Wake up, Ashton. Amari didn't look up from his drawing as he spoke. This is America. Supposed to be the land of the free, but we free? Nah. We got rules everywhere we step. No running, no cursing, no playing, no yelling, no staying up late, no this and no that. Now, grown-ups, they're the free ones. And if it's not grownups all up and down our backs, it's teachers.Amari flicked his hand into the air, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling. She put us here, he said. She didn't say, You all want to come to the art room?' She said, 'Y'all going to the art room' That's freedom? That's power?
In your own words, summarize what he's talking about. How does Woodson continue to use the meta/ self-aware commentary for effect in these paragraphs?
1 answer
In this excerpt, Amari is expressing his frustration with the lack of freedom and control he feels as a child in America. He criticizes the numerous rules and restrictions imposed on children, whether it's from parents or teachers. Amari questions the idea of America being the land of the free when children are constantly being told what they can and cannot do. Woodson continues to use meta/self-aware commentary in these paragraphs by having Amari question the notion of freedom and power, highlighting the discrepancy between the idealized concept and the reality experienced by children like Amari.