Dreams are a necessity throughout one’s lifetime.

Without dreams, there would be

no ambition to “reach for the stars.” Which means that there would be no end
goal to get too. Not having dreams is like chasing a ghost. It is just the
equivalent to following an invisible shadow. It is a dire egg hunt for not only
children, but us, as adults as well. We must know what we want to do and follow
that ambition. Most people dream, while others don’t. Whether they are big or
small, it contributed to who they became as of today.
Pssst... we can write an original essay just for you
Any subject. Any type of essay.
We’ll even meet a 3-hour deadline.
GET YOUR PRICE
121 writers online
Even the most successful of people had dreams and that is what has made them
what they are today. Without them having the ability to dream, they wouldn’t
have that blueprint to see where they are today, looking back into the past. I
believe that without the ability to dream, you will be bored and tired of the
same monotonous routines of your daily life and will not even find interest in
the most thrilling of things: such as taking risks. I believe that only with
dreams, will you find a purpose to live your life. This can help you get to
where you want too. You will start working hard towards the dream and will never
lose interest in pursuing what you dream of. You will never tire and you will
always be striving to get where you want. Personally, I say this is the best way

m
to become successful. But with dreams, comes great responsibility. It is just

er as
not enough to dream and then just hope for it to happen. Many people dream, but

co
only some wake up everyday, and work for their dreams.

eH w
Without this hard work, a dream will only remain a desire in the subconscious
mind and will never be achieved. You will never feel that ecstatic feeling of

o.
achievement. You will never get pride in what you do and what you have achieved.
rs e
If you don’t have motivation, you will only be able to see your dreams when you
ou urc
close your eyes and not open them. You will never enjoy the luxuries of life
that will have you smiling. Failures may and do come for a fact, but the
attitude to keep moving on and trying to improve is gotten by trying. Dreams are
the fuel that keep pushing you to go further and achieve more than you already
o

have. Even if there are many obstacles in life, you tend to keep moving further
aC s

and trying to be better than who you are. Dreams also help in aiming for bigger
v i y re

goals. Dreaming for big goals are very important and they can even be dreams
that change the course of your entire life. It decides your occupation and your
inner desires.
For teenagers and kids, it helps in becoming more studious and makes you more
inclined towards studying. It helps you achieve any goal that you want to
ed d

achieve. It is almost the most essential thing in one’s life. So dreams are very
ar stu

important in life of a human being. Dreams are what motivate, inspire, improve
and help you in achieving any goal that you want to achieve. Coming from someone
who always wants to better themself, I believe this.Rose, in the Midst of
Changes
Pssst... we can write an original essay just for you
sh is

Any subject. Any type of essay.

We’ll even meet a 3-hour deadline.
Th

GET YOUR PRICE

121 writers online
In the course of an enduring history of segregation in the United States, there
1950’s was one of the times when African Americans actively fought for equal
rights. Many African American men, such as Martin Luther King Jr. who is famous
for the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56), played a crucial role. African
American women, who were under a dual burden, were also going through changes,
although not as visible as men’s. August Wilson, an American playwright, wrote
Fences in 1986, which portrays an African American family living in 1950’s.
Rose, one of the main characters, is the wife of Troy, who is a black garbage
truck driver. Rose has to support her talkative but authoritative husband who
always complains of his failed dream as a baseball player and grudgingly blames
segregation for his failures. She has to act as a mediator in the conflicts
between her husband and her son. She even has to put up with Troy cheating on
her and later even asks her to raise the out-of- wedlock child. Rose matches up
with other African American women in the 1950’s because she sacrifices herself,

This study source was downloaded by 100000822654079 from CourseHero.com on 08-13-2021 06:49:29 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/86780541/document-8txt/
 she is not sexually protected, and yet she is independent.
Rose is sacrificial, like other black women. Even though movements for African
American’s rights were ongoing, many black women’s rights were still vulnerable.
Sacrifice was a deep- rooted characteristic in African American women due to
racism and sexism. Rose’s tasks are endless. Not only is Rose a housewife doing
laundry and preparing meals, she is also a caregiver and problem solver for
nearly everyone in the family. Rose acts as a mediator every time when Cory, who
is born between Rose and Troy, is in conflict with his dad and when their first
son Lyon, who was born from Troy’s previous wife, is in bad terms with his dad.
She is also concerned with and takes care of Gabriel, Troy’s brother who is
mentally retarded after an accident in the army. Despite all her hard works as a
mom and a wife, Troy tells her that he was seeing another woman. Then, Rose
angrily says to Troy, “I done tried to be everything a wife should be.
Everything a wife could be.” (2.1.235-236) Even when Troy brings the baby born
by the woman he is cheating with, and asks Rose to take care of the baby, Rose
accepts to raise the baby. Rose is not alone in her sacrifices as a woman. In
his paper, “Mammies and Matriarchs: Tracing Images of the Black Female in
Popular Culture 1950s to Present.”, Sewell probes the popular culture of 1950’s
to look at the imagery of black women. Most women described by the pop culture
are seen as “constant source of help” (Sewell). Rather than as individual women,
black women of 1950s, like Rose, were regarded as mothers and wives who had to
devote their lives to their family.

