Family Dynamics in Brown Girl Dreaming

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Brown Girl Dreaming is such a bittersweet autobiography by Jacqueline Woodson written in verse. This story sheds light on the experiences of a woman growing up in South Carolina in the late 1960s. Even though it was more than a century after slavery ended, issues of racism and segregation were still quite prevalent. For Jacqueline, she also had difficulties with family through her life that she included in her book. I think it is interesting to explore this part of her story because it seems like family shapes a person more than anything else. So many of her poems include stories about her mother and father divorcing, her grandparents, and her siblings.

I think an interesting look at her relationship between herself and her siblings happens in the poem, “No Returns,” where one of her siblings says, “Take her back. We already have one of those” (Woodson 19). This points back to the kind of environment that Woodson grew up in; it was one that constantly made her question where her place was and whether or not she was wanted. Woodson’s success in life is so encouraging because readers know that it was hard earned. She faced many different struggles in her life, so to become an activist, etc. is quite amazing.

As I said in my Padlet response, “my mother leaving Greenville” on page 103 is my favorite poem that Woodson wrote because it talks about how she will never forget when her mother left. When she was a child, she was naïve, but she is not a child anymore—she will remember it forever. Because of her mother’s habit of leaving, her and her siblings stay with her grandparents most of the time until she moves back to New York with her mother. I am so curious to know if Jacqueline would have experienced the same success that she has if she had not gone through the trials that she did. Did they push her to continue fighting?

Comments

  1. Eva YoussefOctober 4, 2019 at 5:23 PM

    I love that you mentioned how as a child she was naive, but as she has grown up she began to remember and cherish where her mother came from to get them to the point she is now as an adult. It's a very reflective and touching statement to make about herself. I also love your lingering question, really makes you wonder how impactful or trials really are to our life and how much power they have in shaping who we become.

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  2. Kiara McVayOctober 4, 2019 at 6:05 PM

    I do believe that the independence and strength that her family had definitely pushed her to continue to fight in life. Also, I agree that the accomplishments that she has made is amazing because most people often get used to being stuck in places and giving up, but she didn’t.

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