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.