Chose a poem to respond to that ties into TKW Chapters 6-7. Write a three paragraph essay response. Incorporate three citations from both sources: a paraphrase, a block quote and an in-text citation.
For homework bring in five published examples of a signal phrases and three examples of a block quote. Use a variety of media: scholarly articles, newspapers, and magazines. Bring the examples to class.
Write a 250 word response to the film: Tulia, Texas, directed by Cassandra Heraman & Kellt Walen (60 min.) Visit http://www.tuliatexasfilm.com/ and http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tuliatexas/
Tie into TKW. Show how this story gives the novel currency. Again use citations from both TKW and the film. Due at the next class.
From the Independent Lens website:
This is a story about how our idea of justice gets corrupted when we declare war on something.”
—Jeff Blackburn, criminal defense attorney
On July 23, 1999, undercover narcotics agent Thomas Coleman carried out one of the biggest drug stings in Texas history. By the end of the blazing summer day, dozens of residents in the sleepy farming town of Tulia had been rounded up and thrown behind bars. Thirty-nine of the 46 people accused of selling drugs to Coleman were African American. But disturbing evidence about the undercover investigation and Coleman’s past soon began to surface.
TULIA,TEXAS follows the 1999 raid and its aftermath, which roiled the small rural community. When Gary Gardner, a retired white farmer, questioned the arrests, other residents who were convinced of the defendants’ guilt criticized him for raising the issue publicly. More questions were raised after 13 defendants were convicted and given unusually long prison sentences—25, 60 and in some cases even 90 years. The arrest of 22-year-old Freddie Brookins Jr. came as a shock to his family. A celebrated high school athlete, Freddie, who had no prior criminal record, was given a 20-year sentence. When a lawyer named Jeff Blackburn found numerous discrepancies in Tom Coleman’s testimony, further investigation revealed a warrant for Coleman’s arrest. Coleman, who had been named Texas Lawman of the Year, was caught lying and tried for perjury. A judge referred to him as “the most devious, non-responsive law enforcement witness this court has witnessed in 25 years on the bench in Texas.”
Yet despite evidence showing a clear miscarriage of justice in the original trials, some Tulia residents held on to their beliefs that all those who had been arrested were guilty and that Coleman’s “mistakes” were merely legal technicalities. And as former defendants tried to mend their disrupted lives and the town attempted to resume life as usual, the residents of Tulia, both white and black, were left with feelings of wariness toward one another. TULIA, TEXAS shows how America’s war on drugs and its over-zealous law enforcement, combined with racial divisions, have exposed deep-seated animosities and even starker injustices.
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19 comments:
Mauricio Cavero Alprecht
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
Animal Liberation Poem
There are a lot of ties between Animal Liberation poem by Genny Lim and The Known World by Edward P. Jones. The one that stood out for me the most was the transaction that happens in both. In Lim’s poem, he asks how much was the duck for him to buy and in Jones’ story the conversation between Augustus, Darcy, Travis and Barnum and how Travis ask for money because they were free.
Another comparison is how the owner of the duck feels compassion in Lim’s poem. He writes, “Hard to believe that nineteen years had passed since I held her tiny body to me just like this.” In The Known World, Minerva a slave owned by Skiffington and Winifred, she is treated like a daughter and shows the compassion that Skiffington and Winifred had.
One last comparison in The Known World is when Henry is freed by Mr. Robinson and how Jones describes the joy that Henry felt. In Lim’s poem he describes vividly what the duck did and felt when he was freed.
She spreads her wings wide for the first time and quacks with joy
She dives in and out again and again
Baptizing her entire body with miraculous water
My heart sings to see this once captive duck
Frolic in the lake, diving and dancing, flapping her wings…
Ariunbold Damdinbazar
Ms Wanda
English 1B
23 September 2010
Free Write
I am half way through the book and from what I've read; I do not share your sentiments. Although the institution of slavery is complex, especially because of the socio-economic factors, I don't think it's a morally complex issue because I believe it to be wrong. The issue of slavery (then & now) is a product of the cultural & political environment & some people refer to the Bible to justify its practice. The Bible & its stories (inspired by God) were written to guide people in their path to a righteous life but it was still written by people living in a world ruled by sin. Deep down, God's followers, then & now, must believe that owning another human being, a being created in His image & who is a child of God, is not what He would want. After all, we are to treat others the way we ourselves would like to be treated.
