Graduation example essay topic

303 words
Graduation, a story by Maya Angelou examines the issues of a racial atmosphere, hopes, dreams, and bigotry. In this story, Marguerite is ecstatic and filled with pride, feeling as if she has accomplished a huge hurdle in her life that overshadowed all the old pains and suffering that she had gone through, but upon hearing the speaker at the graduation - it was if she had died inside, that all of her achievements in life meant nothing and no matter what she did or accomplished, she would not amount to anything more than a maid or a housewife. In our society, still today there are people who try to remind us that there are limits on our futures; we are not expected to obtain professional careers and women are not expected to become much more than maids, mothers, or housewives. They would like us to believe that no matter what we aspire, the reality is there are firm limits on what we can do in society simply because the color of our skin. We as people should be repulsed by this way of thinking, the fact that we are fated to be nothing or that our lives have already been decided for us because of prejudices. Unlike in the story, we should not ignore nor reject our beginnings because it is who we are.

Just as in the story, we should all look to our roots for examples of people who broke the barrier, who were able to achieve despite societies biases even if they may be rare examples of success. We should want to succeed and remember those that have paved the way for all of us. Without their struggles and sacrifices, we would not have many of the opportunities that we have today.