Raymond's Run Analysis

“Raymond’s Run” is a story by Toni Cade Bambara about an African-American girl known to all as Squeaky who lives in Harlem, New York. Her numerous character traits and values make her very unique and unlike most her age. In the story, Squeaky arrives to the park where the race that she will be participating in will take place. An example of one of her values is, “I squint at him real hard to see if he is seriously thinking that I should lose the race on purpose just to give someone else a break” Bambara (22). This quote shows how much Squeaky values pride and hard work. The example supports the idea of Squeaky’s uniqueness through her values because not many children of that age possess those traits.The character Squeaky from “Raymond’s Run”

In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story, “Raymond’s Run,” the main character and narrator, Squeaky, is fiercely protective of her brother Raymond, and of herself. It’s Squeaky’s responsibility to mind Raymond, her older brother who has special needs. Keeping Raymond safe and being the fastest runner in the neighborhood are the things that matter most to Squeaky, and she doesn’t let anyone interfere with either task. She acts tough to protect both Raymond and herself. Squeaky is fiercely protective of her brother Raymond, who is “not quite right in the head.”

Raymond is a young man who is mentally challenged and his little sister is a runner. The one job that his sister has to do is take care of him and watch. So one day Squeaky (Hazel) decided to enter the May Day Race so she could run the 50 yard dash and she noticed something about her brother that she never noticed before. What she noticed about her brother is that he may have his own special way of running but he’s also a really good runner. Then she thought to herself that’s how he kept up with her on her runs and that’s why I think Raymond would make a good

Imagine a beat of sweat rolling down your face. There is a fire in your eyes which shoots daggers at the 3 girls in front of you. They’re laughing. Taunting. It’s only natural for single-minded people to target your disabled brother. Since he has a disability, there is an image cemented in your mind that he can’t do anything… right? In this case, you are just like Squeaky. She has a brother named Raymond whom she feels the need to care for. During the story “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara, she goes from a very cocky person to someone who thinks about others and their abilities. She shows the reader her insight on figuring out an important message that everyone has talent; you just need to acknowledge it.

Prompt 1: Analysis of Hazel’s Character in “Raymond’s Run” “Raymond’s Run” was Toni Cade Bambara’s famous short story, published in her collection called “Gorilla, My Love” that was set in Harlem, New York. The short story depicts a young girl named Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, nicknamed "Squeaky," getting ready for her school's annual May Day races. The main character of Hazel in the story showcases her as a courageous, honest, responsible and mature person, as well as a loving sister and friend to her brother, Raymond. Hazel claims to be the fastest runner in her neighborhood (though she admits that she’s not as fast as her dad) and attends track and field at her school.

Also, in the story, “Raymond’s Run”, Squeaky and how she is open about her opinions, serious about running, and does allow other people to tell her what she has to be. One quote from “Raymond’s Run” that demonstrates the theme

One day when Squeaky and Raymond go for a walk down Broadway, they find Mary Louise, Rosie, and Gretchen. When Mary is trying to talk to Raymond, wanting to know what grade he is in, Squeaky says fiercely “you got anything to say to my brother, you say it to me” (41). This shows that Squeaky does not want anyone saying anything to her brother Raymond. Squeaky is also protective of her brother Raymond when people try to talk to him. For example, it says in the story that “A lot of smart mouths got lots to say about that too, especially when George is minding him.

In “Raymond’s Run”, it is clear to see that Squeaky walks through life with heavy weights and worries on her shoulders. Not only does she have to take care of Raymond, but she also has to deal with her mother, who does not accept Squeaky for who she is. Squeaky’s mother brings her down by not supporting her and expecting her to be a typical girly girl. When her mother brings her down, Squeaky develops insecurities about herself. She may not realize it, but the sassy and rude way she treats others is just an act to cover up her insecurities. When she acts like she is better than everyone else, she is just trying to hide the fact that she has so many obstacles that she needs to overcome. Just like Squeaky in “Raymond’s Run”, “She Used to Be Mine”, uncovers the act that Sara Bareilles puts on, and reveals her true self. Both Squeaky and Sara Bareilles have different dimensions and layers to themselves. Squeaky is also similar to a flower bud that blooms into something beautiful. By the end of the story, Squeaky learns to respect Gretchen, and by doing that she is gaining a new perspective on life. When a flower bud opens up, it grows layers of petals. Each petal on the flower is like each of Squeaky’s different personalities. Squeaky is still figuring out her life, and she is constantly learning from her mistakes and growing from them. While the flower grows new petals, the bud in in the center remains the same, like the heart of the flower. This goes to show that even when Squeaky is changing, she still has the same, loving heart. A heart that loves her family. A heart that loves Raymond. A heart that loves

