not a central theme, slavery and oppression of women
are also important in the book. In addition there are two lines in the book which refer to the title. As
the title indicates, God plays a significant role in the story, but this God is not actually the Christian
God, but the Natural World.
The racial theme may be seen in the following passage as well. In the first chapter,
introductory part, its clear that the author represents the different viewpoints of each gender. In
other words, the idea that men and women need certain things from each other. Additionally.
Hurston emphasizes that women are proud and defiant, saying that while men never achieve their
dreams, women can control their wills and chase their dreams, The dream is the truth. Then they
act and do things accordingly. Men can distinguish reality from illusion, but women live their
9

dreams, thus women live far more unrealistic than men. As the novel goes on, Janie goes for her
instincts trying to chase her dreams.
Moreover, in the first chapter, it is obvious that the narrator is omniscient as she reveals
Janies thoughts. Although in chapters 2-20 Janie is telling the story to her friend Pheoby, her life
story actually appears as a flashback told by the omniscient narrator. However, we can hear Janies
voice through the dialogues. As we see from the passage, the novel is narrated in the third person,
they; the people; the sun, by an anonymous narrator who is aware of everything.
Nevertheless , it is easy to distinguish the Southern sensibility in the narrators voice. Although the
first lines of the passage are in the present tense (Ships at a distance have every mans wish on
board), the whole story is written in past tense (The people all saw her come because it was
sundown).
In conclusion, because Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of a woman and because
it was the first major novel published by a black woman, the book is also claimed as a feminist
novel. Their Eyes Were Watching God, is another Hurstons story set in Rural Florida, however it
is her most famous novel.

10

SECTION 5
THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES
&WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE COLORED ME

The Bonfire of the Vanities, is a novel written by Tom Wolfe and published in 1987. In fact,
1980s was a period associated with materialism in new York. Thus the book is a drama about
ambition, racism, social class, politics and greed. On the contrary, What it Feels Like to be Colored
Me is an autobiographical short story written before Wolfes novel. Actually, both books mention
the relationship between black and white people, however in a different degree.
Wolfes story is based on four main characters, WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy,
Jewish assistant district attorney Larry Kramer, British expatriate journalist Peter Fallow, and black
activist the Reverend Reginald Bacon. However, the main focus is on Sherman McCoy, a rich
trader who lives in New York with his wife and young daughter. Thus he regards himself as a
Master Of Universe. Unfortunately, this illusion fails when he and his mistress, Maria Ruskin,
accidentally enter the Bronx at night while they are driving to Manhattan from Kennedy Airport.
One the other hand, Hurstons story is based just on one protagonist who is actually, herself.
Wolfes title by itself is interesting. Actually, it is most probably a reference to
the vanities of New York society of the 1980s. Moreover, it may be a connected to another
historical event, the Bonfire of Vanities, which took place in Florence, Italy, in 1497. Actually, this
happened when the city was under the rule of the Dominican priest Girolamo Savonarola. Although
The Bonfire of Vanities is not a historical novel, it is based on facts. In my opinion, the title also
reminds of William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair. However, Hustons title represents her
position in society, and her thoughts.
Actually, Wolfe before she starts writing the novel, she was observing some cases at
Manhattan Criminal Court. Thus, it said that some characters of the novel are based on real people.
11

Hurstons novel as we mentioned before is based on a real character, as she reveals her identity.
Wolfes novel is written in the third-person, by an omniscient narrator who recounts from many
characters point of view, like Sherman McCoy, ADA Kramer, and Peter Fallow, What was he, a
Master of the Universe, doing down here on the floor, reduced to ransacking his brain for white lies
to circumvent the sweet logic of his wife? . So free indirect discourse is used. In addition, the
narration is mainly in the past tense, but sometimes turns to the present tense, Why couldn't he
(being a Master of the Universe) simply explain it to her? Look, Judy, I still love you and I love our
daughter and I love our home and I love our life,. However, Hurstons novel is written in the first
person and in the present tense. Both novels use a wide range of metaphors. Furthermore, as
Wolfes passage is from the first chapter, The Master of the Universe, this phrase is repeated many
times through the passage though in a different context, The Masters of the Universe were a set of
lurid; What was he, a Master of the Universe, doing down here on the floor etc. theres a wide
use of punctuation marks as it is obvious from the passage and the text is actually hard to be read. In
the text, his wife Judy is mentioned and his daughter as well. As he says he loves them, however
sometimes he feels that he deserves something more, a mistress for example.
In conclusion, The Bonfire of the Vanities, was a bestseller and a great success. It is
important to mention, that it was also adapted into a film.

