In Malcom X’s text there is a connection between writing, freedom, and manhood. Malcom really matured into the man he became in jail through reading books, initially the dictionary and then eventually books on slavery. In the quote “In my slow, painstaking..” (page 2) Malcom mentions how he educated himself on reading and improving his penmanship by copying down the dictionary. Once he actually started building his vocabulary he was able to read books he was never able to. Even though Malcom was locked up in jail at the time, he never felt so “free” through his new found ability to read. In a quote he states, “-and my reading of books, months passed without me even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” (Page 2) Another quote that stuck out to me was when a man from England asked Malcom, “What’s your alma mater?” and Malcom replied, “Books”. (Page 3) As mentioned earlier Malcom grew into the man he became and more educated through books. His education made him understand life and opened his eyes to the real world.
Process of Writing, Freedom, and Manhood
This is a response to Mohammed Uddin’s Post (https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/rethinkeducation/?author=18281)
I completely agree with Mohammed’s viewpoint on the transformation that Jefferson in A Lesson Before Dying by Earnest Gaine, and Malcom X in The Autobiography of Malcolm X go through while in jail. He states how the people that Jefferson and Malcolm X were when they arrived in jail were different than the people that they were when Malcolm X was freed and the time of Jefferson’s death.
Both characters went through similar transitions in jail; they both became more educated. Jefferson was helped by a well-educated teacher named Grant Wiggins, whereas Malcolm X, who was completely illiterate – “I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional.” (Malcolm X) – taught himself. This education held a key role in both characters’ transition into manhood. Education made both of them more aware of their surroundings and helped them understand life on a deeper level.
Mohammed used the quote, “Book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples.” (Malcolm X). This was a very good choice for a quote as it conveyed the idea that Malcolm X has now become more aware of what is going on in his surroundings, due to his newfound literacy.
The relationship between writing, freedom, and manhood is more like a chain. Writing, which includes the attribute of literacy, allows the characters to gain more knowledge through different mediums. It also gives them a voice; it gives them the freedom and opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings in a different way other than speaking. It also gave them more freedom to think due to the higher level of knowledge they now held. Ultimately, this attributes to their transition into manhood, because manhood is attained when one understands himself and his life. Manhood is characterized as a state where one is free to think for himself, express himself, and a state in which one is not ignorant of his surroundings.
Methodology Check-In
Our Alternative School moment hopes to teach our students about different cultures, civilization and modern nations from around the world. The teaching will be done by pamphlets distributed to people at Times Square 42nd Street. We have chosen this place for its popularity among tourists who come from all over the world and across the country. This ASM will take place between the hours of 1-2 PM because this is the time we expect this area to be most crowded; increasing our possibility of a more diverse sample of students. The materials and supplies needed prior to the ASM would be a computer and a printer along with matching colored shirts to be able to find each other.
Objective – Teach our students interesting facts and information to give them a greater unbiased perspective about the world they live in
Actionable steps to complete our Objective
- Explore the internet for interesting facts (including statistics, cultural traditions, current events etc) from around the world. This will be done by each group member and he/she must find two facts that interest them. Only one person would be allowed to look up facts pertaining to the US.
2. After those two facts are found by each member, he/she will do research on the two facts found and be able to find relevant information supporting their findings. Once this task is complete, each member should be able to explain their facts.
3. All members will share the facts they have found with others and explain where they received there facts from and why it was interesting to them. They will also share the links to where the information was found so other members can find the source.
4. Members will read the sources of the facts they found interesting from other members. This will give the members the ability to be ready to answer any questions if a student asks them.
5. Once all members have a strong understanding of the facts and information chosen, members must unanimously agree and choose 10 out of the 20 facts to put on the pamphlet.
6. Member Jessica Lin will type the 10 facts onto a pamphlet template along with a QR code for each fact. This will allow the students to look up the articles for themselves.
7. Members Alana, Anntia, Jenny and Robert will design the pamphlets each with their own unique style and artistic ideas.
8. Once step 7 is done, each member must print 50 copies of pamphlets from any of the three that were created.
9. At this point, all members should once again study and try to get comfortable being able to explain the facts more in-depth with students if necessary.
10. All members will travel and meet up at Times Square 42nd Street prior to starting the ASM to set up establish a perimeter.
10. All members will hand-out pamphlets to people who seem of ages 15 and above. We do this to ensure the student is old enough to be able to at comprehend the reading.
