Black People and Poem
Chavon Thomas
Analytical paper # 1
Due: September 12, 2012
“The Chicago Defender Sends a Man to Little Rock”
Our ancestors that were born in the late 1950’s experienced the Brown vs. The Board of Education Supreme Court case that arose in the era of segregation amongst blacks and whites. In this era, nine African Americans attempted to make appearance at a local school in Little Rock, Arkansas to show that they were indeed equals. Gwendolyn Brook’s poem gives you an impression on what is going on in that specific era, due to the fact that, she read multiple newspapers, magazines, and books which inspired her to write this poem and reach out to individuals about the court case which would make a difference for the future generation. In addition, the narrator speaks and demonstrates that the people of the town were so peaceful and very church-based but as the poem is closing the town isn’t so copacetic. Whites began to be cruel and toss items at African Americans. Which makes you wonder, will this ever change in the world or continue? As a site of conflict, setting has three functions in Gwendolyn Brooks’ “The Chicago Defender Sends a Man to Little Rock”: it reveals time, character, and circumstances.
Setting reveals a time of civil rights conflict. This shows a time in which violence was shown from whites towards blacks. The quote states, “The biggest News I do not dare. Telegraph to the Editor’s chair: They are like people everywhere.” (Brooks 46-48) Blacks were not able to attend white public schools because segregation was taking a place. Most historical event that touched based in Little Rock was “The Little Rock Nine”, who entered Central High School through the main entrance. The Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruled against segregation in public schools. This turned white mobs to verbally and physically hurt the students and the black reporters that were recording it all. The efforts of the nine students will forever be remembered in
Analytical paper # 1
Due: September 12, 2012
“The Chicago Defender Sends a Man to Little Rock”
Our ancestors that were born in the late 1950’s experienced the Brown vs. The Board of Education Supreme Court case that arose in the era of segregation amongst blacks and whites. In this era, nine African Americans attempted to make appearance at a local school in Little Rock, Arkansas to show that they were indeed equals. Gwendolyn Brook’s poem gives you an impression on what is going on in that specific era, due to the fact that, she read multiple newspapers, magazines, and books which inspired her to write this poem and reach out to individuals about the court case which would make a difference for the future generation. In addition, the narrator speaks and demonstrates that the people of the town were so peaceful and very church-based but as the poem is closing the town isn’t so copacetic. Whites began to be cruel and toss items at African Americans. Which makes you wonder, will this ever change in the world or continue? As a site of conflict, setting has three functions in Gwendolyn Brooks’ “The Chicago Defender Sends a Man to Little Rock”: it reveals time, character, and circumstances.
Setting reveals a time of civil rights conflict. This shows a time in which violence was shown from whites towards blacks. The quote states, “The biggest News I do not dare. Telegraph to the Editor’s chair: They are like people everywhere.” (Brooks 46-48) Blacks were not able to attend white public schools because segregation was taking a place. Most historical event that touched based in Little Rock was “The Little Rock Nine”, who entered Central High School through the main entrance. The Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruled against segregation in public schools. This turned white mobs to verbally and physically hurt the students and the black reporters that were recording it all. The efforts of the nine students will forever be remembered in
Cited: Schmidt, Jan Zlotnik., Lynne Crockett, and Jan Zlotnik. Schmidt. Portable Legacies: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.