Visit to the Dentist

English Oral Presentation

“Visit to the Dentist”

By: Ana Rita nº4 Inês Ramos nº15 Inês Ventura nº16 Date: 23.10.2008

• About the writer …

• Story’s Background

• Narration

• Description

• Setting

Structure

• Plot

• Racism in this short-story

• Characters

• Language and style

Maya Angelou

Marguerite Johnson April 4th, 1928.

• American writer, poet, educator, historian, civil-rights activist, producer and director.

• One of the greatest voices of contemporary literature.• Travels around the world and makes public appearances.

Maya Angelou

Twelve of her books were best-sellers, such as: “I know why the caged bird sings”, “A song flung up to heaven” and “Even the stars look lonesome”.

Maya Angelou

“America’s most visible black female autobiographer”

Six of her books are autobiographies and they were amazingly successful among the readers.

• She was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, with her poetry book “Just give me a cool drink of water ‘fore I diiie”.

• In January 1993, she was the second poet in the U.S. history to have the honor of writing and reciting her original work at the Presidential Inauguration.

Maya Angelou

• Received two Grammy Awards, in which one of them was the "Best Spoken Word Album" category due to her work “Hallelujah”! The Welcome Table”.

• This famous writer also received over 50 honorary degrees from colleges and universities all over the world.

Through her works and public appearances worldwide she tries to transmit her thoughts about certain issues and tries to give voice to

people who want to speak but can’t be heard.

Maya Angelou

Racism in America1960-1969

Background

• “Visit to the Dentist” was written in 1969.

• It’s an auto-biography.

• It’s set in The United States of America.

• Discrimination is very frequent due to the variety of ethnics.

• This short story talks about racism, social inequalities and psychological suffering.

Background

Background

American History: 1960-1969

• Racism in the USA has been a major issue since the Colonial Era. Since that time, this country has been one of the most chosen destinies by many

different people…

• The sixties were the age of youth, as 70 million children from the post-war baby boom became teenagers and young adults.

• The movement away from the conservative fifties continued and eventually resulted in revolutionary ways of thinking.

• Young people wanted change. The changes affected education, values, lifestyles, laws, and entertainment. Many of the revolutionary ideas which

began in the sixties are still present today, but more evolved.

The Civil Rights movement made great changes in society in the 1960's:

• Martin Luther King and Stokely Carmichael led sit-ins and peaceful protests.

• In 1965, the term "blacks" became socially acceptable, replacing "Negroes.“

• The number of Hispanic Americans tripled during the decade and they became recognized as an oppressed minority.

Background

• American Indians began to assert themselves in the courts and in violent protests.

• Women also fought against the inequality that existed between them and men. Women wanted change and progress and they founded some institutions.

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended to include gender.

• Respect for authority began to be forgotten by the youth, and crime was much more significant than in the 1950's.

• Drugs started being sold and consumed by teens (LSD, Marijuana …).

• The hippie movement started.

Background

• When Fidel Castro, soon after overtaking Cuba, declared that he was a communist, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with this country, which originated a lot of conflicts for many years.

• Literature also reflected what was happening in America’s political and social areas in the sixties.

• Maya Angelou helped create new ideas on feminism as it developed in America.

• This autobiography is an example of that.

Background

Location: • The United States of America:

- Stamps (Marguerite’s house and the white dentist’s office).

- Texarkana (black dentist’s office).

Setting

Time: - Around 1934.- Action happens during one day (morning and late in the afternoon).

Main Characters: • Marguerite Henderson.• Annie Henderson (Momma)• Dr. Lincoln (white dentist)

Secondary Character/Extra:• White nurse that opens the door at the Dr

Lincoln’s office.

Characters

Main Events:1. They return home and tell their story to their relatives.2. After some time, as the pain refused to go away, her

grandmother decides to take her to the dentist.3. The grandmother gets angry and has a big fight with the Doctor.4. Marguerite steals candies from the candyshop and she gets a

toothache due to two cavities in her teeth.5. They go to the black dentist far away from their house.6. The nearest dentist is a white man and he refuses to treat

Marguerite because she’s black, although he owes some favours to Annie.

Game. :b

Correction

Main Events:4. Marguerite steals candies from the candyshop and she gets a

toothache due to two cavities in her teeth.2. After some time, as the pain refused to go away, her

grandmother decides to take her to the dentist.6. The nearest dentist is a white man and he refuses to treat

Marguerite because she’s black, although he owes some favours to Annie.

3. The grandmother gets angry and has a big fight with the Doctor.

5. They go to the black dentist far away from their house.1. They return home and tell their story to their relatives.

• “Visit to the dentist” is an autobiography.

• It’s written in the first person.

• The narrator is participant and omniscient.

• Description of the characters’ actions and explanation of the story itself.

• Conversations between Momma and the doctor and/or Marguerite.

Narration

• Description of the places during the trip to the other side of the city. She explains the diferences between the place where she lives and the place she is going to (the white side of the city).

• She describes the doctor, the way he acts and her grandmother.

Description

• The doctor refuses to treat Marguerite.

• On the bus, Marguerite and Momma have to sit in the back (spot reserved to coloured people).

• When they are going to buy an ice-cream they have to order it through a window.

Racism in this short-story

• This short-story has a formal language because of the careful way the text is written and also because of the words used.

• In the dialogues, the language has parts of “neighbourhood talk”.

eg: “I done tole you I ain’t gonna mess around in no niggah’s mouth”.

• The writer used some ordinary expressions since it was a conversation between Marguerite and her grandmother.

Language and Style

The end ;D

By: Ana Rita nº4 Inês Ramos nº15 Inês Ventura nº16 Date: 23.10.2008

“Visit to the Dentist”