As for the actual writing style of the book, I wasn't able to side with any of the characters. I felt the characters were flat & I couldn't get involved with any of them. The "back & forth" in time format, left me trying to figure out what decade (in any given character's life) was I peering in to. Perhaps I'll change my mind as I continue to read.
Ricardo Pedro
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
The Lament of Widows
In the poem The Widow’s Lament in Springtime by William Carlos Williams the grief and sorrow that the protagonist is experiencing through nature reminded me of The Known World. In the book, we witness the grief and pain that Caldonia is experiencing after the death of Henry. Here we see Jones using the garden as a symbol for Henry:
“I learned from Henry not to let something like grief
turn me from right to wrong, Mama.” With those
words she could see him, in her mother’s garden
saturated with the smell of honeysuckle.
The emotions of the widow in the poem take the form of nature: “Masses of flowers loaded the cherry branches and color some bushes yellow and some red but the grief in my heart is stronger than they.” In addition to representing the widow’s emotions, like in the book, the poem uses a piece of nature that represents the husband. We see that the white flowers represent the husband. To paraphrase:
Together with him for over three decades,
The plum tree is white with flowers
My son told me about trees of white flowers
Somewhere in another place.
That is where I would care to go
Mauricio Cavero Alprecht
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
Animal Liberation Poem
There are a lot of ties between Animal Liberation poem by Genny Lim and The Known World by Edward P. Jones. The one that stood out for me the most was the transaction that happens in both. In Lim’s poem, he asks how much was the duck for him to buy and in Jones’ story the conversation between Augustus, Darcy, Travis and Barnum and how Travis ask for money because they were free.
Another comparison is how the owner of the duck feels compassion in Lim’s poem. He writes, “Hard to believe that nineteen years had passed since I held her tiny body to me just like this.” In The Known World, Minerva a slave owned by Skiffington and Winifred, she is treated like a daughter and shows the compassion that Skiffington and Winifred had.
One last comparison in The Known World is when Henry is freed by Mr. Robinson and how Jones describes the joy that Henry felt. In Lim’s poem he describes vividly what the duck did and felt when he was freed.
She spreads her wings wide for the first time and quacks with joy
She dives in and out again and again
Baptizing her entire body with miraculous water
My heart sings to see this once captive duck
Frolic in the lake, diving and dancing, flapping her wings…
Works Cited
Lim, Genny. “Animal Liberation.” From Totems to Hip Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. Print.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World. London: Harper Perennial, 2003.
Bishwojit Sharma
Professor: Wanda Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
Africa
A poem, Africa, which is written by Claude McKay, is completely about African people who have struggled a lot for their rights and freedom. “New people marvel at thy pyramids” (Africa, 40). In this poem, poet has clearly described how people from other country and society entered to Africa and made African people their slave and made them work hard like animal. He explains how black society still had hope that in the future they might be free and live their life independently. “They went. The darkness swallowed thee again” (Africa, 40). Similarly, at the end of the poem people from Egypt leave Africa and go back to their own country which makes black society happy and feels like they got a new life and a new hope.
According to me I think there is lot of common things between this poem ‘Africa’ and “The Known World’. In both of these, writer has tried to explain the miserable condition of black society in the 18th century when they were slave of other rich people and they were treated like an animal. “A Frozen crow and a Frozen Dog. A cabin in the sky, the taste of freedom.” explains that people were bought by people and were made to do lots of work and treated like an animal which is completely true. In the book, the known world also it explains entirely about the slavery system during 18th century. He also makes clear that not only white people but also black people also had black slave which is very disappointing. It feels no bad when an image comes into my mind about those black people who were working like and animal and getting nothing in return besides hate and punishment.
In both, poem and novel the content is similar. Both have focused on black society, same time period, 18th century and slavery. The known world talks about the race white and black. Slavery is the primary ideas explored in the known world. The book is fictional but realistic Virginia country. Henry Townsend had numbers of black slaves and an expanding plantation. It makes me clear that even black people had slaves. The known world talks about the law, religion, slavery, racial tensions, love relationships, etc through out the book.
