Final

In the last couple of weeks I have learned a lot of things from the readings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the practice of Non-Violence he used in his peaceful protests and Speeches that he has given. I have learned things such as the use of language and the of effects it may have in certain situations,  I also learned the about the Bill of Rights and the Amendments that allowed Dr. King the opportunity to conduct these speeches and protests against the Government .  Dr. King learned a lot of his methods of non-violence from Gandhi. Dr. King referred to Gandhi “as the guiding light of our technique of non-violent social change”. In this Blog I will show some of the connections that I have made with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. use of non-violence and the cluster classes that I have been taken. I will show how Mlk’s speeches and protests were protected by the Bill of Rights, and how His speeches had a strong connection to the use of language.

         Dr. Martin Luther King jr. used the Bill of Rights Amendment number 1 in every protest he marched and every speech he gave.  He used this Amendment to his advantage by conducting peaceful protests and given non-violent speeches. Bill of Rights Amendment 1 constitutes that people have the right to freedom of Speech, Religion, Press or the right to peacefully assemble.  He was only able to do it because The Bill of rights guarantee’s the American people the right to do these things as long as it doesn’t threaten the wellbeing of another person . Even when being attacked or unjustly arrested Dr. always followed the law and never did anything to break the law . In Dr. King’s speeches he also used the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) numbers 1”we are all born free and equal”, 2 “Don’t Discriminate”, 3 “The right to life, 4 No slavery”, 5 “No torture”,6” You have rights no matter where you go”. Dr King believed in the rights for all men and women to be equal in a unjust society. I feel the use of these documents that Dr. King use relates to my Cluster class SSP245 Law and Human Rights Taught by Professor B. She taught me how so many people even Dr.King has fought for years to have rights of the people upheld through the Bill of Rights and through the UDHR.

         

        In this Semester I have noticed a relation in the work of Dr. King and the teaching of my Professor Dr. Maria Jerskey about The Language of Human Rights .Dr. King gave peaceful, uplifting, motivational speeches that captured people’s attention from the contexts of his words and tones of his voice. Mlk used different tones that people had believed to be heartfelt through the relation of his struggles and injustices that people related with. His selection of words was remarkable and the context of his voice when delivering these words to the people was spiritual something like an out of body experience most people would say to describe the feeling they would get when listening to Mlk speak. He gave the people a sense of comfort in the darkest hour, faced with physical abuse, verbal abuse and numerous other injustices the Language that MLK delivered to the people before the Birmingham march motivated them to face everything that was ahead without resorting to violence. The language of Human Rights is very important but only one man has taken the language to new heights in my opinion through his speeches and that man was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

      This cluster that I took  this semester seemed to all reflect the ideas of the other classes from Law to Language to the practice of Non-Violence. The Language of Human Rights to me are the life liberties that a person should be afforded from birth. The way we communicate in work, school, at home or in public or relates to the language of human rights to me. If Language is perceived or translated the wrong way it could be offensive violating a person’s rights. It is proven that if The Language of Human rights are used correctly it can become very effective around the world and cause change. Dr. King used   language in a positive way and had gotten so very amazing results during the civil rights movement. Him and his Language are a big part of the end of segregation. I believe the The language of Human Rights have a limit because if used wrong people will take offense or rebel with the confusion of a person’s words. Mlk was assonated with his language for change when he wanted money from the Government during the poor people’s campaign.  This Cluster taught me a lot of critical thinking between the classes and the relations they all had in the academics that I was taught this semester.

Draft

This essay is about non-violent theory and practice. The main elements of Dr. Martin Luther king’s non-violent theory are Agape, Consistency, and Unity. Dr, King believed in Agape, Agape is A Greek word meaning the Will power to love under any condition which is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless, and creative. He preached to love thy enemy. He also believed in Unity of all people, nothing he preached or believed in would have been possible if the people weren’t unified with the same beliefs and goals. Unity made me think of the word solidarity. Last but not least Dr. King believed in Consistency. He used Consistency in marches, protests, and speeches through the phrase by Mahatma Gandhi “Never let them rest”. His Consistency to me reminded me of the phrase Raw Determination. Examples of these practices would be The Montgomery Bus Boycott, The Birmingham march, and The Poor Man’s Campaign. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was so successful at his non-violent approaches largely due to the teachings and studies of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was a lawyer who became the fame leader of the Indian revolts against   the British rule through his philosophy of non-violent protest. Dr. Martin Luther King also used a higher power as a motivating factor in his speeches. Dr. King was born January 15, 1929 and was assonated April 4, 1968. He graduated from segregated high school in Georgia at the age of 15. He received his BA degree in 1948 from Morehouse College. He obtained his Doctorates from Boston University in 195. He also was the youngest person at age 5 to receive the Nobel Peace prize and turned over the prize money ($54,123) to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. In this essay I will show these three elements worked in the Birmingham March, The Montgomery Bus Boycott, and The Poor Man’s Campaign.