12

SECTION 6
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE COLORED ME
& SELF-RELIANCE

Self-Reliance, is an essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist

Ralph Waldo Emerson. First published in 1841, the essay contains many years of Emersons works
and the prototype for his transcendental philosophies.
What it feels like to be colored me, is exactly Emersons Self-Reliance. Self-Reliance,
contains the most intensive comments of Emersons repeated themes, the need for each individual
to avoid allegiance and follow his own instinct and ideas. Additionally, Hurston talks about
individuality and self-pride.
The title at first glance seems selfish. However, thats not what he means. It is about
collective conscience and his repeated use of the phrase Thrust Thyself. Additionally, What it
feels like to be colored me, points out to be different, without being afraid and to recognize yourself
as an individual. When we read Emerson, is like reading someone talking to himself. This may be
due to the fact that he includes materials from his journal. Hurston includes autobiographical
materials as well.
The passage from Self-Reliance, is taken from the third part of the essay which talks about
self-reliance and society. He appreciates individuals above all, societies, nations, religions etc.
Emerson insists on individuality as Hurston does, Insist on yourself; never imitate, I am me.
According to the habits of his time, Emerson uses widely the terms men and mankind to
address all humanity, No man yet knows what it is, nor can, till that person has exhibited it,
Every great man is a unique. Emerson uses logic, facts and examples to explain his ideas. In
addition in the passage theres a use of rhetorical questions, which support his idea and serve as
examples. He also, frequently refers to historical and literary figures, such as Shakespeare, etc.,
13

Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton?.
Emerson uses first and third person point of view, however in the passage we see he had switched
to the second person, Insist on yourself, Your own gift you can present... By this way, he tries
to give suggestions to the readers and having a direct speech with them. However, Hurston has
written her essay just in the first person, according to her point of view. Also, both essays are
written in present tense. Insist on yourself; never imitate, Sometimes, I feel discriminated
against, but it does not make me angry. Furthermore, both authors, generally appear to have a
strong personality and a frivolous way of expressing themselves, which may be seen from the
absence of conjunctions, which make the sentences bold and fluid, Insist on yourself; never
imitate, I am me.
To sum up, both are essays and focus on individuality. Self-Reliance, was written first and
helped to find out the ethic of American individualism. Finally both bear autobiographical elements.

14

SECTION 7

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE COLORED ME

& INVISIBLE MAN

Invisible man is an African-American novel written by Ralph Ellison and published fully in
1952. It is a sort of allegory. Like What it feels like to be colored me, Invisible man, explores the
question of individuality and personal identity. Additionally, both relate to the African-American
tradition.
Invisible man is about a black man in new York City who after his experiences growing up,
now lives in an underground hole and claims to be invisible to American society. He is invisible
because he is black and nobody pays attention to him. In other words, racial discrimination, makes
them see him as they want to see him. Thus, like What it feels like to be colored me, both point out
the black experience in America and the human struggle for individuality as well as emphasize the
issue of race. Actually, Hurston describes the relationship and differences between blacks and
whites.
The passage of Invisible man, is from the introductory part. The main character begins to
narrate the story, believing that he is an invisible man, I am an invisible man. However, he
explains that his invisibility is not a physical condition, and he is not literary invisible either, No I
am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: Nor am I one of your Hollywood movie
ectoplasms. On the contrary, he is a real existence, and though intelligent, I am a man of
substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids- and I might even be said to possess a mind. He
feels unseen by others in society because they refuse to see him, I am invisible, understand, simply
because people refuse to see me. Thus, he says he is hiding from the people, living underground.
Additionally, the first sentence of the passage, What it feels like to be colored me, "At times," I
have no race, I am me", reveals the authors attitude towards herself. However, she tries to
emphasize her uniqueness and pride for individuality, in difference to Ellisons character. She
doesnt want to belong to a race or color, which means she wants to be herself. The phrase I am
15

