Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird" | |
| Author | Toni Cade Bambara |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Publication date | 1971 |
"Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird" is a short story by Toni Cade Bambara written in 1971. It is told through the point of view of a young black girl in southern America. Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird is about a family whose privacy is invaded by two cameramen who are making a film for the county's food stamp program. In this story, the little girl is playing with her neighbors, Tyrone and Terry and cousin, Cathy at her grandmother’s house. Her grandmother is on the back porch spreading rum on the Christmas cakes she has made. Two white filmmakers, shooting a film ‘‘about food stamps’’ for the county, lurk near their yard. The little girl’s grandmother asks them to leave but not listening to her request, they simply move farther away. When Granddaddy Cain returns from hunting a chicken hawk, he takes the camera from the men and smashes it. Cathy, the distant cousin of the little girl, displays a precocious ability to interpret other people’s actions and words as well as an interest in storytelling and writing.
[edit] Main characters
- The cameramen (the narrator calls them Smilin and Camera, but one's name is actually Bruno)
- Granny (Cora Cain)
- Granddaddy Cain
- Narrator (Granny's granddaughter)
- Cathy (narrator's distant cousin)
- Tyrone and Terry (twins who live nearby)
