I chose the Paley reading for my reflection.
1.) Grace Paley’s “Traveling” is a memoir about being a stranger who encounters segregation for the first time. How does Paley’s status as a stranger enable her to resist the injustices of segregation?
Paley’s status as a stranger allows her to see the cruelty and injustice within the segregation system and respond accordingly to situation. Since Paley and her family weren’t brought up in a society ingrained with these racist beliefs, they are more willing to defy these policies and uphold their morals.
2.) While Paley depicts herself as a stranger in “Traveling,” she is still able to find community. What is the basis for this community?
The basis for this community is the African-Americans who, despite facing hardships that Paley and her family aren’t subjected to such as segregation, resonate with Paley because both groups understand the challenges of being an immigrant and African-American in America. Although Paley and the mother were complete strangers during the bus encounter in the memoir, Paley offered to temporarily relieve the baby’s physical burden on her because of the unjust treatment of the bus system.