me, also, represents the authors position in society and expresses that she is not afraid to be
different.
The main character of Self-Reliance, is the narrator of the story and also the invisible man
of the title. Additionally, in What it feels like to be colored me, the main character and the narrator
is the same person and I am me refers to the title as both share the same meaning. The motif of
invisibility predominates Ellisons novel referring actually to blindness. In other words, the man
becomes invisible because the others are blind. Although invisibility is treated pessimistically, it
can also bring freedom and mobility. On the other hand, Hurston feels she was different from
anyone else meaning that she is not afraid to be so. She is talking about the ways in which she does
and does not feel her color with an optimistic attitude towards herself in difference with so many
other African Americans of her period, At certain times I have no race, I am me, I have no
separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored.
In Ellisons novel, the narrator is an anonymous black man who writes the story as a
memoir of his life, while Hurstons essay is an autobiographical essay. Actually this anonymity
provides him freedom which enables him to recount the story. Although the novel is written in the
past tense, the prologue and epilogue are written in the present tense. Thus the current passage is in
the present tense, When they approach me they see only my surroundings. Additionally, the
narrator tells the story in the first person which makes him to express his thoughts and focus to
himself, I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Nevertheless, he
never reveals his name. Also, Hurstons essay is in the first person, according to the poets point of
view and is written in the present tense, I am me. Finally, both works are rich in symbolism and
metaphor, I am an invisible man, I feel like a brown bag etc.
Invisible man, was a great success and considered to be the most significant American
novel, written after the World War II. However, What it feels like to be colored me, is an essay with
a difference as Hurston implies that being black or white is not something that matters very much.
16

SECTION 8
GENERAL CONCLUSION

Throughout the essay, Zora Neale Hurston is the main author who belongs to Black
American writers. Along with other authors of her period like Ralph Ellison she tries to realize the
dream of racial equality in America through her works. These authors talk about race, individuality,
the difficulties growing up as a black person, the differences between black and white and the
importance of not being afraid to be different!
First of all in the section 5 of my essay I discussed a text from Tom Wolfes novel, The
Bonfire Of vanities. Tom Wolfe was born in 1931 and is an American author and Journalist. In fact
he is connected with the New journalism literary movement. He was an important figure during the
period in 60s. Another significant work he has written is The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, an
experimental novel.
In the section 6 of my essay, I discussed a passage from Ralph Waldo Emersons work
called Self Reliance. Emerson was born in 1803 and was an American essayist, lecturer and poet.
He belongs to the period of High Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Actually, he led the
Transcendentalist movement of mid-19th century. These people were like the people in Bulgarian
Revolution. Transcendentalism looks for elements of life and nature. Emerson, wrote on a number
of subjects, developing certain ideas such as individuality, freedom, the ability for humankind to
realize almost everything and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world.
Emersons nature was more philosophical than naturalistic. People learned from nature. When we
read Emerson, is like reading someone talking to himself.
Finally, in the section 7, of my essay I borrowed a passage from Ralph Ellisons novel,
Invisible Man. Ralph Ellison was born in 1914 and was a novelist, literary critic scholar and writer.
Like Hurston, he belongs to the Black American writers. Actually, his novel Invisible Man, was his
17

best success which made him as popular as he is. In addition the book won a National Book
Reward. Invisible Man, is an existentialist novel, focused on American-civil rights worker from
South who moves to New York and faces the issue of alienation because of the racial
discrimination. In fact Ellison studied music before moving to New York and becoming a writer.

