It's amazing how far we've come from lynching black people for racist reasons, to electing them as Presidents of America, showing our 360 on how we view race. Just like voting, race comes first and gender comes second, so I guess we can plan to see a female in office not too far from the present. Nonetheless, Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry is a good children's fictional work that depicts the elements of racism in the 1930's so well. A Child's imagination can not possibly imagine humans torturing other humans, whether it is burning them alive, the way they speak and act towards them or how they could frame each other, children aren't really exposed to that sort of thing, and are in fact more innocent. I believe this book would hit the strongest notes with teenagers ages thirteen to fifteen, because they can connect the dots and realize why people act the way they do, while shaping their views going into adulthood. They can connect with Stacey whether it be the fact that he is facing a life dilemma of growing up or staying a kid, or the fact that T.J is a trouble making "friend". We all have had our share of "friends" who we may no longer talk to for one reason or another, and that's one aspect that is not given enough light to children, I believe. But that was not the purpose of the book, and instead it choose to tackle racism and the overcoming of that trench of darkness.
In McDowell's analysis of the child agency in the novel, she speaks about how the oppressive standard of living strengthens the characters. An interesting point she makes is how the oral tradition of history is more beneficial than the learned book tradition of common day students in that it is a "lived" history and students/family members are able to memorize dates and connect with the events because it is real, alive and special to them. I think it is important to note how she examines the "infantizing" of African Americans. I never gave it too much thought before but that is a good connection, and a fine way to explain how whites have treated blacks, for lack of a better word, in the last century. Everything they do is aimed to "inferiorize" (my word, add it to Websters) the blacks as much as possible. White supremacy was very much a real attitude and still is in certain parts of the world. It's been a long way coming, and we still have a long way to go, but this novel is a good starting point for children looking to gain a sense of the past, while trying to shape their outlooks for the future.
I really appreciate your analysis of this week's selections. The supplimental material makes solid connections to our present day understanding. Many people recognize the value of learning one's own history orally. I learned that way from those in my life who understood what was beneficial knowledge. These lessons for me are the ones that cement the information I have gained in the classroom. I am able to have incite as a result, and the learning at that point becomes knowledge. The novel, like you said, "is a good starting point for children" as well as their parents to discuss past events and their relevance on their lives today.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post I connected the dots between the novel and McDowell's analysis. Mama was orally teaching the student in the school and the administration had a problem with it because it taught the students more than what they wanted them to know. Your blog post was helpful in making that connection.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, and they wanted to exact revenge!
DeleteI also appreciated McDowell's attention to the oral history in "Rolling Thunder." By discussing history together, with different voices, including the children, contributing to the conversation, history becomes active and participatory, with the participants becoming part of the story. The history not taught in the textbooks survives this way - the history that Mary Logan gets fired for teaching. Throughout the novel the interest the Logan children have in this history is obvious, and they usually contribute to the telling.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with McDowell's view on the effectiveness of the oral tradition of history, over the textbook tradition. Through oral tradition I feel that the listener, especially a young listener, is able to connect more with the history and understand it better. Reading a history textbook can be very difficult, sometimes the dates and titles are overwhelming. In a way the oral tradition simplifies complex historical issues without taking away from their complexity, rather it makes understanding it much more easier, and the repetitiveness of the oral presentation of history allows for easy memorization of that history.
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