1: In the article John Lewis “Together, You Can Redeem The Soul of Our Nation”, His attitude toward his community is peaceful and inspiring. He talks about how this generation has the power to build a beloved community. He stated “Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I called good trouble, necessary trouble”, this demonstrates that he sees the positive and good side of the people in the community and believes that they can make a powerful change. At the end of the article, he stated that in the future historians will look back and see that our generation has ended a hateful burden peacefully. The article “The Way We Live Now” by Colson Whitehead, talks about how people really don’t pay attention to their surroundings in New York or possibly anywhere and we realize change once something is gone. His attitude towards the community would be intense and serious. Colson talks in his writing in a serious manner that makes the audience feel a sense of wrongdoing. He states “Go back to your old haunts in your old neighborhoods and what do you find: they remain and have disappeared..You swallow hard when you discover that the old coffee shop is now a chain pharmacy”, Colson makes feel a sense of guilt for not appreciating what we have in our surroundings. These two authors have different approaches to how they view a crisis during their own time. They both spoke differently because in John’s article he He gave an example of himself that many other people can relate to but in Colson’s writing, he gives various examples and details of New York at the time where he feels that nobody can relate to. They spoke similarly because they’re passionate about creating a change in their community. You can feel their true intentions.

2: The overlapping theme would be that in the community there’s still no change or very little change that we don’t have full control of. John Lewis is persuading people to vote and support Black Lives Matter to create a change in people’s mindsets to stand for equality. After the repeated years of no change in every community, it created a theme. In Colson whitehead’s article, he’s persuading people to open their eyes and value the last goodbyes and cherish them. His article was 19 years ago and this issue of either judging too quickly on your surroundings or not judging at all because of the lack of interest is still present. This relates to what is going on with our society today. It’s either we don’t have much interest in changing old views or we judge too quickly without understanding the full context. Also, Colson is stating that change will happen whether we like it or not. It can be good or bad change but it’s up to us to have control over that change. What I understood from both articles is that we need a reality check and seek change in ourselves so we can reflect that into our community. Appreciating our neighborhoods and respecting one another, not judging a book by its cover, can make a difference in our communities.

3: The article that I’ve found more closer to is “The Way We Live Now” by Colson Whitehead because he explains how each one of us views New York and how New York views us. I consider his reasonings to be true and something I need to work on. Not that the article by John Lewis didn’t influence or inspire me but Colson’s viewpoint of the community in 2001 is like how I would view New York today. I don’t put much focus on the buildings, stores, etc., and don’t value such things until it’s gone. Reading that article can help me not be completely selfish in certain things and cherish things until it changes or it’s gone.

1. Whitehead starts by talking about where he was born and how his surroundings or other people have changed over time and as many people have come and left. He discussed how people have their own opinions or build their own memories of New York when they first come to it or when they just get off the plane. He also talked about why people should never listen to what others tell them about the community, and how history books and public television documentaries always try to tell all sorts of facts about the community. He concluded by advising to be patient with those new to the community and not to be too quick to judge as they are also new here, once. 

Lewis began his talk by saying that his life here is over, but something has happened that makes him happy and hopeful because many people across the country and around the world are beginning to put aside race, class, age, language, and nationality and demand respect for human dignity. He spoke of his experience and feelings about life as fear has constrained him like an imaginary prison since the murder of a man he knew when he was 15 years old. Although he was surrounded by loving parents and many siblings and cousins, he knew that their love could not protect him from the unholy oppression that awaited him outside that family circle. He concluded by saying that in his life he had done everything he could to prove that the way of peace, the way of love, and non-violence was the more excellent way and that now it was the turn of a new generation to raise the voice of freedom. 

2. I think the theme that overlaps between these pieces is that they both discuss how the new generation can change the world, make it different, change what was unfair, and make the world better. I got from their message that I should not listen to what others think about the community. I should find out about it myself, and that it is time for us young people to make a difference and change all the injustices.

3. I found myself identifying more with what Lewis was talking about because as an Asian, I do have some sort of similar feelings and experiences with the fear and violence that Lewis was talking about, so when the world started to leave the race, language and class behind, it gave me a sense of hope and release.

