Observing: The Struggles Of Ruth And James

When Hunter Jordan passed away in the Color of Water, both Ruth and James were affected by his death. Hunter died of a stroke at the age of seventy-two. Ruth and James were affected similarly but yet differently. Starting with Ruth, she contrasts from her son James because she was more nonchalant about the situation. For instance, James, the narrator, says that “I would see my mother pedaling her blue bicycle. She would ride in slow motion across our street… It was her way of grieving” (McBride 2). Ruth seem to not let the past get at her best nor the present. She simply cruises through life, on her bicycle, as it continues. On the other hand, James was the opposite of Ruth because he committed crimes. As proof, he states “I virtually dropped

“ If there is no struggles, there is no progress.” This famous quote was stated by Frederick Douglas. He was an african american abolitionist, civil rights leader, and social reformer that was born into slavery and faced many hardships in his life but eventually he overcame his difficulties and became a very famous colored man in a world full of slavery. In the book “Hope Was Here”, also several characters face struggles that require inner strength to overcome. Some examples are Braverman, Addie, and Hope. All of them had struggles but still overcame them. My great-grandmother had many obstacles in her life, but she still overcame them.

Ruth and James had different experiences when they attended school. Back in the days, when Ruth attended school in Suffolk, there was a split between “white folks’ school and a black folks’ school and a Jewish school,” (McBride 79). The school Ruth attended was not actually a real school, but instead a synagogue, where they did not get a good education compared to what other students were learning in school. In contrast, James “was the only black kid,” (McBride 89), attending in his classroom and he would get called many names because he was the only black kid.

While Ruth and her family moved from place to place they attracted a lot of attention. People noticed them because they were poor and Jewish. The fact Ruth’s mother was handicapped made their

Ruth: With no clear author it is speculated to be written by Solomon; the date it was written was uncertain, it is estimated to be written between 1011 and 931 B.C. The literary genres is family narrative. It was written to the Israelites. It teaches that genuine love at times may require uncompromising sacrifice. Major events; the death of her husband and the return to her mother-in-law’s homeland. The key personalities are Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, key themes are faithfulness, honor and redemption.

Growing up in Suffolk Virginia, Ruth McBride was abused by her Orthodox Jewish rabbi father as she was forced to work very long hours in their family store. Since love was not something that was simply provided by her father, she instead finds love in the arms of a black man. In a turn of events, Ruth ends up marrying another Christian black man and has children with him. However, she hides her Jewish background from her children. In her family, marrying a black man is considered to be an unacceptable thing and due to this,

The first character we meet is Ruth Younger. Ruth is a hardworking mother who has had a

Ruth Edith was born on June 26, 1923, in Berlin, Germany. Ruth, who grew up as a Jew, had long, black hair and always wore a dress. Ruth lived with her Jewish family. She had two brothers and three sisters. Unfortunately, Ruth happened to be the eldest child in her family. Once Hitler took over Germany, Ruth eventually realized that she would have to get the food and supplies for the family. Sara, Ruth’s mom, fell ill in 1936 and could no longer take of the family. As a result, Ruth’s dad fled to the United States in 1937 and left all the family behind in Germany. Ruth decided to take full responsibility, at the tender age of 14, to take care of the family. She would steal supplies her family needed from the local store down the street.

Yee talks about how citizenship or not, Asian Americans are constantly seen as more Asian than American. And no matter which Asian country Asian Americans are descendants of, they are constantly all grouped together during overlapping periods of economic, military, and political conflicts in U.S.- Asia relations. Thus, subgrouping Asian American as the “good guy” or “bad guy” depending on U.S. - Asia political conflicts. Moreover, the other experience Asian Americans share with the character of Ruth is her role as the model minority. Ruth is a model minority because she is primarily a Moabite windower who chooses not to return to her mother’s house, but instead follower her Israelite mother-in- law back to Bethlehem and ultimately, assist in continuing the Jewish patrilineage that was threatened in the first chapter. Yee explains “Her rejection of Moab and its negative links with Israel transforms her into the Jewish convert par excellence... Ruth's hSesed (generosity, compassion, and love) toward her mother-in-law in accompanying Naomi to a strange land and in supporting her by gleaning is recognized by Ruth's future husband and

The relationship between Ruth and Tateh was not one of love, but was instead fraught with fear and abuse. “God I was scared of him,” lamented Ruth (42). While growing up, Ruth’s family experienced prejudice and exclusion because of their Jewish background. Ironically, Tateh also treated the black people that frequented his store very poorly. Because she rejected Tateh’s racist demeanor and terrible treatment of his family, she set out to find a husband who would respect her as well as her children; someone who would be a good fatherly example.

Her mother, Liuling often guilt trips Ruth about the hours she spends working rather than with her. As her mother begins to show signs of dementia following a previous car accident and concussion from a fall from a window decades before Ruth finds herself torn between her personal relationships, work and caring for her mother. She is in denial of her mothers decline and hopes it is fixable or temporary but soon learns she is facing a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. She sees definitive signs of her mothers struggle to live alone and care for herself. Ruth comes across her mothers memoir written in Chinese recording a great detail about her life, family and history. “The memoir is titled, The things I can never forget.” Knowing her mother is losing her memory Ruth decides to move in with Luling to care for her, learn about her history and finally ready all of memoir. The second half of the book, Part II is the memoir.

Ruth's was born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia was her Jewish family who was per say quite religious primarily due to the contribution Ruth's father made to the Jewish community as a rabbi. Once she fell off at the age of ___, she ended up living in Brooklyn New York eventually converting to Christianity with the influence of her husband Dennis. Ruth explains Dennis affect when saying, “ It took a long time to get over it...Dennis stuck it out with me, and after a while, I began to listen to what he said about God forgiving you.”(McBride 217). It expresses that after Ruth’s grief and guilt over her mother's death she emphasizes

The Book of Ruth Ruth is a story about loyalty, love, and faith. The simple love story

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”once said Frederick Douglass. Everyone goes through struggles, and it is up to them to excell forward using their strength. The struggles that Braverman and Hope go through show the requirement of finding inner strength. I myself, have also very recently gone through a struggle that has required me to reach inside and find the resilience in me.

Ruth’s mother set a feminine guiding line that was characterized by a serious devotion to principle, righteousness, duty, and her husband.