AHHHHHHHHHHH
I am trying to write out my body paragraphs for junior theme and I have hit a wall. Most of the time I write papers, I can't figure out what to write about, but luckily I don't have that problem this paper. Unfortunately, I have WAY TOO MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT! At the beginning of the year we kept talking about how people who write textbooks have to make decisions about what to put in and leave out of heir books. I never thought it was that hard of a decision to be honest, just put in the most interesting stuff and leave the rest out. But what if everything is interesting????? To me, all of the stuff I'm learning about is more exciting than the last, I can't figure out what shouldn't be in the paper!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
And the shot heard round the world was the start of the revolution
On Saturday, I officially joined the B'hai faith after almost a year of research. On Sunday, I went to my first devotion at someone's house. While I was there I met so many different people, including a Black woman who had lived in my town for 35 years. We began talking about prejudice and I brought up our discussions in AIS about the use of the N word in Huck Finn, when she told me that they took it off the shelves at New Trier while her children were in school there. I then said that the book could only be taught in AIS classes because of a letter sent by concerned parents a while ago. The woman hosting the devotion and the woman I was talking to look at me and said "We fought the school board because of that book, we wrote that letter".
They went on to explain to me why they sent it. Their children, who were both black students who attended New Trier, had been apart of classes who read Huck Finn. After students in those classes had read the book, they began using the N word when addressing the black students. Their kids came home hurt and degraded day after day. They felt that they had to remove this book to protect their children from harmful words and future black students from hearing the same words.
When we had first read the letter, I assumed that these parents were bored, white Glencoe parents who wanted to take a stand against something, I couldn't believe that anyone at New Trier would really feel like they were verbally abused by racist language because I just assume that New Trier students are intelligent and kind at heart. I guess I was just very naive.
Both these women are highly educated, kind women who were just concerned for their family. When I told them we still read the letter and examine their points they were so thrilled because they felt like their voices were still being heard.
It's a small world after all...
They went on to explain to me why they sent it. Their children, who were both black students who attended New Trier, had been apart of classes who read Huck Finn. After students in those classes had read the book, they began using the N word when addressing the black students. Their kids came home hurt and degraded day after day. They felt that they had to remove this book to protect their children from harmful words and future black students from hearing the same words.
When we had first read the letter, I assumed that these parents were bored, white Glencoe parents who wanted to take a stand against something, I couldn't believe that anyone at New Trier would really feel like they were verbally abused by racist language because I just assume that New Trier students are intelligent and kind at heart. I guess I was just very naive.
Both these women are highly educated, kind women who were just concerned for their family. When I told them we still read the letter and examine their points they were so thrilled because they felt like their voices were still being heard.
It's a small world after all...
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Junior Theme: All the birds sing words and the flowers bloom
I've been a big fan of watching documentaries as resources for Junior Theme, and this last one I saw was fantastic. It was called The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story, and it chronicled the lives of the brothers who wrote the music for Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, as well as the soundtracks for famous Disney rides such as "It's a Small World", "The Enchanted Tiki Room", and the "Carousel of Progress".
Before watching this documentary, I had really no idea of their personal relationship. I figured that since these guys worked together and were brothers, that they just got along great. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, they kept their families completely separate. For example, when Robert and Dick Sherman's parents died, they held 2 separate wakes at each of their houses and once guests entered their chosen house, they could not leave and attend the other party.
I find it interesting that they were portrayed as loving brothers in the media while they were dealing with this frustration with one another. I'm definitely going to address how they kept up appearances until Disney no longer found them useful then they moved to separate countries and hadn't spoken until the broadway opening of Mary Poppins.
The title of this post is from "The Enchanted Tiki Room" theme song. It's awesome, take that record for a spin ;)
Before watching this documentary, I had really no idea of their personal relationship. I figured that since these guys worked together and were brothers, that they just got along great. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, they kept their families completely separate. For example, when Robert and Dick Sherman's parents died, they held 2 separate wakes at each of their houses and once guests entered their chosen house, they could not leave and attend the other party.
I find it interesting that they were portrayed as loving brothers in the media while they were dealing with this frustration with one another. I'm definitely going to address how they kept up appearances until Disney no longer found them useful then they moved to separate countries and hadn't spoken until the broadway opening of Mary Poppins.
The title of this post is from "The Enchanted Tiki Room" theme song. It's awesome, take that record for a spin ;)
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