Work cited
-“The known world”
-“Africa”
Budhi Man Tamang
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
September 22 2010
A Lost Memory of Delhi
The memory is created to forget. Good memory remains in the mind and bad memories too. When someone gets lost into the memory of past time, they forget the present. Even they forget the past, they remains in the unconscious mind that makes the life beautiful of bad. Poet’s dad was younger than him at that time, the time of without the buses and other transportation facilities. That time lost in his mind somewhere. The time, where his mother used to be a recent bride. Today the time is different, everything has gone out. He lost his memory but the life is still going on.(5)
The poet begins like this,
I am not born
It is 1948 and the bus turns
Onto a road without name
There on his bicycle
My father
He is younger than I(5)
Some beautiful feelings remains in mind and makes life beautiful, if the bad memory remains in the mind then it makes the life bad. In this poem, poet is talking about the past life of his father and mother. He is placing himself in the place of his mother and father. But he forgets everything what happened in past but still able to write the poem about his past. Even the memories get lost somewhere, remains somewhere in the mind
Works Cited
Ali, Shahid. “A lost Memory of Delhi.” From Totems to Hip Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. Print.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World. London: Harper Perennial, 2003.
Budhi Man Tamang
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
September 22 2010
A Lost Memory of Delhi
The memory is created to forget. Good memory remains in the mind and bad memories too. When someone gets lost into the memory of past time, they forget the present. Even they forget the past, they remains in the unconscious mind that makes the life beautiful of bad. Poet’s dad was younger than him at that time, the time of without the buses and other transportation facilities. That time lost in his mind somewhere. The time, where his mother used to be a recent bride. Today the time is different, everything has gone out. He lost his memory but the life is still going on.(5)
The poet begins like this,
I am not born
It is 1948 and the bus turns
Onto a road without name
There on his bicycle
My father
He is younger than I(5)
Some beautiful feelings remains in mind and makes life beautiful, if the bad memory remains in the mind then it makes the life bad. In this poem, poet is talking about the past life of his father and mother. He is placing himself in the place of his mother and father. But he forgets everything what happened in past but still able to write the poem about his past. Even the memories get lost somewhere, remains somewhere in the mind
Works Cited
Ali, Shahid. “A lost Memory of Delhi.” From Totems to Hip Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. Print.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World. London: Harper Perennial, 2003.
Sha’Quea Pratt
Professor Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
Connections
After reading chapters six and seven in The Known World by Edward P. Jones, I have come to realize how disrespectful a few of the characters are. Beginning with Henry Travis, Travis is very disrespectful because he feels since he is a slave patroller he feels he is capable of doing anything. One night, Augustus meets Travis along and his patrol partners. Augustus, clueless of what would occur, had been free for a long time now and had papers to prove it. Travis tells Augustus, “You ain’t free less me and the law say you free” (211). Travis decided to take Augustus’ papers and eat them so he would no longer have any proof of being free. Because Augustus had no proof of being free, he was sold to a speculator named Darcy. Surprisingly, Travis’ patrol partner, Barnum, tried to protest against Travis’ wrong doing but Travis ignored him and responded by spitting on him.
Council Skiffington’s fled from his estate because small pox had been spread and everyone but Council died. Council had no particular place to go so he just traveled southwest until he hit Georgia where he worked as a laborer and over to Louisiana where he shared an affair with a married woman.
She pulled up her dress and put his hand between her legs. The women pulled him on top of her and opened her legs wider, never once taking her lips from his. He was surprised to be inside of her, as if all the touching and the kissing were not suppose to lead to that but to something quite innocent, something they could do at the table in front of the boy. In all the time she was there, the “Oh” was the only thing she said (233).
Council had been suffering from a lot of bad luck lately and has regretted leaving North Carolina. After the night with the married woman he feels differently.
A poem I found in From Totems To Hip Hop by Ishmael Reed connects to the unfaithful married woman. The poem I chose is Why Must U Be Unfaithful by Tupac Shakur because it explains the reasons of unfaithfulness. Shakur says why must you be unfaithful and break your promises and forget your vows you spoke to your partner (95). Shakur’s poem is directed to the unfaithful women who had an affair with Council. She has broken one of the strongest vows and promises to her husband by cheating.
Works Cited
Jones, Edward P. The Known World. New York, NY. Harper Collins. 2003.
Shakur, Tupac. “Why Must U Be Unfaithful.” From Totems to Hip
Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. (95). Print.
