Critical Review assignment on `Having Our Say`

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Critical Review assignment on Having Our Say

Beyond the intention of a life story to present a narrative account of the events in one 's existence in this world is its main purpose to convey messages and lessons which are worthy of emulation and praise . In fact , the essence of autobiography depends on its impact to people and the society . Life stories come and go but what are remembered are those which have sincerely touched other lives . Since an autobiography is a

perfect medium to tell the world of one 's happiness or sorrow , of pleasure or pain , and of success and failure it clearly and effectively serves it purpose of being a mirror of one 's life . Surely , a life tale about one 's family , career , love and existence tells so much which manifests that the story teller is in charge of everything . This leads to the perspective that in an autobiography , the author has all the say and is not restricted to tell all . Clear manifestations of the said freedom of expression are the life stories of two African-American sisters who to be tagged as colored ' rather than black women . In a 1993 book and later in a 1999 television-movie titled Having Our Say : The Delany Sisters ' First 100 Years ' centenarian sisters Sarah and Elizabeth Delany , assisted by reporter Amy Hill Hearth , opened to the world the successful lives of two strong-willed women . Both the film and book told of the stories of the sisters who battled their ways against racism , sexism and how their quest for education and eventual attainment of respectable positions in the society , have ultimately redeemed their lives

Emily Mann 's teleplay is based from the book written by the Delany sisters themselves in collaboration with New York Times Reporter Heart played by Amy Madigan in the movie . As established by the book , the teleplay told the more than 100 years each stories of sisters Sadie played by actress Diahann Carroll and Bessie , played by actress Ruby Dee based from their testimonies to Heart and own recollections of the events in their respective lives . The teleplay is just like the book which revealed how the Delany sisters , along with their other eight siblings , were raised by their father , who was a former slave but eventually became the first black Episcopal bishop in the United States and their mother , who came from a mixed yet free race . All of the Delany children had college education and succeeded in their respective professions during a period when black people of African-American race are barely anticipated to get even a diploma from secondary school . Of the ten children , it was Sadie and Bessie who gained much prominence Sadie , being the elder of the two protagonists became the first colored ' woman who had a teaching profession and eventually allowed to teach in New York while Bessie was the second African-American woman to practice her dentistry profession . Somewhat different from the written...