How it Feels to be Colored Me

by Zora Neale Hurston

How it Feels to be Colored Me: Style 1 key example

Style
Explanation and Analysis:

The style of "How it Feels to be Colored Me" is largely conversational, complementing Hurston's blending of memoir and autobiography throughout the essay. Hurston's consistent use of the first-person perspective evokes a sense of familiarity, as if Hurston were telling her story directly to the reader. In order to further convey a sense of conversation, Hurston often poses metaphorical questions to the reader and possibly to herself—leaving both parties with something to think about after the essay concludes:

How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.