Outside Reading (Reflective Essay #1)

October 10, 2010
By Zadie Smith

A Bus Stop, a Friendship, and a Check

     In her piece “Sweet Charity,” Zadie Smith calls her friendship with black, viola-playing, and nerdy Christine “funny.” The two both grew up trying to overcome the stereotypes of their age, and each did; however, their lives took different paths. In this piece, Zadie Smith primarily uses a variety of language techniques to express her appreciative, and later regretful, tone.
     Similar to my last editorial review on “My Missing Barber,” Smith uses short sentences to create a sense of action. She begins the fourth paragraph with three concise sentences: “We did our exams. We went to university. Christine fell pregnant.” Presenting this information factually helps to create the idea that these events were crucial to the essay’s plot. And, if the reader noticed in their initial reading, in the previous paragraph, Smith clearly foreshadows the presentation of her next paragraph, stating, “We would not get pregnant, we would pass our exams, we would attend university.” Also, in both examples, Smith uses the “power of three” to properly explain her facts.
     The appreciative, yet morose, tone used in “Sweet Charity” can be understood because of the events described in the essay. When Smith is explaining the actions of Christine early in the piece, (when Smith is being bullied on the bus because of her non-matching clothing) Smith commends Christine for helping her though she had nothing to give her in return. Smith exhibits this tone in the second paragraph, writing, “Christine did me a great charity: she sat down beside me and began a conversation, as if I were a normal human being.” Here, Smith extends gratitude towards the friendly actions of Christine, although she deems herself as undeserving. Later, however, (when Christine has asked Zadie for money and after she has not paid Zadie back) Smith’s tone changes completely. Smith takes on a voice of superiority, stating, “Not such a lot of money. No skin off my nose. Why did I make such a performance of it?” Soon enough, her tone turns sympathetic once again, writing in the second to last paragraph, “…money is not neutral; it changes everything, including the ability to neutrally judge what people will or will not do for it.”
     Personally, my response to this tone is similar to the tone of the essay: mixed. I believe that Zadie Smith was justified to be angry with Christine when she did not pay her back her money when they had agreed; however, I do not approve of her appearance of superiority. Christine was a good friend to her when she had no one else, she should have kept that in mind. Although I may not agree with her opinions, I am glad that she put these contrasting emotions into the piece. The conflict of these emotions adds greater depth to the piece. Though the piece does contain an excellent descriptive narration and interesting themes, I do not think it would be an appropriate AP essay.