Monday, 1/13--Quiz on Ch. 14-28
View video of Coalhouse Walker section
HMWK: Be sure to read up to Ch. 29 for discussion tomorrow
Tuesday, 1/14
Read Brent Staples, "Black Men in Public Spaces"
For discussion:
In small groups of 3 or 4, focus on the following Evaluation (Bloom's taxonomy):
Defend or challenge Coalhouse Walker, Jr.'s fight to obtain justice. Can you justify his actions?
What must he sacrifice in
the process?
How do his actions affect those around him?
What do you think drove the men at the firehouse to act the way they did? Do you agree with the actions/advice of the police and lawyers?
How does this
scenario relate to the justice system and civil rights struggles in
today’s society? As Staples suggests, are black men still seen as a threat in our society? Must they whistle baroque music in the streets to be accepted?
POST A COMMENT FROM YOUR GROUP ON THE BLOG BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.
His actions didn't benefit him personally in the situation, because he probably would've been better off if he had just cleaned his car himself, but his persistance contributes to the general effort to advance the social status of his race.
ReplyDeleteJannah, Darren, Neriah, Matan, Thomas
The firemen viewed Coalhouse Walker Jr. as a threat to their pride, not only because he was a black man, but also because he was a sophisticated man of higher educational and economic status than them. Pooping in his car was a way to bring him down to their level, proving to themselves that they were better than Coalhouse. Coalhouse has to sacrifice the state of his personal life in order to seek revenge for the deeds committed against him. These sacrifices are justified when you think of the poop incident as something symbolic of a society in which acting out against people because they are black is acceptable, not merely an instance of a childish, petty crime. The lawyers and police men take what can be viewed as a more practical view of the crime, but they are not as heavily invested as Coalhouse whose dignity has been damaged. It would be a huge social risk for them to take the side of a black man over that of several white men. They probably also saw that Coalhouse had very little chance of winning a court case against the firemen because they were white. No white judge or jury would persecute white men for such a pity crime because they would not see the greater significance of the act that was committed.
ReplyDeleteKayla, Dominic, Tim, Hannah
Maya, Jack, Ariyuanna, Demetrius, Dayanara
ReplyDeleteOur group believes that Coalhouse Walker was right in the actions he used. Although he is just trying to have the same rights as other Americans, he must sacrifice many things in his life. Some of these may be going to jail and possibly being hated by many people of a different race. His actions also have the possibility of affecting his family members. We think that the men at the firehouse were wrong for what they did completely because it was disrespectful. The actions taken by the police men werent bad, but they certainly were not positive or proactive. This situation has happened many other times throughout history, and because of that more people have more rights in todays society. In some cases, people find that black men are a threat to society, but really any one can hold the same level of danger as another, race has nothing to do with it.
Liam, Will, Matt, Otis, Patrick
ReplyDelete- we understand his motives, but we also believe that he went way too far with his actions ( murder and such)
- he sacrifices just about everything that he had beforehand
- he inspires other radicals but he also puts many others in danger
- they feel that they can exert power over Walker without consequences
- our group disagrees slightly on this issue. some think that the police and lawyers did the best in their power in that racist society, while some think that the police and lawyers could have done much more, despite the effects that it would have on their status.
- the justice system would have acted in a fair manner and would not have been so heavily based on race and status
- yes. the history and culture of the United States makes it so and any attempt to change this would take many years and many more actions.
Harry Houdini - Immigrant class entertainment
DeleteHenry Ford - Industrialization, innovation, and the american dream
Harry K. Thaw - "Crime of the Century"
Pierpont Morgan - Aristocratic, Wealthy, Influential individual
Stanford White - Architect
Emma Goldman - Immigrant class unity, challenging the system
Charles McKim - Architect
Andrew Carnegie - Aristocratic, wealthy, influential individual
Henry Frick - Corrupt, Greedy, Wealthy
Evelyn Nesbit - first "Sex Symbol" of the upper and middle class
John D. Rockefeller - Aristocratic, Wealthy, Influential individual
Bill Haywood - Champion of the working class immigrants
Commander Peary - Represents discovery and exploration
Matthew Nelson - Represents discovery and exploration
John Brown - Anti-racist sentiments, equality for all
Coalhouse Walker Jr. went too far with his actions against the men at the firehouse. He sacrificed his life with Sarah and his new son, because his actions were the indirect reason why Sarah died. The firemen were driven by envy, that someone who they still saw as below them was better off than they were. Coalhouse had a Model T and nice clothes and was very courteous and civil towards others, while they were more brutish.
ReplyDelete^ Clara, Amelia, Tyler, Sophie
DeleteClass is often proportional to wealth and coattails. Class mobility was very limited for those who are not American born white men. At the turn of the century class was less determined by blood and more by wealth. It was often difficult to work up to a higher class and really be accepted without being born into that class.
ReplyDeleteDominic, Kayla, Hannah, Tim
Ariyuanna, Dayanara, Demetrius, Jack, Maya
ReplyDeletePeople of color often have more desires to be treated fairly, but dont have enough ability to excercise it. They often are supressed in society.
Sophie, Amelia, Clara, Tyler:
ReplyDeleteWe talked about gender in the book. WE discussed Evelyn's encounter with Emma Goldman and Mother's younger brother. we also discussed how Mother changed during Fathers time Away and how different she is from the Eskimo. We also discussed how little boy grows up.