COURSE : ENGLISH STUDIES 2
DATE : 17 JANUARY 2012, TUESDAY (TIME : 0715 – 0915)
· FLORENCE by ALICE CHILDRESS
Ø READING AND REACTING (from the green book)
QUESTION 4
Based on our reading from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Migration_(African_American)) on the topic Great Migration (African American), it says that as African Americans migrated, they became increasingly integrated into society. People at North are more liberal if compared to people at South. They can accept the blacks better than people at South. In North the racism is less obvious as in South. There, Florence got a small role in the play. In South, everything is fake. So there might be no chance for her to involve in the play. People are very prejudice towards the coloured people . That’s why Florence moves to New York, to pursue her dream on becoming an actress. On the other hand, if the play is set today, there will be no problem for Florence to become an actress as today’s societies are more open towards the coloured and they can be accepted into the society easier.
QUESTION 5
Marge wants to tell that in the train, the coloured people are not allowed to have dine at the diner. The place is only for white people. In the line 23, Marge tells that Florence does not need to involve in a play, as it is opposite to their upbringing. According to their norm, the coloured women are said to be a maid. We can see this through Mrs. Carter’s words in line 229, she indicates that Florence is suitale to do works like cleaning and cooking. She offers her to work with Melba.
QUESTION 6
Mrs. Carter viewed herself as a non-racist. No, I don’t agree with her. She says that eventhough she was born in South, she sees herself as a Northener (line 113 and 117). This shows us that she is liberal towards the coloured people. She can accept them in her society. Other than that, she does not want Mama to call her “ma’am” (line 114 and 117). She feels that there is no need to have a class distinction between her and Mama. Besides that, another example is that she helps Florence to get a stable job by giving Mama Melba’s phone number and ask Florence to call Melba (line 219). Florence is a coloured woman but she also helps her. This tells us that she viewed herself as a non-racist.
QUESTION 7
The stereotyping issue. In the book, the main character commits suicide because she cannot be accepted by the society as she is almost white. Mama disagrees with Mrs. Carter (line 154). She provides a number of examples where the blacks are treated as good as the white people (line 152 and line 154). So, from this disagreement it tells that Mama is a defensive woman. She is not influenced easily by people’s bad words on her own people. As for Mrs. Carter, from her stereotype words, we can say that she is a racist. She indicates that the coloured cannot succeed in the field that mostly conquered by the whites. For example the main character in Jeff’s book, Zelma that commit suicide when she failed to achieve her dream on becoming an actress.
QUESTION 8
Yes, Mama’s view of Mrs Carter change as the plot develops. From the beginning of their conversations, Mama feels comfortable and easy to talks with Mrs Carter but the end of their conversations Mama feels uncomfortable with their talks and disagreeing with Mrs Carter opinion regarding Zelma who kills herself [refer lines 150]. Mama also arguing with Mrs Carter about colored people who kill their self just because they are almost white but a black [refer lines 152]. Mama also ask for Mrs Carter helps to Florence in pursuing her dream after Mama knows that Mrs Carter is a dramatic actress [refer lines 183]. Mrs Carter also promises to help Mama and gives Mama her address. Other than that, Mama also wants to see Florence achieve and success in her dream like the other actresses. Then, from Mrs Carter helps Mama knows that Mrs Carter is not going to helps her to pursue Florence dream but Mrs Carter wants to make Florence as a maid for Melba. This is because Mrs Carter believes that colored women should be a maid rather than being an actress.
QUESTION 9
At first, Mama also thinks that Florence should come home instead of keep staying at New York without doing her family a favour. In addition, Marge really wants Mama to bring Florence home. That make Mama thinks that her way to New York is a correct decision. In the end, we can see that Mama cancels her plan to see Florence but she posts her a cheque with note inside the envelope. This happens after her conversations with Mrs. Carter where the white lady tells her about the coloured who cannot success in the field that is controlled by the white, for example in acting and also office work like lawyer. She advices Mama to tell Florence to be a maid as that is more suitable for her. Mama is a decisive person and she makes up her mind and she decides not to bow her head down to Mrs. Carter prejudice words. She says that her daughter, Florence also can succeed in her decided field. As a mother, she realises that she is the one who has to support her daughter’s dream.
QUESTION 10
In my opinion on why Childress naming the play FLORENCE because the play is revolve around Florence. As Florence is the centre of attention of Mrs Carter and Mrs Whitney she becomes the main issue that showed both Mrs Carter and Mrs. Whitney’s stand in their own believe on racial issue. A talk with Mrs Carter also makes Mrs Whitney realize about her past, husband and daughters. The absence of Florence in the play make Mrs Whitney think of what Florence is capable to do and makes living on her own which in the end contribute to her encouragement toward Florence’s dream.
