"The Prowl"

In my English 1B class, Professor Lennon had the class read a trickster story, The Prowl. The story is about a character called Plateye who is a shape shifter.

1. The Prowl by George Frost is the story of an ex-slave named John Brown. The story begins with John talking about how he met the Plateye and his conflicts that the Plateye created.

2. The story begins in Angola, Africa in 1783, then to Charles Town, and ends with John moving to Canada.

3. The Point of View is in First Person.

4. The Protagonist is John Brown and the Antagonist is George Wellington also known as the Plateye.

5. The main conflict type is between a person vs person. The two people being John and George (Plateye).

6. The protagonist  struggles with problems that are created by the plateye. Some issues being how he magically disappears at night, white men being brutally killed, and families seperated.

7. My reaction to this story is actually liking the story. I have never heard about a plateye or ever read one. It was interesting to read about how the plateye thought he was helping but was actually stirring up problems both on the ship and at the plantation of Mr. McTeer.

Trickster- Brer Rabbit

Brother Rabbit Conquers Brother Lion
African American

There was a time when Brer Lion was sort of playing overseer with the other creatures. It seems like he got the idea that all of them had to pay him a toll, because he was the strongest and the most ferocious. He claimed one out of every family: one sheep from the sheep, one goat from the goats, and one from all the kinds.

By and by, after a long time, he sent word to Brer Rabbit that his turn had come, and Brer Rabbit sent back word that everything was all right. Of course this made old Mrs. Rabbit and the children feel mighty bad. The children sat around whimpering and sniffling, and old Mrs. Rabbit went about crying and wiping her eyes on her apron. But Brer Rabbit, he sat up and smoked his cigar and told them to quit worrying and to learn how to not be afraid.

He said, "Old woman, if I'm not back by suppertime, just set my vittles down there on the hearth so they'll keep sort of warm."

Old Mrs. Rabbit said that instead of wanting vittles, he'd be vittles himself, and then she sniffled worse and worse.

But Brer Rabbit just hooted at her, and then he took down his walking cane and set out to see Brer Lion.

The little rabbits hollered out, "Good-bye, daddy!" and Brer Rabbit hollered back, "So long!"

Old Mrs. Rabbit looked after him, she did, and then she flung her apron over her head and just boo-hooed.

But Brer Rabbit marched down the road as happy if he were going to a frolic. He marched on, he did, and just before he got to the place where old Brer Lion stayed, he hid his walking cane in the fence corner, rumpled up his hair, and drew himself in until he looked like he wasn't any bigger than a pound of soap after a hard day's washing.

Then he went where there was a big, deep spring a little piece away from the road, and he looked at himself in the water. He sort of pulled back his ears and made himself look topsy-turvy, and then he closed one eye and shook his fist at his reflection in the water.

He went back to the big road, he did, and crept along like he was ailing -- limping first on one foot and then on the other one, and by and by he came to the place where old Brer Lion was staying.

Brer Rabbit sort of dragged himself along and made a bow. Brer Lion looked at him sideways and asked him where he was going. Brer Rabbit said he was all the more willing to come, became it was his turn, and he had been feeling poorly for a long time. He talked mighty weak and trembly.

Brer Lion looked at him closely and said, "You won't make a mouthful. It's time that I eat you. I'm just getting good and hungry."

Brer Rabbit said, "Yes, sir. I know I'm not fat, and I suspect I have lots of fleas on me, but I'm mighty willing. I've got a bad cough, and I'm tired of being sick. I'm just about as fat as the mule the man had, and he had to tie a knot in its tail to keep it from slipping through the collar."

Brer Lion looked at him and thought that Brer Rabbit was so scared he was talking weaker and weaker.

Brer Rabbit said, "While I was coming along just now I saw a creature that was almost as big and fat as you are, and I said to myself that I wished to goodness that I was as fat as he was, so Brer Lion could have a good dinner."

Brer Lion said, "Who was he?"

Brer Rabbit said, "I didn't ask him his name. He refused to respond to my howdy, and he looked so ferocious that I got out of there."

Brer Lion said, "Come, show me where he is."