              One example of the elements that MLK used to make his non-violent protests a success would be Agape. I first learned of this method in the article I read online “Birmingham March by C.T. Vivian. In this article by C.T. Vivian he talks about the march in Birmingham .Dr. King said after the Montgomery Bus Boycott at the Birmingham airport “What’s next” he was very persistent in the never letting the civil rights movement rest or take a break. He gave a speech to the youth high school kids to be exact about his views and how we all as people must play apart in the stopping of injustices committed to the Black people by the white supremacist groups and the segregation laws. He explained to the youth that they would be verbally assaulted, abused, Hosed, and possibly attacked by vicious police dogs. He never, not once lied to them or gave them a false sense of hope that this would be easy. His speech provided them with security and hopes they needed as well as hope and pride something like an out of body experience. After Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech to the High school students they started their march. The protesters were verbally assaulted, physically beaten, hosed down with fire hoses shooting out water at high pressures strong enough to tear flesh off of bones, and attacked by police dogs. The teenagers were faced with all of this but still managed to continue marching without resorting to violence against their aggressors. The world witnessed first hand what injustices these teenagers endured that day through the media footage taken. This I believe was a tactic MLK used to show the world what was going on in Birmingham. He provoked the violence through his non-violent, during a time where no assaults or killings were being committed on a regular basis but MLK wanted the world to see what was really going on and his plan worked. MLK captured the attention of the world as well as the United States President who at the time was John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy changed the segregation laws due to this injustice. The use of Agape help protesters keep their spirits up in a time where most people would have been broken down. I believe the use of Agape or the practice love your enemy helped spark a change in Birmingham March.

             Another example of the elements that MLK used to make his non-violent protests a success would be Consistency. I first incorporated Consistency with the Montgomery   Bus Boycott after reading an online article about “The Montgomery Bus Boycott by Lisa Cozzens”. In this article by Lisa Cozzen she talks about a lady named Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was born February 4, 1913. She was a well educated woman, who attended the Laboratory school at Alabama State College. She became a seamstress because she couldn’t find a job to suit her skills. On Thursday December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus to a white man. This was the start of what was soon to be called The Montgomery Bus Boycott. This was the start of a mass boycott to stop riding the bus. MLK helped by having mass meetings in his church.  His words were if we can get at least 60% of the people to cooperate this boycott will become a success. To MLK’s surprise no one rode the bus. At first Black cab drivers were giving people a ride for the same price as a bus ride, until they were fined or jailed for not charging the standard rate of 45 cents. This didn’t stop or detour the bus boycott everyone just started walking. The bus boycott lasted 13 months until the U.s. Supreme court ruled that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. The Consistency of MLK and the people showed with the boycott proved that non-violence could be effective by not riding the bus the state lost a lot of money in turn, forcing the U.S. Supreme court to take notice of what was going in that situation.  This couldn’t have been done over night it was the determination and will of the people who made this non-violent boycott a success.

 

Blog5

 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a peaceful man who moved crowds with the truth and carefully chosen words.He used common interests or rather injustices people faced as motvation for the people. He was inspirational and used religion or a higher power to give people a some what out of body experience to face the obstcales ahead.He took the fear out of peoples hearts with his words and replaced it with hope for the future no matter what they were faced with he was there with them every step of the way. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a real Leader.

Nonviolence and Racial Justice

 In this blog I will discuss the key points taught to me by my classmates about Nonviolence and Racial Justice. I was taught about the Nonviolent methods used to get points across with efficiently rather than brutal force. I also learned more about segeration laws seperate but equal, meaning as long as a crime isnt committed against the white race Negros would have a fair shake. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached to people to use religion as a support system. he believed that no one man or woman had what it took to use Nonviolent methods own their own will, and the religion provided them with the strength to endore this practice used. Dr. King never talked bad about the enemy ortried to put them down he always tried to embrace them. He always preached people wasn t bad but the things they believed  and preached was. Dr. King believed in an old fashion saying kill them with kindness. A quote from the teaching I liked today was "Do not seek to defeat or humilate the opponent". To me this means a lot because a humilated person will be more vengful than a humble and defeated person.

Reflection on Project

The project that i am working on now is the language used in business contracts. The language used in the Business contracts can be misleading and undirect. My Bio is almost done I just didn't feel too comfortable putting my life story on paper but I will have it finished by next week.

