Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

In 1200-1500 words respond to the following questions about My Brother Sam is Dead. The paper should be in essay format (meaning it has paragraphs and is not simply an outline or list of bullet points). Use 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. For quotes from the book, simply put the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence like so (58). No full citation is necessary unless it is a quote from an outside source (though outside sources are not necessary for the assignment). Please use Microsoft Word, because other formats may not be compatible with Turn-It-In and thus the dropbox will not accept them.

In Coming of Age in Mississippi, Anne Moody relates her own “coming of age” as, in part, a metaphor for the “coming of age” of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. She also uses her life story to illustrate how poverty and racism shaped the plight of African Americans. Thus the book is filled with symbolism and layered meanings; however, it is primarily organized around three central themes: prejudice, gender, and poverty. Choose one of these themes and discuss the role it plays in the memoir. How does your chosen theme shape Moody’s experiences as a child, as a high school student, in college, and during the Movement? Compare similarities and differences in how blacks and whites experienced your chosen theme. Finally, how does your chosen theme inform the other two themes, in Moody’s life as well as in society generally?