The essay Narrative of “My Mother’s Dreams for Her Son and All Black Children” by Hilton Als touches on many deep sociological problems rooted today in the society of America, especially urban areas. In the essay, it highlights the problems of the “ghetto” and growing up in it through the lens of a young boy growing up. The young boy who is the narrator of the story can see all of the worries that his mother is going through because of the probable dangers that can arise from the neighborhood.
In the text it states, “Standing by my mother’s living-room window, I tried, tentatively, to ask her why our world was burning, burning. She gave me a forbidding look: Boy, be quiet so you can survive, her eyes seemed to say.” This quote directly shows the significance of following the rules of the neighborhood to avoid being caught in some trouble. The mother worries for her son to keep his head straight and not mind any other people’s business. Another quote that shows the mother’s guide to keeping her son out of probable danger is “Like any number of black boys in those neighborhoods, I grew up in a matrilineal society, where I had been taught the power—the necessity—of silence.” This quote is significant because it shows how the boys’ mother and himself were willing to sacrifice their own voice to be free and be heard for the safety of their neighborhood. Showing that the worries of the mother stretched deep enough to want to silence her own child to protect him from the world in which they lived.
Lastly, in the essay, it says “I don’t remember my mother crying; I remember entering that fetid air in silence. But you could hear our community mourning the loss of itself, if you knew how to listen; mourning was our language.” Als says this as another hint to his motif of silence that has been displayed within the essay. It is significant because throughout the entire narrative and his life they have always lived in silence, even so, that when they are mourning the life of someone they show silence. In all aspects, it seems that in their neighborhood it is better to be silent than showing any of your true emotions.
I agree with what you said regarding the quote that starts with “Standing by my mother’s living-room window…” It really shows how much danger there was at the time, and if you stepped out of line in the slightest bit you could get yourself into big trouble. I find it very interesting how you took another quote from the essay about silence, and it again emphasizes the importance of it.