The Rest of week 11

The Man who was Almost a Man is the story of a young man named Dave who had a messed up idea of what it is to be a man. He was a poor black boy that worked in the fields every day. His pay was not given to him but to his mother. Dave begins the story talking about how he deserves to buy something with his money. Afterall, Dave had been working very hard. Unfortunately, the item Dave wanted to buy was a gun. He bought the gun from a man named Joe at the store after persuading his mom that he was buying the gun for his father. The way Joe thought did not seem rational. It was as if he had the body of a man but the mind of a child. Dave was very emotionally unstable which was the main conflict of the story. Noone saw Dave as a man because of this. Dave’s undying desire to be called “a man” led him to make poor decisions. Dave’s entire perception of what a man is supposed to be is wrong. Dave thought that being feared is what makes a man. Perhaps this is because his father beats him which is mentioned in the story. Either way, the longing to be feared caused Dave to go on a shooting rampage late one night. He often thought bizarre thoughts about shooting at Mr. Hawkins house. Mr. Hawkins is the man Dave worked for and also the owner of the mule that Dave accidently shot. In the end, Dave runs away on a train in hopes to find a place where he can be a man. Becoming a man is a natural thing that is emphasized in many cultures throughout the world. If only Dave would have had the right idea of what a man truly is he would not have gotten himself in such a sticky situation. Dave acted completely childish by lying, playing with a gun, and running away from home. All of his characteristics were making him not be a “man”.


Powerhouse by Eudora Welty is a short story that takes the reader into a wondrous new place. That place is the audience of an eccentric colored musician named Powerhouse. It is in this short story that readers alike go into the amazing world of early African American music as well as glance at the harsh realities of racism. This short story uses lots of vivid imagery as well as interesting comparisons to show one what “Powerhouse” and his band were really like. Welty says, “There’s no one in the world like him”, talking about Powerhouse. She also describes him based on racist things that people have characterized various categories of people. For example, she says that Powerhouse “ looks more like a Asiatic,monkey,Jewish,Babylonian,Peruvian,fanatic,devil”. Powerhouse really get’s into the music he is playing as if in a trance. The music that Powerhouse plays is Jazz. Jazz was an important part of African American’s lives. If once looks deeper into the story there is a darker side to such a light-hearted story. There is afterall, the constant talk of the telegram that said “ You’re wife is dead”. It makes me wonder whether or not his wife is really dead. The way the various band members talk it seems as if she might be alive and has just wondered away some other place. This story was hard for me to understand. Out of everything I have read this semester, Powerhouse is definitely the most complicated thing for me. I understand that Powerhouse is a laid back guy that continues to play his music despite everything that is going on in his life.