October 19

Prompt for English 4 “Everything That Rises Must Converge” 10/29/17

Flannery O’Connor’s tone in this short story is pitch perfect.  Describe how O’Connor creates the narrative’s tone.  How does the author’s tone support the story’s theme (s)?  Use the rhetorical precis format.  If you have time, feel free to expand your response.

Due by 3:45 today.  Please remember to copy your work before you submit!

 

Read my comments.  We will conference individually during class Thursday on your work and grades thus far.

Don’t forget the Blackboard session on “Battle Royal” during class time Tuesday, the 24th.  I will send out a reminder announcement.

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Posted October 19, 2017 by tashak38 in category Uncategorized

About the Author

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area--Big Up to the East Bay

43 thoughts on “Prompt for English 4 “Everything That Rises Must Converge” 10/29/17

  1. Marya Alhujaili

    Marya Alhujaili
    English 4
    In Flannery O’Connor short story ” Everything That Rises Must Converge”, just by reading the title of the story, readers will get the mean point or the theme of the story. The title ” Everything That Rises Must Converge”,tells the readers that no matter what race they are, they still human beings. Blacks and whites, old and young, smart or not, religion believers, they all fall in the same category of human beings. All people lives on the same planet, and they all must live for each others or at least have some respect to whom they might think they are different. In order for people -with different skin colors and social status- to cope with others, they need to put themselves in other’s shoe and live the life of others with their perspective not yours. O’Connor explains her ideas of racism and segregation by giving an example of a mother and her son and each one of them has her/his own perspective. The mother seems like she hates being around people who do not meet her lifestyle such as social status, education, income, and even skin color while her son think the opposite way. Coping with with other society makes a person wise enough to understand more. schools are not enough to get the needed knowledge. Discovering the world and breaking the imaginary barrier to achieve the goal of being one big nation leaving racism and segregation behind.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Awesome work Marya. Let’s remember to use specific names and I also want to work on subject-verb agreement. Let’s talk about that in class.

      Reply
  2. Jenella

    In Flannery O’Connor’s narrative, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. O’Connor asserts the idea of rejecting older social point of view regarding race and pursuing racial equality as prosperity. O’Connor develops his ideas by describing and comparing Julian’s and his mother’s perspectives toward race relations. At the same time, he purposely criticize the ionic of judging according to not only skin color, but also by appearances.

    O’Connor writes the short story in a third person subject which the narrator tells the story in an aggressive tone. As Julian’s mother give Carver a penny without understanding the racist side of effects, which Carver’s mother immediately feel humiliated by her even though Julian’s mother is giving a penny in a kind way. As O’Connor describes “Then all at once she seemed to explode like a piece of machinery that had been given one ounce of pressure too much.” (9) And she shout, “He don’t take nobody’s pennies!” The tone is obviously aggressive and offensive. Which is Carver’s mother’s instinctive reaction when she sees a white American women who is semms looking down on them. The women’s rejection also means an insistence of aginsting such inequality and pursuing respectation from others, especially from the ethnicity other than Africans since the prejudice of slavery has deep rooted on the older generation’s mind.
    I was wondering the reason why is Julian’s mom so insist to give that penny, which lead such an “act of kindness” into a racist, humiliation, and violent ends. Although Julian was trying to stop her, and he also tried to let his mom realize that the slavery generation is no longer exists in this modern society, he still failed to achieve his purpose to let his mom be aware of the importance of racial equality. Which the historical biased of slavery has influenced his mom a lot. And she judges African Americans also on their appearance; whom she will automatically considers inferior. On page eight, when Julian saws another African woman who is wearing the same hat as his mom’s, which his purpose throughout the whole story is trying to teach his mom a lesson. O’Connor describes, “The vision of the two hats, identical, broke upon him with the radiance of a brilliant sunrise.” for Julian this is a perfect time to show his mom the reality of being equal, as they all ride on the same bus in same situations, wearing the same hat. But the most disappointment is, she still thinks herself is nobler than the black people. Even though they are probably far inferior to others.
    In this short story I think O’Connor is intend to show the inanity of flippant judgement and racial inequality. He expresse his opinion through visual and coverationing details, on page five, Julian’s mom says in an aggressive tone, “Now you see why I won’t ride on these buses by myself,” after she saw an African man who was well dressed and carried a briefcase get on the bus. Accordingly, the black men was wearing a formal suit and looks like he has great jobs with good educations. But Julian’s mom still judging the other from his skin color and appearance. The point of writing all this down shows us everyone deserves the equality of human rights and each other’s respect. Which we as modern generation needs to lead the older generation out of the prejudice of slavery and change their point of view step by step.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Good stuff here, Janella. I appreciate that you discussed the absurdity of pre-judging according to appearance — in this case the outward representations of class. Let’s talk about proofreading.

