Frederick Douglass DB Ch 1:

1) First off, Douglass reveals the fact that he doesn't clearly know his birthdate, and was left
uninformed to remain ignorant, uneducated, and separated from the rest of society. Douglass was
lucky enough to at least know the interval in which he was born after overhearing his master state
his age while he was cursing at him in clear frustration. Most other slaves weren't as fortunate as
Douglass; he further reveals that most slaves are never told their birthdate or age or shown any
official documents of their birth and I wouldn't be surprised had Douglass written that most slaveowners kept the exact year from their slaves. This is clearly a lifestyle that slave-owners put their
slaves through, a constant hardship that could disrupt any person's conscious...Douglass states
how unhappy he was as a child, knowing that white children knew their birthdates and black
children weren't given that privilege.

Not only were these children left from the freedom of knowing their birthdate, but many were
relentlessly ripped away from their mothers and families at an extremely young age. Douglass
states that this was a practice to eliminate the mutual feeling of affection between a mother and
her son. As I'd assume this case with most slave children, Douglass never knew Harriet Bailey as
his mother. Only seeing Harriet a handful of times for short instances and never having met or
hearing information about his biological father, Douglass lacked an affectionate relationship.

Douglass also dives into the topic of having to watch his Aunt Hester, also a slave, be brutally
beaten by Captain Anthony, their master. Douglass informs the reader that she had gone out at
night to be Lloyds Ned, another slave of Captain Anthony, after being ordered to not leave at
night. Douglass remembers this moment as a clearly defining moment of his childhood, clearly
defining the lifestyle and struggles in the hell of slavery.
2) Resistance to slavery is covered in the first chapter with the following examples:

Assumedly, almost all slaves werent permitted to leave their quarters in the night-time. Douglass
mentions resistance against this idea in two situations: first, he explains that his mother left her
plantation, twelve miles away, every time at night (the few times Douglass saw his mother).
Second, he tells the story of his Aunt Hester and Lloyds Ned, two other slaves owned by Captain
Lloyd. Aunt Hester was instructed not to depart in the evening. Having shared some sort of an
intimate relationship with Lloyds Ned, Hester snuck out late, and was quickly noticed and beaten
by the Captain. Douglass quickly shares his feelings about seeing her beating, and is obviously
one of the clearest memories of his extremely unfortunate childhood.

Douglass explains why the mixed-race slaves, having being fathered by the slave-master and
mothered by any one of his slaves, contradicts arguments justifying slavery. Eventually, the laws
of population would put African-Americans into the superior of their society, assuming that slavemasters would continue to conceive mixed-race children.

Mike Rongo

Frederick Douglass DB Ch 27:

Finally understanding the evils of slavery, Douglass analyzes the environment around him on the "Great
House Farm." He sees what other slaves are responsible for and feels underprivileged when he sees
slaves who are responsible to work on a boat.
Douglass goes into detail about the regular privileges that are scheduled at the Great House Farm....From
the monthly rations of pork/chicken and corn meal, to the single set of linen clothes that are only replaced
yearly, and the one blanket, the slaves under control of Colonel Lloyd and his overseers are not treated
fairly, obviously. This sparks many problems with slaves who don't wish to be under control of Colonel
Lloyd. Those who wish differently, do wish to be honest when describing their experience. However, this
isn't a customer satisfaction survey, this is real life for these slaves. Douglass further tells a story of one of
Lloyd's slave who was entrapped into telling the truth of his treatment under control of Colonel Lloyd, and
was sold off thereof. This is what Douglass describes as the "penalty of telling the truth", a further
punishment, apart from the whip. Slaves are forced to lie, explaining positive relationships and
experiences while under control of their owners. However, they're forced to live with this fact, being forced
to lie to not only to those superior, but to themselves. Douglass goes on to detail the prejudices that form
between slaves, as well as between slave owners.
The slaves on the Great House Farm endure changes in head-overseer quite often. Now, a Mr. Austin
Gore runs the joint, and is quite cruel and less sincere than the previous overseer. Relentless as the
overseer is forced to be, Mr. Gore shows no consideration in a certain instance where he shoots a slave
named Demby for being "unmanageable", and displaying a "dangerous example" to the other slaves, who
observed the entire ordeal in "a thrill of horror." Douglass explains the uncensorship that the judicial
system shows toward the angry face of slavery, turning their cheeks to any "justifiable" crime that involves
the owner/overseer's treatment of slaves. He gives three more examples of slave killings near the end,
three of horrible and unjust punishment, thus causing slaves to live in fear...fear that their life will come to
an end at the hand of a murder that will never stem enough "sensation" in the community to bring
to proper justice.
Douglass dives into his experience on the Great House Farm as a child, explaining his usual tasks of
driving up the cows, keeping birds and chickens from the garden, and cleaning the yard. Being a child, he
was left from working on the field due to his lack of strength. Douglass' free time was spent assisting
Master Daniel Lloyd catch his birds that he had shot out of the sky. He explains their relationship as
"attached"; Daniel grew to protect Douglass, often yelling at the older boys and preventing them from
imposing on the young Douglass. Even though this relationship is not only frowned upon, but usually
acted upon with consequences. This is a relationship that Douglass is grateful for, as he suffered very
little whipping, and only explained his hardships as a child as suffering from the hunger and cold. This
shows how much crueler consequences other children had to endure, as well as the older adults. He
explains how cold his skin would become, having nothing but a long, coarse linen short ranging down to
his knees. This left him very cold at night, with little material to use as a blanket. He disrespects these
rules by using a bag he stole nightly as a blanket.

Douglass moves on from this point of his life, and recollects feeling "joyed" to have been relinquished
from working on the Lloyd's farm, and therefore transferred to work for Captain Lloyd's son-in-law brother,
Mr. Hugh Auld, in Baltimore. Douglass was blessed to have been properly cleaned and clothed, and
eliminated of all the dead skin on his feet and knees, before being sent to work in the classier city of
Baltimore. It is at this point, that Douglass, who beforehand had been exposed to so much punishment
and resistance of slavery, starts to feel that his work is proving him worthy of a reward. Douglass takes a
positive perspective on this opportunity, thinking to himself that "nothing can be worse than the
plantation."
This chapter ends in Douglass' travels to Baltimore, through Annapolis. He recalls how impressed he was
to have seen this city of larger magnitude than the where the plantation is located. Douglass is politely
greeted by the Auld family. Douglass believes, had it not been for his transfer to Baltimore, that he would
remain a slave until "today." Douglass recalls sensing that he would not forever be a slave, and this sense
provides Douglass hope in hard times and considers it "a gift from God."
In Chapter 6, Douglass is enlightened with the most useful bit of information that the reader has pulled
from the autobiography, at this point. Sophia Auld, or Mrs. Auld, Hugh's wife, teaches him the alphabet
and small words, and is quickly corrected by Hugh Auld. Hugh tells Sophia that education "ruins" slaves,
thus making them unmanageable and unhappy. Douglass overhears this conversation and experiences
an epiphany or revelation of the institution of slavery imposed on all black men and women. Douglass
figures out what he has to do to become a free man, and beat the odds and is thankful for Hugh Auld's
indirect enlightenment.
Douglass resists what is imposed on him, the cruelty, the beatings, that fact that his owners, who were
once friendly and welcoming, have become hardened and inconsiderate, thus destroying their inherent
qualities of sympathy for anyone (even those who are white, upper-class folk). He further learns the
alphabet and how to read from poor city boys in exchange for food. These boys welcome him and show
sympathy for slaves, justifying their freedoms by saying Douglass deserved no more to be a slave as they
did.
During a period of realization, Douglass encounters a book called The Columbian Orator, teaching him
the arguments against slavery, thus generating even more hate towards anyone he may refer to as
superior. Upon helping two Irish sailors, they tell him to escape to the North...something that Douglass
thinks of as a trick. However, the idea of escaping is sponged into his head.
At this point, Douglass understands the cruelty and evils of slavery, is transferred to a new master and a
new way of life, resists against the rules of enslavement by learning to read and write, and is now
contemplating suicide, as well as escaping.

