Exploring Themes in Anne Moody's 'Coming of Age in Mississippi' Memoir

This assignment analyzes Anne Moody's memoir, 'Coming of Age in Mississippi,' exploring the impact of Emmett Till's murder, Moody's experiences in college, and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The assignment addresses specific questions regarding the author's understanding of racial injustice, her feelings about the college environment, and the tactics used to suppress the movement. Part A of the assignment examines the murder of Emmett Till, Moody's feelings about her college experiences, and the tactics used by Mayor Thomson to mitigate the impact of sit-in demonstrations. Part B of the assignment discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using biographies as a source of historical information. The assignment provides a detailed account of the events and the emotional impact of racial discrimination on Moody's life as she was growing up in Mississippi.

Part A
Question from the Chapter” Childhood”
Question
Why Emmett Till was killed? How the author connected this killing with other such incidences?
What was the new fear that Essie discovered by this killing?
Answer
The reporting of the crime gives us an idea that Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old boy from
Chicago was killed because he flirted with a white woman in Mississippi. While coming back
from her school, Anne discovered that local white people living in Mississippi have this notion
that teenage black boys are flirtatious; they can even commit heinous crimes against the women
because of their incorrect upbringing and criminal tendencies caused by their racial genesis.
Before this murder, Essie heard about the mysterious killing of many black people, she heard
about some horrendous stories of the dead bodies of black people that were found floating in the
nearby river and other deserted places in the area. When she inquired about these killings from
her mother, she told her that it is an act of evil spirits that are haunting the area. Anne connected
the murder of Emmett Till with the killings done by the evil spirits until Mrs. Burke revealed an
ugly truth in front of her.

Essie confessed that before the murder of Emmett Till she was familiar with the fears of hunger,
hell, and the devil; however, after discovering the real reason behind the murder of Emmett Till,
she discovered a new fear. She thought that since she is a black girl, any white man or boy can
kill her. Her mother once told her that if she will behave like a good girl then the devil and hell
will not bother her. However, she felt that she is under constant threat of killing because of the
color of her skin and she cannot change it either.
Question 2
Form the Chapter “College”
Why Moody felt that she is living in a prison rather than the hostel of the college? What
punishment did she receive from the side of Miss Adams? Why she was unhappy with this
punishment? How this particular punishment made her feel that she is receiving preferential
treatment?
Question 3
From the Chapter “The Movement”
What tactics did Mayor Thomson come up to mitigate the impact of the “sit-in” demonstrations?
What were the main demands of “six men delegation” and how Mayor Thompson ruled them out
of the book?
Part B
Answer

Biographies or the memoirs tell us a personal account of the life of a person where history
sometimes plays the role of a backdrop to the story. While considering memoirs as a serious
source of history we need to consider about two major advantages and one disadvantage
associated with the suppositions.
The first advantage associated with autobiography is related to the detailing of the events. A
historian or a reader can visualize a micro-picture of the events where human emotions and other
details can play a crucial role. For instance, we can also see in the case of “Coming of Age in
Mississippi.” Books of history identify the murder of “Emmett Till” as a crime against humanity,
it indicates an atrocity done on a teenage boy, where justice could have been delivered
differently. Most of the history books fail in capturing the impact of this murder on the social
order, the tale of “coming of age in Mississippi, tells us about the fears that a young black girl
faced as an outcome of the animosity caused by this murder.
The second advantage associated with the biography related to the fact that they can be utilized
as a source of confirmation. Most of the biographies can be treated as a primary source of
history. Details given in a biography can sometimes support or negate the popular culture
reporting of the events. We should not forget the fact that winners write history and sometimes
they can hide the facts.
The biggest disadvantage related to the biography lies in the fact that it cannot be used as
standalone evidence. It may full of biases and sometimes a biography can present a contrived
vision of the events. The trustworthiness of the facts is always dependent on the mainstream
books of history where historians record exact facts about the events and dates.