It is is known that James Baldwin writes about Black and Brown and the educational system and how oppress we are in the educational system. As a child in the flawed educational system that is designed to keep our minds caged up I was taught that Christopher Columbus was this great explorer who took

all he glory for the Columbus Exchange.  The educational system has taught our children to tolerate oppression, and suppress us through education and the lies history tells us. For example, Baldwin states, “One of the paradoxes of education was that precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience, you must find yourself at war with your society. It is your responsibility to change society if you think of yourself as an educated person.” (Baldwin 1) To me the knowledge we obtain is powerful and speaks in volume. Yes, the teacher holds some responsibility on the information we retrieve as children. Being raised in. community with both my parents and educated in a Progressive educational system I was lucky to have teachers who cared enough to teach us the truth about racial inequality, and curriculums that taught us our rights.  To me the educational system teaches young teens false perception of what we believe is true and the educational policies that manage what we learn and what can be taught in schools. A perfect example, Florida Governor Desantis is refusing for Race Theory to be taught in Florida Schools. How can someone be so ignorant to deny that there is racial inequality across America. Many minorities in Florida graduate from High School and accept minimum wage jobs and do not further their education because they are not taught excel. We pledge to the flag of the United States of America yet, we our alienable rights not protected.  

Black and Brown Education in America is so poor that “any negro who is born in this country and undergoes the educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic” (Baldwin page 1) We are part of this country yet, we are taught that it is best accept that whites are better than us, and whites behave the way they do towards black and brown people  because they are taught that they are better than us.  The constitution that was designed to protect the rights of all Americans is faux. All our lives as black and brown children we had to accept that we were less than the dominant culture and we need to understand that the majority of teachers are given this curriculum to teach. Many are taught that Columbus, Slave owners were good men who fought battles and created the Constitution yet, they were slave owners. How inevitable it is for the educational system not to create a major mental health crisis among black and latinos.

Growing up in a diverse community I was taught that the area I lived in was considered “ghetto,” or as stated in the text where the authors explains how we are bred to believe as stated in the text, that “if he lives one of those housing projects of which everyone in New York is proud, he has at the front door, if not closer, the pimps, the whores, the junkies- in a word, the danger of life in the ghetto. And the child knows this, though he doesn’t know why.” (P.2).  Society has taught us or my black and brown brothers and sisters that we are “ghetto”, or low lives depending where you live, and the schools you attend. NYC school system that are among the worst segregated schools in America. As for me it is like the Allegory of a Cave; if you are caged up in a flawed educational system and not taught the truth about our reality then we will stay in that cave forever refusing to see that there is better for us and more to learn.

 

The quote indicates that in order for a student to be educated they must become the person they want to be not society’s version. It discusses the school’s contradictory intent for being built. Childhood is an important part of ensuring a healthy future. The teacher has a significant impact on the growth of a child. The present-day education system is failing. The broken education system is negatively affecting the outcomes of students in their future by enforcing their values. Students aren’t given the right tools to be properly educated and prepared for the real world. Creativity and out-of-the-box intelligence are not promoted and students are disciplined to follow society’s standards to live life. Schools teach students to obey authority. They hinder their maturity and send incompetent students to face the real world with enough knowledge to become the country’s labor force. Schools need to step up and try to change the education system to benefit the students even if society’s way of life is challenged.

Historically, black children were not given a proper education, which caused them to be confused. They were unable to properly investigate their identities due to societal norms and only believed what society imposed on them. Schools strip them of the knowledge of their ancestry to keep the populace manageable. Black people are constantly fighting stereotypes that are harshly imposed on them. The children don’t know who they are because society confuses them so they grow up to be uneducated individuals. Society treats them like they aren’t citizens and because of that, not many become successful. Regardless of race, everyone should be treated equally since we are all humans.

Through ethos, pathos, and logos, Baldwin employs a wide range of rhetorical situations. One example of pathos is on page 2 paragraph 4 “A black child, on the other hand, seeing the world around him and not knowing what to make of it, realizes that there is a reason why his mother works so hard and why his father is always on edge. He is conscious that whenever he sits in the front of the bus, his father or mother slaps him and drags him to the back of the bus for whatever reason. He is well aware that he is bearing a huge responsibility.” Another example is on page 1 paragraph 3 “On the one hand he is born in the shadow of the stars and stripes and he is assured it represents a nation which has never lost a war.”

I have always felt the school system was broken. Every teacher I had taught meaningless subjects that won’t be used in real life. In school, we waste so much time on useless subjects when we could learn useful skills that will benefit us in society. The school system needs to be fixed so that every child can find a path to success.

