Jasmine Jackson
Push
Push is a novel written in 1996 about a 16 year old African American girl, faced with many ethnic, cultural, and troublesome obstacles that make her question her identity in society, but also help her find who she was destine to be.Throughout this novel the overall message as a whole is to overcome your worst problems, and make them your best, you have the option of choosing your identity in society.
“I have been out of the picture so long I am used to it, but that don’t’ mean that it don’t hurt. Sometimes I pass by store window and somebody fat dark skin old looking, someone looking like my muver looks back at me.” Precious Jones, grew up in the harsh streets of Harlem. Precious was a born to a women name Mary L Johnson, Born in Green Wood Mississippi and A man name Carl Kenwood Jones born in the Bronx. Precious had her first baby at the age 12, and her second one by the age of 16, both by her farther Carl. Her mother blames her for her father “having sex” with her, Mary also despises her daughter for being a “Hot-Trot” and treats her almost less than nothing.
Mary finds any possible way to make her daughters life miserable, horrible insults, physical and sexual abuse, etc. At twelve Precious first baby came out with Down syndrome. This confirmed what she had been told all her life, she was stupid. “Maybe I was stupid, if my baby came out stupid.” This leads Precious to begin to try and find her true identity, hoping that it is something more than her mothers, and something greater than just being uneducated.Instead of being discouraged by her mothers cruel behavior she used her harsh words and turn them into inspiration helping her find her true identity.
As a child being at home was not the only place that Precious searched for her identity. “I really do want to learn. Everyday I tell myself something gonna happen some shit like on TV. I’m gonna break through or somebody gonna break through me im gonna learn to be normal change my seat to the front of the class but again it has not been that day.” Since second grade Precious has had problems in class, learning for her was always more difficult then most kids her age. She would sit in the back of the class room, silently, she never left from her seat from the moment she arrived at school until it was time to leave. The teacher thought she was mentally ill, or embarrassed because she would always pee on herself. Eventually her teacher began to ignore her, when all she needed was special attention. This began to add to Precious feelings about what her true identity was. Instead of giving up on her education she used this memory to push her through when trying to get a better education. Turning this negative thing in her life and using it to find her identity.
At age 16 she was diagnosed with the HIV virus given to her by her father. This is another collision that was keeping Precious from being able to find her purpose in life and who she truly was. Every time she began to take a step forward in life something drastic happen this set her back, making it hard for her to find herself. Yet precious turned this tragedy into something good, using it as a stepping stool to continue to find who she truly was.
Although everything that Precious has been through, the rape, the virus, the physical and sexual abuse, the education disadvantages, she still finds multiple ways to escape what society has made her out to be. Precious enters an alternative school where she meets other troubled girls and, begins to get inspired and cheered on by a devoted teacher, who helps her learn to read and write. In the school she makes friends with a girl named Rita, and a Hispanic girl who witnessed her father murder her mother which leads her to foster care, being raped, and drugs, because of the similar stories Rita becomes one of Precious best friends.
Befriending Rita, allowed her to be swayed into joining a HIV prevention program telling her story to many women in the same situation inspiring her to inspire others similar to her. She finally begins to find her identity from all of the problems she has been faced with. Overcoming her worst problems allowed her to choose her own identity in society.
Push
Push is a novel written in 1996 about a 16 year old African American girl, faced with many ethnic, cultural, and troublesome obstacles that make her question her identity in society, but also help her find who she was destine to be.Throughout this novel the overall message as a whole is to overcome your worst problems, and make them your best, you have the option of choosing your identity in society.
“I have been out of the picture so long I am used to it, but that don’t’ mean that it don’t hurt. Sometimes I pass by store window and somebody fat dark skin old looking, someone looking like my muver looks back at me.” Precious Jones, grew up in the harsh streets of Harlem. Precious was a born to a women name Mary L Johnson, Born in Green Wood Mississippi and A man name Carl Kenwood Jones born in the Bronx. Precious had her first baby at the age 12, and her second one by the age of 16, both by her farther Carl. Her mother blames her for her father “having sex” with her, Mary also despises her daughter for being a “Hot-Trot” and treats her almost less than nothing.
Mary finds any possible way to make her daughters life miserable, horrible insults, physical and sexual abuse, etc. At twelve Precious first baby came out with Down syndrome. This confirmed what she had been told all her life, she was stupid. “Maybe I was stupid, if my baby came out stupid.” This leads Precious to begin to try and find her true identity, hoping that it is something more than her mothers, and something greater than just being uneducated.Instead of being discouraged by her mothers cruel behavior she used her harsh words and turn them into inspiration helping her find her true identity.
As a child being at home was not the only place that Precious searched for her identity. “I really do want to learn. Everyday I tell myself something gonna happen some shit like on TV. I’m gonna break through or somebody gonna break through me im gonna learn to be normal change my seat to the front of the class but again it has not been that day.” Since second grade Precious has had problems in class, learning for her was always more difficult then most kids her age. She would sit in the back of the class room, silently, she never left from her seat from the moment she arrived at school until it was time to leave. The teacher thought she was mentally ill, or embarrassed because she would always pee on herself. Eventually her teacher began to ignore her, when all she needed was special attention. This began to add to Precious feelings about what her true identity was. Instead of giving up on her education she used this memory to push her through when trying to get a better education. Turning this negative thing in her life and using it to find her identity.
At age 16 she was diagnosed with the HIV virus given to her by her father. This is another collision that was keeping Precious from being able to find her purpose in life and who she truly was. Every time she began to take a step forward in life something drastic happen this set her back, making it hard for her to find herself. Yet precious turned this tragedy into something good, using it as a stepping stool to continue to find who she truly was.
Although everything that Precious has been through, the rape, the virus, the physical and sexual abuse, the education disadvantages, she still finds multiple ways to escape what society has made her out to be. Precious enters an alternative school where she meets other troubled girls and, begins to get inspired and cheered on by a devoted teacher, who helps her learn to read and write. In the school she makes friends with a girl named Rita, and a Hispanic girl who witnessed her father murder her mother which leads her to foster care, being raped, and drugs, because of the similar stories Rita becomes one of Precious best friends.
Befriending Rita, allowed her to be swayed into joining a HIV prevention program telling her story to many women in the same situation inspiring her to inspire others similar to her. She finally begins to find her identity from all of the problems she has been faced with. Overcoming her worst problems allowed her to choose her own identity in society.
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