      Reply
  3. Audrey Xiao

    In “Everything that Rises Must Converge,”(1965) the author, Flannery O’Connor creates a distinction between the relationship with the protagonist, Julian and his mother, and his rejection towards her racist, old fashioned ideologies in a time period where segregation was beginning to disappear through the contrasts of traditional and conservative view and the modern/accepting perspective. O’Connor highlights the views of the mother who was once a wealthy Southern lady, by providing anecdotes of her past that indicated that she lived in a plantation with slaves, and provides symbols of varying degrees of desegregation.
    Julian and his mother have a conflicted relationship. Julian loathes his mother due to her supremacist and intolerant view toward blacks, and his mother dislikes the integration of whites and black together in society due to her upbringing in a highly segregated and conservative household. She often mentions her family who “had a plantation and two hundred slaves” and her “old darky nurse Caroline.” This emphasizes that she is still living in the past which segregation is accepted and considered a standard living for wealthy white people. She wanted to give the little black boy, Carter a penny, but by doing so, she fails to recognize that this is patronizing and condescending to African Americans due to their status in society. By doing this, she signifies that Blacks continue to be dependent on Whites to survive, and fails to see that black and whites are equal. On the other hand, Julian believes that he is “free of prejudice and unafraid to face facts.” He wants to “strike up an acquaintance on the bus with some of the better types, with ones that looked like professors or ministers or lawyers.” Julian believes that he is free from prejudice and because he disagrees with his mom’s view and he is open minded, but in fact, he is just as racist as his mother. Julian wants to act out against his mother’s racist ideologies by trying to make friends with the “better type” of black people. He picks and chooses the black people who he thinks is worthy enough for him to converse and befriends with through their appearances.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Well done, Audrey. Let’s discuss organization. Your Where should your new paragraphs begin? You did a great job analyzing and integrating evidence from the text.

      Reply
  4. Tiffany Cheung

    In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” (1961), she explains that Julian’s mother’s behavior revives cruel and racist procedures that continually oppress and devalue people of color. Through vivid experiences, Julian consistently attempts to influence his mother’s racially insensitive mindset with his own actions. O’Connor uses narration, dialogue, and examples to create an exasperated and defeated tone for Julian regarding his mother’s racist words and actions. O’ Connor brings to light several everyday stereotypes through social interactions in order to express the magnitude of racial injustice that is still relevant in our world today. The intended audience seems to be directed at privileged, white folks who have been taught discriminating behavior is acceptable.
    Julian suppresses his outrage for his mother’s behavior throughout the story but doesn’t let it end there; he continually uses his own behavior and attempts to teach her “lessons” such as befriending an African American stranger, fantasizing about bringing home an African American woman to his mother, and striking up conversations to prove to his mother that the color of one’s skin doesn’t define their integrity and character. He imagines his mother falling in and being saved only by the hands of an African American doctor.
    O’Connor’s builds on the story’s tone by using symbols such as the hat and money to assert her points. Julian’s mother sees an black woman wearing the same hat as she has on, and hats were a common accessory for women in the 1900’s. Julian hoped that seeing the hat on the colored stranger would assist her to comprehend the economic and social equality and common fashion sense, but his mother doesn’t catch on. The woman has a young child and shortly after, Julian tries to stop his mother from handing money to a young boy because her actions had a condescending overtone, as if he, a young black boy, needed help and handouts from a white person. The situation symbolizes blacks’ dependence on whites for finances among other survival needs, and although his mother didn’t intend to offend the young boy or his mother, the racist behavior had been ingrained in her mind and actions for so many years, even she didn’t realize- not even when she was swung at and fell to the ground.
    O’Connor’s indifferent and desensitized tone brings us beyond the pages with her use of vivid imagery. She sheds light on Julian’s urgency to help his mother understand they were equal to the black community in their society. The author uses terms such as “Negro and Negress” and even slang vocabulary such as “Come heah” to outline the timeline of the story.
    Julian’s mother strongly believes one’s social conduct determines a person’s true identity. This makes us think back to her upbringing and her own frame of reference. Her community and family must have heavily influenced her strong beliefs. She even shares on page two, “Your great-grandfather had a plantation and two hundred slaves.” Which clearly demonstrates that she sees black folk as no more than help, and that “they should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence.” She doesn’t see fully assimilated segregation, her lens is still set decades in the past. I believe O’Connor opens up the short story with the doctor urging her to lose weight due to her blood pressure because it’s relatable to our own parents and grandparents or relatives whom we care a great deal about, but may have opposing or one-sided views about the varying races in the world and their respective cultures. I believe O’Connor did a captivating job of truly bringing this story to life, highlighting Julian’s irritability and pain, and his mother’s persistent ignorance through dialogue, tone, symbols, motif, and vivid imagery.

    Reply
      1. tashak38 (Post author)

        Okay. Good work, Tiffany! Great ideas in here. Can’t wait to chat with you again. Looking at your revision –focusing on your organization. That’s what we’ll zero in on.

        Reply
  5. Adrian Gallegos

    Adrian Gallegos
    English 4
    10/19/17
    In Everything That Rises Must Converge (1965), by Flannery O’ Connor, The story explains that the characters struggle on having equality from their own race. The way how the author develops and supports this claim is that the character Julian in this story believes that the racial issues can be resolved by having equality towards other people. He stands out as one that gives an idea towards others in the story and uses that for his family, like his mother. O’ Connor’s purpose in order to write this was that there are black people who being treated poorly during the time of 1965 and in a sense she wants to share of what happen by giving examples. In today’s society, there still wouldn’t that much equality when it relates to the author because in this country (the United States) there are opportunities that are taken by some that are colored based on if those people have a citizenship or not.

