![]() It is fitting, therefore, to use Langston Hughes's "Mother to Son," as an interpretive guide to the features of the culture that Mathis gives. Her words, like poetry, tell meaningful stories through images and allusions, through carefully chosen language. As each story unfolds, rich cultural features are revealed language comes alive and realistically communicates the joy, sadness, and disconnectedness of the spirit of the characters. Mathis's writing is rooted in the oral tradition of story telling. She celebrates children, innocent and determined children who gain the psychological and spiritual strength which they need to survive in a frightening and threatening world. She also writes of life, of love and caring, of friendship and understanding, of convictions and forgiving, and of family. ![]() ![]() Mathis writes of death, drug addiction, and alcohol dependence, of figurative and literal blindness, of old age and senility, and of eviction and displacement. ![]() Sharon Bell Mathis's children's books- Sidewalk Story (1971), Teacup Full of Roses (1972), Ray Charles (1973), Listen for the Fig Tree (1974), and The Hundred Penny Box (1975)-create contemporary black images, the sounds of the blues, and the accompanying emotions of the heart. ![]()
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