Invincibility does not make one brave. If one is invincible, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
It is the inner strength of a person that makes one courageous. It is knowing that one will get hurt that makes one brave. It is standing up for oneself to others that have the potential to hurt one. Bravery may come in many different forms, but true courage means that one enters the fray knowing that one will get hurt in one way or another. Nancy Lee Johnson of “One Friday Morning” by Langston Hughes and Jade Snow Wong of “A Measure of Freedom” by Jade Snow Wong demonstrate courageous acts that lead to decisive outcomes in the end.
Nancy Lee’s journey leads to a difficult decision she must make. Should she simply stand back and watch America continue on with its racism and discrimination, or should she fight back and help stop this? Nancy Lee was turned down an art award she desired so much just because she was black. The art award was a scholarship to the city’s one and only art school; Nancy Lee wanted it because it would help pay for the cost of her tuition fee for the first year. Even though she was deprived of the award she wanted so badly, Miss O’Shay helped her realize that she must fight for her dreams. She tells her of discrimination in America against the Irish, and helps her realize that “America is only what we who believe in it, make it” (Hughes 199). Nancy Lee learns that discrimination in America history runs deep so she must help make it not so. After she learns that America is not all about freedom, Nancy Lee, instead of running home and crying, displays a sign of courage by attending the assembly that was supposed to be dedicated to her anyway. As they recite the pledge of allegiance during the assembly, Nancy Lee slowly realizes that America does not provide “liberty and justice for all.” She thinks, “‘that is the land we must make’” (Hughes 199). Nancy Lee decides she must help make certain Americans feel less discriminated just because they are a certain race or color. In the end, she must either stand up to the discriminators or face defeat knowing that she did not do anything to help.
On the other hand, Jade Snow taps into her inner courage in a similar way. Ever since the professor in her sociology class lectured her about the importance of children becoming individuals, she wanted her own rights. She decides that with this freedom, she should be able to do whatever she wishes to do, so she goes against her family’s decisions and chooses to go out with a boy. Of course, her father unleashed his wrath upon her, apparently “convinced that she would lose her maidenly purity before the evening was over” (Wong 6). Of course, being the Chinese father that he is, he jumps into the worst conclusions and tries to “protect” his daughter from harm. He also is a firm believer of child obedience, hence the reaction. Therefore, Jade Snow decides to stand up to her father and insist that he change Chinese his ways and give her individual rights. Her father, angered by her teacher’s “foreign” theory, said bluntly, “We are content with our proven ways. Do not try to force foreign ideas into my home. Go. You will one day tell us sorrowfully that you have been mistaken” (Wong 6). Jade Snow’s father likes his domestic comforts, consequently refuses to change his ways. Despite her father’s refusal to change, Jade Snow must find a balance between American and Chinese cultures, and in her path are many obstacles she must overcome.
In the end, both Nancy Lee and Jade Snow had to stand up for themselves and what they believed in, which leads to a decisive outcome. Whether it is based on discrimination or individual rights, both girls had displayed acts of bravery that another cannot reproduce; they both end where a decision had to be made, and their entire futures may revolve around it.