    Reply
  6. Skylare Perez

    In the short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” (1965), Flannery O’Connor makes her claim clear throughout the story, by creating a character, Julian, to challenge his mother’s views. O’Connor uses the challenges of race and inequality as the main focal point of this story. Although Julian struggles to get his mother to see his point of view, the perfect scenario occurs. By using this scenario of a Negro woman and her Negro child getting onto the bus and sitting next to Julian and his mother, Julian is able to use this as a “teachable moment” for his mom. In the beginning, as well as throughout the whole story, Julian’s mother repeats the phrase, “If you know who you are, you can go anywhere.” (2) In the end, Julian states, “You need’t act as if the world had come to an end… because it hasn’t. From now on you’ve got to live in a new world and face a few realities for a change. Buck up.” (10). Julian’s mother wasn’t able to understand Julian’s viewpoint until she was literally slapped back into reality.

    In my opinion, I believe and stand by O’Connor’s point of view. In today’s society it seems as if we are in a constant war against one another due to the color of our skin. Whites (some, not all) have a constant mindset of superiority and make others feel as if they aren’t equal. Sometimes it takes a little slap in the face, or in this case, a punch in the face, to be able to come back to reality and realize that we are all human and should all be treated equally.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Love your thorough organization and attention to detail, Skylare. You are definitely paying attention. Let’s focus on pushing to analysis, on you assuming an authoritative voice — as well, adding more commentary after your evidence. What is the claim? What is O’Connor’s theme? What does she believe and how does your evidence support what she believes? Let’s talk more about this. Good job.

      Reply
  7. Lyzette Madero

    Flannery O’ Conner story “Everything That Rises Must Converge, he writes about a grown man companing his mother to her reducing class. On the way there he is reminded how annoyed he feels about his mother and how she is stuck in her old ways of how white people used to treat people of color. She prefers how things were with the older generation, her generation. She is not ready to escape the new generation and how people of color are being treated as equals.

    Throw Out the story O’ Conner uses many examples to illustrate how older generations think so different then the new generation. For example when Julian and his mom are on the bus to her class his mother makes a conversation with a white woman sitting close by, Julian mother notice that the bus has all white passengers and says to the woman “I see we have the bus to ourselves,[…] For a change,” said the women across the aisle […] The world is in a mess everywhere, […] I don’t know how we’ve let it get in this fix”. Julian, who is apart of the newer generation starts to feel engaged by his mother conversation throughout the rest of the story and he does not understand how his mother is so closed minded.

    This story made me realize how much people think differently beast on their generation. For example today’s generation are more ecapting of same sexs marrages then they used to in older generations. I enjoyed the reading and also felt sympathy for the unfortunate ending.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Okay. I like this. So, you’re saying O’Connor’s theme is intergenerational conflict? I would have liked to hear more — maybe extend the comparison you introduced. Draw it out more. Write that next sentence, maybe, “Older people find it harder to interact with and treat gay and lesbian marriages … ” Does that make sense? Let’s talk more about it.

      Reply
  8. Mitchell Reed

    In “Everything That Rises Must Converge” (1965) by Flannery O’ Connor, O’ Connor demonstrates that the younger generation of White Americans find it easier to adapt to the new racial norms in the south than the older generation of White Americans although both generations still judge by appearance. O’ Connor develops his demonstration by referring to Julian, a young white man who has just finished college and is aspiring to be a writer, and his mother, who must lose twenty pounds on account of her blood pressure, no longer possess her family’s former wealth, and can be identified as a bigot. Julian on one hand, resents his mother’s demeanor towards Black people, she considers Blacks as inferior however, Julian, like his mother, judges certain Black people similarly but to a different degree in efforts to seek out a perfect Black person to teach his mother a lesson. O’ Connor’s purpose is to point out the irony in Julian’s thought process so that people may think twice about judging people based on their appearance. He writes reflectively for White Americans that are struggling to cope with equality in America.

    O’ Connor’s purpose speaks volumes to the problems in America in the past, present, and possibly the future. People like Julian may think that they are nothing like their bigoted parents when in reality they too judged people on the same basis as their bigoted parents, appearance. True change and equality will never be achieved in America if we continue to judge people on their appearance. In my opinion, I somewhat agree with O’ Connor’s point. The newer generation of White people in America do adapt to the idea of equality in America better than older generations of White people. For example, in “Everything That Rises Must Converge” Julian had a conversation with his mother when she mentioned that their great grand father use to own slaves, she went on further and said that, “They were better off when they were” (2). That is, Julian’s mother displays her disgust with the fact that Black people were now seen as people instead of property. Julian later on replied with, “Let’s skip it” (3). That is, Julian displayed his disagreement with his mother’s demeanor towards Black people.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Well done, Mitchell. So, I’m reading that O’Connor writes an ironic and reflective tone through her character’s interactions with each other. I appreciate how you stay in the analytical voice. You take on the topic and do not shy from stating precisely what you think. Remember to stay away from “I” in your analysis unless specifically asked to speak from a first person perspective, as in an argument. Here, you only need to assert your opinions, without the “I”. Great work. Let’s discuss these things.

      Reply
  9. Thanh Ton

    In the short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” (1965) by Flannery O’Connor, the author explains the relationship of Julian and his mother and how they both view the world. His mother has a very racist view on the world while Julian tries to make his mother realize that times has change. Throughout the short story, Julian does what his mother wants him to because she is paying for his education and a place to live. He also knows that his mother’s views on those who are not Caucasian were basically inferior to her and tries to change his mother’s discriminate ways but she is very stubborn about it. A large amount of people still have this type of mindset and because of that, it feels like we are far away from racism yet so close to it.

