Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird, a short story by Toni Cade Bambara, talks about the greed of humans and how people should respect one another. At first, it is kind of difficult to understand the story, but after reading it many times, you will always find something new. This story shows a bit about the life of African Americans many years ago and how most of them were rather poor. When digging deeper into this story, you learn a lot about respecting other people and their things as well as how many people don’t care about anything but money.
To understand part of the story, we can break down the title’s meaning. Blues is a type of music that usually conveys a sad or melancholy experience, symbolizing when Granny remembered the incident with the man on the bridge. Blues music was also invented in the south, where this story takes place and was created by African Americans when they were forced to become slaves. Ain’t is a slang word for is not or are not and isn’t or aren’t, depending on the context in which it is used. Mockin Bird means mockingbird, a type of songbird that is known for only bringing happiness to people with its music. Its meaning is well known in areas where they are common, like in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird where it is considered a sin to hurt something so innocent and pure. When we break down the title, we can see that it talks about Granny’s reaction towards the filmmakers because she is brought back to a memory that makes her uncomfortable. The dialect used in this story helps make the story more realistic and more like it's time.
The first main theme of this story is that many people are quick to judge others based on their status in society. The two filmmakers invade the privacy of the kids and Granny to film their movie, even though they didn’t get permission to film on their land. They assume that just because they are filming for food stamps that the Grandmother will let them. The two men are quick to make assumptions, insinuating that Granny’s family is poor and most likely judging them because of their race. Because they think that the family is por, they assume that they will be allowed to do whatever they want with them, just like how the neighbors assume that just because they are poor means that they need items. They also assume that poor people are greedy for food, which is why when they mention the food stamps they think that Granny will let them film. People that aren’t familiar with how others live judge people too fast.
Another main theme is that respect is very important. The two filmmakers also trespass on the property and invade their privacy. (It’s only a shame that the grandfather didn’t smash the camera into one of their faces, but that’s only my opinion.) Those two men deserve having their film destroyed, because they didn’t care about anything but their pay and maybe the credit they get for filming it. Cathy, a friend of the narrator, is the smartest and wisest kid in the story, as she understands that Granny is feeling down and scolds the twins for bringing back bad memories. She brings up the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, making people believe that Goldilocks is a terrible person for barging into someone's house uninvited and taking advantage of their hospitality. Everyone in life wants to have their opinions and life to be respected.
Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird teaches us about how many people back then didn’t care about others. We also learn that respect is a very important part of people’s lives. The characters in this story can teach us a lot about how African Americans were treated back then, and were also judged because they were poorer.
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