Zadie Smith's "Speaking in Tongues"

Smith and the other authors situate their literary experiences through larger social context like when William Shakespeare sees his father practicing catholicism in private. William expresses this through his art on stage and through his literacy of the play. It allowed him to speak different truths at the same time. "In his plays he is woman, man, black, white, believer, heretic, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim" (Smith). Shakespeare had many voices just like many other people have, however people don't tend to like this when a politician does it. Politicians who teeter between two ideologies are called trimmers. Smith herself describes how when she lost her accent people don't look at her the same. The same is true when a black man starts to act more white they are said to have a "loss of one’s Blackness: attending certain universities, an impressive variety of jobs, a fondness for opera, a white girlfriend, an interest in golf. And of course, any change in the voice" (Smith). The readings are connected in Shakespeare's life or Obama's or Smith's where they are showing one thing but also hiding another.   They are critical of their experiences because of them not being able to show all sides of them because of how they are viewed. Then they are forced to pick a side and then feel like they are repressing their other side. It is very hard and also makes others question their true identity.