What did Tempy and Arkins think of their low-class backgrounds? Should they feel this way? Why or why not?

Tempy and Arkins were desperate to hide their low-class black past and believed that to get respect, one had to act like white people, dress like white people, eat like white people and earn money as white people did. All of their friends had similar "low-class" black backgrounds and none ever spoke about it. They avoided revivals, singing all the time and most of all never ate watermelon. And Tempy constantly corrected his speech so that white people wouldn't hear. She never spoke of her family and had even been embarrassed of Hager because she wore an apron wherever she went. It is understandable why they feel this way about their backgrounds, but it is sad that white culture has made them feel embarrassed about their upbringing and culture.