The essay “Pearl Upward” by Patricia Smith is a piece all about expectations and reality. Annie Pearl leaves her home in Alabama for Chicago, Illinois. Her dream is “to wave goodbye to her mama and a God not particular to ugly. Just the word city shimmies her” (180). She has such high hopes for Chicago and believes it has more to offer than anything in Alabama. She arrives in the city and “crafts a life that is dimmer than she’d hoped, in a tenement flat with walls pressing in hard and roaches, sluggish with Raid…” (181). “At night, when she tries to sleep, Alabama fills her head with a cruel grace, its colors brighter, and its memory impossibly wide” (181).This piece is an example of the grass always being greener on the other side, and sends the message that everything, every place, every person is not quite the expected. The imagery is strong and it allows the reader to visualize what the character is experiencing. Phrases such as “sleeping at angles, her head full and hurting with the future” (180) help the audience to understand the thoughts always floating in her head. While Smith contrasts the expectations of the two homes, and the reality, she also contrasts the two sides of the girl. On one side, Annie is a free, independent city girl, curious of new adventures, willing to try everything, and always moving. The other side is the side that she grew up with; the polite, obedient girl who slows down and always listens to her mother. This side has a shred of naivety and innocence about it. She knows nothing of the world beyond Alabama. When these two sides come together, they create Annie Pearl. She follows her city dreams, her independent side, but she continues to hold on to the Alabama side. This essay was extremely impressive, but is just one example of Smith’s work. She also does poetry, written and spoken. Smith has won awards including the first Hurston/Wright Award in Poetry. She has taught at many institutions including Georgia Tech University and New York’s public schools. Being born in Chicago gives her a lot of background knowledge on what the city has to offer. Since the essay is about her mother, Smith also has a primary source. The piece, “Pearl Upward” is very relatable because it is about an average girl who is finding herself. Young adult females would be the most common audience because they can relate to the character and understand what she is going through. I believe that relatability is crucial, which is why I enjoyed it so much. I do think that Patricia Smith conveyed her meaning of expectations very well through the use of imagery and comparisons and contrast.
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Grass is Greener Theme
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