My Response (Silver Pavements)

            The main thing that I felt I needed to respond to in this story is equality. It plays a big role in our lives today. It hit me the most out of any other thing. Everyone is different and unique in their own special way, but in ways we are the same. We may not really think that we are the same as anyone else, but we share similar qualities. Even though we are from different cultures and we may have different skin tones doesn’t give us any reason to follow in what we believe in.

            “I touch their feet like a good Indian girl should, though I am somewhat embarrassed. Everyone in the airport is watching us, I’m sure of it. Aunt is embarrassed too, and shifts her weight from leg to leg” (Divakaruni 38). Jayanti should not be embarrassed to show respect to her relatives. Her relatives also shouldn’t feel weird about her showing her feelings to them. It really doesn’t matter if they get stared at; it’s something that is very important to their culture. It is okay to show that kind of love to someone.

            “The voices follow us for a long time. Nigger, nigger, slush-voices, trickling into us even when we’ve finally found the right road back to our building, which had been only one street away all the time” (Divakaruni 52). People are so inconsiderate. There is no reason for the boys in this story to say those things to them. Just because they have darker skin doesn’t give people the right to throw things at them at chase them. They are people too, they aren’t any less then we are. We are all human. I don’t understand people who are racist towards others. Especially for the girls in this story, they did absolutely nothing.

            “When I finally look down I notice that the snow had covered my own hands so they are no longer brown but white, white, white.” (Divakaruni 56). This is where equality plays a big part. She reminisces about people that have been in her life for merely minutes. She shouldn’t feel like she needs to become something different. She is unique and has a lot going for her already, it is impossible for her to just throw everything away. Being something you’re not can really change your life in ways you don’t want it too.

            People from all over the world are different, but in our own ways we are all equal. We should never give up just because we may look different, speak different, or dress different doesn’t mean we should be ashamed of it. We should be proud of our culture and live it and love it every day. Just because someone may not like us doesn’t mean that we should change who we are. We are all special and unique, we should have no reason to change.