11. As they hand-out the pamphlets, all members will say to the students “strive for an unbiased education.”
Free even when trapped
Earnest Gaine’s book A Lesson Before Dying depicts a life of a convicted man named Jefferson and his time before his execution. Although Jefferson claims to be innocent of the crime, he is still being sentenced for his murder charge. Throughout his time in jail, he is helped by Grant Wiggins, a well-educated teacher. The ideas of manhood, writing, and freedom is portrayed through the character Grant Wiggins. His goal is to spread these ideas to Jefferson so he can “feel like a man.” Grant teaches Jefferson about dignity and to understand that he has worth. Jefferson refused to comply at first and said “that’s only for Youmans” (Gaines). However, Grant’s dedication in helping Jefferson understand life is phenomenal. He buys Jefferson a radio, books, and other items to help him be free in his mind. After understanding Grant, Jefferson begins to turn his life around in jail. He begins to write in his journal daily, starts to understand life, death, and society. Although it ended in a sorrow way for Jefferson, he “died like a man” ( Gaines) as his Godmother wanted.
In his autobiography, Malcolm X, describe his time in jail, and how he became self-educated even in the most trapped places. The relationship between manhood and writing is shown during his time in Jail. “I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional.” (Malcolm X). Malcolm wasn’t quite literate and it had a lot to do with his manhood. He began to change the way he spoke and got a hold of a dictionary. One thing that jail taught him was to become educated and learn about the world around him. Although he wasn’t a free man because he was in jail, he wanted to free his mind. “in every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading on my bunk.” (Malcolm X.) Malcolm became really dedicated with reading because it allowed him to be free. Malcolm also began to get answers from all the readings he had done. “Book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples.” (Malcolm X). A connection between writing, reading and freedom is made here. Malcolm understood the oppression against the colored people by the whites, and understood why the black community needed to free. His self-education allowed him to build his manhood and also allowed him to be free.
Week 11: Useless education
Education comes in every form. Anything can be considered as education. Education is the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process therefore if you teach one how to tie a shoe or how to be respectful that is still considered as education. In the film To Sir, with Love, E.R Braithwaite is a new teacher at Greenslade School. At first he had a hard time teaching them merely because they were being difficult and didn’t cooperate with him. He would say one thing and they would do another. The students had a hard time learning the traditional way because of the fact that they lacked respect to the teacher and school system. The teacher was an African American man in which had no respect from the students. He gained the respect by trying a new approach of teaching. This new approach was to give the students respect. If you respect the students, they will respect you. The teacher asked the students to act a certain way and have good manners. This made a huge difference in their minds for many different reasons because the students gained new insights.
Since Braithwaite gave the students respect, the students finally felt like someone actually cares about them and they have potential to survive reality. By giving the students respect, the students gained self-worth and confidence to go out and make a change. Braithwaite’s technique of teaching was he would ask the students what they wanted to learn instead of the typical form of education in which there is a curriculum. When the students were allowed to choose the topic during class, the students participated and were genuinely interested in what Braithwaite was saying. The things that they were talking about were based on how to survive real life, topics such as marriage, sex, love and how to deal with it all. There was no restriction on the questions that the students can ask. Basically everyday was a clean slate in which they can ask anything they want. He wanted the students to question reality, explore their mind and express their opinion. The students weren’t used to this type of learning method, however it made them realize their worth and the potential they have as students. This class helped them to gain basic knowledge of reality. Braithwaite motivated his students and treated them like adults. Instead of teaching them boring subjects that they don’t care about, he taught them things they were curious about and would come handy in real life. Every student is different and Braithwaite found a way to teach them effectively.
In Malcolm X, he adjusts to the prison environment and utilizes whatever he has to gain more knowledge. He gets a dictionary and starts reading it to gain more knowledge. Working with what you have is the best thing to do. Malcolm X had a freedom of mind because of self-education. With hard-work and determination, he learned how to read and write, and reading changed his life forever. “Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” As learning these new words, he opened up to new concepts and broaden his horizon. Through his self-education, he gained the freedom to explore his mind and have his own opinion.
There’s no hope in a racist society
In the racist society in A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson, a black man, is found guilty of murder although we, as reader, do not know exactly what happened in the scene. This case is sent to the court, but however, Jefferson’s trial is somewhat predetermined. In a racist society, the white men always think they are superior to the blacks, and they believe black men don’t deserve to be better. In the justice system, the law is not helping Jefferson because his lawyer, the judge, and other member of the jury are all white. His trial is not by his peers, but his “enemy”. Jefferson’s legal right has taken away before he gets to prove his innocence. In addition, Jefferson’s lawyer defends him by saying negative thing about Jefferson to prove Jefferson is too stupid to convict the crime. The lawyer is not using evidence to prove Jefferson’s innocence; rather, he calls Jefferson a hog, which denies his humanity.
