Joe Louis and Jack Johnson--film connection and context

The historical significance of these two men is important to our discussion topic, mainly Staples' question referring to Malcolm X's use of the term "Uncle Tom":
1. Jack Johnson was the first African-American heavyweight champion
2. He was very unpopular with white America because of his outlandish, rule-breaking behavior, and over-the-top persona and was non-apologetic about it
3. He dated white women and was eventually run out of the country
4. So, when Joe Louis became champion in order to alleviate the fears of having "another Jack Johnson," his promoters created an image that was the absolute opposite of Johnson.

"Black Men and Public Space"--Brent Staples

Complete the analysis
of "Black Men and Public Space" by Brent Staples (story link is available to the left). This analysis was composed by Staples himself. Work hard to write COMPLETE ANSWERS, USING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR POSITION. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE OTHERWISE.

You may need to refer to the following link: TeachingAmericanHistory.org--- an interview with Malcolm X in which he describes the term "Uncle Tom" (a question in the analysis).

City Voices City Visions

Here is a link to some videos from Buffalo students to give you an idea about what is expected: videos
Please remember to bring in a signed permission slip(both sides)ASAP.

Poetry Assignment (for One-shot video)

1. Go to the Google main page and do a search for "African American poetry"
2. Look around a bit and try out different links and reads some poems by different authors
3. Choose 1 or 2 that you like that you think you could make a creative/dramatic interpretation of (2 to be safe) and print it/them out
4. Here is the page we looked at today ("Incident" under Countee Cullen)

Discussion Questions: "My Dungeon Shook"/ "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"

1.According to Baldwin, why was his father defeated in life?
2.What does Baldwin tell his nephew to trust?
3.In Baldwin's view, what is the danger most white Americans experience?
4.Why do you think the author refers to his nephew's father and grandfather?
5.How does he emphasize the importance of love in surviving bad conditions?
6.What does he see as the problem with words such as "acceptance"?
7.What is the central theme or the advice of the piece in your eyes?
8. Who are the "innocents" Baldwin refers to?
9. What kind of imprisonment is he referring to when he speaks of a dungeon and chains?
10. What does he mean when he says, "We cannot be free until they are free"?
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Use specific examples from the text to back up your answers
1. What does Malcolm X mean when he says he wasn't even "functional" in English?
2. Describe his system of "homemade education."
3. What changes did he notice in himself when the world of books opened to him?
4. After he learned to read, Malcolm X says he felt more truly free than he had ever been in his life. Explain what he means.
5. Why is the title "Saved" appropriate for this chapter?
(answers may be hand-written or done in Word, but I prefer them to be sent via GoogleDocs)

Letter Assignment (Baldwin: "My Dungeon Shook")

I would like you to draft a letter, a real letter, with an envelope, heading, closing, etc. in part, because it seems to be a lost art form. This letter should be written to a young child (family member or child whom you care about, or a future child you will have), telling him or her about:
1. The world as it is in your eyes today. This could include world/current events, condition of your immediate world, your thoughts/feelings etc.
2. Your hopes for the future, for him/her and yourself, and any advice you would like to give to help him/her (what you have learned about the world and life so far).

Make it serious.

African-American Literature Unit

For the next month (Feb.) we will be doing a small unit on African-American Literature that will include various writings including: plays, poems, short stories, and nonfiction pieces. It will be YOUR responsiblity to keep an ongoing dual-entry journal for quotes to use for the concluding essay. It would be best organized if you separated in somehow to keep track of different titles, authors, genres, etc.