Skip to main content

What did the men from the county do to offend Granny in the story "Blues Ain't No Mockingbird"?

Granny is offended by the men from the county in “Blues Ain’t No Mockingbird” by Toni Cade Bambara. The first mistake the men make is filming Granny’s property without her permission. They hid in the trees surrounding the property while filming as the children played in the yard and Granny worked on her Christmas cakes. When the men from the county entered the property, they continued to film and patronized Granny by calling her “Aunty.” They did not greet her, instead they spoke about the “nice things” on her property, which angered Granny.


“Nice things here,” said the man, buzzin his camera over the yard. The pecan barrels, the sled, me and Cathy, the flowers, the printed stones along the driveway, the trees, the twins, the toolshed.


“I don’t know about the thing, the it, and the stuff,” said


Granny, still talkin with her eyebrows. “Just people here is what I tend to consider."



Being an independent woman, she did not appreciate their arrogant intrusion into her private family life. They picked the wrong woman to speak about food stamps when it was evident from her property that she and her husband worked hard to provide for their family.


After the men backed away, Granny relayed a story to the children about how the press intruded on a suicide attempt she witnessed on a bridge. The cameramen were there, not only to record the incident, but to sensationalize it. This incident did not endear Granny to the press, and her disdain for their intrusion was displayed through her tacit treatment of the men from the county. 


Therefore, the men from the county angered Granny with their unauthorized presence on her property, their rudeness, and her previous encounter with cameramen during an intensely personal experience. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...