Racism In “One Friday Morning” By Langston Hughes
“One Friday Morning” is written by Langston Hughes in 1950’s. The story is about a young black girl, Nancy Lee, who recently moved out of the South with her parents so they may provide her with a better life and schooling. Very talented in watercolor painting, she wanted to make that her major in college. He brings in themes like racism, equal rights between human beings, racial and national pride and of course the American dream. His biggest aim is to show the world how black people are treated.
That America really does not fulfill the American dream about all men being equal does not live up to the declaration of independence. The main characters are Nancy Lee, and Miss O’Shay. Nancy went to a normal high school in the North of America. She was a smart, good looking, and very intelligent girl, who did excellent in school. She was joining the art class, singing in the school musical, and playing basketball in her spare time. Still her white classmates looked upon her as collared. Her mother was a secretary, and her father a mailman.
They were all three together living a middle class life in a good neighborhood. Her family had worked hard to get Nancy to a good school which could give her the opportunity to really become something. Miss O’Shay, the school principal did her best to encourage Nancy Lee not to give up, to fight for her dreams. In the story they compare Miss O’Shay with the abolitionists and the first white teachers, who fought for the slaves. She is an idealist and against all kind of racism. Every year in school, an art prize is given to the student behind the best picture in art class.
This year the prize was dedicated to Nancy Lee. She had painted a beautiful and idyllic painting of a accidental spring day in the city park. Children were playing around, smiling; an old woman was sitting on a bench looking at the American flag, which was placed on the top of a high pole. The picture was Nancy’s way of showing her dream, the American dream which she believed very strongly in. And now she was to get a prize for her picture. Nancy was told by the school principal, Miss O’Shay to figure out an acceptance speech, and she certainly did.
Nancy prepared many beautiful and emotional sentences. Especially about how gratitude she was on the way of her race who believes deep down to their hearts, in American opportunities and fairness. She really wanted to tell how glad she was that a collared girl was able to get such a prize, that the American dream actually was about to become reality. You can say that she putted her picture into words. Sadly Nancy never got to hold her speech, the school committee decided not to dedicate the award to her, after discovering that she was a black student.
Nancy realized that America is only what who believe in it, make it. Nancy Lee may be a colored girl, but at times in her new school she forgets that she has different skin color than the rest of the students. Her peers would overlook her race as well, and they saw her as a young and talented individual. This represents foreshadowing that she was not seen as colored although she was. Nancy Lee had painted an award winning piece worthy of a scholarship to an art institute.
The painting was of her grandmother sitting on a park bench looking at the American flag on a bright sunny day. Unfortunately, the art institute didn’t realize that Nancy Lee was a colored girl at the time they chose her painting. When it was made known, they decided to give the scholarship to a white student as they felt if Nancy Lee were to attend the Institute it would cause controversy amongst others. The day Nancy was to receive the award, she was told by her principal, Miss O’Shay, that she would not acquire this magnificent prize because of the color of her skin.