Harlem Renaissance DB:

What I pulled away from Locke's piece was that he is actively trying to mitigate "The Old Negro" in pursuit
of discovering "The New Negro." He notes on page 963 of this excerpt provided for us, that moving from
the South to cities of the North is a chance for for "economic and social" freedoms, not matter how risky
this chance may be. He notes that it is in this Northern cities where there is more of a "democratic chance
- in the Negro's case a deliberate flight not only fro countryside to city, but from medieval America to
modern." I think this goes along with Du Bois' discussion in a sense that all this is happening, especially in
cities like Harlem, yet Du Bois is still concerned that people will still be analyzing this art, this propaganda
(the art is essentially and deliberately sending off ideas to those viewing it), whether it's "good or bad for a
black" rather than the art just being praised or judged without consideration of who composed it. It is in

places like Harlem where different types of people, holding different types of education, jobs, social
structure, unite together as one, a melting pot of Black Society. This leads to the individualism as I
mentioned before. Blacks are given freedom, and a chance to finally make a name for themselves in
places like Harlem...but, unfortunately, are subject to the same sort of hatred they experienced long
before the Harlem Renaissance. It is during this time that Du Bois tries to pinpoint who should declare
and assess beauty, stating that blacks are in a good standing to assess this beauty, having never seen
such beauty before.

New Negro Poetry Discussion:

1. As stated in question two's answer, "Yet Do I Marvel" focuses on racial identity, especially the last few
lines. Cullen is starting to realize that his talents should be classified in the same category as those of
white folks. He criticizes God's cruelty towards not only blacks, specifically, but as well as all people who
"mirror Him."
In "If We Must Die", McKay dives into the fate of black people after they pass on in lines seven and eight,
in which he prays that his people pass with dignity and pride....I assume he is referring to all black people
when he says "we." Therefore, to pass on with dignity and pride, one needs to establish a sense of
identity that can be established through art. McKay says "then even the monsters we defy shall be
constrained to honor us though dead!"
In "America", also by McKay, he discusses the hate the America displays towards the presence of his
people. Yet, he still shows affection for America. This hate gives McKay to be strong...The poem proves
that as long as people are hating blacks in America, it's the utmost waste of time, while there are a large
number of black people in society who can do great things and change America for the better, such as the
scultping, thinking, and drawing of great "art", not "black art" or "white art."
2. Cullen spends the first thirteen lines analyzing God Himself. He knows that God is good, but questions
why he is so cruel...cruel to those who are black, by making them poets. At the time this poem was
written, it was an era for blacks to search for a fixed identity. I think that Cullen's writing contradicts
Hughes' assertion about his identity. Cullen makes it apparent to Hughes, at the beginning of "The Negro
Artist and the Racial Mountain" that he wants to be white, do "white" things, and do something as a white
person would. Through the questioning of God and the cruel things that he puts his people through,
Cullen is including himself in this talk of race...finally associating himself with an African-American identity.
The second to last line, saying "yet do I marvel at this curious thing" screams racial identity, coinciding
with Cullen's critique against God that essentially is going for "Why us?"
Mike Rongo

Karengas & Neals Black Art

Essays:
Karenga:

As defined by Ron Karenga, art is three things:

1. Functional
2. Collective
3. Committing
But Karenga says that Black art specifically "must expose the enemy, praise the people. and support the
revolution (pg. 33-34). The Harlem Renaissance called for change in politics, thus exposing the enemy...it
also called for black society to be creative in their art, leading to a better self image (praising the people). I
believe that Karenga wants his people's art to be motivating, inspiring to look for something different, a
change in the world for the better. Karenga says that art must "commit us"(pg. 37) to yesterday, today
and tomorrow, truly inspiring us for change.

