Zora Neale Hurston, in her autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road, enriches our sense of her childhood by using not only descriptive images that paint a romanticized portrait of a once innocent life free of racial prejudice, but also the harsh reality of the contrast between the conflicting mentalities of his rebellious but socially reckless mother and his hardened father by the realities of racism. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hurston begins the passage describing the almost utopian landscape of his home in the South, noting the hundreds of "fleshy, white, fragrant" jasmine flowers line the entryway and the abundance of fruit, chicken , homemade cured meat and eggs that she and her siblings had access to in their garden. His extensive use of the word "abundance" and his romanticization of the living conditions in Hurston's house reflect any child's wide-eyed awe and wonder in the presence of anything in unlimited supply, even common foods. Hurston describes how most of his childhood was spent at home, which explains his fascination with the very "rare" apple or beef stew from Dad's trip to Orlando or up North. Hurston also recognizes the unbridled joy and enthusiasm of her younger self through the account of her and her siblings passing the time with joyous recreations. She recounts times when she played "hide-and-seek, chick-mah-chick, and other noisy games" with several other children, continuing the light-hearted description of the innocent imagination of childhood. However, later in the passage, Hurston moves on to a somewhat darker subject. tone as she reveals the contrast between her mother and father. Hurston was encouraged by her mother to "jump on" and keep her "sassy tongue" and "stiff neck" rather than turn into a submissive little girl. Her father was the opposite, constantly warning Hurston about white people and the dangers that awaited her as well as her resistance to becoming a "mealy-mouthed rag doll." This introduction of conflict turns the passage in a darker, but more realistic, direction; Hurston's childhood began to be threatened by the presence of the white man. Hurston expresses his past confusion at his father's anger. She speaks with distance about the impending threat, underplaying the reality of the situation by calling her father "not very optimistic" and saying that "it didn't become black people to be too witty." It would make sense that Hurston, as a child, did not understand the seriousness of racial prejudice; she had spent her entire life sheltered within an all-black community with a mother who was also sheltered within an all-black community..