Whenever you’re in a public place there will be people who are different, whether it is in their appearance, or the way they act. In the book Raymond’s run squeaky has the tough job of taking care of someone like this, her so called “little brother” Raymond (Raymond acts and looks younger because he suffers from a mental and physical disease**). Taking care of someone like him is a hard job for an experienced adult, let alone for a second grader. Would you be able to handle such a tough job at the mere age of 7? Squeaky managed this seemingly impossible task by using running as an escape to win, to complete goals and primarily for freedom.

Sometimes what you think you want is not always it. "Raymond's run" is written by Toni Cade Bambara. In this story she uses characterization to set the theme.

Squeaky cares about her brother, Raymond a lot and she protects him like a mother. Mary Louise comes with her friends to talk with squeaky, and she tells her how she is not fast. Then she tries to ask Raymond something, but Squeaky stops her. “ You got anything to say to my brother you say it to me, Mary Louise Williams of Raggedy Town, Baltimore.”(Bambara 3) This quote explains how much she cares and is very protective. Rosie tries to be mean and asks squeaky, if she was Raymond’s mother. “ Thats right fatso, And the next word out of anybody and I’ll be their mother too.”(Bambara 3) This explains how squeaky could do anything for her brother no matter what.

“Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara is a chapter from a book about a girl named Squeaky. She has a passion for running, no matter what people tell her. Squeaky also has a mentally challenged brother named Raymond, who needs looking out for. At the end of “Raymond’s Run,” Squeaky uses the phrase “like being people.” “Like being people” means be yourself to Squeaky.

A lack of self confidence could result in somebody feeling unloved or unappreciated; however sometimes too much self confidence can result in arrogance, which could cause people to have a different view of people with too much self confidence. This theme can also be supported by textual evidence when Gretchen and Hazel respectfully smile at each other after Hazel wins the race. Hazel states, “We stand there with a big smile of respect between us. It’s about as real a smile as girls can do for each other, considering we don’t practice real smiling every day, you know, ‘cause maybe we are too busy being flowers or fairies or strawberries instead of something honest and worthy of respect...you know...like being people” (42). Gretchen is Hazel’s biggest competitor. They do not know each other very well before the race, but what they do know about each other is that they both want to win first place. Since they are competitors, they do not have much respect for each other before the race starts, yet afterwards they have respect for each others abilities. Finally, this theme can also be supported by the textual evidence when Hazel see’s Raymond running towards her after the

Raymond’s Run is a short story written by Toni Bambara Cade in 1960. The story is about a girl named Hazel, and her brother Raymond who is “not quite right”. Hazel loves running and she is always first in competitions. She is always looking out for Raymond and takes him with her when she is practicing, and also to the May Day race where Raymond starts running in his own unique style which changes Hazel’s view on Raymond, herself and the people around her.

Just because someone is different doesn't mean they're not capable. When Hazel watches Raymond run she realizes he's a very fine runner. He always keeps up with her on her trots and he can't even breathe in counts of 7 (pg 6, Bambara). Towards the end of the story Hazel watched Raymond run for the first time, Hazel had a moment of reality when she realized Raymond is a really good runner but can also keep up with her on her trots. Hazel realized just because her brother has a disability doesn't mean he's not capable. Another supporting piece of evidence is, “And I’ve got a roomful of ribbons and medals and awards but what does Raymond have to call his own” (Pg 7, Bambara)? Raymond's whole family and all the other kids around him have been treating him differently due to his disability. Hazel wants to change that and help him learn to run more. She doesn't care if she wins or not, as long as Raymond is her champion. She even wants