Blog 21: Making Connections

For the past two days, your class has viewed the I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings film and responded to teacher-constructed questions during your viewing; all participating students received credit for these worksheets.

Now it is your turn to develop questions and make connections between the film and book! With a partner or individually, post five questions you realized you had about Marguerite's story from viewing the film--a question can be formed from something you were wondering about. After you have developed your questions, find the answers in the book! Challenge: Cite quotations to support your answers. Include page number.

Ex. 1. Q: Why does Uncle Willie walk with a limp and what's with his stutter?
A: He was in a childhood accident, which caused both.

2. Q: Why were Bailey and Maya so sad when they finally met their father?
A: They thought he was dead all those years.

3. Q:Were the boys looking for Uncle Willie in the KKK?
A:Yes Ma'am, even though they weren't dressed in white hoods.

4. Q:Why were the children upset that their parents sent them gifts?
A:The parents abandoned them.

5. Q:When did Maya's parents get divorced?
A:Maya was three years of age.

Blog 20: Segregation Presented in Chapter 8

There was such a huge dividing line between the African-American community of Stamps, AK, and the Caucasian community that even the Depression affected them differently. The Caucasian people were richer, and spent their money very freely. The African-American people were already desperately poor, and barely had the resources to keep themselves alive, let alone buy luxury items. So, when the Depression hit, the Caucasian community was affected first, then slowly, it drizzled down to the African-American community.

Answer the five questions from the handout distributed in class.

Then, share in this post whether you would have preferred to be an African-American or Caucasian during the Depression in Stamp, AK, as described in the book.

1. The white people spent all their money freely becuase they were wealthier. The African-Americans had little to no money to spend to take care of themselves. Once the Depression hit, the Caucasions were affected first.

2. It affected the white people first, but eventually it changed the African-Americans' way of life.

3. It altered the view of life because it made everyone in the same situation.

4. The African-Americans were worse off from before the Depression and once it hit, things got even worse.

5. The white people would recover faster because they were the ones the government was focusing on.

I personally would have rather been an African American because then I could at least have had dignity. The white people were mean, selfish, and extremely ignorant. Self pride is ten times more important that wealth.

Blog 19: Angelou's Life, Times, & Message

During our class today, many facts were shared about Maya Angelou: her life, time period, and overall message of her works. Additionally, a definition of racism was shared as well as past and present instances of racism in United States society.

For each category, share one fact you learned from the informative groups' presentations today:

1: Time Period: African-American Experience in U.S., 1930s & 1940s

Segregation included separate bathrooms,water fountains, restaurants, and bus seats.

2: Maya Angelou: Biography

Her real name is Margaret Johnson. She was raped at age eight. She was the first African American cable car conductor. Shehad a son, Guy, when she was 16.

3: Racism: What is it? How has it occurred in the U.S.?

Racism is when you harshly judge other people based on their race, culture, religion, or other beliefs. It occurred during the Holocaust era.

4: Maya Angelou: Works & Publications

She wrore "A Letter to my Daughter" to the daughter she never had in 2008.

5: Racism: Where does it still exist in the U.S.?

It exists everywhere today.

One fact should be shared for each category. Five facts should be in complete sentences. Feel free to share more than one fact that caught your attention. If you were absent today, Tues., 2.03.10, research this information on your own to complete this blog posting.

[Posted by 2.03.10, 5 POINTS]