 

The quote states about the school’s contradictory purpose of why it is built. The school is meant to be established to help educate children as it can help them in their future but the school sets its grounds on what the status quo of the society is. Instead of educating children for their own sake, they were being taught and shaped to be of use in the society, for the children to achieve the standard of what it considered a citizen. What Baldwin meant is that children were supposed to identify themselves when they knew more about them and what they aspire for but because of what the norms are in the society, they may become doubtful of what they want and believe is right or not, or if it will be useful to society or not. They are uncertain if what they aspire for has a contribution, especially if it is not considered normal or does not achieve the standard. Children might be in conflict whether to achieve what they want or not, but an educated one will stay strong to his beliefs and will be dedicated to fight for what he wants and prove his/her point that the society thinks of him/her wrongly. It connects with my school as the professors believed that those who have high grades are the only ones who can have a bright future ahead, while those who didn’t will certainly fail. They also judge student’s activities just like how more students prefer to play more sports than being engaged with paper works or projects. They didn’t identify and reflect the student’s skills as each has their own intelligence in different situations, and they only rely on factual information which is the grades.

 James Baldwin concentrated on racial discrimination and injustices where Black Americans are void of human rights when it comes to education. Blacks used to not be given proper education which causes confusion for the children. Because of the society’s standards, they were not able to properly explore their identities and only believed what the society imposed on them. Some people questioned their identity and even accused it, but they just accepted it. Some were lost as they feel neglected, but this issue also served as a motivation for them to fight. Blacks started to oppose and protest for their rights, because no one should be inferior, and all must be fair regardless of what race, ethnicity, or nationality a person has. 

Baldwin’s use of ethos in the second paragraph shows how respectable he and of his audience, and that he will prove his point according to his assumptions, but will change if someone can prove him wrong. He also clearly stated that he is not a teacher himself but believed that parents have the responsibility and obligation to educate their children. He clearly stated his principles by saying “Since I am talking to schoolteachers and I am not a teacher myself, and in some ways am fairly easily intimidated, I beg you to let me leave that and go back to what I think to be the entire purpose of education in the first place. It would seem to me that when a child is born, if I’m the child’s parent, it is my obligation and my high duty to civilize that child. Man is a social animal. He cannot exist without a society.” 

 He also used pathos, an appeal to emotion, to state how African American are deprived of the same freedom as the whites. “Now, if what I have tried to sketch has any validity, it becomes thoroughly clear, at least to me, that any Negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic. On the one hand he is born in the shadow of the stars and stripes and he is assured it represents a nation which has never lost a war. He pledges allegiance to that flag which guarantees “liberty and justice for all.” He is part of a country in which anyone can become president, and so forth. But on the other hand he is also assured by his country and his countrymen that he has never contributed anything to civilization—that his past is nothing more than a record of humiliations gladly endured.” 

I have  both positive and negative impacts. Some of my teachers have a negative impact on me, as they solely used grades as a basis for a child’s future. Each child has their own talents and field of expertise, which can’t be seen in school activities. Student’s were being degraded and are being demotivated because of their teacher’s thinking of them. The teachers only adhere to the society’s norms and rules and only accept those who they see have the ability. Some students change their courses or drop out because they feel lost and unsuitable for their position. 

In order for this situation to not happen again, teachers must not judge a student based on their grades. They should analyze their student’s skills and talents in different fields and encourage them instead of demotivating. If they see a student that is having difficulties, they should help them to figure out what to do. They should be a mentor whom the student’s can confide in. That being said, I also had some supportive, caring teachers in my high school, who took an effort to understand and learn about each and every student. 

 

Baldwin explains what he means by being in a war with society when he says, ” What societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry which will simply obey the rules of society.” This is a paradox because although society educates you to have a conscience about right and wrong, they don’t want you to speak up against or for the right or wrong. Society prefers you to obey the rules they have set up; if you don’t obey you’ve entered a state of war. If you win, society can change, if you lose and give up, “society will perish.”

Many groups have been marginalized throughout history, and that has led to two things: the silent people who can only rage inside waiting to live, and the people that decide to enter the war with society and win. Both have their justified reasons, but unfortunately they did not choose to be put in such a situation. Why must the children of the children continue to live marginalized? Some groups of immigrants have had to flee their own countries only to survive, others were forcefully enslaved throughout history. Being given no opportunity to make a life for yourself should be considered enslavement, too. In page 3, Baldwin states, “What is upsetting the country is a sense of its own identity. If, for example, one managed to change the curriculum in all the schools so that Negroes learned more about themselves and their real contributions to this culture, you would be liberating not only Negroes, you’d be liberating white people who know nothing about their own history.” This use of pathos moves the reader to want change. James Baldwin refers to the world as a larger place in comparison to the short-sighted vision many people have about life. It is true that often children are not taught the vital lessons they will need in life, and then they realize as adults just how much of the world they don’t know, as they were never given a chance before to explore it. The world is large not only geographically, but in so many other aspects such as rich in culture, language, customs, food, occupations, etc. Baldwin would love children to be exposed to the large world, and not withheld in a building providing textbook information but no experience. Baldwin compares this phenomenon to American history: only a portion of history can be taught to someone in their life, and only a portion of it can be understood, never to its full extent. Likewise, the world will never be fully explored by one person in its many aspects, neither will a person comprehend all he needs to know about life. That is why it is important to teach people in their early years what they can learn about the world, they should not be restrained from that. Baldwin states that is a “necessity” to learn about this large world. How else will the children grow up and change the injustices in this world? Changes in teaching from the early beginnings can have an impact on the real world knowledge children can use once they grow up to face the “large world.” Baldwin uses ethos to reinforce this point in page 4, “There must have been a day in this country’s life when the bombing of the children in Sunday School would have created a public uproar and endangered the life of a Governor Wallace. It happened here and there was no public uproar.” A governor in danger, and the public did nothing, no one cared?! These are the rhetorical situations Baldwin used to persuade his reader to action.