Neal:
Larry Neal focuses on the "aspirations of Black America" (pg. 272), and how Black people must "define
the world in their own terms" (pg. 272). When I read this first page, it made me think of the "black art" vs.
"white art" discussion, and the inspiring words of Langston Hughes as he tries to persuade black readers
there is not such a thing as "black art" but rather categorizing the art made by black people and the art
made by white people together as simply "art." Neal would look at this perspective as a "white idea" or a
"white way of looking at the world" (pg 274), and motivate those reading McKay's excerpt to take their
own view of things (whether the reader is black or white or culturally different).

Neal also touches on the topic of emasculating the father in the household. Before the Black Arts
Movement, women were allowed to have jobs while at the same time social and economic order was
"limiting the economic mobility of the Black man" (pg. 288). The Black Arts Movement emasculated these
fathers to revolt and spark change much like Hughes does, as does Karenga.
Mike Rongo

Revolutionary Poetry
Discussion:
"Black Art" by Amiri Baraka:

a)

How is this poem propaganda for the Revolution?

This poem is written in almost one stanza, until the last six lines, where Baraka clearly differentiates a
"Black World" vs. a "White World." Within those lines, Baraka motivates Black people to live in their own
world, via the power of Black Art. The entire poem, and especially the last six lines, is aimed at
empowering and uniting Black society to revolt against the "White World", as well as the "White" ways of
doing things....exactly what Hughes is aiming at in his essay, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain."
This is evident throughout Baraka's wording, and punctuation; he does not capitalize "I" and refrains from
using periods at times, thus defying against the "White" way of constructing poetry.
But ultimately, what this revolution was fighting for, was the efforts toward building a Black nation in
America, in contrast to the Harlem Renaissance's efforts of establishing racial equality through art.
b)

How does this poem fit into Neal's and/or Karenga's definition of Black art?

Revisiting Neal's definition of Black Art, he describes it as art that serves the needs and objectives of
"Black America", proposing "separate symbolism, mythology, critique, and iconology" (Neal, 272).
This poem genuinely fits the definition that Neal issues in his essay, "The Black Arts Movement." Baraka
uses the last six lines to speak about a Black World, supported by Black Power which is achieved through
the Black Art, such as Baraka's poem we are analyzing in this discussion.

"Summer Words of a Sistuh Addict" by Sonia Sanchez:

a)

How is this poem propaganda for the Revolution?

The poem, focusing on a girl (hence the term "Sistuh Addict") who uses drugs to cope with her mother
and the anger she has against her, authenticates that culture of urban neighborhoods, a culture that is
destructive to Black society. Her drug use liberates her from the oppression of living in a Black urban
society, thus identifying to the reader that this truly is representative of what it is like to live in a society as
such.
b)

How does this poem fit into Neal's and/or Karenga's definition of Black art?

"Black art, like everything else in the Black community, must respond positively to the reality of revolution"
as said by Karenga (32). Sanchez fits this description because she is accurately depicting the life of a
Black girl who is living in oppression to whites.

Finally, what examples of functional art can you identify in today's society?
I know an individual who makes furniture (wall fixtures, shelves, etc.) out of cardboard because you can
bend it easily and it's extremely light-weight. It is functional as it is "useful" as Karenga describes on page
33. Nonfunctional arts is defined as art that is made to study and observe.
Mike Rongo

BAM Lit Discussion:

1. What differences do you observe in Angelou's "Still I Rise" from the poetry of Scott-Heron,
Sanchez, and/or Baraka? Note: go beyond just the meaning. Look at the aesthetics--what these
poems look like on the page for help in answering this.
Between Sanchez, Baraka and Scott-Heron, the three poets express the Black Aesthetic by resenenting
against the White way of writing their literature ("The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", ""Black Art",
"Summer Words...", "blues", "to all sisters"). They show this resentment and the support of their own ways
of doing things by indenting their poetry at certain points, as well as avoiding capitalization at times (the
poem named "blues" instead of "Blues", as well as Sanchez not capitalizing "I" in her poetry) as well as
using onomatopeoiea to express anger rather than noises of an airplane (Baraka in "Black Art"). They use
free verse rather than using any rythmic pattern in these poems.
2. How does "Everyday Use" both support and contradict the tenets of the BAM?
Dee (Wangero) is very motivated to be more than what her family has historically been since slavery was
banned after the Civil War (when her mother refers to when she came home repeating the knowledge she
learned in school...Walker, 26) . She supports the Movement and is proud of who she is becoming
because she is empowering herself with knowledge while away at college. However, I believe the
disrespect that Dee shows her family and who they are is what contradicts the Black Arts Movement. Dee
is proud that she's motivated to become more, but yet she is still ashamed of who she once as and who
her sister and mother still are (pages 26, 27 when referring to Dee wanting to burn the house down)(page
29 when referring to her name change). The Black Arts Movement called for Black Pride in a Black
Society, together, revolting against the White Society. But the only people that Dee revolts against are her
own blood, in shame.
Also, Dee (Wangero) refers to her former name representing the people by which she had been
oppressed, but Dee could not be anymore wrong. The Black pride that was necessary for the Black Arts
Movement suppressed the shame of African-American oppression...yet, Dee is still holding onto that
shame. This deep shame that she holds for her family makes them betray her at a time when unity among
all Black people was necessary for the Black Arts Movement to occur.
Mike Rongo

Hero pp. 9-73

1. Compare Nigeria Greene's teaching style, character, and personality with Bernard Cohen's.
Who is the more effective educator, and why?
It's important to note that Nigeria Greene is a natural extrovert. He loves being around people and people
love to be around him.

But in contrast, Bernard Cohen is much more reserved, yet still not passive-aggressive to a point where
he ignores Greene's behavior in the classroom. Cohen tries to correct Greene's classroom behavior but
he is set in his ways, and is motivated to empower young black children with knowledge even though it
may go against what Cohen is teaching the other half of the day.
As to who is the more effective educator, I'd feel obligated to say Greene holds that title. It's evident he is
the preferred teacher over the course of the day. Considering Greene is a black man, and is most likely
looked up to as a father-figure by his students, it's natural for them to connect with Greene. It's this natural
instinct that we associate ourselves with social groups that are perceived to be similar to us.
It's important to realize that because of this social identity theory that humans instinctively possess,
Greene could be preaching about anything and his students would still find it more pleasing than anything
that Cohen lectured about during his half of class.
2. What themes are emerging in this novel? Give 2-3 specific quotes to support your claim.
An re-occuring theme in A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich is the constant "finger-pointing" by Benjie
Johnson. It's frusturating to read that throughout the first half of the book, he doesn't realize that he's
forming this problems in his life by himself, not his family, peers, or teachers. I guess that's just the naive
teenager that most of us once was at one point in our lives.
Specifically, on page 11, Benjie is complaining about Jimmy-Lee who confronted him about his drug
problem. Benjie looks beyond the fact that his friend cares for him and is looking out for his best interests
and refers to the confrontation as "jive-ass heart-to-heart raps." Later on page 11, Benjie refers to JimmyLee as a sort of social worker and says that because they're friends, that they're automatically equal.
Flip to page 12, Sweets is suspicious of Benjie and his slouchy pace when he wakes up in the morning,
and proceeds to say "I hope you no takin somethin you should not have." Benjie, not to my surprise even
though the story is only three pages in at this point, says that the confrontation and his family's nervous
behavior (he refers to this as "that kinda action") is bad for his nerves.