Ghidei 3
Senay Ghidei
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
Endangered Species
In the poem “Endangered Species” the author talks about the scarce of eagles. He explains the problems that the eagles were facing and tried to connect it with humans. He shows how the species were affected by the surroundings and bad conditions. The author said, “Martha, like most eagles mothers who are victims of stress, lay their eggs on the ground and not in the nest; lay thin-egged shells that beak under the weight.” (11)
In the book “The Known World,” the author tells a story that happened during slavery. In this book he states that the slaves were the only ones that exposed to a fatal disease, as a result, they ended up dying. It seems very impossible and massacre because a lot of them were dead in a very short period of time. “More than half of the slaves on Counsel’s plantation had died, some sixty-two human beings, ranging in age from nine months to forty-nine years; that number included one-year old Becky, who was teething but whose mother had nursed her as often as she could with the hope that the disease would pass on by her child.”(225)
Although the eagles suffered strange fatal disease, they were unable to be remembered as monument or national symbol. “Ben Franklin opposed the eagle as our national symbol for he insisted on our need to make our definition in an image far more flattering we cannot know our nation through this disgraceful thief who bloats on food he filches robbing smaller birds who gather and are dutiful.”(13) The eagles shouldn’t be used as a symbol because they disgraced us and didn’t help us anything in building our nation. Rather they played a role in destroying our nation by acting as a thief: stealing food from people and eating birds.
Great start Mauricio, your pronoun references are not always clear, esp. in paragraph one. Also when you mention the characters from Jones's book, you do not introduce them (see signal phrases).
A point of clarification, Robbins does not free Henry, Henry's father purchases his son's freedom.
Revise. Also check the diction, in places it is stilted or non-Standard language.
Genny Lim is a woman. You reference her as "he."
Ariunbold Damdinbazar what question are you responding to and who is the "you" ?
Also, where are your examples from the text?
Mauricio your revision is better, but you still confuse some names.
Ricardo your comments are right on. Excellent!
Bishwojit Sharma, though your analysis of the McKay poem is through, in your topic sentence a mention of where you are going would be helpful.
The analogies are not clean, but the transition between the two is okay. The MLA in the works cited is incorrect.
Budhi Man Tamang it is unclear what you are writing about. Tie your comments to the texts. What is your thesis?
Sha’Quea Pratt, it seems like you are looking at how some characters are given respect based on their status in the world, not based on human rights.
You then jump to fidelity without connected the theme, respect for one's wife or husband.
Flush this out a bit more thoroughly and connect the ideas ore closely.
Ahu Yildirim
Prof. Wanda Sabir
English 1B
12 September 2010
TKW and Reed’s Selection of Poem
The Garter Snake & Moses
Sneaky Sneak
After the death of Henry , Caldonia and Moses developed sexual intercourse routines. Moses pleased Caldonia in advantage to take Henry’s place in her and for his freedom. Even though Henry is dead, Caldonia still loves and admires him. The more Moses created mythes of brilliant Henry, the more Caldonia allowed him to be close to herself. Here we see one of his creative story about Henry at the book: “Moses waved the most imaginative story yet about how Henry Townsend had tamed the land and made the place he would bring his bride to” (273). He continued to tell Caldonia that “she was the one to make Marse Henry happy” (273). Moses was faking her, I chose this poem The Garter Snake from Nature & Place to twist my thoughts with the character Moses and his behaviors from TKW:
It looked like an overgrown worm,
tiny and quick as it flashed
across the trail,
its sidewinding motion
leaving marks in the dirt.
As we noticed, we forgot
what we said about poetry
how those things vanish,
then reappear before us,
how we admit black and green bands
of the garter snake
are the same colors
we keep missing each time
we try to write anything (25).
In one of the symbolic definition of snake represent sneaky human qualities in symbolism. Sneakiness is a state of dishonesty and deceitfulness. Moses attempt for Caldonia’s love was very dishonest.
In this poem Garter Snake, poem talks about an overgrown worm which lives and leave marks at the dirt. By talking about colors and reappearance of snake, he states the sneakiness of the snake. Caldonia trusted Moses first. But Moses thoughts and behaviors behind Caldonia, turned Moses into a sneaky character in the TKW.
Work Cited
Gonzales, Ray. “The Garter Snake.” From Totems to Hip Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed.
Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. Print.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World. London: Harper Perennial, 2003. Print.
