I lived in a bubble of liberal upper class optimism. I grew up in a community in which, to the best of my knowledge, racism and discrimination were never an issue. People went to the gym, moms drove their kids to soccer. Girls were allowed to play football and I was told I could do and be whatever I wanted when I grew up. It was not until I was older that I learned the true meaning of the saying: "Life isn't fair."

In "No Name Woman," and "Notes of a Native Son," essays written by Maxine Hong Kingston and James Baldwin, respectively, their writings reflect the views of the world in which I now am aware of today. Both have faced injustice in their lives and were able to overcome the restriction of traditional society and cultures by choosing their own path and method of breaking with these restrictions. Baldwin overcomes hate and racism, and Kingston overcomes sexism and strong, traditional Chinese restrictions.

Baldwin did not want to suffer the same fate as his father, who surrendered to his hatred. Baldwin's escape involves not only running away from his own hatred but also his father's fate. His father let himself believe that racism had a power over him, and ended up being a victim. Not to the cruelty of racism, but to his own fear and hatred towards racism. Baldwin resists everything to avoid becoming like his father and he realizes that, "In order to really hate white people, one has to blot so much out of the mind-and the heart-that this hatred itself becomes an exhausting and self-destructive pose." (Reader, pg 17). Baldwin refuses to become exhausted and let his hatred kill him. He learns that he has the opportunity to make the best out of his life and that he does not have to remain in a country where he feels like a person of lesser value. Baldwin goes to live in France where he begins to write his first novel.

Baldwin did not let racism affect him at first. He continued to go into stores he knew he would not be served at and this mistreatment led to a hate growing inside him. "There is not a Negro alive who does not have this rage in his blood-one has the choice, merely, of living with it consciously or surrendering to it," (Reader, pg 9). This quote shows Baldwin's lifelong struggle with the effects of racism. Baldwin believed that his hatred would live inside him forever and that would eventually kill him unless he was able to find a way to control and deal with his anger.

lar experience to mine in that he was unaware of racism until he left his

Some common words found in the essay are:
Harlem Baldwin, China Kingston's, James Baldwin, , Baldwin Kingston, Hong Kingston, Woman Kingston, Negroes Reader, reader pg, kingston's aunt, Native Son, life fair, Maxine Hong, reader pg 9, baldwin kingston, life isn't, isn't fair, maxine hong, racism baldwin, hong kingston, life isn't fair, maxine hong kingston, pg 9,
Approximate Word count = 1064
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)