Topic > Representation of the various faces of shame in "Shame" by Dick Gregory

Shame is inevitable. It's something everyone will encounter everywhere. The pathos-filled tale “Shame” by esteemed author Dick Gregory highlights the struggles, prejudices and discrimination that weigh on a black boy in a faded society. From a young age, Richard faces the stress of poverty, constantly ridiculed and targeted for standing out, indeed a victim of racism. Richard Gregory experiences the feeling of shame, which is highlighted in this story through the use of 3 instrumental characters: his teacher, his crush (Helene Tucker), and his father. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, shame is shown through his reaction to his teacher's remarks about him. She deliberately disgraces him in front of her class and looks at him with contempt. This is evident when the author writes: “I sat in the idiot's seat and the teacher thought I was a troublemaker, Richard, we know you don't have a dad; we are raising money for you and those like you.” When we are children, the opinions of adults are very important to us. Without a parental figure, Richard seeks approval from his teacher. The difficult situation that occurs that day at school negatively alters his original view of his teacher and helps him realize that she thinks less of him. It is clear that he is starting to understand how others perceive him. Richard is severely ashamed because his teacher says this and treats it as if it were something to be ashamed of. He is so overbearing that he chooses to undermine and ignore all the talents he has to offer. Furthermore, Richard encounters another kind of shame when he is humiliated in front of Helene Tucker; a girl he cares about. This is especially painful because when speaking about Helene, Gregory says: “Everyone has a Helene Tucker, a symbol of everything you want. That day, Helene Tucker turned away, her eyes filled with tears, feeling sorry for me. When I played the drums it was for Helene and when I went on stage and heard the applause, I wanted Helene to hear it too.” Shame hits us when we realize that people we care about feel sorry for us. In the story, it becomes apparent that Helene Tucker takes pity on Richard when she discovers that he has no father. Helene's pity is distressing because it represents everything he wants. She is his only wish and symbolizes intense motivation or a trophy. Richard is devastated, so he dedicates part of his life dedicating various key moments to her. Ultimately, the author brilliantly shows the shame in this story by connecting it to the absence of Richard's father in his life. It is believed that a child benefits greatly from the father figure as he helps the child grow to his fullest potential. His struggles are implicit in the quotes: “I decided I would save my money by shining shoes and buying a dad right then and there. No time for jokes, Richard. The world heard the teacher say: We all know you don't have a dad.” A fatherless childhood negatively affected Richard's self-respect, pride, and dignity, as revealed in this story. Society automatically classifies and judges him. It is downgraded and considered useless. This shame affects how he sees himself. Richard suffers from a problem beyond his control, but it still makes him feel like he's missing a crucial piece of his life. Ultimately, Richard Gregory's battle with shame leads him to question everything he does, including his daily routine. He begins to regret and feel ashamed while performing regular actionslike washing his clothes with ice or begging for Mister Ben's leftovers. It is clear that shame acts like a worm that eats away at the tissues of his life. The author's message of shame is shown in this story through the use of Richard's teacher, Helene Tucker, and his father. Shame is an ornament of the young: a humiliation of the old. In Dick Gregory's “Shame,” he writes of his early childhood. Occurred in St. Louis around the 1930s. The story he tells teaches a lesson through his narrative without ever stating what the lesson is. To teach this lesson, use rhetorical devices to explain whether shame is a learned behavior and also conveys the feeling of shame. The rhetorical devices he uses are repetition, images and details. Gregory resorts to the use of repetition in his story and uses it to explain his difficulties in dealing with shame. In paragraph 5 he states: “Pregnant people taste strange. I was pregnant with poverty. Pregnant with filth and pregnant with odors that drove people away. Pregnant with cold and pregnant with shoes that were never bought for me. Pregnant with five other people in my bed and no dad in the other room. Pregnant with hunger.” The repetitive use of pregnancy highlights all her difficulties in having to grow up in poverty. By stating that she is pregnant she shares her impotence. She wanted to have an abortion. Not to get rid of your life but to have one that is worth it. Gregory could not live a better lifestyle or the one he hoped to have due to poverty. He couldn't be clean, have new shoes or a decent house. Using this repetition allowed Gregory to address his disgust towards his poor lifestyle. Dick Gregory directs the use of imagery towards his first love, Helene Tucker. In the first paragraph, Gregory describes her as “a light-skinned little girl. . .She was always clean and smart in school…. I loved her for her goodness, her cleanliness and her popularity." Gregory uses the images to confront Helene. He wasn't as clean, smart or popular as her. The differences between them show their economic status. Gregory lived in poverty while Helene had Shame is an ornament of the young: a humiliation of the old. In Dick Gregory's “Shame,” he writes about his early childhood. Occurred in St. Louis around the 1930s. The story he tells teaches a lesson through his narrative without ever stating what the lesson is. To teach this lesson, use rhetorical devices to explain whether shame is a learned behavior and also conveys the feeling of shame. The rhetorical devices he uses are repetition, images and details. Gregory resorts to the use of repetition in his story and uses it to explain his difficulties in dealing with shame. In paragraph 5 he states: “Pregnant people taste strange. I was pregnant with poverty. Pregnant with filth and pregnant with odors that drove people away. Pregnant with cold and pregnant with shoes that were never bought for me. Pregnant with five other people in my bed and no dad in the other room. Pregnant with hunger.” The repetitive use of pregnancy highlights all her difficulties in having to grow up in poverty. By stating that she is pregnant she shares her impotence. She wanted to have an abortion. Not to get rid of your life but to have one that is worth it. Gregory could not live a better lifestyle or what he hoped to have due to poverty. He couldn't be clean, have new shoes or a decent house. Using this repetition allowed Gregory to address his disgust towards his poor lifestyle. Dick Gregory directs the use of imagery towards his first love, Helene Tucker. In the first paragraph, Gregory?