The Theme of Perseverance in Hidden Figures

Student Name Instructor Course Date The Theme of Perseverance in Hidden Figures Black women in the U.S. have faced numerous challenges in their attempt to become successful. In addition to racial segregation, black women have been denied opportunities they are qualified to undertake because of their gender. Throughout the history of the U.S., it has taken perseverance for black women to become successful. In the book Hidden Figures, Shetterly uses many settings to develop the theme perseverance and teaches that how perseverance can help people succeed. For instance, Dorothy ends up becoming a supervisor, Mary Jackson enters Hampton High School through her insistence and becomes the first female engineer, while Katherine has contributed a lot of data to NASA with her calculating ability and has become a character that cannot be ignored in NASA history. Although black women have been discriminated against because of their skin color and gender at the workplace, they have never given up, and they have succeeded through their unremitting efforts. Dorothy, Mary and Katherine are examples of black women who have persevered to make critical programs at NASA successful. Dorothy Vaughan Dorothy does not allow challenges presented due to her race and gender to prevent her from achieving her dreams. Through perseverance, Dorothy manages to work towards attaining what other Negro women hope to achieve. Shetterly indicates that Dorothy is “devoted to her family and church” (Chapter 4). However, she has to take a job with NACA, which means she has to move out of her small town. Dorothy is frightened at the opportunity and some point, she does not know what to do. She does not want to lose the opportunity because she wants to support her family. The willingness to take a challenging task while at the same time, remaining devoted towards the family shows that Dorothy is willing to overcome all odds to become successful. She is willing to do whatever it costs her to become a successful engineer at NACA. Dorothy’s determination to attain her dreams, no matter the cost demonstrates her persistence. At the age of 50 years, Dorothy realizes that she is going to lose her job due to the introduction of IBM computers that were replacing her team. The organization focuses on employing more men. The function of computing is promoted from an all-female service organization to include ambitions, young men. Room-sized machines replace the old models of aeronautical research hence signaling that end of computing as women’s work. Initially, a computing job would entail a group of women sitting in desks with “$500 mechanical calculating machines” (Chapter 20). However, with the introduction of a room-sized computer, the women would no longer be required to undertake the calculations. Dorothy is determined to attain her dreams and hence she reinvents herself as a programmer, where she teaches herself to code. Instead of assigning the task of dealing with the IBM 704 computer to one of the girls, she decides to learn how to code. Shetterly indicates that Dorothy was one of the individuals that could bear witness to the “long-term impact of persistent action” (Chapter 20). Mary Winston Jackson Mary takes a job as a teacher and a USO secretary before taking a job as a computer at the NACA. Although Mary is bright, she gets frustrated when she faces discrimination at Langley from the white colleagues. Although she is qualified for the job, Mary finds it challenging to advance in a field dominated by white males. Instead of giving up her career due to the frustrations, Mary decides to speak up. This allows her to move up in the ladder of her work. Luckily, Mary meets Engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki, who gives her a job in the aerodynamics. Although Czarnecki encourages her to aim for “greater opportunities” while in Langley, it is difficult for her because she is a woman (Chapter 19). A ma...