CR #1 Jessie Chiu
Although the article’s title of “The shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi” seems to suggest that the author, Huie, condemns the murder of Emmet Till, the author actually humanized the killer while dehumanizing Till. One of the most obvious method in which Huie pushes this narrative through the background information given to both sides. The author paints the Bryant family in a story telling manner, where they were portrayed as “lusty and devoted clan”(1). The dictions of all three word “lusty”, devoted” and “clan” were chosen to paint the Bryant family as your average happy family that deeply care for each other, where their “social life is visits to their families, too the Baptist church, and, whenever they can borrow a car, to drive-in, with the kids sleeping in the back seat” (1). The effect of which humanized the killer, and portrayed the killing as an noble act to protect their family and their communities. While the author merely provides factual information regarding Till’s age, DoB, height and weight, commenting that “he was stocky, muscular” and his :”wolf whistle”(2). Although the author did note that Till were merely a teenager by mentioning his age, he justitfies other seeing Till as a man other than a boy. The author short and factual description does not help the reader to understand Till as a person, on the contrary to the author’s choice to humanize Bryant family. The effect, in which pushes the narrative that although Bryant family did commit murder, their action can be to some extent justified.
Jessie Chiu
Yes. I think your “side by side” reading here works well. I’d like to see you maybe look a little more in detail at the text (esp. the Till descriptions), but I think you do well here.
If you were writing a paper, I would want for you as you discussed the implications of your reading to really consider the genre of this article and its audience. Depending on who is reading and in what context, it might do more for the cause of Till to make the white actors more human.
Also for future writing in this class, when you first introduce an author, use their first and last name. After you introduce them, you can refer to them by their last names.