Siarra Williams
November 24, 2008
AP English III Period 11
Two Page Literary Response: Chapter 1, Souls of Black People
In the first chapter of the Souls of Black Folk by W.E. B. DuBois, he speaks of the slaves’ view of the status that they hold in the world. He speaks from a first person’s point of view of how he remembers the first time that he realized he was different from the other kids, in terms of his skin color. He also inferred that he was going to be like the white people when he gets older, when he began to talk about his future professions.
“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” (DuBois Page 45) Dubois uses great detail to describe the way a Negro slave looks at himself. He uses a various amount of metaphors and words to connect the same idea that a Negro man does not have a unique definition for himself. The slave does not know how to view himself in a society that condemns him for the color of his skin before he even speaks. He is already discriminated against without having the opportunity to prove that he is more than what you see.
“One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” (DuBois Page 45) Dubois has a sassy tone when describing the American Negro slave. He starts off the statement by asking “One ever feels his two-ness.” It’s almost as though he states this already knowing you never have felt this man’s “two-ness.” It never occurred to you to see that he’s not just a slave, not just what you see. He continues by describing that this “two-ness” is hard to control and keep under way. For a man to have to decide which side of him he should allow to be seen by those surrounding him is time consuming if not aggravating at times. When a person has to conceal a piece of their identity, it becomes harder for them to find their true selves. It’s even harder when all society ever tells you is that you are worthless and you will never amount to anything. Not only does this “two-ness” pains him externally but internally is even worse. He has two thoughts and two ideas running through him and all he may ever get the chance to do is speak of one, if even allowed that.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Two Page Lit Response: The Atlanta Exposition Address
Siarra Williams
November 24, 2008
AP English III Period 11
Two Page Literary Response: Booker T. Washington
In the Atlanta Exposition Address by Booker T. Washington, he address the people at the expo and give a speech on his view of the coming together of the races of the South. He believed that the races would eventually come together and realize that they depend on one another for survival. He expresses in his speech his values and ideas for this new union of races.
“To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the Southern white man, who is their next-door neighbour, I would say: ‘Cast down your bucket where you are’- cast it down in making friends in every manly way of the people of all races by whom we are surrounded.” (Washington Page 1) Washington includes this example of “Casting down your bucket” to show that every man should be open to help from others, even the people who you feel have betrayed you in the past. He wants the colored people to have an optimistic outlook on things because he believes that the way to get ahead is with the help from those who know more about the surroundings than them, no matter the past situations or the setbacks that they have experienced. He feels the only way to grow as one and move on is through unity.
“I think, though, that the opportunity to freely exercise such political rights will not come in any large degree through outside or artificial forcing, but will be accorded to the Negro by the Southern white people themselves, and that they will protect him in the exercise of those rights.” (Washington Page 7) Washington includes this opinion to show that he believes that the only way a colored man will be able to share in political rights is if it was offered to him. And not just offered to him by any white man, it must be a Southern white man, so that the white man will support this decision and protect the colored man as he is exercising these political rights which were presented to him. He believes at the end of the day that if the Southern white man agrees with the colored man taking part in political rights then everything will be ok. If the public requests that a colored man be offered any form of political rights, the Southern white man will feel obligated to consent. The obligation to give a colored man any type of rights is the most degrading thing a Southern white man could find himself doing. He feels this way because it pains him to see a man who was just beneath him, rise to a higher level in society. And it just pushes the knife in deeper when the rest of the country compels this man to give this Negro any sorts of rights, when just last week he was working the plantation. Washington was only stating that in order for the Negro to receive any sort of political rights, he must do so at the consenting of the Southern white man if he wishes to keep peace while doing so.
In conclusion Booker T. Washington’s address at the Atlanta Exposition gave a whole new view on the relationship between the Southern white man and the colored folks. He showed that colored people did not receive all their freedom at once. And although they were no longer property of the white man, they still depended on them mentally so that they may get ahead or even are on a leveled playing field with the white man. He brought to light that the colored man still needed the aid and approval of the white man.
November 24, 2008
AP English III Period 11
Two Page Literary Response: Booker T. Washington
In the Atlanta Exposition Address by Booker T. Washington, he address the people at the expo and give a speech on his view of the coming together of the races of the South. He believed that the races would eventually come together and realize that they depend on one another for survival. He expresses in his speech his values and ideas for this new union of races.
“To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the Southern white man, who is their next-door neighbour, I would say: ‘Cast down your bucket where you are’- cast it down in making friends in every manly way of the people of all races by whom we are surrounded.” (Washington Page 1) Washington includes this example of “Casting down your bucket” to show that every man should be open to help from others, even the people who you feel have betrayed you in the past. He wants the colored people to have an optimistic outlook on things because he believes that the way to get ahead is with the help from those who know more about the surroundings than them, no matter the past situations or the setbacks that they have experienced. He feels the only way to grow as one and move on is through unity.
