Every average person at certain times, struggles to look on the positive side of life, especially when things get tough. Whether its work or people causing the stress, we all have to let out these feelings from time. Even I struggle with this after long weeks of staying up late doing schoolwork.
This is a normal part of life, but some have had even greater stresses to deal with. Back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, African Americans had to cope with being completely separated from whites and looked at as incapable of doing certain things that whites did. As a result, many blacks reactions were negative, expressing the bad things about being black and how unfair society was toward them. Surprisingly, even through they were discriminated, some chose to try to be optimistic about their situation and not worry about what others thought because of their skin color. Zora Neale Hurston, a writer who lived during these times, is one of these people. In her essay titled How it Feels to be Colored, she talks mainly about the fact that she is not ashamed to be black. She sometimes feels like she stands out when with other white people, but she does not let that discourage her and looks to the future.
Hurston's essay can be related with the book The Secret Life of Bees because their are multiple black women in the book who have a similar attitude to hers about society. Rosaleen has the strength of character which Hurston. She shows this when she stands up to the white men and does not apologize even when they beat her because she doesn't care what they do, and doesn't let them make her feel ashamed of her skin color. Hurston's optimism is especially shown through August. Throughout the book, she is very positive in almost every situation, despite how difficult it is. She also in no way treats Lily different because she is white.
So often people focus on the hard things in life, but Hurston's essay makes me think that maybe people should try be more positive when tough things come their way. It may be tough, but I'm sure that if black people could be optimistic in their even tougher situation, we can be more positive in the little things of life.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Possibilities of the Past and Today
In the past, people often regarded ideas of the future as impossible. People who believed these ideas were possible and would become true were considered crazy or insane in some cases. They also reacted this way because the didn't want things to change.
This relates to the Book The Secret Life of Bees because back in the 50's and 60's, many didn't think certain things were even possibility. In one part of the book, they bring up the event when Mr. Cronkite announced that the United States would send a rocket to the moon on July 28. President Kennedy also said that the U.S. would land a man to the moon. When people first heard this they thought it was crazy and that a landing on the moon was long way into the future. Lily even recalls an article about his statement which was titled Luna-tic Vision.
Not only were certain technological ideas rejected, but so were ideas that society, laws, and beliefs would change. Through the time of slavery, and even after the civil war, most white Americans still thought blacks would always be of a lower status than them. In class we talked about the Civil Rights movement and how some people didn't want this change, so took action to stop black people's protest. When the black students were the first sent to a white school, some students simply wouldn't accept the fact that blacks would eventually have the same rights as they had and teased them. Even after the Civil Rights Act was passed whites neglected the thought that blacks could be of equal status as them.
This was also implied in the book when Lily and Zach are having a conversation about what they want to become when they get older. Zach says he wants to become a lawyer, but doubts it because he is Negro and most people don't think blacks could be a lawyer. He even makes this statement: "Why is it sports is the only thing white people see us being successful at? I don't want to play football. I wanna be a lawyer. You gotta imagine whats never been" This connects with the Civil rights movement because before this movement, white people thought that they would always be superior to blacks and didn't think blacks had the intelligence to gain these kinds of jobs or would ever get the chance to.
Today, much that would be unexpected back then has happened. Man has landed on the moon and technology has exceedingly advanced over the past few decades. Many laws and beliefs have changed as well. Blacks have the equal rights we have and our society has become much more accepting of change. As I have grown older I have begun to more so see the change in society and technology. Even some of the changes have begun to surprise me.
This relates to the Book The Secret Life of Bees because back in the 50's and 60's, many didn't think certain things were even possibility. In one part of the book, they bring up the event when Mr. Cronkite announced that the United States would send a rocket to the moon on July 28. President Kennedy also said that the U.S. would land a man to the moon. When people first heard this they thought it was crazy and that a landing on the moon was long way into the future. Lily even recalls an article about his statement which was titled Luna-tic Vision.
Not only were certain technological ideas rejected, but so were ideas that society, laws, and beliefs would change. Through the time of slavery, and even after the civil war, most white Americans still thought blacks would always be of a lower status than them. In class we talked about the Civil Rights movement and how some people didn't want this change, so took action to stop black people's protest. When the black students were the first sent to a white school, some students simply wouldn't accept the fact that blacks would eventually have the same rights as they had and teased them. Even after the Civil Rights Act was passed whites neglected the thought that blacks could be of equal status as them.
