Discrimination In Greene's Essay example essay topic

Wilkinson 1 Comparison / Contrast of "Cut" and "The Fourth of July " In the two essays "Cut", by Bob Greene and "The Fourth of July", by Audre Lorde they both discuss how disappointments as a child affected their lives. Greene's essay gives five examples about how five boys were cut from a sports team and how they used that disappointment to become successful as adults. Lorde's essay differed in that it told one story of how her and her family were on their vacation in Washington D.C. and they were not served at a restaurant because they were black. Both authors discuss feelings of being left out, being discriminated against, and how disappointments affected their lives.

However, there are more differences than similarities in the essays. I can relate more to Greene's essay because I am an athlete; however, I have never been in position of worrying about being cut. Greene and Lorde were similar in that they both faced a form of discrimination on their childhood that helped better them in the future. In "Cut" the boys all went to try out for a high school sports team and all of them were cut from the teams. "For the time in my life, I was told wasn't good enough" (Greene 56). These boys were discriminated against for not having the ability or talent to be good enough to play on the team.

On of the people in the essay, Bob Graham stated, "I know for a fact that it altered my perception of myself. My view of myself was knocked down; my self was lowered" (Greene 57). No one should ever be put into a situation where they face being told they are not good enough. In the other essay, "The Fourth of July", a different type of discrimination was discussed, racism. Lorde's family, which is African American, was faced with discrimination on a vacation to Washington D.C. They took the trip because Wilkinson 2 Lorde's sister Phyllis could not go on her senior class to Washington.

"The nuns had given her back her deposit in private, explaining to her that the class, all of whom were white, except Phyllis, would be staying in a hotel where Phyllis 'would not be happy,' Daddy explained to her, also in private, that they did not rent rooms to Negroes" (Lorde 202). While in Washington Lorde and her family went out for ice cream to a Breyer's ice cream shop. They sat down and a waitress, who was white, walked over and said, "I said I kin give you to take out, but you can't eat here (Lorde 204). This shows how people are discriminated because of skin color. Both Greene and Lorde seem to feel that people will always need to have a sense of belonging. In "Cut" all the men involved wanted to be on a sports team during their teens.

"Athletics meant everything to boys that age; if you were on the team, even as a substitute, it put you in a desirable group. If you weren't on the team, you might as well be dead (Greene 56). Greene shows us the need for belonging to a team. When Maurice McGrath was cut from the baseball team at fourteen he said, "If I have to, I'll sit on the bench, but I'll be part of the team" (Greene 58).

In "The Fourth of July", the need of belonging to a society is displayed. Lorde stated, "This wasn't right or fair! Hadn't I written poems about Bataan and freedom and democracy for all? (Lorde 204) Lorde's family was told that couldn't eat in an ice cream shop because of their color in the one place that has stood for freedom and equality for the last two hundred and twenty-five years, our nations capitol.

Lorde's family was basically treated like they were foreigners because of their color. Wilkinson 3 Both authors agree that positive things came out of the traumatic events in his / her childhood. "Cut explains how the boys were positively change by being cut. Greene states, "I don't know what went on in my head following the day when I was cut. I don't know if all of that came from a determination never to allow myself to be cut again-never to allow someone to tell me that I'm not good enough again-but I know it's there" (Greene 56).

All the boys that had been cut, all had the same feeling of never wanting to be told they were not good enough again. All five boys grew up and became successful men because the desire and will to work hard. Bob Graham stated, "It is obvious to me now that being cut was what started me in determining that my success would always be based on my own abilities, and not on someone else's perceptions" (Greene 57). Greene also talked about how years after being cut he has been able to become very successful and he feels that his ambition and desire to be successful came being cut. In the other essay, Lorde explained how she was changed as a result of discrimination. She stated that her parents reacted differently to the event than she did.

Lorde said, "My parents wouldn't speak of this injustice, not because they had contributed to it, but because they felt they should have anticipated it and avoided it" (Lorde 204). "I was left to write an angry letter to the president of the united states all by myself... ". (Lorde 204).

Lorde's family acted like nothing wrong had happened. Lorde; however, was not going to let this go with out a word being said about it. Lorde differs from her family because she realizes you can't let something go unsaid. This differs from Greene's essay because; people can speak out against being discriminated for a different Wilkinson 4 skin color. On the other hand, no one can speak out against a coach's decision to not allow someone to be on a team. The reader can see that discrimination has decreased since Lorde's essay was written.

However, the discrimination that Greene wrote about will probably never change. Now a days people are no longer told that they cannot go certain places because of skin color. In today's society people of all different colors are aloud to eat wherever they want. The discrimination in Greene's essay is still going on today and probably will forever. Athletes will always be judged on their talents and abilities. The world today has become a place where only the strong survive.

So it is understandable to see why the weaker players would be cut. After reading both essays, I can relate more to "Cut" because I am an athlete. However, I was fortunate enough to never have to worry about being cut from a team, but there were times that I sat the bench a lot because I wasn't playing that well. It was those experiences that drove me to work harder.

An example of that was when I played Varsity Baseball in high school. During my senior year I worked hard all throughout preseason practice. I took extra batting practice and fly balls whenever I could. The hard work payed off when I got to start the second game of the season. I went one for three in the game and became the starting designated hitter the rest of the season. Not being a starter gave me the determination to work harder and in the end it all paid off.

This experience has made me realize that I can do anything as long as I work hard. Wilkinson 5 In conclusion, both Greene and Lorde discuss how disappointments as child have had positive affects on his / her lives as adults. Greene's essay applied to me more than Lorde's because I have never been judged by my appearance. I can't relate to the fact of being cut from a team, but I can relate to the fact being successful with hard work.

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Bibliography

Greene, Bob. "Cut". The Prentice Hall Reader. 6th ed. Ed. George Miller. Trenton, N.J. : Prentice Hall, 2001.
55-60. Lorde, Audre. "The Fourth of July". Models for Writers. 7th ed. Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Esch holz. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2001.
201-204. Comparison / Contrast of " Cut" and "The Fourth of July " by Shane Wilkinson English 110, Section 03 Mrs. Bailey 30 April 2002.