    A sentence from the short story, “You aren’t who you think you are.” on page 10, states that no matter how much he has tried to convince his mother to change her racist mindset, it is not working. The mother tends to talk a lot about the past and how her grandpa used to own a plantation along with 200 slaves. As she says that, he rebuttals with “‘There are no more slaves,’ he said irritably”. The turning point is on page 9 when his mother got hit for giving the little boy a penny and the little boy’s mother punched Julian’s mother. He was angry that his mother had actually given the little boy a penny and said “You got exactly what you deserve, now get up.” The mother’s actions ended up enraging the little boy’s mom and she got attacked. I believe that this piece was written for anyone to read. I also believe this piece is suppose to be representative of our lifestyles, we believe in what we want but there will be those who do not believe in the same and sometimes it will end in you getting harmed.

    The speaker’s purpose was to try and change his mother’s old fashioned views of the world. She has this mindset of being superior due to her skin tone and those who do not have the same skin tone are not worthy of even talking with her. My opinion of the author’s point of this short story is that change is always happening and those who do not try to change and stick with the old might get harmed such as Julian’s mother getting punched by the little boy’s mother. She gave him a penny when she shouldn’t have because she was used to her old fashioned, slave owning ways. That ended with Julian’s mother getting attacked for doing such actions.
    If we still had stuck with owning slaves and believed that those who are not white are worth less than animals, we would not have been able to get far with life. Technology would be get anywhere along with life itself and if we allowed such lifestyles to come back, all Hell would break loose.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Than, I love the clarity of your voice. Let’s conference about organization. Looks like you did a little inductive move here, providing your evidence and then writing your thesis at the end. Am I getting that right? Not that you didn’t answer, you did; but, you wrote it at the end. Let’s talk.

      Reply
  10. Jose Jacinto Jr

    In the brief story, “Everything that rises must converge” by Flannery O’Connor, she proves that the overall tone of the story is a very bitter one. O’Conner creates this tone using Julien and the resentment he has towards his racist mother. Written at a time of segregation, in the midst of the American Civil rights movement, the story O’Conner tells is one about intergenerational conflict and desegregation in the new south. The story begins with Julien impatiently waiting to go with his mother to her class at the “Y”, as the story progresses we find out that Julien’s grandfather was a slave owner and his grandmother was a “Godhigh” which seems to insinuate that she was of “wealthy” or “high class” status. Julien’s mother mentions that she thinks African Americans “were better off when they were,” (2) slaves, this is important because this is when it is clear where she stands on the matter. Julien’s bitterness comes from wanting to Anger/Annoy his mother by having and voicing liberated racial views. I feel that the intended audience was for the new generation as well as the many closed-minded people who share similar views to those of Julien’s mother. It ended in irony as Julien felt his mother needed to be taught a lesson for her racist views, only to have the ultimate price of death paid, leaving him with a guilt inspired grief from his mothers death.

    Reply
  11. cmlomeli78

    Cesar m

    In, “Everything That Rises Must Converge,”(1965) by Flannery O’Connor she demonstrates the conflicting perspectives of society when equality is at risk. She explains the racial perspective of two generations, Julian and his mother who end up harming each other one for being racist and the other was color blind.
    O’Conner starts by issuing the health condition of Julian’s mother the high blood pressure and she introduces Julian, a well-educated man, who is struggling economically, but still has the support of his mother. Julian’s mother did a great sacrifice for him, by paying his school tuition and support him by saying that things will get better for him…….

    Reply
  12. Kiera Thomas

    In the short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor, the speaker expresses the importance in blacks and whites coming together as a whole. He also shows how hatred can take over what’s really important to us and by time we realize it, it’s too late. He does this by his use of character’s and the difference in their beliefs when it comes down to each race being equal. For example, Julian believes blacks and whites were equal so therefore blacks should have equal rights and should be able to interact with whites without it being an issue. Then, there’s his mother who doesn’t necessarily believe blacks don’t have the right to their own freedom but whatever it is that they are doing, they should be doing it from a distance. In other words, away from white people. Throughout the story, Julian expresses how much he hates his mother because of her personal beliefs and does anything to tick her off, until she dies. The intended audience would be for both people of color and whites to show that life is too short to dwell on who is superior over who and to hate people for their own beliefs.
    Overall, I believe O’Conner’s purpose for writing this story was significant and especially important today because of the reoccurrence of racism. At first, I could not tell what the title meant until I started reading the story and realized the meaning was in the title itself “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. Her reason behind this title is that we must come together as a whole to rise, whether we are black or white. It is also important because it’s known for people to hate others today because of their personal beliefs, and while dwelling so much on that we tend to lose focus on how much someone actually matters until it is too late.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Good job, Kierra. I appreciate your inclusion of your process — realizing how the title frames the narrative’s themes. Let’s talk about word choice, active voice and pushing analysis.

