Blog Entry #2
                                                                      "Shame"
Dick Gregory, the author of "Shame" uses rhetorical strategies to achieve his purpose. The devices that he used was tone and anaphora. Throughout the story, Gregory used various tones ranging from mournful to outrageous. This short story revolves around the point of view of a young boy who fall in love with a girl that was born into a home that has a different condition and race that he is in. However, the story continues with the boy's teacher insulted his family conditions based on his race.
As written in "Shame", "And furthermore, she said, looking right at me, her nostril getting big and her lips getting thin and her eyes opening wide, we know you don't have a daddy"(281 Gregory).
This quote discusses how the author shifted the tone of the story from enthusiastic to revealing and outrageous. The boy was enthusiastic to show off his best sides to Helene Tucker, but his teacher revealed to everyone in the class, that since his father was dead, he wouldn't be able to contribute money. The author's tone shift contributed to how the readers interpret the characters feelings based on the situations.

Another rhetorical device that was used in the story was anaphora. In the story of "Shame", "There was shame in wearing the brown and orange and white plaid mackinaw the welfare gave to three thousand boys. Why'd it have to be the same for every everybody so when you walked down the street the people could see you were on relief ?... There was shame in running over to Mister Ben's at the end of the day and asking for his rotten peaches, there was shame in asking Mrs. Simmons for a spoonful of sugar, there was shame in running out to meet the relief truck" (281 Gregory). The use of anaphora or the repeated use of the phrase "There was shame". emphasizes the amount of shame that the boy had about all the things that his race had to do in order for them to get on with their living in their society.

In the 19th century, slavery had continued fro a time period of 200 years. For economic benefits and inhumane reasons. Slaves had been brought to the southern plantations, to work on the cotton factories. These factories brought many monetary profits to the southern farmers the country as a whole. However, the slaves were treated like property to their white owners. They were sold in auctions, and worked under harsh conditions. Such as working under the blazing afternoon sun, waking up early in the morning, if a slight mistake is made, they would be whipped to death. These inhumane actions had continued to the race of African Americans for a period of 200 years. Even though the amendments had abolished any slavery to continue, segregation of blacks are still continuing in this society today.