Essay 2

The relationship between White supremacists and African Americans before and after the Civil War was an interesting one. Were African Americans still enslaved after being freed? I will use this essay to explain why I believe that we were! It seems that before and after the Civil War manipulation of the African American race was a slave master’s goldmine.  I will use examples from the text “When I was A Slave by Norman R. Yetman” and “Southern Horrors and Other Writings” by Ida B. Wells. I will show how the slaves worked long and hard in Cotton and Tobacco Fields regulated through the teachings of the “Willie Lynch methods”. White Slave Owners used these methods to acquire great wealth without paying for labor or working themselves. The Willie Lynch methods were in order to become a great Slave owner through the way of divide and conquer, fear, violence, and to have the slaves only believe that the slave masters were the ones who loved them. In Addition to that Slave masters used Religion to control the beliefs of the slaves. They used religion as a pacifier to slaves. Religion taught slaves that to make it to heaven you don’t need riches and you don’t need to practice Violence. The Willie Lynch speech was originally given on the bank of the James River in the colony of Virginia in 1712.  A Direct Quote from the Willie Lynch is “I shall assure you that Distrust is stronger than trust and envy stronger than Adulation, Respect or Admiration. The Black slaves after receiving this introduction shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Don’t forget you must pitch the old black male vs. the young black male, and the young black male against the old black male. You must use the dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves, and the light skin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use the females vs. the males, and the males vs. females. You must also have the white servants and overseers (who) distrust all blacks. But it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect and trust only us. Gentlemen these kits are your keys to control. Use them have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful.

  After the civil war the slaves were freed. They still used the same drive as they did when they were slaves with the right to work for money so now the motivation to work was different. After the civil war former slaves were able to own their own businesses and properties. A way the former slave owners would try to and limit black owned businesses would be through lynchings incorporated by a white supremacist group called the Ku Klux Klan better known as the KKK. They were formed in the south in the 1860’and died out in the early 1870’s.The second uprising of the KKK flourished nationally in the early and mid 1920’s. They adopted the same costumes and code words as the first Klan and introduced cross burnings.

The three interviews I choose talk about are Millie Evans, Mrs. M. S. Fayman, and John Finnelly from the text When I Was a Slave for examples of the work ethnic before the civil war. I will use examples of post civil war activities as far as work ethnics and White Supremacist violence through the text Southern Horrors by Ida B. Wells.  In The Text When I was A Slave by Norman R. Yetman. The first is an Interview of Millie Evans in El Dorado, Arkansas by Mrs. Carol Graham. At the time of the interview Millie Evans was 88. In the interview Millie Evans explains her accounts as a slave. She talks about her experience as a slave born in North Carolina in 1899 on a slave plantation. Milllie Evans has no account of her slave Masters name but she does remember only calling them Master and Mistress. Her slave owner had about 100 slaves and he was rich.  She believed her master loved his slaves. The mistress watched over all of the female slaves while the master minded all of the male slaves. “We had the best Mistress and Master in de world, and dey was Christian folks and dey taught us to be Christian like too”.    Slave owners in that time instilled religion in people as a form of a pacifier to calm them down of all of the injustices they faced as slaves. Another example of this would be “He told us to never steal nor to tell false tales and not to do anything dat was bad. He said:” you will reap what you sow: dat you sow it single and reap it double. I learned dat when I was a little child and I ain’t forgot it yet”. She also talks about the slaves work ethnic for survival on the plantation. They made their own clothes from the cotton they picked. The women folks carded and spun and wove cloth, then dyed it and made clothes.  Slaves made their own dye from tree bark and tree leaves. Using these resources slaves produce items such as petticoats, drawers, and dresses. Mille Evans father was taught how to make shoes by his master. The slaves made vinegar out of apples and they wash clothes in tub hung the clothes to dry and beat them clean with a stick.  They made their own perfume from rose leaves, cape jasmines, and sweet basil additionally the also produced their own chewing tobacco. Slaves had other jobs such as picking cotton and tobacco but made clothes and other items as a means of survival because they had no way of providing. Slaves worked hard for many hours with no pay. The slave masters had no reason to spend money so most of them saved it. To further illustrate my point here is a quote from Millie Evans “De reason so many white folks was rich was dey made money and didn’t have nothing to do but save it. Dey made money and raised everything dey used, and just didn’t have no use for money. Didn’t have no banks in dem days so master just buried his money”.

 The second interview was Mrs. M.S. Fayman in Maryland who was 87 at the time of the interview. Mrs. Fayman was born in St. Narzaire parish in Louisiana in 1850. She attended private school until she was abducted and sold into slavery. She was sold to Pierce Buckraw Haynes a well known slave trader and a plantation owner in Kentucky. Her job as slave was to act as a tutor and companion for his children. While on the plantation she wore good clothes similar to those worn by white children. Haynes was a merciless brutal tyrant with his slaves punishing them severely both by the lash and in jail on the plantation. The slaves were beaten to instill fear thanks in part to the will lynch rules. Slaves were whipped at the end of the day if their work was not completed. Slaves lived in bored and gated houses to prevent or deter escape and on the outside near each window there were iron rings firmly attached to the walls. An iron rod was inserted and locked each and every night making it impossible to escape. Mrs. Fayman didn’t witness this first hand but she did see this on a regular basis. Her job being a French tutor kept her out of harms way until she became free. After gaining her freedom she graduated fro Fisk University in 1874 and taught French there until 1883.

