The Ethics of Living Jim Crow

"The Ethics of Living Jim Crow" was written by Richard Wright and spoke of the lessons that most African Americans learned while growing up in times of oppression.  Not only was essay surprisingly interesting, I felt that it described what life was like for African Americans so very truthfully.  Wright didn't seem to have a problem talking about how certain situations in his life played out.  Not only was he extremely detailed, his words were very powerful.  Some of the most powerful parts of the essay were when he would say, "My Jim Crow education continued," "I was learning fast, but not quite fast enough," or "My Jim Crow education broadened and deepened."  If everyone, white or black, were living by certain ethics or morals, then there shouldn't have been any reason for African Americans to have to learn how to treat white people.

The idea of ethics came up so many times during this essay that I was able to understand that the ethics wright was discussing were nothing like the ethics society should live by today.  The essay was set up in a way that demonstrated different ways that Wright learned about how to act around white people by the many different jobs he had.  One situation Wright spoke about was when he was working in a clothing store and was polishing brass out front.  He watched his boss and his boss's son drag a woman into the store and saw that a police officer was watching the entire scene as well.  When the woman came out, she was bleeding and crying and the officer stopped her, not to ask if she was okay, but to accuse her of being drunk, when, in reality, he knew exactly what has just occurred behind closed doors.  What the police was doing was very unethical; yet, Wright couldn't say anything because he would be out of his place.  This was one of the tougher "lessons" he had to learn, but that doesn't mean that it should be considered the most unethical.

Every memory that Wright chose to write about spoke so powerfully that any reader would be astounded.  The amount of things that a white person could get away with was unbelievable.  People would twist a situation or story around in order to get an African American in trouble.  Others knew what that person was doing, but no one stopped them.  That is considered unethical in itself.  I knew African Americans were treated badly during the Jim Crow period, but I had no idea that they felt responsible for learning how to act.  They took it upon themselves to be the best they could be in the white man's eye; yet, they still couldn't get it right.  Wright was able to open my eyes to what life was actually like and he made me realize that their lives' back then were a lot more complicated than they were made out to be.

Talk of the Town

On September 11th, 2001, I was a mere 5 years old and knew nothing about what the world entails.  I can say that I was and still am tucked away into my own little world, away from a lot of the world's heartbreak. Looking back on that horrific day, I only know of what people tell me simply because of the safe life I have been so blessed to live.  Not everyone can say that though.  "Talk of the Town" is and essay written by two authors, John Updike and Susan Sontag.  Both speak of their experience with 9/11 and both have expressed their very different opinions, but who is to say which one is right or not?

The first part of the essay was written by John Updike and he spoke about the actual occurrence and what it was like to be a bystander during the entire attack.  What were people thinking when they witnessed this attack?  He stated, "It seemed, at the first glance, more curious than horrendous," then later wrote, "We knew we had just witnessed thousands of deaths; we clung to each other as if we ourselves were falling."  Although the attack couldn't have taken that long, Updike wrote with such a passion that included impeccable descriptions that allowed the reader to feel as if the attack was going on forever.

The attack may not have lasted long, but the aftermath would last forever.  Updike touched base on the aftermath of what the attacks did to the United States by saying that all Americans would mourn this tragic event, but that they shouldn't let that stop them from maintaining their freedom.  He stated that the survivors had to "pick up the pieces, bury the dead, take more precautions, and go on living."  He then ended the essay by saying that New York was still glorious the day after the attacks.  After the initial shock of the attack, Updike then appeared to be more positive about what it did America as a whole, unlike Susan Sontag, who wrote about 9/11 in the second part of the essay.

Compared to the first part of the essay, Susan Sontag appeared to take a more opinionated route about 9/11 and questioned whether or not America should be O.K. with what actually happened.  Within the second paragraph, she stated, "Our leaders are bent on convincing us that everything is O.K... But everything is not O.K.  And this is not Pearl Harbor."  She believes that Americans are not facing the reality due to the burden that comes along with it.  Although she believes our country to be strong, she also thinks that America has to be more than just that.  But what would that be exactly?  What does the public need to do in order to keep from doing something that could be considered idiotic or stupid?  Sontag, I believe, leaves the reader questioning how America should continue on as a country, while Updike states that everything will eventually fall into place.

The Life of Lydia Howery

Welcome everyone! How fun blogging is going to be! I would like to start off by welcoming anyone and everyone to my blog, "Blogging for AP Composition-- How fun!!" I hope everyone has a great experience with their owns blogs as well as with reading and commenting on mine as well.

My name is Lydia Howery and I will be a senior for the 2014-2015 school year.  High school has really flown by hasn't it?  So far, I have enjoyed my high school experience, both academically and socially.  Academic wise, I have learned many things that I will carry on with me through college and my later careers.  I am a very dedicated, hard-working person when it comes to my schoolwork; yet, I still like to have fun.  I have made so many new friends the past three years and I hope to make more this coming school year.  I feel that I can manage my time very wisely, which, in my opinion, has made me so successful in my high school career.  As for college, I hope to stay close to home.  My ideal college would be Edgewood, but if that doesn't work out Whitewater, Parkside, and Winona have also caught my attention.  As of right now, I plan on going into business or accounting, but that could change very easily/  Now that you have learned what I would like to do with my future, how about some some fun, simple facts to know what I am all about?!

1.  I come from a family of six.  My twin sister Chloe and myself are the oldest, Seth, my brother, will be a sophomore this upcoming school year, and my littlest brother Eli will be turning four in October.  My family gets along extremely well, which I am very grateful for.

2. I am a very active person, and wish to stay active throughout my life.  I play softball in the spring and summer as well as go to Anytime Fitness many days out the week for the entire year.  I have played volleyball and basketball in high school as well, but no longer play competitively.  

3.  I love reality T.V..  The Real Housewives of _______ (fill in the blank, every "city" is good) and Keeping up with the Kardashians is the way to go.  Nothing can beat laying down after a long day and turning on the T.V. and watching some DVR episodes of the Kardashians.

4.  My family has a cabin located about twenty minutes outside of Richland Center.  It is about a mile up hill and sits on about 120 acres of land, so I enjoy going up there with my family and friends to relax, hike, and four-wheel.  Even though I like spending time there, I am not a very outdoorsy person and do not like get dirty.  The bugs are not my favorite either.

5.  Shopping is probably one of my favorite things to do.  I would not consider myself a shopaholic, but I have no problem with shopping for a couple hours and buying a few new clothes.  I think I got this trait from my mom because she shops more than I do.

6.  Reading is also something I enjoy doing in my downtime.  If I find a good book, I can usually finish it in four days, no matter the length.  I like a lot of different genres and if I find a good author, I will stick with them and read a number of their books until I find another series worth reading.  One year for Christmas I received a series called "Vampire Academy" and I was not to thrilled because it just wasn't my style, but I read the first one anyways and loved it.  There are seven total in the series and they are hands down my favorite books.

Now that you know a little about me, I am excited to read what my fellow bloggers are all about.  I believe this is going to be a great experience for all of us and I am anxious to continue on with my next blogs.  Thank you for reading my first-ever blog and please, stay tuned because there is more to come.   :)