2/18/12

This week in history we talked a lot about life in the south compared to in the North. One day in class we read two poems about the Great Migration. This migration was where African Americans escaped the cruel treatement of the south by travelling to the north. The peoms were titled, "One way ticket" and "The South". In these poems, Langston Hughs expresses how cruel the south is and how inviting the north seemed during this time period, and how he never wanted to return to the south. Also in class this week we learned a lot about the mood of African Americans who did migrate to the north through jazz. We listened to many of these jazzy tunes, which all gave us different impressions. Some were sad seeming, some were happy, and others just had an overall relaxed feel to them. I really enjoyed listening to the jazz this week and learned a lot about the time period these songs were created in by doing so.

In english this week we kept reading on in To Kill a Mockingbird. In chapter 20, we meet a man named Dolphus Raymond who pretends he is a drunk in order to avoid people judging his actions. In chapter 21, Jem beleives so strongly that Atticus will win in court, but he does not. When Atticus walks down the aisle to leave the courthouse, he is given a standing ovation which shows how much the people of Maycomb respect and honor his actions. In Chapter 22, a heap of food is delivered by the town to the Finch household to thank Atticus, and Bob Ewell's swears his revenge on Atticus and spits at him. In chapter 23, Aunt Alexandra expresses her thoughts on the Cunninghams and Jem and Scout discuss social classes and why boo radley doesnt leave his house.

A connection I made this week was that Boo Radley is much like an African American during the Great Migration. According to Jem's theory, Boo Radley stays in his house because the world is so cruel, he does not want to come out and face it. During the Great Migration, African Americans left the South also because it was so cruel they didnt want to have to face it any longer.









                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

2/12/12

This week in History we finished up learning about the Radical Republican plan for Reconstruction. To finish uup this section, we had an essay test. The prompt for this essay was based on whether the Radical Republican Reconstruction plan was successful or not. In my essay, I wrote about how it was unsuccessful. My first proof on how it was unsuccessful was that the Black Codes were created, which took away the social and political rights that were wanted for African Americans. This took them away by setting up strict curfews, labor contracts, vacancy laws,etc that could all result in a form of slavery for African Americans. Another point I had was that African Americans were not given the right to vote because a law was put in order only allowing people to vote if their grandfather could vote, meaning African Americans could not vote because their grandfathers were slaves and slaves were not allowed to vote. Lastly, African Americans were segregated from whites, meaning they were not socailly acceptable. I found the Radical Republican Plan for Reconstruction was a very interesting topic to learn about.

In English this week we got much farther in To Kill a Mockingbird. The book has started to become very interesting at this point because we are getting into the court scene. In Capther 17 we are introduced to Bob Ewell, who gives his testimony in court saying that Tom raped Mayella and that she was beaten and had a black eye. In chapter 18 we are introduced to Mayella Ewell who starts crying and making a fuss on the stand even though she is almost 20. In Chapter 19 Tom gives his side of the story which is given very honestly and he sounds like a polite, innocent young man. After reading the court scenes, I beleive that Tom is innocent and really that Mr Ewell just beat Mayella because she talked to Tom a lot.

A connection I made this week was that Mayella was treated like an African American under the Black codes. Her father did not want her out fraternizing with colored people, so he made sure she stayed in their dump of a home all the time, just like how African Americans under the black codes were given curfews. Mayella not being able to talk to Tom because he was a colored man was like how people were segregated under the Jim Crow laws.

2/5/12

This week in history we began to talk a lot about the Reconstruction of the nation after the Civil War took place. First we talked about Lincoln's plan for reconstruction before he was assasinated. Lincoln's goal was to end slavery completely. Next we talked about the Radical Republican's plan, which was to give African American's the social and Political rights they deserved and punish the south for everything they had done wrong during the Civil War period. Lastly we looked at the 14th Amendment which gave everyone equal rights and equal treatment. This week we also took a quiz where we were required to memorize Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address completely and write it down on a lined half-sheet of paper. I think that I did very good on this quiz because I was very prepared and knew the Address very well. We also had a powerpoint this week on the Reconstruction Act, which made it so states had new  elections to create new constitutions, states had to allow all elligible male citizens to vote, people who supported the confederacy could not vote, these rights had to be garunteed to all people and all states needed to ratify the 14th amendment, and troops had to be stationed in states to ensure that african american people were given these rights.

This week in English we got through a lot of To Kill A Mocking Bird. In chapter 10, we learn that Atticus is truely a very talented shooter when he is forced to shoot Tim Johnson, a neighborhood dog that had gone rabid . When learning this, it made Scout and Jem really look up to their father and feel he had much more value now that he had a major accomplishment. In chapter 11, we get to know the Finch's neighbor Mrs. Dubose, who is a cranky old lady that has a lot to say about Atticus's descision about Tom robinson. After getting in trouble, Jem is forced to read to her until she dies at the end of the chapter. In chapter 12, Scout and Jem accompany Calpurnia to church while Atticus is away. At first they are not excepted at this church but then they are treated very highly. In chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra comes and stays with the finches and she is very bossy and opinionated. She thinks very highly of the finch family history and wants to enforce her veiws upon them. So far I'm actually really enjoying this book. Every chapter is exciting because something new happens in each one unlike some books that just drag on the same thing for multiple chapters.

Aunt Alexandra staying with the Finch's reminded me a lot of the period of reconstrction after the civil war in America. When Aunt Alexandra arrives, she believes there is much to fix in the household, just like the Radical Reppublicans believed about America at this time. Both the Radical Republicans and Aunt Alexandra both tried very hard for change, but whatever they did, the change was opposed. While Scout rebelled against Aunt Alexandra's rules and was careful not to "mind" her, people of the south used any loophole in the system to try and keep slavery.