Ahu Yildirim
Prof. Wanda Sabir
English 1B
12 September 2010
TKW and Reed’s Selection of Poem
The Garter Snake & Moses
Sneaky Sneak
After the death of Henry , Caldonia and Moses developed sexual intercourse routines. Moses pleased Caldonia in advantage to take Henry’s place in her and for his freedom. Even though Henry is dead, Caldonia still loves and admires him. The more Moses created mythes of brilliant Henry, the more Caldonia allowed him to be close to herself. Here we see one of his creative story about Henry at the book: “Moses waved the most imaginative story yet about how Henry Townsend had tamed the land and made the place he would bring his bride to” (273). He continued to tell Caldonia that “she was the one to make Marse Henry happy” (273). Moses was faking her, I chose this poem The Garter Snake from Nature & Place to twist my thoughts with the character Moses and his behaviors from TKW:
It looked like an overgrown worm,
tiny and quick as it flashed
across the trail,
its sidewinding motion
leaving marks in the dirt.
As we noticed, we forgot
what we said about poetry
how those things vanish,
then reappear before us,
how we admit black and green bands
of the garter snake
are the same colors
we keep missing each time
we try to write anything (25).
In one of the symbolic definition of snake represent sneaky human qualities in symbolism. Sneakiness is a state of dishonesty and deceitfulness. Moses attempt for Caldonia’s love was very dishonest.
In this poem Garter Snake, poem talks about an overgrown worm which lives and leave marks at the dirt. By talking about colors and reappearance of snake, he states the sneakiness of the snake. Caldonia trusted Moses first. But Moses thoughts and behaviors behind Caldonia, turned Moses into a sneaky character in the TKW.
Work Cited
Gonzales, Ray. “The Garter Snake.” From Totems to Hip Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed.
Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. Print.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World. London: Harper Perennial, 2003. Print.
September 28, 2010 4:15 PM
Ahu Yildirim
Prof. Wanda Sabir
English 1B
23 September 2010
Response to the film: Tulia, Texas
Racism and Privilege
Human history had so many dirty stains. It is already very disturbing to read about racism and privilege from the history books. It is more disturbing to experience this in our lives in the middle of twentieth century. In 1999, a scandal drug sting operation in the small town of Tulia, Texas is one of the saddest example of racism which simply exemplifies us color is still an issue in our society.
In 1999, the small town of Tulia, Texas 46 people, 40 of who were black arrested for the name of the war of drug operation. According to the reports the remaining six individuals were either latinos or whites dating blacks. All of the evidence presented against those arrested came from the uncorroborated testimony of Tom Coleman, a private informant hired by the Sheriff of Tulia to conduct the sting operation. Agent Coleman worked alone and did not wear a wire or kept any documented evidence. Agent Coleman was a great example of a bad law man and racist who abused his power and authority and lied under oath. Eventually county pardoned from all those people who were arrested and set them free after four years.
What happened in Tulia was shocking. Unfortunately this movie, we watched today is in just one of the countless reality of racist events in our social structure. Racism should be punished as a higher degree of criminal act in our justice system than now. There isn't a single characteristic trait, even one gene that can be used to distinguish and make a person superior from all members of his society. All humans belong to the same hominid subspecies, Homo sapiens. Nor there is no scientific basis for any physical hierarchy between humans. Racism is one of the biggest stain of the humanity which we must unable its existence as much as we can.
Ricardo Pedro
Wanda Sabir
English 1B
14 October 2010
Raid in Tulia
The movie “Tulia, Texas” is a documentary film about a particular incident that occurred in the town of Tulia. This incident has to do with law enforcement and the underprivileged parts of society. Falling under the “war on drugs” the police from Tulia received grants from Washington D.C. that encourage the incarceration of as many drug offenders as possible. The motive of course is more money to the agencies that have the most convictions. This is the major instigator in what followed in the town of Tulia. What happened was that innocent people were arrested and dealt heavy sentences. Fortunately, after the story got out plenty of help came to the rescue including the NAACP.
After watching this movie I was not surprised by the behavior of the police. They are known to come down hard on the poor and defenseless elements of society. Like any successful predator, it seeks out the meek and pounces. This is how I view the police sometimes, particularly in small rural areas where it seems everybody knows one another. This is because the elite of a small town tend to control things and are infrequently targeted by law enforcement.
The incident that happened in this town is reflective of society as a whole. Most of the power and the money are held by an elite minority. They control society and this control seems to be focused towards benefiting themselves. That is, for example, tax dollars will go towards improving the nicer areas of a town and poor areas will continue to remain neglected. I feel that the role police play can sometimes be as the enforcers of the will of the privileged few.
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