Assignment #5 Short commentary on "Raymond's Run"

This short story "Raymond's Run" is from a collection of multi culti stories called America Street. Raymond's Run is quite entertaining even though I think it is a bit below College level reading. Our assignment was to write a short commentary on the story and to also pick out 3 words 3 phrases and 3 sentences that we like, these are at the end.

Short Commentary on Raymond’s Run from America Street

Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker a.k.a. “Squeaky” is one hell of a confident young woman. She has every right to be: she is the “fastest thing on two feet” in her neighborhood and makes no qualms about it. The only thing that apparently is holding her back is her brother Raymond.

Raymond is her big brother in name only. He is taken care of (“minded”) by his baby sister “Squeaky”. He seems to be disabled most likely with some kind of learning disability. She brings him everywhere and never lets him slow her down. She has a single mindedness about her training-for the big May Day race that happens in Harlem-that sets her apart from regular children. This race is her chance to show up all the girls in the neighborhood that make fun of her and her “little” brother Raymond, especially Gretchen.

“Squeaky” Parker sure is feisty as she confronts her supposed adversaries head on. She doesn’t see the point of trying to talk through a problem, she hits first and if need be she runs out of there and never gets caught (they don’t call her Mercury for no reason).

My favorite part of the story comes at the end with the big May Day race. The way the writer describes what is going through Squeaky’s head is magnificent (hot and weightless is how she describes the feeling right before the race starts). While running and leaving Gretchen in the dust “Squeaky” notices her brother Raymond running on the other side of the gate, and doing rather well. She wins the race but her happiness is reserved for Raymond and how she can coach him to be as good as a runner as her. She also thinks that Gretchen who came in second, only to her, is good enough to help her coach Raymond as well, “Squeaky” even smiles at her nemesis and acknowledges her accomplishment. Hazel Parker goes from being a self centered driven competitor to being gracious and selfless in victory, a truly uplifting story.

Three Sentences:

1. And the next word out of anybody and I’ll be their mother too.
2. I am not a strawberry
3. I’m on my back looking at the sky, trying to pretend that I’m in the country, but I can’t, because even the grass in the city feels hard as sidewalk, and there’s no pretending you are anywhere but in a “concrete jungle” as my grandfather says.

Three Phrases

1. Ventriloquist dummy routine
2. Hot and weightless
3. Explodes in my blood

Three Words

1. Beanstalk
2. Fairies
3. Holler