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1234 Columbus Avenue
Building 3, Room 211A
Boston, MA 02120
Phone: 857-701-1380
Email: library1@rcc.mass.edu
Welcome to the research guide for ENG 102: Composition II with Professor Rhonda Gray. This guide features a collection of books, scholarly journals, and popular media for you to use as you research your final paper topics.
Love and Justice: The Patriarchal Duel Between Black Marriages and Mass Incarceration
Tayari Jones’ An American Marriage, a novel, explores the physical, psychological and emotional wounding caused by patriarchal norms displayed through the romantic relationship of a southern Black couple, Roy and Celestial, that caves as a result of Roy’s wrongful imprisonment. The novel reveals the struggle Celestial experiences as she tries to live up to the patriarchal expectations of a dutiful wife during her husband’s incarceration as well as Roy’s attempt to hold on to his patriarchal position as husband and breadwinner despite being imprisoned. The breakdown of their marriage and Roy’s subsequent struggle to rebuild himself speak to the prison’s lurking presence in the lives of not only those who have been incarcerated but also their families, communities and, more broadly, the global society. bell hooks’ “Understanding Patriarchy,” chapter two of The Will to Change: Men Masculinity and Love (2004) offers a critique of patriarchal norms that will allow us to see how the characters’ lives are negatively harmed through the adoption of these norms on a personal and institutional level.
Professor Rhonda Gray
rgray@rcc.mass.edu
Office 3-332
Roxbury Community College
Monday: 8:30 - 5:00 pm
Tuesday: 8:30 - 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:30 - 5:00 pm
Thursday: 8:30 - 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:30 - 5:00 pm
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: CLOSED
Monday: 8:30 - 8:00 pm
Tuesday: 8:30 - 8:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:30 - 8:00 pm
Thursday: 8:30 - 8:00 pm
Friday: 8:30 - 5:00 pm
Saturday: 8:30 - 3:00 pm
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Evening class instruction available by request. To see if the RCC Library is closed on school holidays and semester breaks, please consult the Library Calendar.
857-701-1380
or via text at 857-877-2255
library1@rcc.mass.edu
1234 Columbus Avenue
Building 3, Room 211
Boston, MA 02120
