Cora Unashamed
by Erica, Julia, Raechel, and Sam
Conflict
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In the story Cora Unashamed, there were a few conflicts. The main was how Cora was
a made more as a slave then family but she gets paid. The whole time she was there
they always called her the “N” word. I think Cora being apart of the only black family
in Melton made her feel she
Biographical Information
Langston Hughes born on February 1st 1902 in
Joplin, Missouri, he specialized in poetry but also wrote
plays. Among the short stories is Cora unashamed is about
the hardships and mistreatment of a female african
american which was not the only piece of work based on
african americans by Hughes, considering that he was one
of the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life
of urban blacks in his work which is what Cora is the
story, an urban black woman. His purpose of writing about
blacks was to”address the racial issue” which is what Cora
unashamed is about as well as based on. This Story did
exactly what Langston Hughes intended. It addressed the
racial issues similar to his other stories as well as poems.
Historical Context
Described in the story was the I.W.W
“Everybody said he was an I.W.W Cora didn’t Care.”
At this time in the early 1900s workers of the world
lead by William D. Haywood he described this
organization as the “first continental congress of the
working class.” All this meant was that this
organization was mainly unskilled middle class
workers. It welcomed all working people including
women, immigrants, minorities( african americans),
and even the unemployed. This provided a lot of
help for financially troubled people such as Cora
and her family at the time even though she never
really was part of the I.W.W.
HIstorical Setting
Melton was according to the story, smaller
than a town but larger than a village it
was also one of the poorest small towns
near the south and also according to the
story this unwealthy small town was
having trouble with trade and getting
supplies because Melton was 150 miles
away from the closest concrete
jungle(city) causing their financial issues
to become greater which explains why the
organization of I.W.W was also very
involved in Melton because of all the
financially challenged people.
Literary Criticism
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Hughes dramatizes Cora’s self-assurance and her courage by contrasting her with the
wealthy Studevant women for whom she works as a domestic in a small rural town, Melton.
While Studevant women are hypocritical, elitist, insensitive Cora is humble, strong, and
generous, particularly with her sincere love for people
Hughes use natural imagery to suggest Jessie’s and Cora’s wholesomeness as opposed to the
narrow mindedness and unnaturalness of Mrs. Studevant, her mother and older daughter.
A moving portrayal of the interrelationship between race, culture, and gender, Cora
Unashamed dramatizes how the Studevant women’s elitism and insensitivity cause them to
ignore Jessie and motivate their attempt to instill their cultural values in Jessie
Theme
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The theme of Cora Unashamed is that
even though you have the racial
superiority, the wealth, and the
reputation you have nothing without
love, and compassion for people close to
you. (Cora)
“ Cora was like a tree once rooted, she
stood, in spite of storms and strife, wind,
and rock, in the Earth”