The third interview was of John Finnely in Forth Worth, Texas. He was 86 when interviewed. John Finnely was born on a Cotton plantation. His job as a slave was an open hand. He picked cotton, he got to go hunting with his master, and he was also used as a gun rest and fetcher. After a kill he would fetch the prey for his master. He was also used to turn the squirrels for him. He also mentions how when the master didn’t get his way he whipped a female slave. “ De worst whippin’  I seed was given to Clarinda. She hit Massa with de hoe’ cause he try ‘fere with her and she try to stop him. She's put on de log and given five hundred lashes. She am over dat log all day and when dey takes her off, she am limp and act dead like “. The Master would also set up fights with other slaves for entertainment. The white slave owners would watch the slaves fight while they watched and drank. This act reminds me of such sports in this day and age such as Boxing, UFC and etc. People watching others fight to the near death for their enjoyment while they drink alcoholic beverages.

    In the text Southern Horrors and Other writings by Ida B. Wells gives me the understanding of the work ethnic of free slaves and the White supremacist violence post civil war. Ida B. Wells talks about Lynching and Reconstruction, The Rise and Fall of Reconstruction, and The History of Lynching. In her writings she explains how after the slaves were allowed to own businesses and property. She also mentions how the freedom of the slaves bought upon the rise of a White Supremacist group called the Ku Klux Klan known as the KKK. She talks about three Black men who were killed. “On the morning of March 9,1892, the bodies of Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and Wil Stewart were found shot to pieces in a field A mile north of Memphis, Tennessee,” by hands unknown”. The men had owned and operated the peoples grocery store, A store in competition with a grocery owned and operated by a white man”.(p.2 fourth paragraph) This is an example of how White Supremacist controlled the wealth of American people through the violence. Lynching was a law passed if a colored person was found guilty of raping White women. but White Supremacist used this tactic to justify senseless lynchings to control Black people who were successful with their business. “Thomas Moss, Calvin Mcdowell, and Lee Stewart had been lynched in Memphis, one of the leading cities of the South, In which no lynching had taken place before , With just as much brutality as other victims of the mob; and they had committed no crime against White women. “After the civil war ended President Abraham Lincoln Appointed provisional military governors for Louisiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina to insure the rights of the free black slaves.  Shortly after the troops were removed and the North turned a blind eye to the violence the White Supremacist committed to the Black people. It was a form of modern day slavery through fear of being murdered.     In conclusion I learned that violence and manipulation was a corner stone of this nation, since the beginning of the slavery era up until the end of slavery violence was a key factor. White slave owners used such methods of violence as keys to becoming rich.  They used torture, whippings, rape, and sadistic punishment to keep slaves in line in order to work for free and make them rich. After the civil war White Supremacist used similar tactics such as lynching and brutal murders to control the wealth and quantities of Black owned businesses. There was no such thing as a successful Black owned business because they were usually lynched and shot to death or just brutally murdered.  They used lies that these men raped White women to kill these men without even being found guilty in a court of law. In turn, Black owned businesses were closed and black people headed north to escape the violence. The only differences between the two were slaves were considered to be property and free Blacks weren’t. Slave owners would never kill a slave because the slaves were investments. White Supremacist killed Free Blacks to install fear in them as a form of modern day slavery. 

Lib 101 free write

Human rights are our rights that we are born with and not giving to us.Language is deveolped as we communicate throughout our lives. They are similiar to me because we have the right to free speech as well as human rights. I believe they are connected because it seems you cant have one without the other.

           After reading the texts from the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, the letter of Benjamin Benneker to Thomas Jefferson, and The Mary Anderson Interview, I will to the best of my ability show the different emotions and feelings of enslaved Black men and a free black man during the time of the slavery era. In this essay I will elaborate on what I took from these readings and the emotional and mental distress, as well as the physical hardships these men endured during those times. I will also show some of the similarities that these men might have had that can relate to certain movies such as roots and modern day people.

