brown girl dreaming: Being Yourself

In Jacqueline Woodson’s, brown girl dreaming, she has a great sense of voice while being very moving with her words throughout this entire novel. In many of her poems she speaks on religion, racism, civil rights, and her the meaning of family. One of the underlying themes Woodson tries to show her readers is to be your own person in this world. She wants her audience to realize that they were put on this earth for a reason, and that they should follow their dreams no matter what society is telling them. There are many examples within her poems that show us that even though she is an African American or even if she is overshadowed by her sister that she doesn’t let that get in the way of her goals in life. This is a great message to young adolescents because they need to be reminded that they are their own person too, and not let the world hold them back from the life they want to live.

From the very first page of this novel Woodson is showing the reader that she is born for a reason and has a purpose on this earth. Here it states, “I am born” (1). Even though this is a short line in the poem it speaks a thousand words because of how it is used. When she uses this line, she is trying to explain that this is who I am and because I was born this way this is who I am going to be no matter what the world tells me. She shows the reader that she was born into a world that doesn’t expect her skin color, but she won’t let that stop her from one day being accepted. For adolescents it’s very important for them to realize that even if the whole world is against you, never give up on who you are as a person. In adolescence it’s very easy for them to given into the world instead of being who they were born to be because they want to be apart of the crowd. Woodson on the other hand, stands out in the crowd because she stays true to herself.

There is another instance in this novel that shows Woodson not giving into the normality of society. Here it states, “I am in the world but not of the world” (162). In this quote Woodson is trying to show that even though she might have been born in the same world as everyone else, she isn’t going to be like them. She is explaining that I’m going to stick to what I believe in and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says they aren’t going to change my mind. This is what makes Woodson different because of her ability not to be a part of the world even when she is questioned by her peers about it. She doesn’t cave under the pressure of being normal instead she embraces the fact that she’s different. This is another thing adolescent need to be aware of while they’re in this stage of their life. They need to understand it’s okay to be different and being your true self is the only way to go. There are too many instances where adolescents feel like they have to be a part of the world and Woodson is trying to show them they were born into it, but they don’t have to be of it.

Towards the middle of this book we start to see that Jacqueline is always being compared to her older sister Odella. As soon as her teachers see the last name Woodson they automatically think of her sister. They are always saying how brilliant she is while overlooking how intelligent Jacqueline is as well. Here it states, “And they keep waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Until one day, they walk into the classroom, almost call me Odel- then stop (219). Here we can see Woodson’s frustration building up inside. She knows how smart she is, but no one seems to care. Even though she is slightly frustrated, she doesn’t let that stop her from showing her teachers how brilliant she can be as well. This can be another great example for adolescents because it shows how important it is to never give up. It can be difficult for an adolescent to overcome the fact that they are being overlooked even if they are trying their best; causing them to quit whatever they are trying to achieve. Again, Woodson is leading by example showing the reader the importance of not quitting on yourself even if others overlook your potential.

Overall, this novel is great for young adolescents for several different reasons. One of the main reasons it can be used so effectively is to show them to always stay true to themselves. It can be very difficult for an adolescent to not go along with whatever their peers are doing and can cause them to forget who they are in the process. From Woodson’s point of view, she shows it’s okay to be different from the world and be your own person. She does an amazing job showing adolescents that you don’t have to be like your peers, and not letting anyone hold them back from their full potential in life.