Brer Rabbit said, "I'd do it in a minute, Brer Lion, but I'm afraid he'll hurt you."

Brer Lion sort of bristled up at that. He said, "Hurt whom? Come on and go with me to where he is, and I'll show you who'll get hurt, and that in short order!"

Brer Rabbit shook his head. He said, "You'd better eat me, Brer Lion. I'm not much, but I'm something, and that other creature that I saw will surely hurt you. He's got claws and he's got teeth, because I saw them. Don't go where he is, Brer Lion, if you have any friendly feelings for your family. That creature will surely cripple you!"

This made Brer Lion mighty mad. He said, "Get right into the road and show me where he is!"

Brer Rabbit said, "Well, if I need to go, Brer Lion, I'll go. I told you so, and that's all I can do."

They went on, they did, and Brer Rabbit took Brer Lion to the spring.

When they got there, Brer Rabbit looked around and said, "He was right around here somewhere, and he's not so mighty far off now, because I feel it in my bones."

Then he crept up, he did, and looked into the spring. As he did this, he let out a yell and jumped back. "Ouch, Brer Lion! He's in there! Let's run! He'll get us for sure!"

Brer Lion walked up to the spring and looked in. Sure enough, there was a big creature looking back at him.

Brer Lion hollered at him. The creature in the spring didn't say anything. Brer Lion shook his head. The creature shook his. Brer Lion showed his teeth.

In this short story, i came to the conclusion the the trickster charcter is Brer Rabbit because he is smart and quick thinking wiht his encounter with th lion.

African American Trickster Character Traits:
out-smarted the lion
witful
brave
courage
ambitious

Evaluation of The Colored Museum

After reading The Colored Museum , by George C. Wolfe, I was completely intrigued with each exhibit and how each one tied in with problems African American faced. The specific exhibit I enjoyed reading was "Permutations". Wheni first read it i was complelty lost because i had no idea what the egg was about. It wasn't till my fellow clssmates elaborated in detail what the exhibit was trying to portray. Overall i enjoyed each and every exhibit becaue they were each different and had their own special point to epxress.

"Cooking with Aunt Ethel"

         In my English 1b Class, Professor Lennon had the class read The Colored Museum ,a play by George C. Wolfe. This play is a satire of African American Culture and wihtin the museum are "exhibits" where different types of conflicts and African Amercian culture are seen. After we read the play and watched the movie we were assigned into groups of two to answer question from a certain exhibit. My partner and I answered questions for the exhibit titled "Cooking with Aunt Ethel". And here are the answers to those questions.

1. "The Blues" is a music genre that originated in African American communities of primarily the Deep South of the US at the end of 19th century from spirituals, work songs, shout chant, and narrative ballads.

2. Aunt Ethel symbolizes Aunt Jemima. The ism that is seen in this exhibit is sexism because we see this woman in the kitchen and it seemed like that is all she does all day. Some of the dammaging effects wouold be the it xpressing to women of color that all there good for is cooking and having babies.

3 In this exhibit Aunt Ethel has big pot in front of her,while singing she is putting ingredients that each identify the black culture and the people. Some examples are Preoccupation with hair texture /A heap of survial and humility and some attitude /Throw in some rage till it conceals and turns into jazz /Now a whole lot of humor,salty language mixed with sadness. The song itself is representing the Black culture because we hear some Jazz,Blues,Gospel, and R&B.

4. "Discard" means to get rid of and "Disown" means to deny ownership of and responisbilty for. We agreed that these two words are toward the Black culture that was lost when they were brought to the US. I personally thoguht that the African Americans were trying to find their identities that were lost during the time of slavery.

5. At the end of Aunt Ethel's baking she pulls out a batch of black dolls from the pot and she says "But don't ask me what do wiht 'em now that you cot'em, cause chilld, that's your problem. The "you" that she is referring to is the Whites. Moslty because they were the ones that brought all the African Americans here so they should be the ones to deal wiht them.

"Git on Board"

            In my English 1B class, we were asked to read, The Colored Museum, by George C. Wolfe. In the book each story is represented as an exhibit in a museum. The first exhibit is titled "Git on Board". After reading we were asked to answer disussion questions about the exhibit.

