English Salesman

Reading Response Gates / Hooks

Both Bell Hooks and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explore their voices in their memoirs. In her memoir Talking Back, Bell Hooks explores the reasons and motivations for her writing. She refers to her writing as “talking back.” For her, this equates to asserting her voice, even when or especially when, her voice is uninvited or unwanted. For Hooks, this assertion of voice is essential to who she is. It is absolutely necessary. It is the defining characteristic of being an outspoken intellectual minority woman. For Hooks, the recognition of her voice as valid is as important as any other message that her writing might convey. For Henry Louis Gates, Jr. his memoir Colored People is also an assertion of his voice. Gates seems to have dual intents. The first intent seems to be to explain to other blacks why he and others have and want a strong sense of community between members of his group. Secondly, and much more subtly, Gates seems to be showing the complexities of being black. He illustrates how confusing and frustrating it must be in general but especially when dealing with younger blacks like his children. Hooks and Gates both use their memoirs as effective vehicles to explore their voices and messages.