One Friday Morning by Langston Hughes – Summary

Introduction

“One Friday Morning” by Langston Hughes Racism and discrimination in general are things that are sadly practically inevitable. It is very unlikely that you ever will be able to find a society with no discrimination at all. Langston Hughes, who is an African-American writer, shows this in his short story “One Friday Morning”. Langston Hughes sheds light upon things like: The American Dream, equality and The Declaration of Independence.

It's a story that deals with racism. It focuses on a young high school student who is in her last year.

She is a gifted artist. She had applied to the scholarship offered by one of the art schools that is nearby. Her family was originally from the Southern part of the United States, they had moved to Washington, D.C. in hopes that their daughter, the protagonist, would have a better chance than they had when they grew up. The setting of the story is most probably still during the segregation era, before Martin Luther King's time. Thus, she, the protagonist, is told ahead of time by the principal, a white woman, of her winning the scholarship so that she can prepare her speech in front of the assembly. Several days later, she' called into the office, where she's given a letter detailing that while her piece of art is remarkable, but they do not accept "colored" art. In a succinct wording; you are black, therefore you are ineligible for a scholarship because we're racist pricks. In the end, she has hope for the future because of what the principal says following what she has read. And her actions condoning the scholarship board's actions.

Discussion

Discrimination is all around us; everyone is discriminated one point in his or her life. Langston Hughes, an African-American writer, wrote the short story “One Friday Morning.” The story is about a girl who was discriminated in her school because she was black. Life brings many disappointments, which make a person stronger. People who discriminate usually have never experienced discrimination.

Nancy Lee was honored when she was informed that she had received the scholarship. Her principal was proud to see that Nancy Lee was going to be the first African-American student to attend the art school. She was happy to see someone finally overcome the racial barricade that was still present in the school. 

In One Friday Morning, Nancy Lee was a great example of an individual who resists racism in our current world. It is certain that racism will never dissolve completely, ensuring that there will always be opportunities for individuals from every race to take a stance and fight back. Nancy Lee’s encounter with racism motivated her to make her stronger, rather than bring her down.

Works Cited

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