By Her Own Design

Content Warning: This section discusses enslavement, racism, rape, verbal abuse, and deaths of family members.

“My grandma, Georgia Cole, told me the key to surviving as a Black person in the world is to get you some good white people.”

This advice highlights Racism’s Impact on Artistic Recognition. Without the support of powerful white people, Black people couldn’t easily find success. This lesson, like many others from Grandma, is ingrained in Ann and influences her beliefs and actions.

“I think women come alive like flowers when they have the right dress on.”

This line introduces the flower symbols. She compares women to flowers in a simile that evokes beauty, strength, and uniqueness—all staples of her work and passion for design.

“I could see the salt traces of tears on her face and it felt like a knife inside me, twisting round and round. […] ‘I don’t want you to ruin your life. [Lee] won’t do nothing but ruin you. You not like me and Mama. You got something special, and he just a wolf, wanting to come in and steal that away from you.’”

The metaphor of a knife twisting inside Ann portrays her pain through a visceral image. Mama’s African American Vernacular English (for example, “you not like me”) is an example of exposition since it establishes Mama’s class and race. The last sentence also foreshadows Lee becoming an antagonist.