Revised paper 4

Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi depicts the author’s life in Mississippi from her childhood before the Second Reconstruction through the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. However, Moody’s honest story allows a reader to understand the reality of a Black woman’s life in the South. From the beginning, Moody not only dealt with racism coming from White Southerners, but also battled older Black people, whom she was surrounded. Their views were drastically different from that of the Moody’s generation. Being a central character of the story, Anne Moody represents one of the many thousands of those young African-Americans of the movement. From her story, one can see the Civil Rights movement was as successful as it was because of younger generation’s views versus the views of the older generation. These views held by the younger generation however, required many bodies to accelerate and keep the movement going.

The generation that ran the Second Reconstruction movement questioned their surroundings more than the older generation. Growing up the older generation did not question why there was an obvious difference in the way they were treated by society than White people. They naturally begun to accept it has a way of life. When Moody was a young child, along with her toddler-aged siblings, Adeline and Junior, they happily played with the White children, who loved near them and did not think twice about their racial differences. But then Moody’s mother forbade her children from playing with them and at that point Moody did not understand why it mattered whether her playmates were White. And the more she searched for answers, the angrier her mother became. (Moody, 35) Many children, like Anne Moody at the time, believed it was a more natural way of life to play with children without thinking of their race and were forced to learn their parent’s “way of life.” As Anne grew up, she learned however that not all White people seek to harm African-Americans. Cumulatively, the frustration of what she believed versus what her mother believed led her to become involved in the civil rights movement.
For the movement to be successful, well-educated and outgoing activists were needed. Growing up, Moody was unlike many of the other young, poor, African-American girls as she did well in school and was quite involved in extracurricular activities. Even so, the younger generation of African-Americans overall completed more years of education that the parents of these young children. At the time Moody attended college, the stereotype was that only high-class light-skinned African-Americans with rich fathers could attend prestigious colleges, such as Tougaloo. (Moody, 256) Although growing up without the means to attend college, Moody worked various jobs vigorously and received a scholarship. Going to Tugaloo, gave Moody the chance to become a member of the NAACP. Soon after, she joined other activist groups such as SNCC. These groups gave Moody the opportunity to become an active member of the movement. Moody’s story represents that of many other young African-Americans, who wised to see a change in their civil rights. However, it takes many “bodies” to take the initiative to join groups, such as the NAACP, which were very risky to join at that time, especially in Mississippi. By being surrounded by many well-educated students, such as herself, Moody was able to join NAACP with greater ease because there is a greater sense of security.

I. Moody’s mother’s constant battering and not allowing Moody as a child to understand the reality around her.
Contributes to Moody’s experience interacting with lighter-colored African-Americans and her mother’s experience and how this stems directly from the racism from the Whites onto Black people.
II. Moody’s naturally defiant characteristic is representative of the many thousands of young African-Americans who would soon be involved with the movement later on in the story.
a. Where Moody came from she was one of the very well educated young black girls. But when she went to junior and senior college she saw there were many successful and educated African-Americans.
III. How Moody felt towards the murders occurring versus those older than her.
IV. The political views of the older versus younger generation in terms of segregation and voting.
V. Her family’s reaction to her involvement in the movement.
a. NAACP, SNCC
b. Sit-ins
VI. At the time where the story ended. Moody is quite pessimistic of the movement, while what has changed so far may be good enough for those of the older generation.
a. Moody seeks lack of leadership in those heading the groups of the movement.