This was also implied in the book when Lily and Zach are having a conversation about what they want to become when they get older. Zach says he wants to become a lawyer, but doubts it because he is Negro and most people don't think blacks could be a lawyer. He even makes this statement: "Why is it sports is the only thing white people see us being successful at? I don't want to play football. I wanna be a lawyer. You gotta imagine whats never been" This connects with the Civil rights movement because before this movement, white people thought that they would always be superior to blacks and didn't think blacks had the intelligence to gain these kinds of jobs or would ever get the chance to.
Today, much that would be unexpected back then has happened. Man has landed on the moon and technology has exceedingly advanced over the past few decades. Many laws and beliefs have changed as well. Blacks have the equal rights we have and our society has become much more accepting of change. As I have grown older I have begun to more so see the change in society and technology. Even some of the changes have begun to surprise me.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Just vs. Unjust laws
At the beginning of American history, people hoped that this new country would bring a better new life, a country where everyone would have equal rights and the freedom to live as they wanted to. The Declaration of Independence made this hope a reality and brought equality and freedom to American society.
Though it was thought to be the end of inequality, certain people continued to be considered lower based off of culture or appearance, particularly African Americans. For centuries they were sold as slaves and excluded from the freedom and equality which white people had. Even after slavery was put to an end, laws of segregation continued into the 1950's. Many protested and Martin Luther king Junior was a main figure who helped protest peacefully and end segregation. In his letter to Birmingham, he makes the point that the only reason they protest these laws is because they are unjust laws which lead people to do immoral things. Finally, in 1954 segregation in schools was outlawed, and a decade later, the civil rights act was passed which allowed blacks to vote.
In the Book titled The Secret Life of Bees, Lily, a 14 year-old girl, lives during this period. Near the end chapter one, Rosaline, a black lady who works for her family, cares for Lily more that her father and takes Lily to town on her birthday. While their Rosaline is teased by three white men. Rosaline tries to stand up for herself, but is hurt by one of the men and is arrested. Through this event, we see that even though the Civil Rights Act had been passed, whites still felt superior to blacks back then and blacks had to still fight and stand up for their rights. This also connects to King's letter because the laws of segregation had caused whites to be against blacks, and led white to do immoral and unjust things to them.
Today, Black people have every right a white person has. They are treated justly and almost no one would even suspect in past years that black people were regarded as less than whites. Sometimes I wonder what the people of the past would think if they came to the future and saw that black and white people weren't segregated anymore, or even if they saw the relationship between Lily and Rosaline. Would they be surprised? Would they change their attitude? What difference would it make? We will never know, but I know that the black people would be proud to see that after so many years of struggling to gain freedom that finally white and black people could come together peacefully.
Though it was thought to be the end of inequality, certain people continued to be considered lower based off of culture or appearance, particularly African Americans. For centuries they were sold as slaves and excluded from the freedom and equality which white people had. Even after slavery was put to an end, laws of segregation continued into the 1950's. Many protested and Martin Luther king Junior was a main figure who helped protest peacefully and end segregation. In his letter to Birmingham, he makes the point that the only reason they protest these laws is because they are unjust laws which lead people to do immoral things. Finally, in 1954 segregation in schools was outlawed, and a decade later, the civil rights act was passed which allowed blacks to vote.
In the Book titled The Secret Life of Bees, Lily, a 14 year-old girl, lives during this period. Near the end chapter one, Rosaline, a black lady who works for her family, cares for Lily more that her father and takes Lily to town on her birthday. While their Rosaline is teased by three white men. Rosaline tries to stand up for herself, but is hurt by one of the men and is arrested. Through this event, we see that even though the Civil Rights Act had been passed, whites still felt superior to blacks back then and blacks had to still fight and stand up for their rights. This also connects to King's letter because the laws of segregation had caused whites to be against blacks, and led white to do immoral and unjust things to them.
Today, Black people have every right a white person has. They are treated justly and almost no one would even suspect in past years that black people were regarded as less than whites. Sometimes I wonder what the people of the past would think if they came to the future and saw that black and white people weren't segregated anymore, or even if they saw the relationship between Lily and Rosaline. Would they be surprised? Would they change their attitude? What difference would it make? We will never know, but I know that the black people would be proud to see that after so many years of struggling to gain freedom that finally white and black people could come together peacefully.
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