The essay “How It Feels to be Colored Me” is written by Zora Neale Hurston. It is among the most important writings, which explores the identity, race and self-perception of the people in the United States. The essay was published in 1928. It reveals the life of an African American woman in the early twentieth century. Through vigorous writing and a confident voice, the writer draws the picture addressing the complexities of the racial identity and the strength of the human being.
The writer has employed different literary devices in the essay to convey her message. These devices are far from enriching the text with more cognates, they enable the readers to engage deeply with her reflections. These literary devices indicate the great art of Hurston and the significance of reading her work in the contemporary world.
Literary Devices in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”
1- Metaphor
“I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall.”
Hurston employs a classical metaphor while explaining her that she is like a “brown bag of miscellany”. This metaphor suggests that Hurston embodies multiple experiences, traits and factors. The brown bag is a reflection of her physical appearance while the objects inside the bag represent the diverse nature of her being. This metaphor conveys the idea that the identity is a complicated thing and cannot be easily understand. It is based on outer appearance.
2- Simile
“I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less.”
Hurston employs simile by employing the words “helter-skelter skirmish”, which entail disorder and unpredictability of life. This makes the comparison very usable and effective in painting a picture on the difficulties and obstacles that she faces as well as her persistence to overcome them. Thus, correlating her life with a skirmish, Hurston emphasizes that the life is a series of battle, where only the strength and disposition define victory.
3- Hyperbole
“I remember the very day that I became colored.”
Hyperbole is used when Hurston says that she can remember “the very day that I became colored”. This statement is not literally true but an exaggeration to indicate the sudden and profound awareness of her racial identity. It gives emphasis to the depicted realization and how it affected her regarding her self perception. It creates a hyperbole that serves as an enunciation of the fact that race is based on the production of the social body.
4- Personification
“I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.”
Hurston personifies the ‘sharp white background’. It reflects that how her racial identity becomes more striking in the large white environment. The background has been illustrated as “sharp”, which means that it is harsh and irritating. This personification emphasizes the discomfort and intensify self-awareness that can develop in an environment where one is treated differently with the other inhabitants
5- Imagery
“At certain times I have no race, I am me. When I set my hat at a certain angle and saunter down Seventh Avenue, Harlem City, feeling as snooty as the lions in front of the Forty-Second Street Library, for instance.”
The author elaborately describes the feeling of walking down Seventh Avenue in Harlem with Hurston and walking in the light of this confident and free-spirited woman, the general atmosphere of the story is most appropriate. The comparison with the “snooty lions” at the library adds more depth that is both visual and emotional. It portrays her pride and self- assurance. This imagery makes the readers see what she went through and give such a similar feeling of the empowered state she describes.
6- Irony
“I do not weep at the world—I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.”
Irony in this statement helps Hurston to persuade the reader about her proactive and optimistic attitude towards the life. One might anticipate that she should be sad or frustrated by the problems she encounters, but she just aims to cultivate her skills to grab chances (“sharpening my oyster knife”). The irony lies in the contrast between the anticipated behavior observed by weeping and the actual one witnessed in readiness to prevail. This device indicates her personal strength and determination to flourish despite adversity.
7- Allusion
“The game of keeping what one has is never so exciting as the game of getting.”
The reference to “the game of keeping what one has” alludes to the universal struggle for sucess and the happiness. The allusion illustrates that the personal experience of Hurston indicates the common human ambition and the dynamic nature of the challenges of life. The writer by presenting her struggles as part of a larger game, makes it both unique and relevant.
8- Symbolism
“The terrible struggle that made me an American out of a potential slave said ‘On the line!’ The Reconstruction said ‘Get set!’; and the generation before said ‘Go!’ I am off to a flying start and I must not halt in the stretch to look behind and weep.”
The symbolism has been used to enunciate the historical struggles that have form her identity. The phrases “On the line!,” “Get set!,” and “Go!” symbolize the steps of progress and the continuing effort to attain equality and self-realization. The symbolic representation links her personal journey to the collective experience of African Americans. It emphasizes the continuousness and persistence required to overcome historical injustices.
9- Repetition
“But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes.”
The repetition of the phrase “I am not tragically colored” indicates that the writer herself is not the victim. She repeats this assertion to emphasize her determination not to be defined by sadness or repression. Moreover, this repetition forms a rhythmic effect in the text and makes her statement more memorable and impressive.
10- Juxtaposition
“Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me.”
Hurston juxtaposes her ancestors with her reaction to it. Her statement that “It fails to register depression with me” indicates that although she is the granddaughter of the slave but this thing does not make her sad. This shows her determination to rise above her past and create her own identity in the society.
11- Anecdote
“I remember the day I became colored. Up to my thirteenth year, I lived in the little Negro town of Eatonville, Florida.”
Hurston begins her essay with a personal anecdote about her childhood in Eatonville. The anecdote paves the way for her thoughts on race and identity. It provides a clear example that how her innermost self has changed over the time. She shares this personal story to invite the readers into her experiences, which makes her perception more understandable and engaging.
12- Colloquialism
“I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood.”
Hurston uses colloquial term “sobbing school” to convey her dislike for the people who view their racial identity as a cause victimization. This colloquialism makes her conversational tone feel more like a conversation. This makes her message clearer and more direct. It also shows her confidence in defining her own identity.
13- Paradox
“I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.”
The writer employs the paradoxical statement to suggest that she feels more aware of her identity in mostly white places, despite the fact that her race is always part of her. The use of paradox creates emphasizes on the the social and situational nature of racial identity. It indicates that how external contexts influence the self-perception.
14- Humor
“But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all.”
The write employs humor by stating that it is a wrong perception that being colored is a sad condition. The casual and carefree tone of the writer while addressing a serious topic adds a sense of irony and emphasizes her determination. The use of humor helps to challenge stereotypes and motivates the readers to view her as a complicated individual rather than just a victim.
15- Parallelism
“At times I have no race, I am me. When I set my hat at a certain angle and saunter down Seventh Avenue, Harlem City, feeling as snooty as the lions in front of the Forty-Second Street Library, for instance.”
The use of parallelism in this excerpt portrays the thoughts of Hurston in a balanced and rhythmic way. The parallel phrases “at times I have no race” and “I am me” emphasize her sense of singularity and self-reliance. The use of parallel structure fortifies the idea that her identity rise above the racial categorization.
16- Oxymoron
“I am a dark rock surged upon, and overswept, but through it all, I remain myself.”
In this sentence, the use of oxymoron “dark rock surged upon” contrasts the ideas of stability (rock) and movement (surged upon). The use of oxymoron expresses the tension between the external forces and internal determination. The writer uses oxymoron to convey her commitment and persistent sense of self, despite the challenges she faces.
17- Rhetorical Question
“But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. Why should I be?”
Here the rhetorical question “Why should I be?” has been employed to prove the concept wrong that being colored is a tragic. The question motivates the readers to again consider their own thinking about the racial identity. The writer by putting this rhetorical question invites self-analysis and critical thinking, which make her argument more forceful.
18- Epiphany
“I remember the day I became colored. Up to my thirteenth year, I lived in the little Negro town of Eatonville, Florida. It is exclusively a colored town.”
Hurston by using epiphany illustrates her thinking about the racial identity. This is a turning point for her regarding her position and place in the world. The writer tries to indicate that how social and environmental factors affect personal identity.