The teachers that have had the most impact on me were my shop teachers in high school. They always had wise words and advice for us, they were down to earth, and treated us like their own children. They didn’t take irresponsibility from us, they prepared us for the real world. It’s quite funny to me, they were more professional than most situations I’ve had outside high school. They taught us, at a school where we were all minorities (where one of my shop teachers graduated from, too), in one of the worst neighborhoods, so that we could learn a skill and make a life for ourselves. They took it upon themselves to get to school before 7am, and we would practice our trade 1 hour before school even began. I am forever indebted to them.

I agree with the quote that Baldwin wrote in his article. When Baldwin wrote this quote i think he meant is that Education is important and it can help you in the future to help face the problems in our society. “One of the paradoxes of education was that precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience, you must find yourself at war with your society” When Baldwin wrote this he is trying to say that a perfect society is where everyone follows the rules and doesn’t fight back but once you start to think differently and speak up this is the moment where you’re at war with the society and that its our responsibility to change society as an educated person. Baldwin says we are at war against society because when we disagree with the society they don’t want to change and discriminate against them like Baldwin said. This connects/disconnects  with our own experiences in school because when i was in school i had good experiences with all my teachers except one she was an elderly substitute teacher and she had her own ideas that she wanted to be followed and once someone questions her she used to get angry with that student and calls upon the dean for no reason or threatens them. i feel that this is similar to what Baldwin is talking about my teacher represents the society and her ideal structure is when everyone obeys her but once someone has something to say about that they are at war with the society.

I think the experiences of other marginalized people or groups resonate with Baldwins sentiment because even they are also in a similar position. Being mistreated just because of their race or how they look. People are still being discriminated till this day and the discrimination for Asians increased exponentially starting 2020 because of the covid cases Many elderly asians teens and adults have been discriminated against or worse for example there have been many cases of violence against asians where they have been wounded one example is A case in 2020 where a group of high school students assaulted an elderly asian women as they left the bus the victim was hurt badly bleeding everywhere she was transported to the nearest hospital. The women received stitches for a cut on her head thankfully it wasn’t something critical the worst part about this incident was that the 4 people who attacked her was just 15 year old students in high school.

Baldwin uses many different rhetorical situations through ethos, pathos, and logos. One example of pathos is “A black child, on the other hand, seeing the world around him and not knowing what to make of it, realizes that there is a reason why his mother works so hard and why his father is always on edge. He is conscious that whenever he sits in the front of the bus, his father or mother slaps him and drags him to the back of the bus for whatever reason. He is well aware that he is bearing a huge responsibility”(page 2 paragraph 4). Another example is “To justify the treatment of men as if they were animals, the white republic had to brainwash itself into believing that they were, in fact, animals who deserved to be treated as such. As a result, it is nearly impossible for any Negro child to learn anything about his own history. (page 3 paragraph 8)

All my teachers in high school have helped me be a better version of myself. All my teachers from freshman year to senior year has helped me whenever i needed help and helped guide me through their class. My teachers have taught me valuable lessons to help me in the future and they always encouraged me to do my best no matter what the grade or the situation i was in.

