Rosa Parks: My Story Analysis
Looking at the book, one would expect to simply read a boring collection of thoughts, but in reality, this book is quite compelling. At less than two hundred pages, the book is quite minuscule, and yet the story that it tells is quite gripping. My initial thought on the purpose of the book would be to tell the story of how Rosa Parks became such a great influence on the world of civil rights, which it did, but in addition to this, it had many other concepts to offer. Being an autobiography, Parks was able to express historical events first-hand, and give a personal view of the emotions that were evoked by certain things. We all know that segregation and racism were serious problems in the early to mid-1900s, and yet, reading this book allowed me to see this concept in a completely new light. I enjoyed reading this story so much because it was absorbing, and thought-inducing. When reading this book one begins to wonder how America managed to go years with laws that divided its people by racial lines, and still could claim that every man was equal. The book may be simple, it may be small, but the conflicts, dilemmas, and themes that it puts forth are anything but elementary.
The autobiography is no prose, and it uses multiple literary techniques, though on would expect it to simply be an account of history. Some of the techniques used within the story include: character, setting, point of view, and theme. Character is shown via Rosa Parks within the story. Rosa showed from a young age that one should never settle for less than what he or she is worth. Most African Americans in the 1900s were very submissive to the law. They accepted that they would never amount to anything because the law said that they wouldn’t, but then there were those like Rosa and her family. They fought back against the abuse and the expectations of racists and the law. Rosa grew up to fight foe equal education for all. She applied and reapplied to vote, though it was near impossible without a Caucasian to vouch for her. She was self-sufficient, and she said “No” when that bus driver told her to give up her seat, because that was who she was. The setting of the story is what gave it meaning. The south was known for being racist ever since before the Civil War and trying to change these ways was near impossible. Rosa did the impossible, though, and was able to get the court to see the error in the law of the land. The point of view is also a major factor in the story. Rosa’s point of view on the world began at the bottom. She was a black woman in the south. She had no right to anything, and the law could always be bent by oppressors just enough to keep her from doing anything with her life. Her mother had to work hard to get Rosa and her brother an education, and the poor education options slowed her even more in her plight to be a self-sufficient American. This social stature in the world was not acceptable for Rosa, and was her main motivation to make something better for herself and other African Americans. Lastly, the theme of the story conveyed through the characters and the story line is change. Anyone can go from being a small-town nobody to being a national hero if they try hard enough. If there is enough will-power, anything can be done. Change is almost always a good thing, but change cannot be made without work.
Reading this book has greatly changed the way that I see the country that I live in. It has enhanced my appreciation for the equality that we have today, and it makes me grateful for the brave people that worked to get us to where we are. I concur with all of the ideals presented in this book whole-heartedly. The previous treatment of African Americans was completely unjust and unconstitutional, and the story properly conveys that concept. My appreciation for the story has only grown since I analyzed it, and I would definitely encourage others to read it.
Parks did an amazing job in making the story vivid and understandable. Though it was a simple book, it did all that it needed to make the reader feel proper emotions with the events of the story. Parks has always been seen as the leader into a new world. She was an innovator and a dreamer, and because of her work, the world is a better place than what it used to be. Knowing the way that her life was and what the world was like during that time period greatly helps in fathoming the extreme differences that there are in comparison to the world now.
Looking at the book, one would expect to simply read a boring collection of thoughts, but in reality, this book is quite compelling. At less than two hundred pages, the book is quite minuscule, and yet the story that it tells is quite gripping. My initial thought on the purpose of the book would be to tell the story of how Rosa Parks became such a great influence on the world of civil rights, which it did, but in addition to this, it had many other concepts to offer. Being an autobiography, Parks was able to express historical events first-hand, and give a personal view of the emotions that were evoked by certain things. We all know that segregation and racism were serious problems in the early to mid-1900s, and yet, reading this book allowed me to see this concept in a completely new light. I enjoyed reading this story so much because it was absorbing, and thought-inducing. When reading this book one begins to wonder how America managed to go years with laws that divided its people by racial lines, and still could claim that every man was equal. The book may be simple, it may be small, but the conflicts, dilemmas, and themes that it puts forth are anything but elementary.
The autobiography is no prose, and it uses multiple literary techniques, though on would expect it to simply be an account of history. Some of the techniques used within the story include: character, setting, point of view, and theme. Character is shown via Rosa Parks within the story. Rosa showed from a young age that one should never settle for less than what he or she is worth. Most African Americans in the 1900s were very submissive to the law. They accepted that they would never amount to anything because the law said that they wouldn’t, but then there were those like Rosa and her family. They fought back against the abuse and the expectations of racists and the law. Rosa grew up to fight foe equal education for all. She applied and reapplied to vote, though it was near impossible without a Caucasian to vouch for her. She was self-sufficient, and she said “No” when that bus driver told her to give up her seat, because that was who she was. The setting of the story is what gave it meaning. The south was known for being racist ever since before the Civil War and trying to change these ways was near impossible. Rosa did the impossible, though, and was able to get the court to see the error in the law of the land. The point of view is also a major factor in the story. Rosa’s point of view on the world began at the bottom. She was a black woman in the south. She had no right to anything, and the law could always be bent by oppressors just enough to keep her from doing anything with her life. Her mother had to work hard to get Rosa and her brother an education, and the poor education options slowed her even more in her plight to be a self-sufficient American. This social stature in the world was not acceptable for Rosa, and was her main motivation to make something better for herself and other African Americans. Lastly, the theme of the story conveyed through the characters and the story line is change. Anyone can go from being a small-town nobody to being a national hero if they try hard enough. If there is enough will-power, anything can be done. Change is almost always a good thing, but change cannot be made without work.
Reading this book has greatly changed the way that I see the country that I live in. It has enhanced my appreciation for the equality that we have today, and it makes me grateful for the brave people that worked to get us to where we are. I concur with all of the ideals presented in this book whole-heartedly. The previous treatment of African Americans was completely unjust and unconstitutional, and the story properly conveys that concept. My appreciation for the story has only grown since I analyzed it, and I would definitely encourage others to read it.
Parks did an amazing job in making the story vivid and understandable. Though it was a simple book, it did all that it needed to make the reader feel proper emotions with the events of the story. Parks has always been seen as the leader into a new world. She was an innovator and a dreamer, and because of her work, the world is a better place than what it used to be. Knowing the way that her life was and what the world was like during that time period greatly helps in fathoming the extreme differences that there are in comparison to the world now.