Jordan & Walker

It's interesting that the two pieces our textbook presents for introducing the literary genre of essay are by June Jordan and Alice Walker. These essays, "Many Rivers to Cross" (Jordan) and "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" (Walker), and these women connect in so many ways. Besides the fact that both women are African-American, they were close friends, activists, and prolific writers. Peacework Magazine's tribute to Jordan ends with her poetic tribute "For Alice Walker." For her part, Walker believed that Jordan "is as courageous, as rebellious, as compassionate, as she is original. . . an inhabitant of the entire universe."

Both of these essays, interestingly, were originally written as speeches for conferences. And what about the titles?

But as often happens, their similarities simply highlight their differences. "Much writing about literature compares two or more texts," because, as Schilb and Clifford point out, "you can gain many insights into a text by noting how it resembles and differs from others" (p. 70). The focus of Jordan's and Walker's essays are different, as are their tone, diction, and point. And they speak to us in different ways.

What do you think? How did you react to these two essays? Did having them together help or hinder your readings? Why do you think Schilb and Clifford picked them? Do these essays point out the power and/or shortcomings of this literary genre? Please respond to either or both of these pieces.