In another scenario, the discrimination in the school system is further reflects the inequality in a racist society. Not only the black students do not get enough material in the classroom, the superintendent, Dr. Morgan, in Grant’s class suggest to sent the black children to the field to earn money. He thinks the black children shouldn’t be in the classroom; they are born to work for the whites. Although slavery is banned, Dr. Morgan still sees the black children as physical laborer and he implies that the black children should be working in the field as when they were salves.
Writing, Man, Freedom
It is evident in Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Ernest J. Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying that there is a relationship between writing, man, and freedom. By learning how to read and write, one’s mind reaches freedom, and eventually they become a man.
At first, Malcolm X was unable to understand books, “but every book I picked up had few sentences which didn’t contain anywhere from one to nearly all of the words that might as well have been in Chinese” (Malcolm 1). With a strong desire to understand books, he started to familiarize himself with a dictionary. He copied each word in the dictionary and this led to the expansion of vocabulary, which opened the doors to reading for Malcolm. For the first time, he picked up a book and could fully understand the context of it. He felt really proud and confident with himself. Malcolm X began reading more book, “months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life” (Malcolm 2). All the reading Malcolm X did had freed his mind where he learned about every general subject and the sufferings of black men and woman. He was more confident with himself after learning how to read. Malcolm X stated,” I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive” (Malcolm 3). Malcolm X entered prison as street hustler, but the seven years in prison had changed him forever. In prison, Malcolm X had learned how to read and write and gained freedom of the mind. Malcolm X walked out of prison as a man who became a powerful leader striving to help the black man.
In Gaines’s text, Jefferson had spent most of his life working on plantations. One day Jefferson was in the wrong place at the wrong time leading him to be convicted of murder. When his lawyer tried to defend him, he called Jefferson a “hog.” The lawyer said, “Gentlemen of the jury, look at this—this—this boy. I almost said man, but I can’t say man” (Gaines 9). The degrading of Jefferson as not a man, but a hog really affected him and made him contemplate on whether he is really a mindless hog. Grant is given the responsibility to change Jefferson and make him believe is much more than a man, he is a hero. The first few times Grant is unsuccessful at reaching Jefferson. During one visit, Grant tries to connect with Jefferson by buying him a radio and giving him a notebook–hoping that these items will ease him, feel less trapped in the jail cell, and free his mind. Jefferson writes his thoughts or questions down for Grant so they can talk about it next time they meet. To truly reach Jefferson, Grant tells him “He tells Jefferson, “The white people out there are saying that you don’t have it—that you’re a hog, not a man. But I know they are wrong. You have the potentials” (Gaines 157). In Jefferson’s diary, we can see that Jefferson has not received much formal education because he can’t spell correctly. Jefferson writes about his moments in his days, his godmother, food, poor people, white people and more. Through Jefferson’s writing, it is noticeable that his mind has become free. With the help of Grant, Jefferson really thinks more about his position in society. Jefferson is so much more confident with himself. He sees himself more as a man rather than a hog. Although the death of Jefferson can’t be changed, Jefferson died as a true man.
The Importance of a Strong Foundation
This is a response to Kelly’s post that could be found here.
In Kelly’s post, it was interesting to see how she perceived the movie “To Sir, With Love.” In summary, Kelly believed that respect played an important role in the movie and that it was the key to creating a relationship between the students and Sir Thackeray. By treating the students with respect, he received it also unlike the gym teacher Mr. Bell who bullied students because they were under his authority. Sir Thackeray taught the students about respect for others and themselves. He expressed that a student must “be motivated to learn and express interest in the topics one is learning,” which is what Kelly states in her post.
Along with Kelly’s thoughts, I’d like to add that in this movie, these students weren’t moving onto college, but they were going straight into real jobs. As students go through school, they don’t really learn the essence of what they need for real life. Instead, they learn math, English and history, which are subjects that don’t really interest them. However, Sir Thackeray used his position to teach the students about the basics of life and what they need in order to survive in the real world. He takes them out to a museum and asks them directly what they want to learn. They mention, marriage, resumes and adult life. Sir Thackeray uses the students’ final year, to build a foundation for what they have coming ahead in the future, which is what the students wanted all along. With a strong foundation, you have the potential to carry any task that comes your way.