“I think, though, that the opportunity to freely exercise such political rights will not come in any large degree through outside or artificial forcing, but will be accorded to the Negro by the Southern white people themselves, and that they will protect him in the exercise of those rights.” (Washington Page 7) Washington includes this opinion to show that he believes that the only way a colored man will be able to share in political rights is if it was offered to him. And not just offered to him by any white man, it must be a Southern white man, so that the white man will support this decision and protect the colored man as he is exercising these political rights which were presented to him. He believes at the end of the day that if the Southern white man agrees with the colored man taking part in political rights then everything will be ok. If the public requests that a colored man be offered any form of political rights, the Southern white man will feel obligated to consent. The obligation to give a colored man any type of rights is the most degrading thing a Southern white man could find himself doing. He feels this way because it pains him to see a man who was just beneath him, rise to a higher level in society. And it just pushes the knife in deeper when the rest of the country compels this man to give this Negro any sorts of rights, when just last week he was working the plantation. Washington was only stating that in order for the Negro to receive any sort of political rights, he must do so at the consenting of the Southern white man if he wishes to keep peace while doing so.
In conclusion Booker T. Washington’s address at the Atlanta Exposition gave a whole new view on the relationship between the Southern white man and the colored folks. He showed that colored people did not receive all their freedom at once. And although they were no longer property of the white man, they still depended on them mentally so that they may get ahead or even are on a leveled playing field with the white man. He brought to light that the colored man still needed the aid and approval of the white man.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Two Page Lit Response: The Yellow Wallpaper
Siarra Williams
November 17, 2008
AP English III Period 11
Two Page Literary Response: The Yellow Wallpaper
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an interesting short story. She wrote about herself during her depressive state, which was known to her husband and others as a “nervous condition” She and her husband, John, spent their summer in a far off estate so that she would get better. She spent most of her summer cooped up in a nursery turned temporary bedroom with the most disgusting yellow wallpaper. The author uses imagery and dialect to get across to the reader her feelings during her depressive state and how she felt cooped in that room.
The author spent a lot of time describing the wallpaper. It’s intriguing that her first feelings toward the wallpaper were that of disgust and dislike. She expressed to her husband her concerns but he just disregarded them. “It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions.” (Gilman Page 3) She describes the wallpaper with such imagery and dark words to get across her detestable feelings to the reader. She wants the reader to understand that it was the worst wallpaper she could have ever imagined. She describes it with such dark words to create an odious image of the wallpaper. “There’s one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wall-paper.” (Gilman Page 7) The fact that her baby does not have to sleep in the nursery is a high point for the author. She’d rather she sleeps there than her child. Gilman finds the room to be so horrific that she wishes it upon herself rather than her child. Although she hates the room with a passion, she’d rather suffer than have her child see such wallpaper.
“He said we came here solely on my account, that I was to have perfect rest and all the air I could get.” (Gilman Page 2) The author includes this to display how her husband felt that her rest was a necessity. He wanted her to get better and he rented out the estate for her well-being. “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall.” (Gilman Page 6) The author includes this to show her husbands’ feelings toward her recovery process. If she were not to recover in the time that he allotted he had the control to send her off to another physician. She expressed in her story that she did not wish to see this physician because of the rumors that she heard about from her friends.
In conclusion “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an interesting story. I love the entire concept of the story. She used so many descriptive words to get her point across. In reading this story I could imagine the yellow wallpaper with all of it s fungus and cracks along the wall. She brought the pages to life and I understood her depressive state more with the intensity in which she described the scene. Her feelings became my feelings, her words became my words. I just connected with her the whole time of the story and throughout her writing style.
November 17, 2008
AP English III Period 11
Two Page Literary Response: The Yellow Wallpaper
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an interesting short story. She wrote about herself during her depressive state, which was known to her husband and others as a “nervous condition” She and her husband, John, spent their summer in a far off estate so that she would get better. She spent most of her summer cooped up in a nursery turned temporary bedroom with the most disgusting yellow wallpaper. The author uses imagery and dialect to get across to the reader her feelings during her depressive state and how she felt cooped in that room.
The author spent a lot of time describing the wallpaper. It’s intriguing that her first feelings toward the wallpaper were that of disgust and dislike. She expressed to her husband her concerns but he just disregarded them. “It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions.” (Gilman Page 3) She describes the wallpaper with such imagery and dark words to get across her detestable feelings to the reader. She wants the reader to understand that it was the worst wallpaper she could have ever imagined. She describes it with such dark words to create an odious image of the wallpaper. “There’s one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wall-paper.” (Gilman Page 7) The fact that her baby does not have to sleep in the nursery is a high point for the author. She’d rather she sleeps there than her child. Gilman finds the room to be so horrific that she wishes it upon herself rather than her child. Although she hates the room with a passion, she’d rather suffer than have her child see such wallpaper.
“He said we came here solely on my account, that I was to have perfect rest and all the air I could get.” (Gilman Page 2) The author includes this to display how her husband felt that her rest was a necessity. He wanted her to get better and he rented out the estate for her well-being. “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall.” (Gilman Page 6) The author includes this to show her husbands’ feelings toward her recovery process. If she were not to recover in the time that he allotted he had the control to send her off to another physician. She expressed in her story that she did not wish to see this physician because of the rumors that she heard about from her friends.
In conclusion “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an interesting story. I love the entire concept of the story. She used so many descriptive words to get her point across. In reading this story I could imagine the yellow wallpaper with all of it s fungus and cracks along the wall. She brought the pages to life and I understood her depressive state more with the intensity in which she described the scene. Her feelings became my feelings, her words became my words. I just connected with her the whole time of the story and throughout her writing style.
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