I'll never know why it was important to him that the couple (he said later that he'd never seen them before) would take a picture of a whole Mr. Johnson back to Little Rock. He must have tired of being crippled, as prisoners tire of penitentiary bars and the guilty tire of blame. The high-topped shoes and the cane, his uncontrollable muscles and thick tongue, and the looks he suffered of either contempt or pity had simply worn him out, and for one afternoon, one part of an afternoon, he wanted no part of them. (p.11)

Angelou is one of my favorite authors, and her description of Uncle Willy's feeling of alienation is beautiful. Furthermore, I identify with Uncle Willy's desire to appear normal, if only "for one afternoon," for a more important reason than just enjoying Angelou's work. When I first read it

I was too young to be aware of it while living in Indiana, but as the scenario replayed itself later in Mississippi I then realized my mother always had trouble teaching. She frequently received poor comments from her students, and occasionally the administration would have to speak with her. Just before our family moved south, my mother suffered her first nervous breakdown and was hospitalized. After four or five days of rest she recovered, so the doctors released her. The official diagnosis was nervous exhaustion. Consequently, my father decided the way to solve Mother's problem was a geographical cure, so we moved to Arkansas. My mother suffered severely from culture shock, and, deprived of family and friends, she retreated from the world. The first year we lived in the south my father went to school full time, worked part-time, and preached. So he was never home to see that my mother never left her bed except to cook two meals a day, shower, and go to the bathroom. After a!

Mother has adjusted to her illness and has recovered as much as possible. To a certain extent the brain can heal. She has regained basic skills such as minimal cooking and personal care. But she'll never work, or read long or complicated articles, or sew a dress, or do any other task that requires prolonged concentration. The drugs necessary to keep Mother mentally balanced have caused a hundred pound weight gain, and she sometimes cannot keep her train of thought well enough to carry on a conversation. But it is not necessary for Mother to be hospitalized, and she is grateful. Every weekend she goes to the Ozark Folk Center, and the people there are oblivious to her mental problems. Mother told me, "I meet new people every week, as well as seeing the regulars every weekend, and it's wonderful. They don't know I am sick; they treat me as i

Some common words found in the essay are:
Girl Scouts, Bedford Meanwhile, Uncle Willy's, Little Rock, Folk Center, Bedford Mother, Uncle Willy, Maya Angelou, school board, , angelou describes, mother suffered, little rock, teaching position, mother's illness, uncle willy, position bedford, uncle willy's,
Approximate Word count = 1231
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)