Langston Hughes, Cora Jenkins is a black maid for the Studevant family in Iowa. “Cora Unashamed,” a short story in The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes, is a story about the White Studevant family and the Black Jenkins family. What people are saying - Write a review. What if we put the focus on our talents as individuals rather than our flaws? Black womanhood for Cora meant taking care of her family and caring for Jessie – a child whose mother neglected her. Women are human beings and therefore we are all flawed in our own ways. If women are supposed to be nurturing and warm, Mrs. Art was certainly not. She’s one of the worries of my life” (Hughes pg. I watched my mother raise eight children, keep an immaculately clean house, cook breakfast every morning for my dad, make sack lunches for all of us every day, and have dinner on by 5. 12 Reviews. Afraid to ask questions? Langston Hughes' The Ways of White Folks is – or should be – a disquieting book for those of us who are White. Years Later Cora had a child who had died of an illness at a very young age. Cora Unashamed is a 2000 American made-for-television drama film from The American Collection directed by Deborah Pratt, starring Regina Taylor and Cherry Jones.The film was shot on location in October 1999 in central Iowa. Among many key takeaways, the biggest lesson that sticks out to me is the hypocrisy of the so-called “Cult of Domesticity” or “Cult of True Womanhood.”  Mrs. Art is the embodiment of the perfect society White woman even though she is cold, judgmental, and ends up killing her own child because of her pride. Here we read about Cora a poor, unattractive black woman, who was condemned to a life of servitude to white folks and an unhappy home life. Furthermore, Mrs. Art valued her family’s reputation over the life of her own daughter. One of the most important writers to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is best known as a poet, but these stories showcase his talent as a lively storyteller. The situation for Black women once they were freed, did not change much since “even free women had no legal rights to their bodies, their children, their possessions, or, in fact, their freedom of movement” as described in “Cult of True Womanhood” (2). Let people talk. As the story says, “It was Cora who nursed and mothered and petted and loved the dull little Jessie through the years” (Hughes pg. Instead of loving Jessie unconditionally and providing a safe space for her to grow, Mrs. Art was cold, judgmental, and harsh. In the short story “Cora Unashamed,” by. Lisez des commentaires honnêtes et non biaisés sur les produits de la part nos utilisateurs. The best story has to be "Cora Unashamed". One of the most important writers to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is best known as a poet, but these stories showcase his talent as a lively storyteller. (familiar style, e. g. 4) What does he seem to share with her? 12). This display of emotion ultimately resulted in a trip to Kansas City so that Jessie could get an abortion- which would be strictly forbidden under most Christian doctrines. Tell me what you think of the story, “Cora Unashamed”. Today, I believe that the Cult of Domesticity is still a dividing factor of women’s circles even if we don’t call it by name. The story states that Mrs. Art “was always a little ashamed of stupid Jessie… Mary, the elder, the teacher, would follow with dignity in [Mrs. Art’s] footsteps, but Jessie! https://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2008/04/saturday-book-rec.html The “Cult of Domesticity” is still very much alive in the way that women are viewed and treated even if that’s not the name we call it. [2] The collection, "marked by pessimism about race relations, as well as a sardonic realism or, contextually: humorous racism,"[2] is among his best known works. Afraid to act? The Ways of White Folks is probably even one of my favorite. Regina Taylor (as Cora Jenkins) and Tinashe Kachingwe (as Josephine) in Cora Unashamed (2000). This set of ideals formalized the separation of roles between White women and White men (Black women and men were not welcome in this sphere since they were barely thought of as people). The Ways of White Folks is probably even one of my favorite. After she delivers the baby her mother tells her, “Ain’t no good come out of white and colored love, Cora” Cora has just given birth to a bi-racial baby. Langston Hughes, Cora Jenkins is a black maid for the Studevant family in Iowa. If you’re not familiar with the Cult of True Womanhood, I highly suggest reading up (there are some resources to start with at the bottom of this post)! The movie is based on a short story by the same name in The Ways of White Folks, a collection of short stories by Langston Hughes. A collection of vibrant and incisive short stories depicting the sometimes humorous, but more often tragic interactions between Black people and white people in America in the 1920s and ‘30s. Langston Hughes, Cora Jenkins is a black maid for the Studevant family in Iowa. In fact, by excluding Black women from the Cult of Domesticity, it forced them to rise above the hypocrisy and “allowed black women to reject the system of American domination… and the traditional idea of womanhood; retain a sense of self-worth; and exercise self-efficacy” (4). We have to recognize that there is no “perfect” version of a woman. Summary The author Langston Hughes provides an emotional story about African-American Ma Jenkins and her eldest daughter Cora worked as servants for. After Cora is taken out of the ceremony, she leaves and never returns to work for the White family. The movie is based on a short story by the same name in The Ways of White Folks, a 1934 collection of short … The hypocrisy is represented by the fact that Black women are doing the actual mothering of White children while the White women are reaping the benefits of societal approval. Here we read about Cora a poor, unattractive black woman, who was condemned to a life of servitude to white folks and an unhappy