The True Meaning of Shame

English
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Institution
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English
Gregory uses his personal experience to reveal the meaning of shame. His encounter with the teacher and how the teacher addressed and treated him due to his social status shows that he was factually put to shame. The teacher's dishonorable action (telling Gregory that everybody knows he does not have a father) subjected the seven old year boy into shame. Although Gregory tried to showcase how much his father would contribute, the teacher did not give him a chance. He knew he did not have a daddy and would not wait for the opportunity to do what the other students were doing and thus raised at least three dollars, which he held in his pockets. However, the teacher put him into significant shame by failing to call his name, and as if that's not enough, revealing that he did not have a dad. This incident marked a significant turnaround in Gregory's life. He was ashamed and left school. On the other hand, it shaped his life, and the stance is revealed during his encounter with the wino. Although the wino might have been wrong, he ignored it, his social class status, and offered to pay his bill.
Gregory's tone in the text is sad. Although he always tried to make his life better, all the experiences involved hardships and difficulties to attain what he wanted. For instance, he used a lady's handkerchief to make sure Helene Tucker (the girl he loved) did not see him wiping his nose with his bare hands. Although he had material filling in the gap, it was a lady's handkerchief, and nobody would like being in such a situation. Also, he had to fetch water from a grocery store to wash his shirt and socks to look suitable for Helene. On the other hand, he fell sick continuously the entire winter for wearing wet clothes because the fire would go out in the middle of the night before his clothes could dry up. Although Gregory tried to have a better life, the struggle was accompanied by difficult challenges and consequences that made his life sad. The tone impacts the audience significantly. Anyone reading the text would get emotional and sympathize with the issues Gregory had to experience throughout the entire narration. Eventually, nobody would wish for such an experience or even have their children endure it.
The teacher would never be brought to admit that she was biased and would have to give Gregory an equal chance she gave to the other students. She is wrong and cannot accept it even when Gregory convinced her. All the teacher does is prove that she is right, and Gregory cannot contribute any money. When Gregory says his daddy will contribute fifteen dollars, the teacher confronts him mercilessly, "we are collecting this money for you and your kind, Richard Gregory! If your daddy can give fifteen dollars you have no business being on relief (Gregory, 2)." Mentioning the relief issue shows that the teacher would never admit that Gregory can have the money to contribute.
Hellen can be viewed in different ways considering her description by Gregory. Her' dad had a good job. He was a paperhanger,' (Gregory, 1). Although she came from a high-class family, she did not mind interacting with kids from lower social status like Gregory. On the other hand, she was right, clean, and popular, which are the characteristics that pushed Gregory to love her (Gregory, 1). Her popularity is revealed because his siblings knew her and would always recognize her while she walked down the street and call Gregory. Lastly, she was loving and had an excellent personality. According to Gregory (1), she would wink and say hello if he did not come too close to her. Her love is also revealed when she sobbed when the teacher would not call out Gregory's name for contributions towards the community chest (Gregory, 2). This action shows her love for her friends.
Gregory's story is both passionate and emotional. The narration takes readers through a series of mixed reactions in both cases. Gregory's response towards the wino is priceless and passionate. Although he did not have a lot of money, he watches the wino suffering a beating from the owner because he could not pay and decides to save his life from the wrath of Mister Williams (Gregory, 3). On the other hand, it is emotional how Gregory weeps and decides to leave school because of the embarrassment instated by his teacher (Gregory, 3). The incident is followed by a struggle hustle of him selling newspapers and shining shoes for a livelihood (Gregory, 3). It is emotional for a seven old year boy to go through such experiences.
Gregory uses repetition to emphasize on the day his teacher embarrassed him. Although the issue may not have had significance to the other students and the teacher, it significantly impacted Gregory's life. He always thought the entire world had heard he teach that day, saying, "we all know you don't have a daddy," (Gregory, 3). Although he might not have had a dad, he planned to top up what Helene's dad ...