Responses to “Born With Religion” From the book The Big Mama Stories By Shay Youngblood

Goldie Barajas

English 1B

3/7/11

Responses to “Born With Religion”

From the book The Big Mama Stories

By Shay Youngblood

Storytelling 1

1.       The title of this selection is “Born With Religion” from the book The Big Mama Stories by Shay Youngblood. The story is about a faith. Faith being manifested through Big Mama, the narrator’s guardian. As far as era or time, it is not directly stated but it was during Dr. King‘s years and while Kennedy was president in the 1960‘s.

2.      The point of view of this story is first person: single narrator.

3.      The story does not have an inner story. It is a flashback to the day the narrator’s biological mother left her and her brother with Big Mama in order to leave up north with a sales man. I suppose for a better life for her and the children. It took place in the beauty salon, in which the narrator’s mother worked when the narrator was six-years-old.

4.      Setting in this story is important. It takes place in the downtown projects in which whites and blacks are segregated from each other’s homes. I definitely think setting is important for this story because if it wouldn’t have taken place in the projects maybe the characters’ attitudes towards faith and religion would have changed. I think living in areas for low income people affects one’s attitude towards religion and faith. Richer people tend to forget about these things while low income people tend to pray and rely on religion for a better tomorrow. As far as for the Frame plot story, setting it is not as important because without knowing how and with who the mother left the narrator and her brother the story would have been as effective as it is.

5.      The Protagonist or main character in this story is Big Mama, the narrator’s caretaker. The antagonist would be the mere struggles of life faced by the characters (women of the prayer, tumor etc.) or none at all.

6.      The conflict in this story would be between person and a force, that force would be the natural force of Aunt Viola’s tumor growing. Big Mama wanting to save her and worried for Aunt Vi brought together the women at the #2 Mission Prayer Circle to pray the Lord to help Aunt Vi, the rest of women in the circle, and all God’s children.

Storytelling 2

1.      The theme of the story is faith or religion. Faith and religion are portrayed as being helpful in times of struggle. The author uses conflict and point of view to manifest the theme throughout the story. The conflict of Aunt Vi’s tumor disappearing with devotion and prayer to God and by having faith in him. Also, the narrator’s point of view on Big Mama and how her prayers, faith, and big heart lead to miracles. The narrator states “…I knew it was Big Mama shaking the mess out of misery” (pg.18) when finding out Aunt Vi’s tumor was gone.

2.      Big Mama values God and prayer these two values do not serve as hardships for the character’s struggle but aid her throughout the story by believing that God will help all those in need, by praying for God’s children and Aunt Vi’s cure. Evidence: “Boy, you better be thanking the Lord” (pg.13) or when she calls for prayer in name of Aunt Vi (pg.14)

3.       Religion and Celebrated/Admired people are two African American Motifs present in the story. The storytelling devices used to manifest Religion in the story were the conflict, Big Mama’s character traits (value for religion) and the point of view of the narrator. Indeed, Religion was mentioned all along the story. Consequently, the celebrated/admired people motif was manifested through the description of Big Mama having frames and portraits of the images of Dr. King, President Kennedy and God covering her walls. (pg.14)