TOW #6- How It Feels to Be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston

        Zora Neale Hurston is a known for her short stories, plays, and essays. She went to Columbia University where she was offered a scholarship, and graduated with a B.A in anthropology. In her short story "How It Feels to Be Colored Me", her autobiographical essay, she writes about finding her true identity and the natural self-pride she has. Hurston doesn't consider herself as being "tragically colored", like others around where she lives. Although she doesn't get upset by the discrimination against African-Americans in her town, she does recognize moments where she feels racial tension and differences. She is not only speaking to those who are African-American or white, but everyone to encourage them to have self-pride. She employs strong diction, positive tone, and metaphors to illustrates her purpose. Through her strong diction she displays that she is well educated, which during the time the short story was written (1928) was not considered a norm. She also uses an incredibility positive tone when discusses her life, even with the hardships she faced. Last but not least she ends her essay with a metaphor, referring herself to a "brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall". This is where she gives the audience a better understanding of her emotions of the time. Ultimately, Hurtston goes over the racial boundaries and makes it apparent to her audience that she does not fit in with the social ideologies.