In this blog post I will be discussing a short story written by Maya Angelou titled “My name is Margaret.” This story is about a young black girl who was a servant to a rich white woman. It explains how she was oppressed, and beaten down until she finally decided to stand against authority. I will then use this story to relate to a story of my own, and give some insight into my personal life. I whole heartedly agree with Margaret’s decision to drop the casserole dish, and the two green cups. I say this because Margaret was being stripped of things that made her human and was being squashed down and oppressed just because she was seen as a lesser person, if even that, just because she was not only black, but the fact she also lived in poverty. While many people may say it is ok for a boss to treat their employees like they are not people, I must disagree with the statement, because the second you give in, and let others treat you that way it will slowly seep into you, to the point where you will forget who you are. I like to say that words are much like a boat in water, the boat will not sink until water is let in, and once it is in everything floods quickly, and the same concept applies to words and how people treat you. As long as you do not allow the words to get to you, you will never sink to a lower level, and your self esteem will continue to float. And this is exactly why I agree with Margaret’s choice to drop the dishes, because she was breaking the chain of oppression that was constantly being felt by many people over and over again; and by doing this she did not allow herself to flood, and kept her humanity, and dignity all because of one simply deliberate action. I had a similar situation, or multiple situations when I worked for Acme. I was only ever seen as a number, and the mangers wanted me to work like a robot every day of my life with no signs of slowing or weakness. There were multiple times that I had enough of how they were treating me until I snapped over and over, but I was lucky to have a union so they could not just throw me out. The one situation I remember most clearly while working there was the one day I that I did not feel very well. I tried to call out in the morning so I could sit at home and rest; however, my store manager insisted that I come in, and she assured me that if I felt bad after an hour or so in she would send me home. I saw this as a reasonable request, and decided to go in that day to keep my manager happy. After about 2 hours into my shift I finally decided that I could not take any more, and went to my store manager to make sure it was ok that I was going to leave. It was at this point she insisted that I stay at least another 3 hours until she could get a replacement in. At this point I was too sick to argue, and I decided the best course of action was to clock out and leave without permission. After that any time I felt sick they would send me home without protest, and I was very happy I stood up for myself, and hopefully changed their viewpoint enough to help other people.
1 Comment
Sabatino
2/12/2018 07:42:53 am
Thanks for sharing this post. I apprecaite your response to the argumentative question -- specifically:
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AuthorI am a student at Delaware County Community College. This blog servers multiple purposes, the foremost being that it is to showcase many of my English Composition 1 assignments. However, it also serves to give a look into my writing processes, my personal life, and my own opinions. It is also an amazing showcase of how i have grown over the year, and how my English Composition course has influenced me within just a few short months. Archives
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