m
Rose’s sexuality is not protected, like other black women in the 1950’s. Rose is

er as
not raped or sexually abused outside her home in the play, unlike many black

co
women. Nor does Troy sexually abuse Rose. However, Troy’s attitude and speech

eH w
toward Rose indicates that Troy does not respect Rose’s sexuality. It seems that
Rose has no power over her sexual life, and Troy is the one in control. In the

o.
presence of his friend Bono, Troy frequently disclosed parts of his sexual life
rs e
with Rose, which needs privacy without the consent of the other party. Troy puts
ou urc
his arm around Rose and says to Bono, “Don’t you come by my house Monday morning
talking about time to go to work… cause I’m still gonna be stroking!” He
continued his conduct even though Rose rebuked him saying, “Troy! Stop it now!”
(1.1.536-543) This does not happen once. Troy again in front of Bono said, “Is
o

supper ready woman? Me and you got some business to take care of. I’m gonna tear
aC s

it up too.” Rose responded, “Troy, I done told you now!” (1.4.437-439) One might
v i y re

see this as just playful jokes that mean nothing. Yet, Meyer Leyser in her
paper, “Strange Love”: Searching for Sexual Subjectivities in Black Print
Popular Culture during the 1950s, analyzes several articles, letters and other
print cultures to look at the subjectivity and the distorted image of African
American women’s sexuality. In 1951 a paper written by unnamed author, titled
ed d

“Sexual Habits of Negro Women” claimed that African American women are
ar stu

“extraordinarily sensual. Other printed pieces insinuate that black women were
more sexually deviant and not sexually respectful (Meyer). This indicates that
sexuality of black women in the 1950’s was often distorted and not protected as
Rose’s sexuality was disrespected by Troy. This contorted image of black women’s
sexuality does not end as mere images. These can indicate potential sexual abuse
sh is

or harassment done to black women. One usually thinks of white male as a sexual
aggressor toward black women. However, between 1951 and 1960, out of twenty six
Th

sex-crimes in Chicago on trial, nineteen cases, which is 73 percent, included

African American victims testifying against African American defendants except
for one case (Flood). As the study showed, African American men’s not respecting
the sexuality of black women has close relationship with sex-crimes. Therefore,
Rose and other African American women’s sexuality were not respected and
protected in the 1950’s.
Need help with writing?
You can order professional work according to specific instructions and 100%
plagiarism free.
LEARN MORE
Despite her sacrifices and sexual vulnerability, she was as independent as other
African American women. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary,
“independent” means not subject to control by others; not requiring or relying
on others; showing a desire for freedom. After Troy revealed that he was having
an affair, Rose clearly showed her desire for freedom. This could be seen when
Rose cried out to Troy during their argument, “I got a life too. I gave eighteen

This study source was downloaded by 100000822654079 from CourseHero.com on 08-13-2021 06:49:29 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/86780541/document-8txt/
 years of my life to stand in the same spot with you. Don’t you think I ever
wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life?
What about me.”(2.1.326-330) Even though she has been putting up with her life,
her suppressed wants for freedom were finally exploded. Desperate wants for
freedom do not only apply to Rose. According to Feldstein Ruth in her writing,
““The World Was On Fire”: Black Women Entertainers And Transnational Activism In
The 1950s.”, the female activist-entertainers among whom is Maya Angelou, “drew
attention to unequal relationships between blacks and whites and to
relationships between men and women.” The black women shouted for freedom as
wives and as African Americans via entertainment (Feldstein 1-2). In an economic
sense, many African American women were independent as well. In his paper, Craig
W. Heinicke focuses on the changes in the labor force of African American
married women in the South from 1950 to 1960. His observations tell that while
the labor force participation rates of African males dropped from 79.3% to
73.9%, the female labor force rose from 37.1% to 39% between 1950 and 1960
(Heinicke). This “independence” of black women indicates the shifting change of
women in the 1950’s which was the time right before the passionate activism of
blacks. Rose was a black woman in the midst of those shifting moments, shifting
from a sacrificial housewife to an independent woman.
In conclusion, as a remnant of racial and gender inequality, Rose, along with
other African American women, was sacrificial in her family and her sexuality
was not respected. However, at the same time, they were, or were becoming

m
independent women. Women spoke for their freedom inside and outside their home.

er as
Some of them were even financially independent. In the mainstream transition,

co
visibly led by black male activists during the 1950’s, women were also changing.

eH w
As Rose portrayed the black woman both before and after the changes, she is a
typical African American woman in the 1950’s.

o.
Works Cited rs e
Feldstein, Ruth. ““The World Was on Fire”: Black Women Entertainers and
ou urc
Transnational Activism in the 1950s.” OAH Magazine of History 26.4 (2012): 25-
29. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
http://ezp.tccd.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=31h&AN=82109157&site=ehost-live&scope=site
o

Flood, Dawn Rae. “”THEY DIDN’T TREAT ME GOOD”: African American Rape Victims and
aC s

Chicago Courtroom Strategies during the 1950s.” Journal of Women’s History 17.1
v i y re

(2005): 38,61,210. ProQuest. Web. 2 Mar. 2016 http://ezp.tccd.edu/login?

url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/203247419?accountid=7079
Heinicke, Craig W. “One Step Forward: African-American Married Women in the
South, 1950-1960.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 31.1 (2000): 43-62.
America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
ed d

http://ezp.tccd.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
ar stu

direct=true&db
Meyer, Leisa D. “”Strange Love”: Searching for Sexual Subjectivities in Black
Print Popular Culture during the 1950s.” Feminist Studies 38.3 (2012):
625,657,784. ProQuest. Web. 29 Feb. 2016 http://ezp.tccd.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com.ezp.tccd.edu/docview/1283329491?accountid=7079
sh is

Sewell, Christopher. “Mammies And Matriarchs: Tracing Images Of The Black Female
In Popular Culture 1950S To Present.” Journal Of African American Studies 17.3
Th

(2013): 308-326. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.

http://ezp.tccd.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=89411308&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Wilson, August. Fences. Literature Craft and Voice. 2nd ed. Eds. Nicholas
Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 1489-1530. Print.

This study source was downloaded by 100000822654079 from CourseHero.com on 08-13-2021 06:49:29 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/86780541/document-8txt/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)