              In the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano the story gave me the impression that Olaudah was emotionally depressed, fearful, and mortified beyond any means of an average person. Olaudah was from a family of seven children. He was the youngest of six boys and older than his only sister. He was his mother’s favorite child, and he was trained in the art of war. His daily exercise would consist of shooting and throwing javelins in which he excelled. As A reward for hard work and progression his mother would reward him with emblems that resembled those of great warriors in his community. At the tender age of 11 life was over as he knew it and his happiness was put to an end. One day as the Adults of his neighborhood traveled far into the fields as they always did do labor they were approached by kidnappers. Olaudah and his sister were left at home alone to mind the house while their parents were off to work in the fields. The kidnappers made their way over the over the walls and seized both children, They grabbed them and bounded their mouths so fast the children didn’t have a chance to let out a scream before being carried through the woods.. When nightfall arrived the robbers would stop at a small house in which to get refreshments and shelter. The children would then be unbounded at this house but still was not feed for the kidnappers wanted them weak from hunger to prevent escape. The children were overpowered by fatigue and grief, and their only relief was some sleep which allayed their misfortune for a short time. At this point in the story I started to feel the pain of two young children being taken away from their home terrified, and starving. As the story goes on it talks about Olaudah being shipped from slave master to slave master. It also talks about being separated from his sister to one brief encounter with his sister to never seeing her again. Every slave master he encountered was different from the last. Some were abusive and mean while others weren’t. I believe the real turning point in his life is when he was first put on a slave ship and shipped off! That’s where he first saw men of a different culture who spoke a different language they were of pale complexion with long hair. Olaudah thought he was going to be eaten by these people instead he found out he was being sent away to be enslaved. On the slave ship Olaudah witnessed injustices he has never seen before or thought were even humanly possible. After the slave ship Olaudah was sold! In his words I quote ‘Surely this is a new refinement in cruelty, which, while it has no advantage to atone for it, thus aggravates distress, and adds fresh horrors even to the wretchness of slavery.” That quote to me summed up everything Olaudah was feeling from enslavement until freedom.

                 Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson is a free Black man writing about the moral injustices his people were bestowed upon as a whole and in attempt for change he expressed himself in this letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was the United States of America secretary of state. This letter was a plea of justice for African American people! Benjamin Bannekker was a free African American, an Astronomer, Mathematician, and An Author of the Almanac. He was a self educated man as well as very religious. In this letter he writes from a religious point of view trying to gain some kind of sympathy from Thomas Jefferson. A quote from this letter that really caught my attention is that” your sentiments are concurrent with mine, which are, that one universal father hath given being to us all; and that hath not only made us all of one flesh but that he hath also, without  partiality afforded  us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties; and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same family, and stand in the same relation to him”.  I like this Quote because he pointed out to Thomas Jefferson that we are all children of the universal father regardless of our social status we are all equal in his eyes. His letter was to me was brilliant in terms of using the universal father and religion to get his point across. To me I took from this letter Frustration, Disbelieve, hurt, and restlessness from the moral injustices his race faced on a daily basis.

             Lastly, in the memoirs from the slave narrative collection there is an Interview of a lady named Mary Anderson who was born on a slave plantation in North Carolina on May 10, 1851. The thing that mostly caught my attention was the fact that she didn’t have the same story of misery that most of the slaves shared. The interview was conducted by Pat Matthews and Mary Anderson was 86 years old during this interview. In the interview she describes her slavery days as more pleasant than the horrific tales we’ve grown accustomed to hearing. She talks about her Slave Master Sam Brodie and his Missus Evaline being more family structured and nurturing rather than cruel and abusive people. Her master Sam Brodie provided all of his slaves with good food, afforded them with plenty of warm clothing, and kept them housed comfortably. She described her experience as a slave as most pleasant and comfortable.  The interview for me was very refreshing because it showed me a different side of slavery. It showed that not all Slave Masters were brutes in those days.

                In conclusion, the texts I have read remind me of the movies Roots and Armistead just normal people longing for freedom. Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson reminds me of the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr's I have a dream speech. All of these texts are powerful in its unique way of slave’s feelings in the time of the slavery era. I now have a more profound respect for people who endured slavery. I am more thankful that times have changed. Slavery is still alive in America just not in the form of bondage. Free at last free at last thank god almighty we’re free at last.

              

My twitter is dontewigg

In The text The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano I have noticed A contraditiction in feelings. In the story Olaudah talks about planning an escape to return home. He was in charge of the poultry. One morning while feeding the poultry he tossed a pebble and killed one forcing him to flee earlier than planned. He wasn’t ready to flee but the fear of being punished by the slave master made him flee.” This alarmed me very much, and I expected an instant flogging, which to me was uncommonly dreadful; for I had seldom been beaten at home, I therefore resolved to fly; and accordingly I  ran into a thicket that was hard by and hid in the bushes”(Equiano 10). While hiding from the slave master Equiano acquired A bunch of mixed feelings which made his thoughts of being free a contradiction. He talks about the joy of wanting to be free but the fear of being caught.

Donte Wiggins

SSP 245

9/30//11

 The topic I chose to write about is the Death Penalty. The reason that I chose to write about the Death Penalty is because I believe it’s morally wrong and violates Human rights. In this proposal I will use several case studies. Two of my case studies will be Troy Davis and Raymond “Tookie” Williams. One man was sentenced to death and executed but many believed he was innocent. The other man was also sentenced to death and executed but accomplished more in prison than most people accomplish in a life time. In this proposal we will examine the moral beliefs of people who trust in this system and the people who are against it. I learned that the purpose for the Death Penalty was to be the ultimate punishment to Capital crimes. Some people believe that the death penalty is being used as a form of revenge for families of the victims and the judicial system.