      Reply
  13. Emily Barnhart

    In the short story “Everything that Rises must Converge”, Flannery O’Conner uses speaker Julien to combat the naivety of his mother. O’Conner develops the contrasting morals of her two characters by constantly comparing how Julien reacts to his mother, and how his mother reacts to him. When Flannery writes “From this position he looked serenely across at his mother. Her face had turned an angry red. He stared at her, making his eyes the eyes of a stranger. He felt his tension suddenly lift as if he had openly declared war on her” (Pgs. 5/6) in order to portray how much Julien wants his mother to be open minded in regards to equality. He goes on throughout the story trying to teach his mother a lesson to no avail. Unfortunately in the end his mother learns a valuable lesson by getting punched in the face. But I think Julien also learned a lesson, because if he would have just let his mother walk home and cool off she might not have gotten so angry and had a stroke. If he didn’t push so hard to get his point across she might still be alive.
    This story is relevant in today’s society and the readers Flannery is trying to reach are the ones who might be like Julien’s mother and think that they’re doing people a favor by “being gracious” but in reality they aren’t.

    Reply
  14. Roxanna Mata English 4 2:30 class on Tue. and Thur.

    Roxanna Mata
    English 04 Sec 009
    Ms. Keeble
    10/19/2007

    Flannery O’Conner “Everything That Rise Must Converge”. Explains the two distinct points of view on segregation and racism, that was going on in that time. He gives two very different points of views that of his mothers and the other is his own point of view. Flnnery paints a clear and detailed picture of having to live in a place where there are big changes happing. He gives detail on his back ground and his mother in order for the reads to understand both points of views and what is happing at that time. It’s a point of view not of the pray but of the predator.
    Flannery Starts out his short story by giving a bit of history about his family and mother. How she was raised and “all she sacrificed for her son”. It was very important to him to give a visual all so of how his mothered looked and dressed. She seemed to be women that was very close minded and seem to not like change much. She lived constantly referred to her past making her look like change was difficult for her. Especially when it came to segregation and freeing of slaves. She was not a happy about it. She made very strong remarks in how she felt about having to share her own personal space with anyone other than whites. She believed it was best if they did their own lives separate hat it was just fine to be nice but not to interact with one another.
    In Flannery case, he felt different. He made it very clear in his writing. Flannery did not like how his mother thought of the whole situation. He actually felt that it was good that there was a change and that his mother lived I this little bubble. He wanted to make friends with people other the whites. Even though at times it seemed that he may only want to do it to upset his mother. He in his own way wanted her to see his point of view but he himself just did not know how to do it without creating a tense situation.

    Reply
  15. Karina Barillas

    In the short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” Flannery O’Connor criticizes the ignorance of Julian’s Mother, and reiterates the idea of karma in relation to moral wrong-doing. O’Connor highlights Julian’s annoyance and disconnection with his mother due to her childlike ways, and reinforces his hope to teach his Mother a lesson out of frustration and tough love. O’Connor’s purpose was to evoke emotion and a bias in her audience towards her subjects of family and racial prejudice. In order to do this she causes us to side with and ultimately relate to Julian, and follows with a surprise ending for him and his Mother. O’Connor’s intended audience is humanity as a whole in hopes that this reading would open people’s eyes the same way it did for Julian and his Mother.

    I enjoyed reading this story because I think it is a lot deeper than what is on the surface when analyzed. Not only does it relate to the racial tension we have today, I also think Julian’s relationship to his Mother helps teens relate to his character when reading. I wish in reality things didn’t have to come down to what they did in the story, and I wish humanity as a whole could grow up and transcend past ignorance and intolerance. Stories like this from decades ago are still relevant today and I find it incredibly disheartening.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Great work, Karina. All I’d ask you to change is the “I” first person response. Remember you do not need an “I” in an analytical response to literature. You are the authority, so we know it’s what you “believe”. In some cases, as in an argument paper, you may be asked to provide such a marker. Good job. Let’s talk about his in your conference.

      Reply
  16. Milan Lopes

    Flannery O’Connor symbolizes racial frustration in her short story Everything that Rises Must Converge. O’Connor utilizes symbolization to create a larger conversation about racism. She uses the characters relationship with each other in order to paint a broader picture of the prejudices that are still alive in the south. O’Connor illustrates both sides of the coin: those who are mostly absent of racial prejudices based off experience and understanding, and those who have been taught to believe in racial superiority.
    Racial frustration in the south particularly is an issue I take very seriously. I believe this tension causes a lot of preventable violence, and unjust laws in favor white superiority. Many southern states are primarily White and African American. This racial divide coupled with fact that southern states depended upon slavery for their lively hood has created a stigma between black and white people in the south that has never really gone away. O’Connor illustrates this by explaining how Julian’s mother blames her current lifestyle with the loss of her Grandparents slave plantation. Julian tries to humanize African Americans on the bus to try to change his mother’s ignorant views. When Julian realizes the black woman is wearing the same hat as his mother, he sees it as an opportunity for his mother to realize the black woman was no different from her. However, he knows his mother well and predicts her next passive racist move, giving a penny to the boy.
    Racism does not end just because a racist is silent. People often say racism is still alive, however racism never died, it just got quieter. O’Connor demonstrates when Julian’s mother sparks up a conversation on the bus with other white ladies, expressing how relieved they were that there were no black people, however, when African Americans did get on the bus they didn’t continue their racist conversation. Most of what went on thereafter was based upon body language. This is a perfect example of quiet racism in the south that has spread across America. Many people do not think they’re racist because they don’t say it out loud but their biases tells a different story. O’Connor use of symbolization creates an intriguing conversation about the effects of racial tension in the south.

