Analysis Of Barnlund And Angelou Essay, Research Paper

Analysis of Angelou and Barnlund

The separation of two different worlds often results in the lack of ability to communicate between one another. In Maya Angelou’s excerpt “Mary,” Angelou depicts the story of a girl named Marguerite who is employed as a slave in Mrs. Cullinan’s home. Angelou deliberately creates this character to symbolize the racial barrier between two worlds, black and white. She suggests that there is a pre-distinguished barrier between these two cultures and nothing can be done to change the natural reaction that comes along with communicating to another culture.

The lack of communication between two cultures explains the lack of understanding and knowledge one has of another culture. When Marguerite first arrives at the house, “it [takes] [her] a week to learn the difference between a salad plate, a bread plate and a dessert plate” (4). In white culture, this would not have even been a question, but merely common knowledge. However, because Marguerite comes from a different background, the life she lived before working at the house suggests she had a life of simplicity at home. By learning the differences between each type of plate, Marguerite “gains entrance into the assumptive world of another culture” (49). Dean Barnlund suggests people remain outsiders if they do not become open-minded toward another culture. If there were no communication at all between Marguerite and Mrs. Cullinan, Marguerite would not have been able to learn about white culture, and each type of plate. Miss Glory, who represents a more traditional side of a slave having worked for Mrs. Cullinan for 20 years, has a lot of previous knowledge and does not let Marguerite “say a thing against her mistress” (4). In this case, Miss Glory knows to keep quiet and not talk about anyone who is white, a more superior race than her own. Miss Glory believes it is okay to order Marguerite because she only has age superiority over her. However, they still come from the same cultural background, and thus, they are placed on the same level on the social pyramid. This is seen when Marguerite describes how her glass “[sits] with Miss Glory’s on a separate shelf from the others” (4). Angelou suggests that people with opposite backgrounds are inferior of each other, and the traditional Miss Glory feels that she has power over the “new girl” Marguerite. Marguerite also knows to “[think] privately” (4) about her opinion towards Mrs. Cullinan and her ugliness, because she is inferior. Marguerite is possibly already aware of the consequences if she ever referred to Mrs. Cullinan as ugly. Even though Marguerite arrived not too long ago, there is already a pre-placed barrier between the blacks and whites. Blacks and whites are taken as complete opposite cultures in society. In the incident where Marguerite serves tea to Mrs. Cullinan and her friends on the porch, one lady asks for her name. Without the blink of an eye, Mrs. Cullinan responds for Marguerite and tells her friend “she doesn’t talk much. Her name’s Margaret” (5). This stereotype placed on Marguerite is not based on any substance, considering she has only known Marguerite for a few days. In reality, Marguerite does have a lot to say, and is not being quiet just because she is shy. Marguerite’s failure to rebut, but giving a fake smile instead portrays the strong communication barrier between the two cultures. Deep down inside Marguerite would love to correct the old, rich, white woman, because she cannot even pronounce her name correctly. Because of this racial separation of communication, the only way Margaret can express her feelings is by writing a poem on “being white, fat, old, and without children,” implying Mrs. Cullinan. One can clearly see the difficulty of the communication across worlds, indicating that blacks and whites have a certain level of distance between them. This distance is already set, and nothing can be done to change the way society works or thinks. In another incident, Mrs. Cullinan calls Marguerite by her new name “Mary” for the first time. In Marguerite’s culture, it is a form of disrespect. She claims that is a “dangerous practice to call a Negro anything that could be loosely construed as insulting…” (6). It is evident that Mrs. Cullinan surely does not see the severity of her insult. Angelou agrees with Barnlund, where Mrs. Cullinan sees Marguerite as not being a true human figure, and “a subhuman form of life” (51). Barnlund suggests that one will always view his/her own culture as the highest form of human life, like Mrs. Cullinan does and degrade on cultures preceding the white race. Again, Marguerite fails to respond to Mrs. Cullinan’s response because of the barrier. Without a response from Marguerite, Miss Glory automatically sees the fury in Marguerite and responds with “sticks and stones may break your bones, but words [should never hurt you]” (7). Angelou shows that people within cultures have a connecting vibe, and reassurance to ask how the other person is feeling is not necessary. However, because Miss Glory and Marguerite are on different scales of traditionalism and newness, they still have different levels of understanding. For example, when Miss Glory explains how her original name was “Hallelujah,” and changed to “Glory” for short, they both share different views on the change. Miss Glory claims she likes her new name, and Marguerite wants to laugh. The understanding that Miss Glory does not see in Marguerite agrees with Barnlund and his claim of best friends failing to understand each other. The “best friends,” who represent replicas of us can also be used to represent people of the same culture. There is also so much variety within each culture, which presents challenges of communication between each other. Barnlund raises the fact that because there is variation within cultures, it is even harder to communicate when there are two diverse cultures. Between Marguerite and Miss Glory there is much frustration, though they are both still able to communicate between one another. On the other hand, Marguerite and Mrs. Cullinan have much tension between them, which allows for merely no communication at all. In another instance, when Mrs. Cullinan calls Marguerite a “nigger,” she adds a very negative connotation to the word because she is white. Languages of different cultures have different interpretations of the same word. In this case, Mrs. Cullinan, being white, uses this term as a degrading and embarrassing way to insult Marguerite for breaking her dishes. The word “nigger” used in black culture would have just been a nonchalant way to refer to another African-American. There are many linguistic flaws within each culture, and it is important to “crash another culture with only the vaguest notion of its underlying dynamics [for it is] not only a provincial na?vet? but a dangerous form of cultural arrogance” (51). Mrs. Cullinan has not even attempted to learn about Marguerite’s culture, which places her in a mold to “aggravate existing prejudices” (49). Her pre-determined notion of blacks stays the same with every black person, and they are all treated equally as slaves.

Throughout the passage of “Mary,” there is a continual blockade separating the blacks from whites, and even some cases, separating blacks from blacks. Barnlund suggests that there is a lack of communication between two different cultures. This barrier is pre-distinguished due to a judgmental view of the other culture. Nothing can be done about this pre-set wall placed between cultures, and it must be accepted that way because society works that way. People burden cultures with stereotypes even though they may not even know the person. Lack of communication and learning from each other results in naive actions and words. It is advantageous to learn about new cultures in order to globalize the world with one language.

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