           In the texts from the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah equiano, the latter’s of Benjamin Benneker to Thomas Jefferson, The Mary Anderson Interview, and From other related sources I will to the best of my ability show the different emotions and feelings of enslaved Black men and 1 free black man during the time of the slavery era. In this essay  I will try to elaborate on what I took from these readings and the emotional distress, Mental as well ass physical hardships these men endured during those times. I will also try to show some of the similarities that these men might have had with certain movies and modern day people.

              In the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano the story gave me the impression that Olaudah was  very emotionally depressed, fearful, and mortified beyond means of any average person. Olaudah was from a family of seven children. He was the youngest of six boys and only older than his only sister. He was his mother’s favorite child. As A child he was trained in the art of war. His daily exercise would consist of shooting and throwing javelins. As A reward  for hard work and progression his mother would reward him with emblems, After the manner of their greatest warriors. This was how he was raised until the tender age of 11when all of this was put to an end as well as his happiness. One day as the Adults of his neighborhood traveled far into the fields as they always did to labor A bunch of kidnappers showed up in the neighborhood. Olaudah and his sister were left at home alone to mind the house while their parents were off to work. The kidnappers made their way over the over the walls and seized both children. The kidnappers grabbed them and bounded their mouths so fast the children didn’t have a chance to let out a scream before being carried through the woods. The childrens hands were tied and mouths bounded then carried through the woods. When nightfall came around the robbers would stop at a small house in which to get refreshments and shelter. The children would then be unbounded at this house but still was not feed for the kidnappers wanted them weak from hunger to prevent escape. The children were  overpowered by fatigue and grief, and their only relief was some sleep which allayed their misfortune for a short time. At this point in the story I started to feel the pain of two young children being taken away from their home terrified, and starved. As the story goes on it talks about Olaudah being shipped around from slave master to slave master. It also talks about being separated from his sister to one brief encounter with his sister to never seeing his sister again. Every slave master he had was different from the last. Some were abusive and mean while others weren’t. I believe the real turning point in his life is when he was first put on a slave ship and shipped off. That’s where he first saw men of a different culture who spoke a different language. They were pale complexion with long hair. Olaudah thought he was going to be eaten by these people. When he found out that he was being sent away to be a slave he eased up thinking it was gonna be similar to what he just experienced. On the slae ship olaudah witnessed injustices he has never seen before or thought were even humanly possible. After the slave ship Olaudah was sold. In his own words I quote ‘Surely this is a new refinement in cruelty, which, while it has no advantage to atone for it, thus aggravates distress, and adds fresh horrors even to the wretchness of slavery.” That quote to me summed up everything Olaudah was feeling from birth until the remainder of his time as a slave.

                 Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson is a free Black man writing about the moral injustices his people were bestowed upon as awhole and in attempt for change he expressed himself in this letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was the United States of America secretary of state. This letter was a plea of justice for African American people. Benjamin Bannekker was a free African American, an Astronomer, Mathematician, and An Author of the Almanac. He was a self educated man as well as a religious man. In this letter he writes from a religious point of view trying to gain some kind of sympathy from Thomas Jefferson. A quote from this letter that really caught my attention is that your sentiments are concurrent with mine, which are, that one universal father hath given being to us all; and that hath not only made us all of one flesh but that he hath also, without  partiality afforded  us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties; and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same family, and stand in the same relation to him.  I like this Quote because he pointed out to Thomas Jefferson that we are all children of the universal father and no matter what our social status we are all equal in his eyes. His letter was to me was brilliant in terms of using the universal father and religion to get his point across. To me I took from this letter Frustration, Disbelieve, hurt, and restlessness from the moral injustices his race faced on a daily basis.

              In the memoirs from the slave narrative collection There is an Interview of a lady named Mary Anderson. Mary Anderson was born on a slave plantation in North Carolina may 10,1851. She was born a slave. The thing that mostly caught my attention was the fact that she didn’t have the same story of misery that most of the slaves shared. The interview was conducted by Pat Matthews; Mary Anderson was 86 years old during this interview. In the interview she describes her slavery days as more pleasant than the horrific tales we grown accustomed to hearing. She talks about her Slave Master Sam Brodie and his Missus Evaline being more family sturcted and nurturing rather than cruel and unusual abusive people. Her master Sam Brodie provided all of his slaves with good food, Afforded them with plenty of warm clothing, and kept them housed in comfortable housing. She described her experience as a slave as most pleasant and comfortable.  The interview for me was very refreshing because it showed me a different side of slavery. It showed that every Slave Master wasn’t a brute in those days.