18

APPENDIX
What it Feels to Be Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston
At certain times I have no race, I am me. When I set my hat at a certain angle and saunter down
Seventh Avenue, Harlem City, feeling as snooty as the lions in front of the Forty-Second Street
Library, for instance... The cosmic Zora emerges. I belong to no race nor time. I am the eternal
feminine with its string of beads. I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and
colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country,
right or wrong. Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely
astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me. But in
the main, I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall. Against a wall in company
with other bags, white, red and yellow. Pour out the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of
small things priceless and worthless... Perhaps that is how the Great Stuffer of Bags filled them in
the first place--who knows?
Of Mules and Men, by Hurston
As I crossed the Maitland-Eatonville township line I could see a group on the store porch. I was
delighted. The town had not changed. Same love of talk and song. So I drove on down there before
I stopped. Yes, there was George Thomas, Calvin Daniels, Jack and Charlie Jones, Gene Brazzle, B.
Moseley and "Seaboard." Deep in a game of Florida-flip. All of those who were not actually
playing were giving advice--"bet straightening" they call it."Hello, boys," I hailed them as I went
into neutral. They looked up from the game and for a moment it looked as if they had forgotten me.
Then B. Moseley said, "Well, if it ain't Zora Hurston!" Then everybody crowded around the car to
help greet me."You gointer stay awhile, Zora?""Yep. Several months.""Where you gointer stay,
Zora?" "We heard all about you up North. You back home for good, I hope.""Nope, Ah come to
collect some old stories and tales and Ah know y'all know a plenty of 'em and that's why Ah headed
straight for home.""What you mean, Zora, them big old lies we tell when we're jus' sittin' around
here on the store porch doin' nothin'?" asked B. Moseley."Yeah, those same ones about Ole Massa,
and colored folks in heaven, and--oh, y'all know the kind I mean."
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Hurston
Ships at a distance have every mans wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For
others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his
eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now,
women forget all those things they dont want to remember, and remember everything they dont
want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly. So the beginning of
this was a woman and she had come back from burying the dead. Not the dead of sick and ailing
with friends at the pillow and the feet. She had come back from the sodden and the bloated; the
sudden dead, their eyes flung wide open in judgment. The people all saw her come because it was
sundown. The sun was gone, but he had left his footprints in the sky.
The Bonfire of Vanities, by Tom Wolfe
The world was upside down. What was he, a Master of the Universe, doing down here on the floor,
reduced to ransacking his brain for white lies to circumvent the sweet logic of his wife? The
Masters of the Universe were a set of lurid, rapacious plastic dolls that his otherwise perfect
daughter liked to play with. They looked like Norse gods who lifted weights, and they had names
19

such as Dracon, Ahor, Mangelred, and Blutong. They were unusually vulgar, even for plastic toys.
Yet one fine day, in a fit of euphoria, after he had picked up the telephone and taken an order for
zero-coupon bonds that had brought him a $50,000 commission, just like that, this very phrase had
bubbled up into his brain. On Wall Street he and a few others how many? three hundred, four
hundred, five hundred? had become precisely that ... Masters of the Universe. There was ... no
limit whatsoever! Naturally he had never so much as whispered this phrase to a living soul. He was
no fool. Yet he couldn't get it out of his head. And here was the Master of the Universe, on the floor
with a dog, hog-tied by sweetness, guilt, and logic ... Why couldn't he (being a Master of the
Universe) simply explain it to her? Look, Judy, I still love you and I love our daughter and I love
our home and I love our life, and I don't want to change any of it it's just that I, a Master of the
Universe, a young man still in the season of the rising sap, deserve more from time to time, when
the spirit moves me
Self-Reliance, by Ralph Emerson
Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative
force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another, you have only an
extemporaneous, half possession. That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.
No man yet knows what it is, nor can, till that person has exhibited it. Where is the master who
could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or
Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? Every great man is a unique.
Invisible man, by Ralph Ellison
I am an invisible man. No I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: Nor am I
one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms.I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and
liquids- and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because
people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as
though as I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they
see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination -- indeed, everything and
anything except me.

20