After reading Pauline Hopkins' “As the Lord Lives, He Is One of Our Mother’s Children” (242+) and Claude McKay's poems (704-709) write a 300-word blog to explore a perplexing question of your choice.*If you are responding to a classmate, don't just agree with them -- engage in a dialogue. Raise a question or disagree. Take a risk!
As I was reading the selected readings for today, I found myself constantly questioning about how African American's actually felt about living free in America. Were they bitter about what had happened to them, were the frustrated that "Whites" still did not see them as people, were they sad about what they have had to endure, were they happy to finally be able to be their own person and not have to do what someone told them to do and fear being beaten for no reason. Claude McKay's poems painted a picture of them experiencing some bittersweet feelings, but also contempt. A quote from the poem "America" was what really made me question this it said "Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that test's my youth!," it showed me the still had a lot of hatred for what happened to them but they still felt connected to America on so many levels because it is what they know. I guess as I read through all of these I was also wondering do african america's feel like they are "Americans." Even the titles of McKay's poems showed that he did not feel connected to America and that white folks still did not believe they belonged or should be citizens. I sort of got an answer to my question of do they feel like American's while reading "If We Must Die" because it showed that they will fight for what they deserve and they will one day be treated equal.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Aha! (10/24)
Read Frances EW Harper's poem, "Learning to Read" and Charles W. Chesnutt's short story, "The Wife of his Youth" (both posted in the Webliography). Then, in the white hot fever of inspiration, you record your own process of coming to a significant insight, realization, or understanding of the texts. Get it all down and record the moment of enlightenment in 300-400 words.
I first began reading "The Wife of His Youth" I was a bit put out. The title itself didn't make me very interested. I thought it was going to be like some of the other stories we have read where the husband feels almost entitled to his wife, like he owns her, for lack of a better way of putting it. The more I read the more frustrated I became I felt like Mr. Ryder was starting to fit into the ideation of a man who felt entitled to things. I felt like this while I read about how he planned to ask Mrs. Dixon to marry him. He was going to make this grand gesture towards her without even knowing if she wanted that sort of things from him, plus she was a widow and as I remember from reading Gone With The Wind, aren't you supposed to be in mourning during this time and remarrying was almost like a mortal sin, but that doesn't have much to do with the point I am trying to make. I just did not have the best feeling toward Mr. Ryder, until Liza Jane showed up. He seemed to change, his gentlemanly side started to show, he was kind and considerate toward Liza Jane. He listened intently offering advice about her situation of her missing husband and honestly trying to help her. As the ball began I still had no clue what way the story was going. Then, all of a sudden, when Mr. Ryder began telling his story to his guests it all became clear to me. I still was holding some disdain toward Mr. Ryder believing that he was going to ignore Liza Jane and pretend like he was not her husband and just send her on her way and marry Mrs. Dixon like he wanted. Then out of the blue, for me at least, he went and told Liza Jane he was her husband. All of a sudden, my feelings towards Mr. Ryder completely changed. I came to realize after all my ideations of him he was a true gentleman, a genuine person who truly cared about the happiness of others. He put his happiness and desire aside so he could be with his "slave wife" who is in all actuality is not technically his wife. Even though he wanted to be with Mrs. Dixon, he could not deny Liza Jane who had been searching for him for 25 years. Liza knew he was a good man and still loved her and he knew in his heart he had to do the right thing. At that moment, Mr. Ryder became like a olden day Disney prince to me.
I first began reading "The Wife of His Youth" I was a bit put out. The title itself didn't make me very interested. I thought it was going to be like some of the other stories we have read where the husband feels almost entitled to his wife, like he owns her, for lack of a better way of putting it. The more I read the more frustrated I became I felt like Mr. Ryder was starting to fit into the ideation of a man who felt entitled to things. I felt like this while I read about how he planned to ask Mrs. Dixon to marry him. He was going to make this grand gesture towards her without even knowing if she wanted that sort of things from him, plus she was a widow and as I remember from reading Gone With The Wind, aren't you supposed to be in mourning during this time and remarrying was almost like a mortal sin, but that doesn't have much to do with the point I am trying to make. I just did not have the best feeling toward Mr. Ryder, until Liza Jane showed up. He seemed to change, his gentlemanly side started to show, he was kind and considerate toward Liza Jane. He listened intently offering advice about her situation of her missing husband and honestly trying to help her. As the ball began I still had no clue what way the story was going. Then, all of a sudden, when Mr. Ryder began telling his story to his guests it all became clear to me. I still was holding some disdain toward Mr. Ryder believing that he was going to ignore Liza Jane and pretend like he was not her husband and just send her on her way and marry Mrs. Dixon like he wanted. Then out of the blue, for me at least, he went and told Liza Jane he was her husband. All of a sudden, my feelings towards Mr. Ryder completely changed. I came to realize after all my ideations of him he was a true gentleman, a genuine person who truly cared about the happiness of others. He put his happiness and desire aside so he could be with his "slave wife" who is in all actuality is not technically his wife. Even though he wanted to be with Mrs. Dixon, he could not deny Liza Jane who had been searching for him for 25 years. Liza knew he was a good man and still loved her and he knew in his heart he had to do the right thing. At that moment, Mr. Ryder became like a olden day Disney prince to me.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Contemporary Connections (10/20)
Read the Introduction to Vol. 2 (1-29) about the years 1865-1914. What contemporary connection do you see between today and the years 1865-1914? Is it in politics, entertainment, sports, or education? Explain the contemporary example and its connection to an issue or idea in the assigned reading. *If you are responding to a classmate, don't just agree with them -- engage in a dialogue. Raise a question or disagree. Take a risk! Write 300-400 words.
