Essential Question: Slave Narrative

In the American Dream hope can be more accessible to some then other, but there is often a fear created leading to racial intolerance. This racial intolerance can be shown through the African American culture, like in ”Equiano Narrative”, where the African American Equiano’s hope is not as easily accessible as the white mans, and he must fight for his hope of freedom through his beliefs. This hope that is offered to him, though it is more difficult to achieve, confirms that the American Dream is accessible to all. Likewise the American Dream is not as easily accessible to the African American culture because of the white mans fear of a minority succeeding. With this fear the white men create racial intolerance, because of their own personal fear. “Equiano Narrative” is good example of the American Dream being easier for some to achieve then others, and how the fear of minorities succeeding results in racial intolerance.

Slave Narrative

Equiano Narrative

"'Sometimes when a white man take away my fish, I go to my maser, and he get me my right; and when my maser by strength take away my fishes, what me must do? I can't go to any body to be righted; then,' said the poor man, looking up above, I must look up to God Almighty, in the top, for right.' This artless tale moved me much, and I could not help feeling the just cause Moses had in redressing his brother against the Egyptian. I exhorted the man to look up still to the God on the top, since there was no redress below."

Diary: I do not care of the opinion people have of me, because of how I feel about slavery and racism. Slavery is not only morally wrong; but it is economically not beneficial to the economy. We have to stop slavery all together. When slaves are freed they become better people, which no longer feel the need to steal. Honestly the best way to solve the racial problems we have is to have interracial marriages occurring more and more often.
-Equiano

Reflection: This narrative opened a new perspective of the impact that one person can have of society. Equiano was a very brave man who spoke up for his beliefs about slavery and racism, and inevitable made a change. Though many people may not see it this way this showed me that every opinion counts for something, and if you have the will to speak out against something you can make an impact. Equiano believed so strongly in anti-slavery that he spoke out was not afraid of how others viewed him. To me this is very inspirational.

Half Hanged Mary

Questions
1. What types of people were vulnerable to these kinds of charges during this period?
· Any person that was different in any was accused of practicing witchcraft during this time period. Even the simplest thing as a women living alone was accused of practicing witchcraft.
2. Define Trussed
· trussed- to be bound or secured closely
3. How is she similar to a flag being raised?
· This woman is like a flag being raised because she is representing something; she is representing what happens to people after being accused of witchcraft, as the flag represents a certain area.
4. Who are "the bonnets"? Why are they afraid?
· The bonnets are spectators, and common people, who likewise do not want to be accused of the same crime that this woman was accused of.
5. What favors had she done for these women?
· This woman helped these women by causing them to have miscarriages so they would not be accused and killed for practicing witchcraft.
6. What could happen if they try to help her? What would "rub off"?
· If they tried to help her down then they would also be accused of witchcraft, because the sin would “rub off” on them causing them to be witches too.
7. What are her feelings toward God right now? How do you know?
· She has a feeling of disgust towards God because she is wonder why she is being killed, and also wondering why if he controls everything what the reason behind letting her be killed for no reason was.
8. How is Death like a crow? A judge? A dark angel?
· These three things work to represent death because just like them it is waiting, or anticipating taking her away and adding her to the billions of others whose spirits have left them. A crow waits anticipating a meal, a judge waits to use his authority for a nasty conviction, and a dark angel waits for one more poor soul to take away. Likewise, death waits for another lost soul to walk it’s hapless halls.
9. What is she trying to convince herself to do?
· She is trying to convince herself to finally let go and to die.
10. What two different kinds of prayers is she talking about? What is HER prayer?
· The first prayer she is talking about is the kind that we all use asking God to give us what we want in life while the other, one she is saying, is asking God not to end her life.
11. Why is the wording here so deliberately awkward here? What is the poet trying to show us?
· This wording is awkward because it shows that it is becoming night, and Mary is coming to the end of her struggle for life, and as she dangles there in the gathering darkness, her faith in God is also waning.
12. What does she see as her only crime? What is the significance of the repetition of the word "born/borne"?
· She is saying that she will not commit the crime of giving into death and letting it overtake her. She repeats the words born and borne because they represent life and she plans to come through this and be reborn instead of hanging to death.
13. How long has she been hanging?
· 11 hours
14. Why is the sun no longer a simile for God?
· The sun is no longer a simile for God because before this experience God would be seen as a savior and a giver of life, like the sun, but now after Mary lives through this experience her last glimpse of God faded with the fading light of the day before. All God is to her now is the blackest night.
15. How might the townsfolk have felt when they found her still alive?
· The townsfolk would have probably been very surprised to find her still alive, or else believe in her affiliation with witches even more, because she had lived passed being hanged.
16. Why does she say this?
· She is saying the before this experience she was a Christian and a firm believer in God and what she stood for. She believed in her community and her church, but now after she survived that night, all of her previous faith in God has diminished so she could very well be considered a witch though she wasn’t to begin with.
17. How do the townsfolk feel about her now? Why?
· They are all scared of her, if she ever comes near they get out of her way as quick as possible, diving into bushes because they now truly see her as a witch for she survived a hanging.
18. How have things changed since her hanging? How has she changed? What is her mental state?
· Since her hanging she has been shunned from most of the society. They are afraid of the women who survived her immanent death. She has now been granted the freedom to say any blasphemous or “with-like: thing she ccan think of because she cant be convicted twice for witchcraft. She feels liberated and reborn.