    Reply
    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Thanks, Milan. Let’s chat next week. I love your authoritative voice as well as the scope of your analysis. Points for attention, comma use, proofreading and suspension of judgement..

      Reply
  17. Alexander Ruiz

    In Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Everything that rises must converge” O’Connor explains how all powers that rise will eventually clash against one another. O’Connor supports this idea by describing the feud between a son and his mother against the freedom of African Americans. Furthermore, there is another confrontation in the story between Black and White Americans. O’Connor’s purpose for writing this story is to express to the reader how conflicting ideas in society always lead to harsh confrontations; in order to do this O’Connor uses a lighthearted yet serious tone throughout the story. O’Connor’s intended audience, are those who have conflicting views on our society today.

    O’Connor’s tone in the story is lighthearted because of the use of some comedy throughout the story. In the story it says that “He imagined his mother lying desperately ill and his being able to secure only a Negro doctor for her. He toyed with that idea for a few minutes and then dropped it for a momentary vision of himself participating as a sympathizer in a sit-in demonstration.” (pg.7 which shows the reader how Julian wants to find a way to teach his mother a lesson by thinking of ways to get at his mom for having a negative mindset towards African Americans. Another example of this lighthearted tone is the fact that the whole story takes place on a bus and how everyone who gets on the bus sits in silence and minds their own business. This helps the story retain its lighthearted tone because of the awkward yet funny atmosphere one feels when riding a bus.

    This tone helps support the theme of the story by giving small points throughout that show the reader the bigger picture of the story. In the story it says:
    “The world is in a mess everywhere,” his mother said.
    “I don’t know how we’ve let it get in this fix.”
    which reveals to the reader how the mother views the current time they live in while she speaks to another woman on the bus in a regular conversation. Later in the story it says “The vision of the two hats, identical, broke upon him with the radiance of a brilliant sunrise. His face was suddenly lit with joy. He could not believe that Fate had thrust upon his mother such a lesson” and this shows the reader how both African Americans and White Americans are now equal in social class just because of the fact that a black woman and white woman own the same hat. Moreover, this allows the reader to get a concrete understanding of the son’s view of the time being the complete opposite of his mothers and how he actively lets his mother know this.

    In my opinion O’Connor’s theme in the story perfectly fits in today’s society because everyone has different views on everything. This is especially so in children and their parents because just like Julian and his mother children have different experiences than their parents. From those experiences they create their own views on the world. In today’s society African Americans and White Americans and all other races in America are in a constant confrontation trying to become better than the other but really we are all the same and we should view one another equally.

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  18. Raymond Cadion

    In “Everything That Rises Must Converge” (1965) by Flannery O’Connor, the narrator conveys to us a story of a young man, Julian, and his mother’s relationship in a poetic style. The two characters have a difficult time understanding each other that it’s portrayed throughout the whole story. In order for the theme of understanding to keep occuring, Julian and his mother argue about the idea of segregation. He also uses metaphors when the narrator speaks. O’Connor tells the story by using narration instead of telling the story in a first person point-of-view. This way of telling the story lets us picture the story as if we are following the characters through their daily lives. The tone of the story is very passionate. The narrator uses words such as vicious and elegence to help te audience create the scene in their head. The way the story is told helps the theme be told with more emotion and lets the audience create a connection with the characters.

    One example of Julian and his mother having a hard time understanding each other is when they were on the bus. On page 6, Julian decides to sit down next to a colored man, knowing that it would anger his mother. Julian then decides to interact with the man which makes his mother angrier. This section of the story tells us where both characters stand on segregation. It sort of sets a boundary between Julian and his mother. Julian likes colored people and doesn’t mind them while his mother doesn’t like them. On paragraph 6 in page 6, the narrator begins the paragraph with, “the mother continued to gaze at him but she did not take advantage of his momentary discomfort. Her eyes retained their battered look.” This lets us know that his mother isn’t fond of Julian’s action. Julian has a hard time understanding why his mother greatly dislikes black people while his mother doesn’t know why Julian doesn’t mind interacting with black people.

