The Legacy of Healing
Dominic Liddell
Mr. Siguake
September 13, 2012
English 101
A Legacy Of Healing
In this text by Keith Gilyard, “A Legacy of Healing: Words, African American, and Power,” is a text that shows how African Americans and the names that we were called and given in back then [and now] are just a prime example of every race. Also it shows that when someone speaks or says something intimidating, it may give that person power but most of the time it’s just the word that does that to someone. The word Nigger is still used today and is “one of the most potent words used today,” according to Gilyard and I believe it is. Rumors run big and are a huge role in power hungry people, for example there a rumors going around stating that there is an ingredient in fast-food chicken that sterilizes Black males. When people here this they will most likely believe it and a huge uprising will start about businesses that sell chicken. Another big one is that the Reebok sneakers were distributed in South Africa to teach and to help them learn how to survive. In a way this is believable and in his text Gilyard goes on to explain why he and his wife fell into this rumor and believed it was real. This society creates rumors that start statewide debates, in which shows that Words and Language can pertain a huge amount of power if used correctly. Gilyard talks about several different historical people that use their words to overpower the owners or abusers that intimidated them or that were in power over them. For example this young girl named Frado was abandoned by her mom at a young age and sent to a family were the mom beat her and whipped her profusely for being accused of pushing the daughter of her new family in a stream. Well one day Frado was reading and talking to the family that liked her and the mother yells at her because she is “taking too long to do her chores.” As the mother of the house raises her stick to beat her, Frado screams out that if she is struck one more time,
Mr. Siguake
September 13, 2012
English 101
A Legacy Of Healing
In this text by Keith Gilyard, “A Legacy of Healing: Words, African American, and Power,” is a text that shows how African Americans and the names that we were called and given in back then [and now] are just a prime example of every race. Also it shows that when someone speaks or says something intimidating, it may give that person power but most of the time it’s just the word that does that to someone. The word Nigger is still used today and is “one of the most potent words used today,” according to Gilyard and I believe it is. Rumors run big and are a huge role in power hungry people, for example there a rumors going around stating that there is an ingredient in fast-food chicken that sterilizes Black males. When people here this they will most likely believe it and a huge uprising will start about businesses that sell chicken. Another big one is that the Reebok sneakers were distributed in South Africa to teach and to help them learn how to survive. In a way this is believable and in his text Gilyard goes on to explain why he and his wife fell into this rumor and believed it was real. This society creates rumors that start statewide debates, in which shows that Words and Language can pertain a huge amount of power if used correctly. Gilyard talks about several different historical people that use their words to overpower the owners or abusers that intimidated them or that were in power over them. For example this young girl named Frado was abandoned by her mom at a young age and sent to a family were the mom beat her and whipped her profusely for being accused of pushing the daughter of her new family in a stream. Well one day Frado was reading and talking to the family that liked her and the mother yells at her because she is “taking too long to do her chores.” As the mother of the house raises her stick to beat her, Frado screams out that if she is struck one more time,