This essay was about a man that became a member of the Ku Klux Klan who was able to leave and forget his feelings of hatred towards African Americans and women. He started the story out with how as a child he had felt inferior. I think this has a lot to do with his (and others in America that dislike others for skin colored reasons). He grew up thinking he was inferior to the middle class and upper class. He was just like his father in that he worked hard and made little money. Like his father he got fed up only instead of drinking he decided to hate someone. The reason to hate the African Americans was because they were beginning to become educated, and this would very well lead to the African Americans getting jobs over white men since many whites were uneducated. “But those who have it simply don’t want those who don’t have it to have any part of it.” Page 595. Ellis finally realizes that blacks, Jews, and Catholics are just like him, they all have desires, plans, and needs. Possible Agenda item might be, Hasn’t it been long enough for people to realize that everyone is equal and that it is a pretty weak excuse to hate other because you feel inferior at one point in your life?
The point to this essay is that black Americans have failed to seize opportunities that would lead to social equality. Innocence is power. The innocence is the feeling of essential goodness in relation to others and, therefore, superiority to others. Innocence does not need to be real or sincere. The author explains that we use others to show our own goodness and superiority. I think today we use innocence to explain why we follow through with such action that we really feel guilty about. I think that African Americans often allow whites to feel superior so that they can get into the “white world” or at least they did. I think whites feel that if African Americans thank them for being allowed to participate in their world that then in some way they can be seen as equal. Possible Agenda Item In today’s society what can be done to get rid of the need to keep different races inferior to us? What does this accomplish? Do we really end of feeling superior if we constantly have to prove ourselves?
I was unable to go to the service event for MLK however instead of not doing anything I took it upon myself to volunteer somewhere. I wanted my involvement to deal with something that I really enjoyed and had an interest in. I decided that I would go and volunteer at a nursing home with a good friend of mine while she brought in her dogs for animal therapy. Animal therapy might sound like a bunch of crap but it really isn't. The elderly people always enjoy our visits, and continually ask for us to come back. When Judy and I went into the home everyone already knew that we would be coming. Many were standing in the hall waiting for us while others couldn't leave the room but were still interested in us coming. The thing about animal therapy is that it gives elderly people the chance to have a conversation, not only with us (humans) but with animals. Animals are such non-judgemental characters that it is easier for an elderly person to bond with them. Also these visits give each resident of the nursing home a chance to tell someone about their past animals, or why they are there, or about their family. One would be amazed at all you would find out if you brought in a dog into a room. An amazing story that Judy and I always talk about when people don't believe that animal therapy doesn't work. Judy visited a nursing home where a woman had been in a coma for almost a year. Now the workers at the home thought it would be pointless for her to go in the room but her dog was determined to visit so she went in, and this huge German Shepard stood on his back legs and put his head on her hand for at least 25mins. Judy finally left and as she did so a tear came down this womans face. Now some might saw that it was her time to come out of the coma but a day later she awoke. Weird right? But anyway on the Monday that I went it was like any other day. We went into each room making sure to spend time with those that loved to tell stories...although they are the same story each time. But it was fun we saw many people and I think that each person looks forward to our visits.
I thought that this essay had a lot to do with how families will pull together in a time of need. This woman Ida complains how she is sore and doesn't "studying no needle and thread" yet she agrees to do so. Also during times of need families often bond the most and are able to share ideas and opinions and feelings with others.
"Y'all got to help me remember him good." Pg132. I really liked this quilt because eventhough she isn't thrilled with sewing after the death she still sews and in the end the women are together and are so interested that nothing else matters.
Agenda Item- Do we often forget what we have until we have lost it? Why does it take a tragic occurance to get family members apart? Even those who believe they are close? Do we really no longer have that close bond that are parents/grandparents had with their families?
I think this essay dealt with what a lot of people especially women were/are going through. Women today want to be able to do it all; to have a job, to be a mother, to be a wife, to be everything. However for a woman to be able to do all of these society needs to change. Men now are having to give up freedoms from holding the job and leaving women to do all of the housework and child raising. I think it is unfair that women are put into that situation, and have others assume that that will be there job. However this only means to marriages that they possibly might have to share some duties in the home. Why is this such a big deal? I think a marriage should be based upon more than just positions in the relationship but rather be based upon a support network. I mean isn't that what marriage is? A relationship to support one another through everything? So if they are to support each other through everything then...why is a woman having a job and taking care of children a big deal?
Agenda Item- Are marriages really based upon positions in this time period?? Or is that just an excuse for a poor relationship?
I think that I can relate to this story in a way. My best friend and I grew up with single moms. Some people might think that having one parent is the worst thing in the world, but its not. But, my friend and I went about not having a constant dad in our lives two different ways. We both saw our fathers but it wasn't like we were coming home every night to see them. Anyway, as I was growing up I often felt jealous of my other friends that had a full-time dad. They just had a better relationship with their fathers. My best friend and I actually used to talk about how jealous we were. I never really did much (like acting out) I kind of just became closer with my mom. My friend however did everything possible to get her dads' attention. She started w/getting perfect grades, when the attention faded then she went to bad grades and just kept acting out. So she and the girl in the essay are a lot of like. Not having a father constantly around often makes a child work harder for the attention (of any kind) by that father.
Agenda Item- What can be done by mothers (or other people) to encourage a child to work harder w/o constantly wanting the attention of their father?
"We are clearly in the midst of an explosion of visibilty for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in commercial-media culture."(pg 92) I felt that this quote was rather true for this time period. You can turn on the T.V. and watch MTV and watch true life and see how young adults have homosexual relationships, and what it is like for them to be in society. There are plenty of shows such as Will and Grace which portray the life of a very successful homosexual lawyer. All of these shows portray a positive outlook on homosexuals and others with a different outlook on their sexuality. What I think is unfair is how other shows portray homosexuals or transgenders as being outrageous and foul. As Americans we don't tend to look at the good we would rather look at how "strange" these people are and judge every person we then meet at being "strange".
It is strange to me, when people ask after a homosexual is practically beaten to death, "Well I wonder why that happened?"
I think that because of shows that portray homosexuals and people of different sexual orientation as being strange, society begins to judge them and dislike them because they are "strange".
So although this does not go exactly with the essay I believe that this is something to think about. -----Why do T.V. shows portray people in such a bad way?
As usual with any presentation at Seton Hill I always prepare for the worst, especially with topics that I have had previous boring presentations on. Once again I was amazed at the ability of the speakers and performers to bring the topic into a new light. It wasn’t the same presentation about what Martin Luther King did, why he did it, and why we should remember him. The presenters gave us a question to really work how. How will we remember and fulfill the dream? One thing that got my attention during the event was during the PowerPoint presentation. The power point focused on so many influential leaders, that have done so much for not only our country but the whole world. I took a moment and thought, ho do we have today? And it bothered me that there are not as many activists making themselves known. Maybe it will happen eventually but I thought that was very sad. I of course brought this up with my group and even at home later when I was telling my mom about my day. I think I contributed to the event my sharing my opinions with my group members, and talking about my own experiences. I think this was an awesome presentation, and only wish that they would have had this stuff when I was in high school