How It Feels To Be Colored Me

“I am colored but I offer nothing in the way of extenuating circumstances except the fact that I am the only Negro in the United States whose grandfather on the mother's side was not an Indian chief.” 

The opening line of Hurston’s essay is a joke. It sets the light-hearted tone of the essay and shows her irreverence when it comes to commonly-accepted ideas about African-American identity. In addition, the quote shows how much she values African-American culture.

“The front porch might seem a daring place for the rest of the town, but it was a gallery seat for me. My favorite place was atop the gate-post. Proscenium box for a born first-nighter.” 

By contrasting her daring with the reticence of the other townspeople of Eatonville, Hurston characterizes herself as a person who early on exhibited intellectual curiosity. This quote is also an example of the many metaphors Hurston uses throughout the essay.

“During this period, white people differed from colored to me only in that they rode through town and never lived there. They liked to hear me speak pieces and sing and wanted to see me dance the parse-me-la, and gave me generously of their small silver for doing these things, which seemed strange to me for I wanted to do them so much that I needed bribing to stop, only they didn't know […] The colored people gave no dimes. They deplored any joyful tendencies in me, but I was their Zora nevertheless. I belonged to them, to the nearby hotels, to the count—everybody’s Zora.” 

Hurston again demonstrates her lack of childhood awareness of any intrinsic differences between blacks and whites. In addition, this passage makes it clear that the caring attitude of the adults around her during her childhood gave her a sense of confidence and self-worth.