İNGİLİZ/AMERİKAN EDEBİYATI I

A woman named Rosa Parks did not want to give her seat after a hard working day to the white rider, even though she was sitting on the first row reserved for the blacks. The bus driver noticed that few white people were standing during the ride. He stopped the bus and asked the blacks to give their seats to the whites standing. Other blacks did what was ordered yet Rosa Parker refused. The bus driver called the police and Rosa Parker was arrested. She was charged with a violation to segregation law of the Montgomery City code. After the arrest of Rosa Parks, blacks started a bus boycott and never used busses for a year. The correct answer is B.

Martin Luther King played another great role on increasing the awareness of civil rights for the black community. He was a clergyman and a prominent leader of African American civil rights movement. On August 28, 1963 there was a march in Washington DC and there Martin Luther King made his famous speech “I Have a Dream” which helped many to become aware of civil rights. The correct answer is A.

During working for the Harlem newspapers she had the opportunity to publish her first short story “Marie of the Cabin Club” in 1939 in one of the editions of The Afro American, but under a pseudonym male name, Arnold Petry. The correct answer is E.

The end of struggle may be considered as spiritual death of Johnson. The symbols that are given like “lipstick” and “wind sheet” also show the mentioned struggle above to continue to fight for his family’s morals that it is not right to hit women. The correct answer is C.

The day was Friday thirteenth and Mr. Johnson is late for the work as usual. The correct answer is A.

There are different dramatic places that the story takes place. The story begins in Johnson and Mae’s house. The initial scene is the bedroom of the couple. Then the setting moves to the plant where Johnson works. The machines and the working ladies are fully described there and little time is spent in the storeroom. There the workers get their wages. After the plant setting the street and the all night open restaurant. After the restaurant the readers find Johnson in the subway going home. The story ends where it begins physically. It is Johnson and Mae’s house where the story dramatically ends. The correct answer is D.

Even though his boss Ms. Scott calls him a nigger he does not shout or get bad tempered but responds gently. He get mad, so mad but keeps himself calm, the relevant lines prove this; “You got the right to get mad’ he interrupted softly. ‘You got the right to cuss me four ways to Sunday but I ain’t letting nobody call me a nigger”. The correct answer is E:

Johnson comes home in such a mood that he cannot bear any jokes that his wife Mae makes. All of a sudden he finds himself hitting his wife meaninglessly and he cannot stop himself.They are both white and literally they are superior to the black man in a racist society. The fact here is that Mae is a black woman and black women are inferior to black men. So Mae is the only person Johnson may use his physical power on. The correct answer is B.

When it is his turn the white coffee serving girl says that “there is no more coffee available for a while”. Johnson takes this personally and wants to hit the coffee lady as well.He thinks that she did not want to serve him because of her racist ideas. However it was because the coffee pot was finished. The correct answer is C.

It was Ms. Scott who called him "nigger". The correct answer is D.

The short story Like a Winding Sheet is written by, an African American writer, Ann Petry.

She received a graduate degree in Pharmacy.

Ann Petry married a New York mystery writer, George D. Petry. After her marriage she moved to Harlem, New York. She found a position in Amsterdam News and a women paper The People Voice as an advertising person and a reporter.

Another important figure against racism was Martin Luther King and he played another great role on increasing the awareness of civil rights for the black community. He was a clergyman and a prominent leader of African American civil rights movement. On August 28, 1963 there was a march in Washington DC and there Martin Luther King made his famous speech “I Have a Dream” which helped many to become aware of civil rights.

The geographical story is not clearly stated, yet the line says that; “It was a long ride to Harlem and tonight the thought of it appalled him” From the line above it is now clear that the geographical setting is Harlem, New York and United States of America.

Johnson notices the red lipstick on his boss. “He stood motionless for a moment and turned away from the red lipstick on her mouth that made him remember that the foremen was a women”. Here it is possible to say that the lipstick symbolizes the woman which reminds Johnson his family values. In the restaurant the white coffee serving lady is described with her scarlet lipstick. “He wanted to do was hit her so hard that the scarlet lipstick on her mouth would smear and spread over her nose, her chin, out toward her cheeks; so hard that she would never toss her head again and refuse a man a cup of coffee because he was black”. As the conflict progresses so the madness of Johnson, the lipstick symbolizes white woman.

Awinding sheet is a fabric which is used to cover and burry a body. In the story winding sheet might be used to indicate and foreshadow events. It is the physical death of Mae and psychological death of Johnson. It symbolizes death.

The story is third person narration. The narration has full of imagery that makes the text rich in words and understanding. The events are seen through Johnson’s eyes. The readers know what Johnson thinks in certain situations. The readers may feel themselves trapped in Johnson’s mind and feel the real sensitivity of the character. So the text may become more lifelike.

Mae

She is a black woman and she is Johnson’s wife. She also works in a night shift. She has more sense of humor than her husband Johnson. She does not make racism a problem as much as her husband. After work she comes home before Johnson and when he is in she complains about few things. Johnson cannot bear the complaints and the jokes that Mae makes and he starts hitting her, may be, to death. Nevertheless, symbolically it is not the death of Mae but the spiritual death of Johnson. He acts against the values that he has been raised with. She is the victim of the society in some sense, because society makes Johnson mad and Johnson harms Mae. In other words, Johnson may not have the courage to hit a white woman superior then himself just like his boss or the coffee serving lady. They are both white and literally they are superior to the black man in a racist society. The fact here is that Mae is a black woman and black women are inferior to black men. So Mae is the only person Johnson may use his physical power on.

Johnson is always late for work and has pain on his legs. That is the main reason why he is
late for work. He cannot rest his aching legs. He is tired of the pain on his legs as well as the
racist ideas of the society.