Through Kelly’s post, it also made me realize how much it relates to Malcolm X. It seems as if he didn’t have a strong foundation since he dropped out of school at a very early age and became a “street hustler convicted of robbery (Malcolm X, 1).” Malcolm X wasn’t aware of how real life worked until he went to jail. While he was in jail he became “increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what [he] wanted to convey (Malcolm X, 1).” This pushed him to create his own education and become his own teacher. It was only through being thrown in jail, where Malcolm X realized what life really was and how much an education was needed. If he were taught the foundations of life in school, he probably would have been able to learn how to read and write earlier. Through both Malcolm X and the movie, “ To Sir, With Love” we see how respect and a strong foundation of rights and wrongs, play a role in young peoples’ lives. It can potentially keep them away from the harms of the real world and direct them to clearer paths.
Outline of Our ASM
Our ASM will teach careers and opportunities, and how to interview to get your dream job as well as to aspire to fulfill any long-term goals you may have planned. What we will do is, first we would explain the endless opportunities in the field. We will probably tailor this to business as our audience will be Baruch students. Then we will have an info-session on how to interview do’s and don’ts. The info-session will consist of the texts, primarily by Descartes and Emerson, which will be an open-discussion on the importance of individuality and learning through experiences. After we will have a little brainstorm activity and conduct a little mock interview. The brainstorming activity will be an analysis of how the students’ actions can either hinder or promote employers from considering them as potential candidates for their business. The exercise will coincide with the texts and the ways in which they relate to the student’s career choice. Finally, we will then have some students commentate on what exactly they want to accomplish in their life and the ways in which they hope to help others, not just working just to make a living. Our ASM will happen at Starbucks near Baruch. It is convenient for our ‘students’, since they will be Baruch Students. Additionally it would be more down to earth and less like a traditional classroom which would help our test subjects in a moral sense as well as influence them to be more conscious of what exactly they want to accomplish in their fields. The time would be in the afternoon. This time is more convenient for the students as they will be near the campus. Additionally, many students are not be morning people, and we would like for them to get the most out of this. Also, if they’re not morning people they may not want to participate. Our materials are handouts for the info-session. Papers and pens for the review portion of our study.
Steps
- The group would first market and find two participants for the study
- The group will prepare the handouts for the session and schedule a time with the candidates
- We will have a table at the coffee shop, and will bring the participants there
- Barry will introduce the purpose of our study.
- Michael during the whole process will be taking notes on the students’ reactions and progress.
- Barry and Eric will provide information on the perspectives Emerson and Descarte have on schooling and education. Then, they explain career paths and the do’s and don’ts during an interview.
- Barry and Eric would ask for them to brainstorm a little about what they have learned and inform them of the interview. They would also open to questions.
- Ronghui and Terrianio will conduct the interview.
- Ronghui and Terrianio will open to questions
- Ronghui and Terrianio would conduct a mock interview on the two students
- Michael will asks the students to share their thoughts on whether or not the actual interview experience enhance learning. E also takes notes on their feedback.
ASM Methodology
Methods Check in
Description
Our ASM will teach high school kids in their freshman or sophomore year, and maybe even 8th graders, how to get into the college of their choice. We will give tips on the process of the transition between high school and college. Our tips will include everything from doing well on Regents, to applying for scholarships after acceptance. All 5 group members will teach the students and we are going to be situated in Central Park around 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. We chose this time and location because this is the time that Central Park is usually crowded, and it is also the time most students finish school for the day. The only materials we need to gather are posters and fliers, created by us, that announce that we are offering advice to high school students for free.
10-20 Steps :
1.) First, we will create posters to advertise our ASM. The posters will include a unique motto and logo of our ASM. Jinling and Taz will be responsible for create the posters.
2.) We will then create flyers for advertising. The flyers will be give a brief description of our objective and will include the logo and motto. MD and Jan will be responsible for creating the flyers.
3.) Next, we will locate specific parts of Central park to visit. Joseph will be responsible for picking out the most populated and visible spots for us to advertise.
4.) Our primary speakers are Taz and Joseph. They will responsible for reaching out and talking to the students.
5.) Since we will be reaching out to high school students, we will obtain basic information about these students such as age, high school, grade and career interests. MD and Jan will be responsible for this part of the project.
6.) Once the students are brought over to the table, we will divide the students up individually and give advice to the students based on the information they provide us. All of our group members are responsible for this part of the project.
7.) After speaking to the students individually, we will give them our contact information and encourage them to contact us if they have any further questions.
8.) We will also provide a follow up email to each of the students that we consulted with to sum what we have discussed. Jingling will be responsible for this part.
9.) We will ask for feedback from the students by asking them if they found our methods helpful. MD will be responsible for this part.
10.) Lastly, we will analyze our success in calculating how many students we have spoken to, and counting the list of e-mails we have received. Jan will be responsible for this part.