1. 1.What’s unexpected or surprising about where Richard Gregory first experienced shame?
Richard Gregory first experienced shame at school, and that was surprising. This was surprising to me because school is a place where you should find acceptance, especially by your teacher. Before the incident, Richard knew he was poor and that he didn’t have as much as the other children, but he was not ashamed of it. It wasn’t until his teacher made it known in front of his class, that he was poor and didn’t have a daddy.
2. How long did Gregory’s shame last? What (or who) finally allowed him to overcome his
shame?
That day in the classroom Richard felt ashamed of being poor not only because the teacher pointed it out during class, but because Helene felt sorry for him. Richard’s shame lasted for twenty-two years. Over the years, any accomplishment that he made was for Helene. It wasn’t until he got married and started making money that he let Helene, and the shame go.
2.
3.What all does Gregory do in order to impress Helene Tucker?
Richard went to great lengths to impress Helene. He would make sure that his hair was brushed before school and he carried a woman’s handkerchief so that he didn’t have to wipe his nose on his hand. When the pipes were frozen he had to get a bucket of ice from the grocery store, let it melt, then wash his clothes. He would do this every night. He said sometimes his clothes wouldn’t be dry in time for school, but he would wear them anyway, for Helene. I was most impressed when he said he would put money on her stoop after earning it from shining shoes.
4. There are three main characters in the story, don’t you agree? The protagonist and
antagonist in this narrative are pretty clear, but what’s interesting is that one of these
main characters isn’t actually given a proper name…why do you think Gregory made this
choice?
The third main character in the story is the teacher. The teacher is the one who announced to the class that he was poor and that he didn’t have a daddy, but he felt ashamed because Helene heard it and felt sorry for him. The teacher played an important part in the story, but it was because of Helene that the shame lingered. So for that reason I think Richard Gregory did not give her a proper name.
5. Gregory uses a lot of dialogue to tell his story—what effect does it have on a reader?
The use of dialogue in the story allows for the reader to picture the experiences. I think that a story is more effective if the writer gives a descriptive, vivid account of what happened. Personally, I picture the story as I am reading, and as I do this I find that emotions develop. I think that Richard Gregory uses a lot of dialogue to tell his story because he wants the reader to know and feel how he felt on that particular day.
6. In the final paragraph, Gregory states: “Now there was shame everywhere.” Why do you
think he says this? What examples illustrate his point?
I think that Richard Gregory makes this statement because he realized that he couldn’t escape the shame because he was poor. Before the incident at school, being poor was just a way of life, but after the teacher points it out in class he realizes that everyone else sees him as poor, and that he can’t escape it. He talks about having to go to the grocery store and beg for rotten peaches. He says that he hates going out to the relief truck and wearing the welfare coat. I think that what was most bothersome to Richard Gregory was not that he was poor, but that he was labeled poor. That is what I think he meant by, “Now there was shame everywhere.”
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