CATHERINE’S ANSWERS
QUESTION 11
In my opinion, Mama should not confront Mrs. Carter directly. This is because if she does so, it really shows that Mama is an immature lady. Other than that, Mama might be punished by the government for trying to do something against the law; that is fighting for the coloured’s right in the public. From what we see in the play, Mama listens to every of Mrs. Carter’s words on the coloured (line 130 until line 149). After that then Mama rises up her idea on her disagree points about the coloured. Plus, she does provide examples (line 152 and 154) that can prove that not all the brown people are discriminated obviously. These also show that Mam did confront Mrs. Carter back but in an indirect way.
QUESTION 12
We can see that Mama is a lovely woman. She loves her daughter, Florence. She is brave enough to bring her back home. At first, Mama follows the traditional and stereotype tradition; where the coloured women are only suit to work as a maid, they cannot get involve in a play as that is only for the white. Only after her ‘hot’ conversation with Mrs. Carter then she realises that she must be her daughter’s hardest supporter in life instead of being a woman that keeps her daughter in an old-minded society. Their conversations make her rises from the old thinking style and decide to support her ambitious daughter. So, with reference to Miller’s words, “the black woman not only transcends her own predicaments but often functions as a catalyst for change in those whose lives she touches”, it really describes Mama’s characters where she, without her husband by her side, brave enough to make a big decision, where she lets her daughter Florence to pursue her dream on becoming an actress. She acts as the catalyst in which she is the one who stimulates her daughter to be what she wants to be and not stop her from doing so.
GLORIA’S ANSWERS
QUESTION 11
In my opinion, Mama should not confront Mrs Carter as it will land her trouble with the authorities. The main reason why Mrs Whitney should not confronted Mrs Carter because the authorities only take action if the blacks who confronted the whites but not the same case if it are the whites who commit such thing. This is because in the south the racial segregation are still happens and it was worse than in the north. It got worst as blacks’ households are 90% compare to the whites which is 23.5% in the south (http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/maloney.african.american). This number of the blacks has threatened the white’s community as they have to compete with the blacks in term of job and education so these caused the whites to take any chances they can to show their superior toward the blacks. So if Mama confronted Mrs Carter there is a chance that she will face a huge problem with the authorities.
QUESTION 12
Mama fits this characterization as in the beginning of the play Mama just another ordinary mother who wished to go to the North to bring her daughter back. But as the play progress, mama rise to her full strength especially after talk to Mrs. Carter where she argued with Mrs Carter about Jeff’s book and also about Florence in her quest to pursue her dream. In the end of the play we knew that mama has touches the life of Florence as she gave her encouragement to be anything she wants to be.
TRECY’S ANSWERS
QUESTION 11
From my point of view I think it is better for Mama to not opposed Mrs Carter even though Mama did not agree with Mrs Carter opinion. Mama should acts cool and calm but try to talks confidently with a strong prove to convince to Mrs Carter that not all colored people cannot succeed in their dreams. Mama should know better that if she picks a fight with Mrs Carter she is just trying to kills herself. If Mama opposed Mrs Carter directly perhaps both of them will argue and hit with one another. Mama and Mrs Carter will hate with each other and the segregation between them will become stronger and perhaps there will be more railing will be built at the train. If they hit with one another, one of them will injured badly and the relationship that they made just now will destroy. More badly if Mrs Carter is going to sue Mama because it will makes the thing become more complicated and Mama will totally being blame in the situation which is trying to injured the white people.
QUESTION 12
According to Jeanne A. Miller, the black women are the most heroic figure in the play to emerge in America. As for me, from the play I found that Mama is the most heroic figure that acts as catalyst to change Mrs Carter view about the colored people. From the conversation between the two of them Mama can change Mrs Carter opinion about colored people. For example, when Mrs Carter said that colored people are suitable to be a maid, Mama strongly protests it because colored people also can success in their life. Then, Mama argue again with Mrs Carter about Zelma who kills herself because of her skin color which is almost white but actually black [refer lines 147]. Here Mama changes Mrs Carter view where she said that colored people also can become more success just like the whites people [refer lines 149-152]. Then, Mrs Carter admits that it is not an easy work to understand colored people, but she is trying to understand them [refer lines 163]. Later on, she said to Mama that she also donates money to the Negro college [refer lines 165]. Mama just saying the truth with strong proves and evidence to Mrs Carter until Mrs Carter cannot argue with her. During the conversation Mama did not pick a fight with Mrs Carter but she said very calm and she is trying to avoid Mrs Carter from being hurt. Mama just said what is right and what is wrong about colored people.