                In these three texts that I have read it reminds me of the movies Roots and armestead not to mention Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson reminds me or rather is similar to the Rev.Dr Martin Luther King jr’s I have a dream speech. All of these texts are powerful in its own unique way of slaves feelings in the time of the slavery era.

              

Draft

  In the texts from the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equino and the letter of Benjamin Banneker to Thomas Jefferson, and The Mary Anderson Interview I’ve noticed 3 different emotions and feelings from two slaves and one free black man during the slavery era. In my essay I plan on showing to the best of my ability the different emotions these three different people were feeling at those times.

               In the text from the Interesting Narrative of the life Olaudah Equino the story gave me a sad, depressed, and lonely feeling. In this story the reader is taken from the child hood of a young African boy to the adduction of this child for slavery. This story gives the reader a blow by blow detailed account of the adduction and all of the misfortunes this child endures.  Olaudah and his sister where adducted from their home while their parents were gone. Bounded and carried throughout the woods screams for help echoed through out the woods but to no avail, those tears and screams fell on death ears. When night fell the abductors would halt for refreshments and sleep. Olaudah and his sister would then be unbound but weren’t able to eat because the abductors wanted them weak. The only relief that they were afford was some sleep, which allayed their misfortune for a short time. At this point in the story I get the feeling of loneliness and depression.

 As the story goes on Olaudah and his sister are sold from master to master. He was sold and shipped again where he met other Africans from all over Africa who spoke different from him. He talks about the mistreatment of the slaves from the beatings to every way possible his human rights were violated. An example of his Human Rights being violated would be from Olaudah’s own words which were” when these people knew we were brother and sister they indulged us to be together; and the man, to the man I suppose we belonged, lay with us, he in the middle, while she and I held one another across his breast all night; and thus for awhile we forgot our misfortunes in the joy of being together”. Even after a night like that the next morning would serve as a reality check when he and his sister would be separated again this time forever. This left Olaudah worst than he ever felt in his life. This reading gave me a first hand look into how much pain the slaves went through that wasn’t obvious before.

      In conclusion, Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson is a free black man in the slavery era writing about the moral injustices his people face as a whole and in attempt for change he writes this letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was The United States Secretary of State. This letter was a plea for justice for African Americans. Benjamin Banneker was a free African American an astronomer, mathematician, and author of the almanac. He was a self educated man as well as a religious person. In this letter he writes from a religious point of view trying to gain some kind of symphony from Thomas Jefferson. A quote from this letter that really caught my attention is “That your sentiments are  concurrent with mine, which are, that one universal father hath given being to us all; and that hath not only made us all of one flesh but that he hath also, without partiality afforded us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same facilities; and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same relation to him. I like this quote because he pointed out to Thomas Jefferson that to the universal father we are all his children and no matter what our social status we are all equal in his eyes. This letter was brilliant in my eyes on how he used the universal father and religion get his point across. To me this letter is a letter of frustration, hurt, and restlessness from the injustices his raced faced in those times.

Assignment 1

             In Banneker’s letter to Jefferson and Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative we get two different views of African American’s about slavery. Banneker was a free black American who saw and a felt a great injustice of black people with their human rights. Equaino was an African who was kidnapped from Africa and sold to be a slave. Banneker expressed his feelings in a very well mannered educated and spiritual letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was the United States of America secretary of state. Equiano’s reflection of his life was a real life experience of being kidnapped to be transported around and be sold for slavery. In my essay I will try my best to show how I interpreted the feelings of both of these men during those times they write about in these stories.

              After reading Banneker’s letter’s to Jefferson I got the impression of an highly self educated man hurt and pain reflected in a letter to Jefferson about the unfair and morally wrong doings and happenings to his race as a whole. In Banneker's letter he expresses the pain and injustice he witnesses on a regular basis to his race as a whole. Banneker's seems to be very religious in this writing and seems to believe that Thomas Jefferson is just as religious as him. Banneker’s is a Christian; most people in those times were Christian. In the letter Banneker refers to a higher power, how we are all children of the universal father. He also mentions how the universal father not only made us of one flesh, but also without putridity, afforded us all the same faculties, and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversired in situation of color, we are all of the same family, and stand in the relation to him. I believe that he was writing out of hurt and frustration to Thomas Jefferson about all of the injustices his race was facing on a daily basis and having their human rights compromised. To me this letter was a cry to Thomas Jefferson to honor the human rights of all people and not only to a selected few no matter what role or position they may hold in society.

