Anne Spencer :: essays research papers

The A exemplary Woman in a Typical areaDo many people know who Anne Spencer is? Probably not. Anne Spencer was a Harlem rebirth poet who actually lived in Lynchburg, Virginia. She immensely enjoyed working in her garden and outgo time in Edankraal, a small cottage in her garden where she wrote most(prenominal) of her poetry. though Anne was a hard worker, she definitely was not a typical woman of the early 20th blow. Anne and her husband, Edward, did many things that were not typical during the early 20th century, but these "atypical" characteristics made the couple precise unique.Anne was the "unannounced" valedictorian of her class at the Virginia Theological Seminary and College (Potter 129). This was unusual because at the time African American women were able to attend school, but most did not go to college, much less become the valedictorian of the graduating class. Though some say that Anne was not the valedictorian of her class, but rather a shy girl wa s the valedictorian, and Anne definitely was not shy ("Anne Bethel"). Annes lore definitely shows throughout her work.Spencer did not work simply to earn bills she worked because she enjoyed what she was doing. According to A History of Women in the West, the women of the early 20th century were still working at home, keeping the children, doing house chores, and some plain worked on the farm. When World War I broke out because of the black lotion of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, most women went to work in factories (24). Anne did not work in a factory but she did work at Jones Memorial program librarys Dunbar Branch for $75 a month. Anne was not the typical librarian hired for this job. Though the library only served African American patrons, the come out as a librarian normally went to a white person. She win over the employer that she was qualified by showing him/her that she was a published poet. She also taught at her alma mater, the Virginia Theological Se minary and College for free, just because she loved teaching (Clark). On the other hand, Edward was Lynchburg, Virginias first parcel postman. Not only was this an enormous achievement for the city of Lynchburg, but also because Edward was an African American. Edward also helped out with the family grocery come in which was close to their home on 1313 Pierce Street. The pay he real helped the familys financial situation tremendously (Salmon 18).