1. I think it’s surprising and unexpected that Richard Gregory experienced shame at such a young age. When I was younger I really didn’t think about having any shame on myself. I always thought about having fun and really didn’t care what other people thought. I also think it was surprising that he first experienced shame at school. Most young boys worry about sports and playing rather than thinking what girls thought about them.
2. Gregory’s shame lasted for 22 years. He was seven when he first experienced shame and he was 29 when he overcame it. He finally overcame his shame when he made something of himself, when he got married and started making money.
3. Gregory would rub his tennis shoes on the back of his pants to make them look clean and he would wish that his hair wasn’t messed up. He also wished that his clothes would fit better so he would look nicer for Helene Tucker. Gregory would shovel off her walkway to make her family like him and put money on her stoop late at night. In class he would use a lady’s handkerchief so he wouldn’t have to wipe his nose on his hand. He would brush his hair and even wash his clothes with the melted ice water from a grocery store.
4. I think that the teacher’s name wasn’t used so that the reader could relate to the story better. This allows the person reading to think about someone in their life that made them feel shame about themselves and put them in the story as well.
5. The dialogue in this story made it seem more realistic and live. When I was reading I almost felt like I was in Richard’s shoes and what he was feeling.
6. I think that Gregory says, “Now there is shame everywhere” because he really felt like the entire world now knew about his shame after the teacher told the class. Richard felt shame by going to a Christmas dinner for under privileged children and having to wear the same outfit that welfare gave to three thousand boys. Also, his shame was illustrated by having to ask to eat rotten peaches and having to sneak through alleys so no one would see him.
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