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  19. Annalese Mallory

    In the short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” (1965), Flannery O’Conner asserts the claim that in order to have true equality, everybody must be able to come together as one and truly see each other as equals. O’Conner applies the use of point of view and diction in order to help support her claim strongly and efficiently. I believe that this short story can be intended for a wide variety of people to help better understand that we will never be able rise as one if we don’t come together.
    This short story was written in a time when African Americans were beginning to gain more rights in society and people were having to adjust to that. I think that the author’s use of the point of view in this short story is a great aid in helping the reader understand the theme. Throughout the story, we are given an inside look at Julian’s thought process. He despises his mom for her bigotry, who grew up in a different generation than he did when slavery hadn’t been outlawed. He is constantly thinking of a way to teach her a lesson for her obsolete ways; “He might make friends with some distinguished Negro professor or lawyer…” (page 6) or bringing home a “beautiful suspiciously Negroid woman” (page 7). Being in Julian’s head undoubtably singles her out and makes the reader feel as if his mom is the only one completely wrong in the way she thinks and feels about black people and their place in society, which, of course, is wrong. She doesn’t believe in true equality and shows this in a number of ways. One example of that is her statement in reference to black people, “They should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence” (page 2).
    Although Julian’s mom is more outwardly racist and stuck in her ways and opinions of people, Julian, who thinks he is better than her and is more open minded, isn’t actually as close to equality as he feels he certainly is. When speaking about Julian, the narrator states, “… in spite of growing up dominated by a small mind, he had ended up with a large one; in spite of all of her foolish views, he was free of prejudice…” (page 5). He tries to start conversations with black people and has intentions of befriending them, but when he does, it is only with those that are distinguished lawyers, professors, or doctors. The man he tried to make conversation with on the bus was “well dressed and carried a briefcase” (page 5) and the other had a diamond ring on his finger; but when the mother and her son walked onto the bus, he described her and her presence in an unflattering and negative way saying, “she was a giant of a woman… her bulging figure was encased in a green crepe dress and her feet overflowed in red shoes” (page 7) and “… the woman was bearing down upon the empty seat beside Julian. To his annoyance, she squeezed herself into it” (page 7). The author’s use of hyperbole to exaggerate the description of the women from the moment she enters the bus and throughout the bus ride help the reader realize that Julian doesn’t truly see all blacks as equal; he only wants to befriend those that appear to be dignified. During the bus ride, rather than try to speak with the woman next to him in order to “teach his mom a lesson” and to be as open minded as he claims he is, he is more irritated with her presence.
    This need for convergence can also extend onto the mother that entered the bus with her son. Her son, Carver, is having a good time with Julian’s mom, smiling and giggling, but she tries to stop him from sitting and playing games with her on the bus. When Julian’s mother made a comment about how she believed Carver liked her, the narrator says his mother, “stood up and yanked the little boy off the seat as if she were snatching him from contagion” (page 8).
    After reading the story, the reader can understand the significance of the title and its relevance to the theme of the story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. What rises in power and social status, in this case it would be African Americans, must converge, or come together with others as well. We must all work together and sincerely accept one another in order to achieve genuine equality. I agree with O’Conners stance on this topic. In society, it isn’t possible to rise or to grow without convergence. We must truly come together as one whole without separate parts in order to reach and maintain equality.

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  20. cameronjmoniz

    Cameron Moniz
    ENG 4

    “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, written by Flannery O Conner, is a tale that proves relevant yesterday and today. The main character, Julian, is a young man who attempts (but ultimately fails) to get his mother to see the world from his lens. His mother is an “ol’ fashion woman” who sees the world in black and white, and even makes a solidifying comment on page 2. when Julian refers to slavery, stating that in our modern world, their are no slaves, his mother says, “they were better off when they were (slaves)”. She believes that the black community today was better under control of the white man as opposed to being free. In our modern world, at least for the most part, a statement like that is deemed as insane and ridiculous.

    Later in the story, Julian’s mother provides more evidence backing up the claim that she see’s the world as black and white when she, against her son’s advice, disrespectfully offers a young African American boy a penny out of what we believe to be pity. The young boy’s mother “exploded like a piece of machinery” (pg. 9) as she struck Julian’s mother. Following the incident, Julian’s mother acts a child as she doesn’t speak and rather just walks off ignoring her son’s “I told you so” comments. I find her silence to be a combination of shock, anger, yet realization that the way she was struck was well deserved, and somewhat of a wake-up call that she must change her views and change her ways.

    This piece, relevant in 1817 as well as 2017, should be directed for all audiences. Young, old, white, black, all should be able to identify the injustices in this piece and learn from them. Although this is just a “short story”, in many ways it is an accurate representation of America yesterday and today

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  21. jordanmh

    Flannery O’Connor wrote “Everything That Rises Must Converge”,in this O’Connor manifests views of life and discrimination between two generations but when pettiness gets in the way of living O’Connor teaches us that life is too short to be hateful. O’Connor develops this life lesson by having the speaker be bitter towards his mother and constantly projecting his anger about his life upon her. Julian is in a constant battle with his mother reminding her she is not superior to anyone and it is ridiculous that he has to take her on the bus everyday. He continues to do so only because he owes her that much for giving him life and love. O’Connor’s purpose is to educate the reader about rising above all differences because in the end we all have a beating heart, in order to do show that O’Connor uses the bus scene where a black woman and her son board. The little boy sits next to his mom, while the mother sits next to Julian. Julian doesn’t notice at first but the black woman is wearing the same hat his mom had just bought. Right then he realizes this is his mother’s ultimate lesson but, in the mix of his joy his mother breaks down and he realizes that there’s something more important than teaching her a lesson.. O’Connor intended this to be for everyone to show to everyone that despite all differences we all are living beings and when it comes down to life and death we shouldn’t care who the color of the person is that needs help or is helping us.

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  22. Erika Coker

    In Flannery O’ Connors short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge” the speaker repetitively struggles to get his mother to open her eyes and listen to his views on race and inequality. In the short story Julian tried to point out several things to his mother and even gave her many examples so she could realize that she was not superior to anyone but she was so stuck in her ways she couldn’t understand/ agree with his point of view. While Julian and his mom were on the bus a black woman and her son got on the bus and essentially they were the same as Julian and his mom. Unfortunately Julian’s mom did not realize that .”Julian saw that it was because she and the woman had, in a sense, swapped sons. Though his mother would not realize the symbolic significance of this, she would feel it. “(Pg.7)It wasn’t until Julian and his mom got off of the bus until Julian’s moms eyes were opened by an eye opening event. The intended audience would be humans in general I think we could all benefit from reading something like this it’s a reminder that we are all equal.