Baldwin quote “One of the paradoxes of education was that precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience, you must find yourself at war with your society. It is your responsibility to change society if you think of yourself as an educated person.” (Baldwin 1) Baldwin meant that when you are being educated you realize things on your own and see things differently so when you look at society and its system you can go against things society practices or its ways. I think the last sentence of the quote was really significant because Baldwin is giving a message to the teachers saying it is the teacher’s responsibility to help change society. While I was reading this quote, in the back of my mind I was thinking how he had the tone of inspiring teachers and readers to make the change of our education system, to stop the false teaching to students. When he said, “It is your responsibility….” It is clear that he is talking to us to take action to re-evaluate what is the real purpose of education. This connects with my experience in school because I always questioned the education system and questioned the teachings. I thought that school’s purpose was to help us brighten our future with opportunities but according to Baldwin, the purpose of education is to find one true self and be able to make his/her own decisions without having others make our decision for us. Baldwin writes very specifically about the experience of Black Americans. I think the experience of other marginalized people or groups such as Asians, Hispanics, and others resonate with Baldwin’s sentiment is probably through the education system itself. For example, the achievement gap in education shows only how unfair the education system is towards the students of color by their test scores but doesn’t take the factors that led students into giving low test scores. Those factors could be less school funding, low income, lack of student motivation, and more.

Baldwin appeals to many different rhetorical situations through ethos, logos, and pathos. One example of pathos, “On the one hand he is born in the shadow of the stars and stripes and he is assured it represents a nation which has never lost a war.” (paragraph3, pg1 ) This quote uses pathos because in this sentence it draws out feelings of patriotism and giving false assurance of giving equality to the Black Americans even though they were born in America, the land of freedom and justice for all. The second example would be when Baldwin start’s off by saying, “Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time.”(paragraph, pg1) Immediately Baldwin is using ethos because he is saying “we” and that includes himself, he wants to trust him with a fact that probably many people would agree on and trust him with the information he will be telling his readers.

As Baldwin articulated, teachers can have an incredibly powerful impact on students, my algebra teacher in high school is very impactful to me because I was always bad at math and didn’t want to learn because It looked too hard. But her positive energy, patience, and how she taught us made me really motivated to learn algebra and I passed my exams with flying colors, I really enjoyed her algebra class. After I graduated, I stayed in contact with her because she was just an amazing teacher and a great person. I talked to her about my experience in college and when I am struggling with math in general or need advice she would take time out of her day to help me, I really appreciate that.

 

 

I agree with Baldwin in that when you begin forming opinions on what you believe is morally correct you begin to become aware of the injustices that are all around. In elementary school, attending private catholic school it was easy to see who the poorer children were but when going to public high school I became fully aware of how different other peoples living situations could be. This helped broaden my perspective on life. I believe that in order to understand the world better you must be aware of the world around you.

While Baldwin writes specifically about the experience of Black Americans I do not believe that the experiences of other marginalized groups are much different. Baldwin writes about how at a young age children of other marginalized groups notice that there is a difference in the way that they live. When the neighborhood that these children are from are impoverished they become exposed to more like prostitution or drug dealing. While they do not understand what is going on exactly and they aren’t sure why they are aware that something is occurring. Impoverished and marginalized groups live above the law but they also feel uncomfortable calling the police, even today for fear for their lives.

In the text there are many examples of Baldwin’s use of different rhetorical situations. The first example is when Baldwin uses Pathos, or an appeal to the emotions to express his rhetorical situation. He explains how well meaning individuals can actually come off as patronizing and lead to more silence on the part of all African Americans. They are not allowed to truly express who they are, for fear of not fitting into the  “It means that well-meaning white liberals place themselves in great danger when they try to deal with Negroes as though they were missionaries. It means, in brief, that a great price is demanded to liberate all those silent people so that they can breathe for the first time and tell you what they think of you. And a price is demanded to liberate all those white children – some of them near forty – who have never grown up, and who never will grow up, because they have no sense of their identity.”(Pg 4 Paragraph 1)
In the second example from “A Talk To Teachers”, Baldwin again uses pathos and logos to express how despite not knowing exactly why there is a weight on the people around the child’s shoulders. There is a different atmosphere at school, which makes it more obvious to the child who is struggling that others have a very different home life.  “But a black child, looking at the world around him, though he cannot know quite what to make of it, is aware that there is a reason why his mother works so hard, why his father is always on edge. He is aware that there is some reason why, if he sits down in the front of the bus, his father or mother slaps him and drags him to the back of the bus. He is aware that there is some terrible weight on his parents’ shoulders which menaces him. And it isn’t long – in fact it begins when he is in school – before he discovers the shape of his oppression.” (Page 2, Paragraph 1)

I agree with Baldwin that teachers have a powerful impact on their students. They have the ability to shape kinds into eager learners and inspire them to enjoy school. They also have the ability to leave a lasting negative impact on the children they teach. There have been many teachers in my schooling that have left a positive impact on me, they helped me want to learn and grow. I believe that it is incredibly important to have a positive impact on students as an educator.