I don’t know about you guys, but I had never even heard of Claudette Colvin until reading Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose because it was assigned to me. It shocks me that her story is not well known nationally and taught throughout American schools. It upsets me that her story is not common knowledge. I wish there was a way to let American’s know about such a heroic child in our country's history of the civil rights movement. This nonfiction story gives faith to young people to let them know that kids can make a difference too. It shows proof that kids can and have done things in the past to change history. I wish more students learned about Claudette Colvin in school because they can relate to her age. Rosa Parks is an American who everyone looks up to, and everyone knows who she is, but what about Claudette Colvin? Why was her story pushed aside?
Bridget McDonnell
Showing posts with label Civil Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civil Rights. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Disturbing the Universe
The theme of The Chocolate War is a very common one in human history: violence against dissidents. For a reason that is never completely explained Jerry defies the natural order of the school. The reason that Cormier does this is to show readers what typically happens when people "disturb the universe".
I believe that Cormier was trying to warn the youth about what happens when you start using violent protest as a form of dissent: you lose. During the decade before the writing of this book there is a very evident trend in protests. Non-violent protests achieved their goals and violent protests did not.
Some of the historial events that Cormier may have been drawing upon were the difference between the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War Protests.
On the whole Civil Rights Protests were largely non-violent. They became effective when they found national media because people didn't like police beating non-violent political dissidents. The Civil Rights Movement was very successful in that respect as the Civil Rights Act was made into law in 1964.
The Vietnam Protests had the sigma of being violent. On a regular basis protesters broke windows and threw rocks at police. These actions hindered their effectiveness because national government doesn't like it when you challenge them with violence.
I believe that this is what Cormier was trying to say by writing the boxing match as the climax of the book. If a dissident group is ever tricked into using violence as a form of protest against the larger group they will not be successful in the same way that Jerry was beaten to a pulp in the boxing match.
I don't like that the ending of this book is so dark. Jerry defies the school, Jerry gets is bones broken. It's a rather authoritarian message that doesn't promote the productive dissidence we need to make the world a better place.
I believe that Cormier was trying to warn the youth about what happens when you start using violent protest as a form of dissent: you lose. During the decade before the writing of this book there is a very evident trend in protests. Non-violent protests achieved their goals and violent protests did not.
Some of the historial events that Cormier may have been drawing upon were the difference between the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War Protests.
On the whole Civil Rights Protests were largely non-violent. They became effective when they found national media because people didn't like police beating non-violent political dissidents. The Civil Rights Movement was very successful in that respect as the Civil Rights Act was made into law in 1964.
The Vietnam Protests had the sigma of being violent. On a regular basis protesters broke windows and threw rocks at police. These actions hindered their effectiveness because national government doesn't like it when you challenge them with violence.
I believe that this is what Cormier was trying to say by writing the boxing match as the climax of the book. If a dissident group is ever tricked into using violence as a form of protest against the larger group they will not be successful in the same way that Jerry was beaten to a pulp in the boxing match.
I don't like that the ending of this book is so dark. Jerry defies the school, Jerry gets is bones broken. It's a rather authoritarian message that doesn't promote the productive dissidence we need to make the world a better place.
- Jason McCoy
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