    My opinion about O’Connor’s view is that it’s totally relatable to the world we live in today. I feel like we’re in a race war but in reality we’re all equal. When Julian and his mother were on the bus the black woman that had gotten on the bus was wearing the exact same hat that Julian’s mom was wearing “The vision of the two hats, identical, broke upon him with the audience of a brilliant sunrise.”(Pg.8) In a way I felt like that hat resembled equality because they were both on the bus, with their sons with the same hat on. They were two completely different people but in a way they were exactly the same.

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    1. tashak38 (Post author)

      Ok, Erika. I love that you discuss the mirroring in the short story. Let’s discuss removing the first person “I” and simply presenting your argument. Good job.

      Reply
  23. Tomas

    Flannery O’Connor outdoes herself in her brief story “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. This story has a name that, initially, does not make sense, which makes the reader want to find out more. In addition to this, the name defines what the purpose of the narrative is and assists the reader to comprehend that the significant topic of the narrative whilst using symbols and additional procedures to further illustrate the lesson. Throughout the name and the inherent motif, Flannery O’Connor reveals the struggles between society and generations in her short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge”.

    The name of the brief story has more detail than you might initially think. After reading the narrative, the reader could decode exactly what the name implies. The brief story is told at some period that elephants are rising in energy and therefore are becoming equals to whites. With the growth of electricity together with the blacks, blacks must alter their ways to permit this to take place. White men and women are unable to feign that the growth of the power of elephants isn’t happening. They shouldn’t lie in the past. The title “Everything That Rises Must Converge” Clarifies that not only if people recognize the growth of blacks, but blacks need to converse with them so as to live together peacefully. Julian’s mom, at the narrative, says, “It’s ridiculous. It’s simply not realistic. They should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence (pg. 2).” Here is a prime illustration of the way Flannery O’Connor reveals the struggles between blacks and whites; how whites weren’t sanctioning blacks to grow to become contrasts with whites, but instead by themselves. The name of the brief narrative doesn’t just describe what the brief story is all about but also the significant subject of it.

    A significant theme of the brief story is that the struggles between society and generations. The name, after reading the narrative, highlights the topic of the narrative. Not only is there that the battle between generations from the narrative, but also the battles of society. The generational battle comes out of Julian and his mom. Julian believes that blacks ought to rise to power alongside whites and that they ought to live together. His mom doesn’t feel exactly the identical way.

    “Your great-grandfather had a plantation and two hundred slaves.” [she said]

    “There are no more slaves,” he said irritably.

    “They were better off when they were,” she said. (pg. 2)

    Julian’s mother believes that blacks ought to rise for their own power, but at another location than where whites reside, and that their lives could be better when they were still slaves. Both of these remarks demonstrate that she’s not ready for the convergence of those 2 races. This really is actually the generational struggles, but there’s also the battles with culture inside the publication. The battle that society isn’t just allowing blacks to grow to become equals to whites, but also letting them rise in the middle of the white inhabitants. This leads to a different (white) girl on the bus to proceed farther back to the bus. For this, Julian’s mom, “leaned forward and cast[ed] her an approving look (pg. 5).” This demonstrates that not only will be Julian’s mom not accepting elephants to become excruciating but rather everybody, society, considers exactly the exact same fashion on various levels. The name and the subject, though connected in a lot of ways, aren’t the only elements of this brief narrative; symbols really are a substantial portion of the narrative, too.

    A significant sign of Everything That Rises Must Converge is that the purple hat worn by Julian’s mother along with the black lady on the bus. Julian explains the hat to have a “purple velvet flap [that] came down on one side of it and stood up on the other; the rest was green and looked like a cushion with the stuffing out (pg. 7).” The hat signifies how both girls, both white and black, are all on the exact same social grounds. In years past whites, regardless of what their economic level, was consistently seen as superior to blacks. Following the end of segregation, this unspoken rule no longer implemented, which allowed blacks to be viewed exceptional to whites that are poorer for the very first time. The hat is a sign of the way both girls, Julian’s mother, along with the black lady, are more similar than different. The hat indicates that Julian’s mom and the black lady both have exactly the exact same taste in clothes, shop at the exact areas, ride the bus, and don’t want their sons to conversate with the opposite race. The hat worn by Julian’s mother along with the black lady is a significant symbol in this brief story.

    The brief narrative Everything That Rises Must Converge, by Flannery O’Connor is a great read, filled with course, symbols, motifs, plus a name which makes the reader think twice. The name of the story says that everything, that describes blacks, is increasing in power and has to converge, come together, with whites to be able to work in society. The name isn’t merely the basis of this narrative but also links to the significant topic of the job. The battles between society and generations are found through the whole narrative. Conflicts between Julian and his mum, in addition to conflicts between whites and blacks in society. Throughout the name and the inherent motif, Flannery O’Connor reveals the struggles between society and generations in her brief story “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. This story has a name that doesn’t make sense to the reader till they’ve read the narrative, which makes it an ideal focus grabber and method of displaying the underlying purpose of the narrative.

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