               In the story The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano I believe he was emotionally distressed, fearful, and terrified. In this very detailed account of his life Olaudah  describes to us his views first hand from being kidnapped from Africa to being shipped around to Barbados where the cargo which were slaves were sold and dispersed around the world to slavery. He details the time from when he and his sister were kidnapped from their home while their parents were gone. They were bounded and carried away deep into the woods. It happened so fast they were carried away before they could even get a scream out or rather a cry for help. The only brief relief since being captured was the short time they had to sleep. He describes the accounts of not wanting to eat anything but was forced feed. Cries for help were screamed from far and away only to fall on deaf ears. Moved from slave master to slave master Olaudah recounts the pain, frustration, and confusion of what was really going on. He recalls being moved around so much he almost got use to it until he was sold and separated from his sister.  He talks about slavery and the hardships, mental break downs, and emotional wear and tear that slavery put on him. During his time of being shipped around Olaudah was introduced to or rather shipped around with other slaves from different parts of Africa with who spoke a different African Language. This story reminded me of Alex Haley’s movie and book Roots. It reminded me of the struggles African’s went through from being hunted like animals captured bounded shipped away and forced to work long grueling hours or be beaten and possibly killed. Families were destroyed and Generations of family histories were erased or rather hard to trace due to the separation of many families. After watching such a powerful movie and reading such a heart felt story such as this I felt as if I was right there experiencing the same sorrow as these men were. The pain, fear, and misfortunes this man has endured are almost unbelievable.

                       I believe that these two readings were very motivating in the learning experience of the slaves point of view in a time where slaves were treated worst than or equal to an animal. The emotional distress of these readings only confirms my thoughts of the readings that the slaves were experiencing things that I truly believe that no one word could possibly explain  to make a person understand what they were going through. There was no one or no where a slave could possibly turn to, to escape the inhuman conditions of slavery.

Language Essay

For as long as I can remember language has influenced my life. I know now that language is taught to us at a young age from parents, teachers, and the environment in which we are raised in or surrounded by. Language is used in our everyday life whether it’s our personal lives or in the work field. Each language is unique in its own ways.

             We all deal with language from birth. The very moment that we are bought into this world our parents or parent begin to communicate with us. I don’t believe that we understand language at first but as time goes on we get familiar with the words, sounds, and actions that are being communicated to us. At the tender age of 4 maybe 5we all begin to speak fluently. Around that age we begin school where we are taught different ways to communicate or rather the proper way to communicate with the language taught to us. An example of this would be a child who attends kindergarten knows how to speak but everyday that child attends school they are taught the alphabet, how to count, how to read, and how to identify various things thus expanding their vocabulary in language. The environment we live in forms the way we use language as well as friends, family, and even strangers we interact with on a daily basis influence our language and its usage. The way a person speaks to his or her loved ones may seem different versus the language used in school or the workplace. An example of this would be a person greeting a friend outside might say what’s up or something to that effect. A person in school or at work may greet a person by saying good morning or good afternoon. Lastly television, the media, music videos, and reality tv also influences our language.

In my lifetime I have learned that there are different ways we use language! Language is extremely important in different scenarios.

 I learned that in schools and at work that the way I formulate my words and the tone of my voice could have a dramatic effect on how my words are received.  Keeping in mind that if I'm not speaking correctly my words can be taken in the wrong way. When amongst family I am not so proper I tend to swear and talk out of content. However, when speaking to new people I am always mindful to speak clearly and think how my words may affect people.

    I believe that the slaves in this story were terrified. I believe this due to the fact that if they were caught they would be beaten or even killed. In the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah  Equiano he describes the emotions of being terrified. He talks about how night was approaching and it was aggravating all of his fears.  He figured if he could escape all the animals from the woods, he could not escape those of mankind, thus feeling like a hunted deer. He was faced with the obstacles of trying to run without getting caught, finding his way home without getting lost in the woods, and not dying.

     I believe that Olaudah  Equiano was emotionally terrified in this story. From the beginning of the passage that I have read Olaudah talks about laying in bushes and shrubberies to conceal himself from strictest search. He mentions how the neighbors continued looking for him the whole day and several times coming within yards to where he lay and hid. He was fearful that if caught he would be punished by the Master. He also mentions the neighbor’s talks about him returning home would be hopeless. They talked about the distance was to great, and the way being to intricate, that he would never reach it and would get lost in the woods. When night began to fall it aggravated all of his fears. He did not believe his journey home would be fruitless and believed if he could escape all other animals, he could not escape those of Human. Thus making Olaudah  Equiano feel like a hunted deer. Throughout this passage Olaudah Equiano describes different scenarios of why he was feeling the way he did at that present moment. All he wanted to do was return home but he was faced with numerous obstacles from being hunted like deer from the whole neighborhood, the fear of being caught and punished by master, the fear of get lost in the woods and not finding his way home, to the fear of escaping all other animals only to being caught by humans.

I chose this class as a way to better my communcation skills. I figured that by taken this cluster i could better my verbal communcation as well as my written.I have a major where it is very important to know how to present yourself in the work field,as well as to the community.