For centuries homosexuality was viewed as taboo but in actuality it has been present since the days of Alexander the Great. As of late people’s attitudes towards homosexuality have shifted in connotation. In the 1980’s, due to the HIV and AIDS epidemic gay men were looked down upon and isolated because people did not understand that the disease was sexually transmitted and could be given by direct contact. They just knew gay people were associated with the disease. These views contrast with new public attitudes towards homosexuality in 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled same sex marriage as legal in all states of the United States. As time has progressed public views on homosexuality have become widely accepted in the world. However, in the past this was not the case. In the short story, “Augustine”, by Danny M. Hoey, Jr. a young girl witnesses the suicide of a teenager named Augustine that she looked up to. Later after his death she learns that he ended his life because he could not be with the man he loved. After discovering Augustine’s sexuality negative viewpoints were exposed to the young girl which resulted in her sticking up for him. Hoey utilizes descriptive diction, fragmented sentences and shifts in syntax to display how homosexuality was perceived in the black community. The colloquial and detailed language was used to establish the rejecting attitude and setting of the story.
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The setting of this story was important to grasp because it impacted the characters’ decisions. In the beginning, descriptive phrases such as “coca colored” and “chocolate body” were used to indicate that this was a story about black people. The main character repeats that the young girls live in the “King Kennedy Projects” and were called “the Project girls” indicating that they lived in an impoverished black neighborhood. This is essential because in the past black communities, especially poor ones did not accept homosexuality in the home. This refusal to accept homosexuals created a negative attitude in the story. Hoey displays this through the usage of derogatory terms like “fag”, “faggot”, and the phrase “he had some sugar in his tank”. The author established a negative reaction by the black community towards the discovery of Augustine’s sexuality to emphasize the reason he jumped off the building in the first place. He could not be with the man he loved because he was scared people would not accept him. This rejection is depicted in the shift of syntax from the beginning of the story to the end. Initially, a combination of hyphenated and fragmented sentences was used to emphasize how the group of girls admired Augustine before they discovered his sexuality. The three girls, Tara, Pam, and the main character, believed Augustine was their project savior who would make it out of Cleveland, Ohio, alive. Through the fragmentation of the sentence “We- …show more content…
The author implicitly displayed how different people and communities feel about homosexuals through descriptive and colloquial diction, fragmented sentences, and a significant shift. The diction creates an image and attitude of disdain against gay people further emphasizing the importance of Augustine’s death. The broken-up sentences followed by the shift display the impact the community’s views have on an unbiased mind. Hoey utilizes these tools throughout the story to portray the importance of accepting people for what they are and how impactful one person or communities’ views can
The setting of this story was important to grasp because it impacted the characters’ decisions. In the beginning, descriptive phrases such as “coca colored” and “chocolate body” were used to indicate that this was a story about black people. The main character repeats that the young girls live in the “King Kennedy Projects” and were called “the Project girls” indicating that they lived in an impoverished black neighborhood. This is essential because in the past black communities, especially poor ones did not accept homosexuality in the home. This refusal to accept homosexuals created a negative attitude in the story. Hoey displays this through the usage of derogatory terms like “fag”, “faggot”, and the phrase “he had some sugar in his tank”. The author established a negative reaction by the black community towards the discovery of Augustine’s sexuality to emphasize the reason he jumped off the building in the first place. He could not be with the man he loved because he was scared people would not accept him. This rejection is depicted in the shift of syntax from the beginning of the story to the end. Initially, a combination of hyphenated and fragmented sentences was used to emphasize how the group of girls admired Augustine before they discovered his sexuality. The three girls, Tara, Pam, and the main character, believed Augustine was their project savior who would make it out of Cleveland, Ohio, alive. Through the fragmentation of the sentence “We- …show more content…
The author implicitly displayed how different people and communities feel about homosexuals through descriptive and colloquial diction, fragmented sentences, and a significant shift. The diction creates an image and attitude of disdain against gay people further emphasizing the importance of Augustine’s death. The broken-up sentences followed by the shift display the impact the community’s views have on an unbiased mind. Hoey utilizes these tools throughout the story to portray the importance of accepting people for what they are and how impactful one person or communities’ views can