home life. What is conveyed by the narrator's use of language? [3] Like Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman (1899) and Wright's Uncle Tom's Children (1938), it is an example of a short story cycle. I’d love to hear what you think! A collection of vibrant and incisive short stories depicting the sometimes humorous, but more often tragic interactions between Black people and white people in America in the 1920s and '30s. "[6] That story was adapted into a film of the same name from The American Collection directed by Deborah M. Pratt, starring Regina Taylor and Cherry Jones, and released in 2000. Of course, Mrs. Art told everyone that they were on an “Easter shopping trip” (Hughes pg. "Cora Unashamed" is from a Langston Hughes collection called "The Ways of White Folks," and there are a few peculiar white folks in tonight's TV adaptation. A collection of vibrant and incisive short stories depicting the sometimes humorous, but more often tragic interactions between Black people and white people in America in the 1920s and '30s. 11). In the short story “Cora Unashamed,” by. She absolutely was indoctrinated in the Cult of Domesticity with the characteristics of piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. "The ways of white folks, I mean some white folks, is too much for me," says Berry. Cora Jenkins is a housekeeper (to put it politely) in the Studevant’s household and the story discusses the way that she moves through life as a Black woman in the rural Midwest. In contrast, Cora loved having Jessie around and raised her like her own. The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes In his The Way of White Folks, Hughes illustrates the blacks’ feeling of frustration and resistance towards the white-Americans that they live within the society they are in. Story 1 Summary: “Cora Unashamed” The first story takes place in Melton, a small, unremarkable town. Cora Unashamed is a TV film from The American Collection directed by Deborah M. Pratt, starring Regina Taylor and Cherry Jones, and released in 2000. Temperamentally averse to confrontation, in subsequent years he allowed his tone to slip from irony to sarcasm, and his later short stories — some of which ran to only two or three pages — were often scenes or vignettes, without much room for characterization or development. What if we stopped judging each other for our decisions and moved into a more accepting culture of sisterhood? Langston Hughes (Author) FORMAT. Your focus on the Cult of Domesticity triggered me in a stunning way. We need to empower ourselves to use radical strategies like empathy. I also agree that shame ultimately stops us from recognizing our privilege. The The Ways of White Folks Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Easier said than done… I know. The ways of white folks by Langston Hughes, unknown edition, But the child was hers -- a living bridge between two worlds. User ratings . The Way Of White Folk By Langston Hughes Analysis. Cora Unashamed is a TV film from The American Collection directed by Deborah M. Pratt, starring Regina Taylor and Cherry Jones, and released in 2000. The first step is for us to be aware. In this particular town. The Ways of White Folks is probably even one of my favorite. Cora’s character shows that the response of Black women to the Cult of Domesticity was to form their own meaning for Black womanhood. “A conversation about race cannot happen without shame, because you cannot talk about race without privilege, and when people start talking about privilege, they get paralyzed by shame.” (Brown, Ted2012). When on analyzes his short stories, one can see the techniques Hughes used, to illustrate how the whites treats the blacks. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Cora helps raise her employer’s daughter, Jessie, and the two come to love each other. Back in the day, the primary sources of True Womanhood doctrine were women’s magazines and religious literature aimed at women and told them how to keep their home. This shows that she valued the child’s life over any sort of reputation that she may have. In these acrid and poignant stories, Hughes depicted Black people colliding--sometimes humorously, more often tragically--with Whites in the 1920s and '30s. [8], In September 1996, upon the publication of a comprehensive edition of Hughes's short stories entitled The Short Stories of Langston Hughes (ISBN 0-8090-1603-6), David Herbert Donald, in a review published by The New York Times, wrote:[6]. Langston Hughes’ “Cora Unashamed” is probably one of my favorite short stories . Langston Hughes, Cora Jenkins is a black maid for the Studevant family in Iowa. 17). 14). Langston Hughes, Cora Jenkins is a black maid for the Studevant family in Iowa. I think this is done intentionally in order to keep us complicit in systems designed to help the wealthy continue getting wealthier and make the poor poorer. From inside the book . In contrast, Cora is nurturing, loving, and strong in the face of the women that reject and mistreat her. According to these principles, women were to “spiritually support her husband and family, raise good children, and protect morals of 19th century America” in addition to taking care of all domestic duties (1). Change ), The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes, https://study.com/academy/lesson/cult-of-domesticity-definition-significance.html, https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/not-for-ourselves-alone/cult-of-true-womanhood, https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-21st-century-cult-of-domesticity, https://jpanafrican.org/docs/vol2no1/BlackWomenMotheringAndProtest.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Langston Hughes’ “Cora Unashamed” is probably one of my favorite short stories . Summary The author Langston Hughes provides an emotional story about African-American Ma Jenkins and her eldest daughter Cora worked as servants for. Cora Unashamed is a 2000 movie based on the short story by Langston Hughes. 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