1. Miss Pat symbolizes the overseer. She symbolizes the internailzed racism because she seemed to adopt a white mindest and loathe her own race. It's discrimatory and convinc the Blacks they are inferior. Some damagineffects could be enfoprcing that the blacks are inferior and that thye won't be worht anything. Another effect wouod be that their mindset is confused about who they are.
2. The theme is oppression and how Miss Pat was acting were rude to the people of her own culture.
3. The Middle Pasage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of people fromAfirca woere taken to the New World, as part of the Atlantic slave trade. The middle passage is alluded in this passage by Miss Pat talking to the Blacks as if they were on a regular trip and not being tricked that they were really going to be traded.In theb satire there were allusions presented in the exhibit. An African American cultural allusion could be seen when the Blacks were playing te drums which Miss Pat saw it as a sign of rebellion. An American Historic allusion could be historic Black figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. She didn't necessarily said they will die but one can  hear a gun go off when Miss Pat talked about them.
4. "We value you". This saying is what Miss Pat told the blacks during the passage because the only value they were needed for is to work hard and be slaves for the whites. "Fasten your shackles"

Evaluation of the Big Mama Stories

       After reading Shay Youngblood's short stories,The Big Mama Stories, I was really moved by each short story the narrator was given. Whether it was finding out about her mother or learning about lesbian sisters in love with each other. There were a few stories that revealed experiences  that many of us dont see or read about in society today.  The main story that stood out to me was "Did Mama Like to Dance". In this short story the narrator is going around and asking each woman in her life to give her an idea about who her mother was. The only one that would tell her anything was Miss Corine. The narrator was finally to get some insihgt baout who her mother was. Overall theses short stories were all captivating and interesting stories that each women experienced in their past. The Narrator in the end experienced that passage into womanhood. I without a doubt recommned this  book to those who like to read about a close knit community guiding a young girl into womanhood.

Rosewood

In my English IB class, Professor Lennon had the cladd watch a movie called, Rosewood, when we were done watching the movie we had to write paper asking how we now view the world. And this is my essay.

           From 1876 to 1965 the Jim Crow Laws forced racial segregation between the Black and White communities. Growing up, I became aware of what segregation was but not to great extent. I thought I knew what the Laws entitled for the Black community, such as being segregated from different places. After watching the movie, Rosewood, I was able to get a clearer picture of what the laws entitled. In the movie, the Blacks lived in Rosewood but that all changed when a lie was told. This lie brought a massacre to the Rosewood community. After learning about this story, the world and I have been influenced by the changes in people now and being grateful that they won’t happen again.

            Since 1965 after the Voting Rights Act was passed, I can say that our world today has matured from 1920. People now have grown up, began to think logically, and take into consideration of the consequences that follow their actions. Today I believe that the world is opened minded about individuals with different color and ethnical backgrounds. Individuals who are colored are now able to vote and have the capability to have jobs. Based on the worksheet, Black Literature- Recurring Motifs, #5 Keys to freedom from Oppression. Becoming literate and getting a college education is what individuals who are colored have achieved. As of now Blacks

            When watching Rosewood there were moments when I had to stop and look down at the table because it was too much for me. The enjoyment that the Whites had when burning Blacks alive and hanging by a rope really made my stomach turn upside down. On the worksheet, Black Literature- Recurring Motifs, #4 Intimidation, Terrorism and Threats or Acts of violence stands out. This motif was mostly seen in the movie whether it was lynching, intimidating, and injustice. I can honestly say that I’m grateful that injustices like this and constant death don’t happen as much as they used to. I would not like to walk out my front door, seeing someone is being burned to death, and people enjoying it.  Even though our country is in middle of a war I’m still grateful to live in this moment in time because there aren’t mobs of people gathering together to go on a killing spree

            Rosewood is a both a captivating and disheartening story. If another person was to learn about this malicious and gruesome story there eyes will open as well and see the hardships that people went through in the past. Hopefully everyone in the present will be conscious of what happened in the past and not let history repeat itself.