As I was reading this section I was trying to make connections between then and now, I suddenly realized that there are so many things that can be connected. The time period from 1865-1914 was almost like the beginning of the modern society, so many things were being invented which we still continue to use, we have just improved the technology of these things over the years. "The industrialization that led to the country's emergence as a world power was accelerated by developments in technology that also transformed virtually every aspect of life in the United States," that quote really hit home to me because it is nothing more than the truth! One of the connections that I made between the reading and today's modern connection was between the invention of the lightbulb, the telephone, the typewriter, the radio, the motion picture, the automobile, and the airplane. All of these things that were invented between this time period are still being used today just at a much different level then they were in this time period, now a days these things are being used for the entertainment of the American people. All these things were just beginning to make their debut into the every day lives of American people and now I know people cannot go a day without using almost all the things on this list. With each of these products you see a transformation from the simple stage to the now technologically advanced contemporary stage. The lightbulb went from being a small light just lighting up a little area to know being able to be "green" and not using as many watts. A telephone went from being hung on the wall and only calling people close to you, to being party lines, and then being able to call long distance, then calling across the world, and to the modern day cell phone were we are only a touch of a button away from talking to anyone we would like at any place in the world. A typewriter became a tiny laptop you can use any where you prefer. The radio went from being the place citizens used to get information about news and sports and entertainment to being a television that we spend countless hours in front of watching reality television and living vicariously through other people. Motion pictures transformed into silent films into films like Harry Potter which include magic, flying, and the more phenomenal visual effects keeping us entertained for hours. The automobile went from only going about 20 miles an hours to being able to drive at 250+ (around a racetrack of course). The airplane is now being used to fly any where in the world and for commercial use to allow people to explore any place they can imagine. These are just a few examples of how these new technologies created in this time period have transformed our contemporary society into what we know today.
As I was reading this section I was trying to make connections between then and now, I suddenly realized that there are so many things that can be connected. The time period from 1865-1914 was almost like the beginning of the modern society, so many things were being invented which we still continue to use, we have just improved the technology of these things over the years. "The industrialization that led to the country's emergence as a world power was accelerated by developments in technology that also transformed virtually every aspect of life in the United States," that quote really hit home to me because it is nothing more than the truth! One of the connections that I made between the reading and today's modern connection was between the invention of the lightbulb, the telephone, the typewriter, the radio, the motion picture, the automobile, and the airplane. All of these things that were invented between this time period are still being used today just at a much different level then they were in this time period, now a days these things are being used for the entertainment of the American people. All these things were just beginning to make their debut into the every day lives of American people and now I know people cannot go a day without using almost all the things on this list. With each of these products you see a transformation from the simple stage to the now technologically advanced contemporary stage. The lightbulb went from being a small light just lighting up a little area to know being able to be "green" and not using as many watts. A telephone went from being hung on the wall and only calling people close to you, to being party lines, and then being able to call long distance, then calling across the world, and to the modern day cell phone were we are only a touch of a button away from talking to anyone we would like at any place in the world. A typewriter became a tiny laptop you can use any where you prefer. The radio went from being the place citizens used to get information about news and sports and entertainment to being a television that we spend countless hours in front of watching reality television and living vicariously through other people. Motion pictures transformed into silent films into films like Harry Potter which include magic, flying, and the more phenomenal visual effects keeping us entertained for hours. The automobile went from only going about 20 miles an hours to being able to drive at 250+ (around a racetrack of course). The airplane is now being used to fly any where in the world and for commercial use to allow people to explore any place they can imagine. These are just a few examples of how these new technologies created in this time period have transformed our contemporary society into what we know today.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)