Essential Question: Revolutionary Period

Revolutionar Period: Patrick Henry

"It is in vain, sir, to extentuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Reflection: In this speech Patrick Henry uses logos, ethos, and pathos, in an attempt to persuade his audience. He uses logos in an attempt to make people think back to previous situations that have occurred. Likewise he used ethos when he is explaining his own personal thoughts on the situations making him credible as a speaker because he has experience. Such as how he feels about patriotism. Similarly he uses pathos by asking rhetorical questions, that capture the emotion of the audience. I find this man to be a person to admire, because he is speaking out for what he truly believes in, even when other people to don't.

Diary: Why do people not see that all we need is liberty? Am I the only person that feels the need to change this situation? Fellow people you live in the same country as me, you must feel a little of what I feel. Weather or not these people are willing to speak out is up to them. These people have not opened their eyes to the need for change, but when they do liberty is what they will want to. I am a man for change and all I want is Liberty.

Revolutionary Period: Thomas Paine

"I have as little superstition in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has
ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military
destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so
repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which
wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the infidel in me, as to suppose
that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given us up to the care
of devils; and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the king of Britain can
look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a highwayman, or a
house-breaker, has as good a pretence as he."

Reflection: As for Thomas Pains writing, he uses logos, ethos, and pathos too, but he uses metaphors in doing so. Through the use of this he make Britain seem like horrible people, leading to support form Americans. I think it is very intelligent for a man to be able to persuade people like this. I also think he did a very good job in persuading is audience that Britain was bad, and that we should fight against them.

Diary: Why do people not see that all we need is liberty? Am I the only person that feels the need to change this situation? Fellow people you live in the same country as me, you must feel a little of what I feel. Weather or not these people are willing to speak out is up to them. These people have not opened their eyes to the need for change, but when they do liberty is what they will want to. I am a man for change and all I want is Liberty.

Personal Extention

Before I can explain how I am working to live out my American Dream, I realized I needed to recognize it first. Though it may seem like a very vague American Dream, mine is to be successful in my own standards. For me to consider myself successful I would like to be financially stable, help less fortunate people, and also recognize, appreciate, and help the people that impacted my life and also helped me along the way. I am in the process of completing this Dream, though it will never be completely completed, by attending school and receiving an education that will help me get the job of my dreams. I also find myself finding people who have impacted my life by simple actions, and begin to look up to them as a role-model. When I do encounter obstacle I sometimes find myself giving in, even though I know this will not help me over come this obstacle. Often times, I find one person that will help me over come this obstacle, even though they may not realize it, and this is why I would like to recognize these people. I am very far completing this dream, and also will be because there is always something more that you can add to your own personal definition of being successful.