Passing Brownies

The last part of Passing could be expected I guess. I felt that something might happen to Clare the entire book to cover the element of irony. The author did a good job in many senses by leaving much for the reader to mull over. I was left wondering a few different things, I myself dont like to assume things, I kind of let the mystery just stay the way it is in my head. I wonder if the author even knows exactly what they are trying to hide. Do you think that when an author leaves things up for the reader to decide... does this author have a clear of idea of what they had happend in their head? I mean does the author of Passing wantt us to believe that Clare and Irenes husband Brian had an affair? Does she want us to think that the Irene killed Clare? I dont know about this. I am wondering about Clare and Brian more than I do about if Irene killed Clare. I find it interesting that Brian didnt care much for Clare at first... didnt even want her to go the Ball and than was suddenly having dinner with her alone. This bothered me a bit. If it bothered Irene about Clare than she should have cut it off, told her husband to stay away from her. Period. Its hard to understand Clare and Irene's relationship... the big question we debated in class over. Irene obviously cannot stick up for herself. Clare obviously cant shake her devilish side. In the end if i were to make an honest guess i would have to blame the husband who called her "Nig" for Clares death. I think he simply startled her and she fell, Irene was a putting a protective hand on her, and accidentally gave her a push when she was startled and off balance. And i think that Clares husband knew about her having black in her, he just never had it admitted to him and thats why he messed with it. Im sticking with that despite his alleged surprise of finding out. He maybe wa smore surprised that he actually did find out for sure, froma firends mouth than not knowing at all.

In the Brownies Readings I find it good that there was a childrens publication for African Americans. TOo bad this publication was only for african americans. I understand that the black youth needed someting positive to look at, but why not give something that blacks and whites could relate to. I know that is too good to be true for the time period, i guess i would just have to live than to understand how things were different. I have trouble sometimes believing that absolutely no one would give africans americans a chance back than. I mean their had to be somebody that thought about this before the harlem renassiance? Maybe not and i am not thinking realistically for the time period. I just get a bit carried away. Its the same way i Fell about BET tv and black history month. Do white people have a white history month or a White entertainment channel? No they dont, but some would argue that is because every other month and channel are for whites. WHen i look at it that way i understand, i just think that BET should have some white people too, intergration. Is there an all black college down south? Grambling? Brown? I dont know if white people can go here, but from my point of view there should be integration on these fronts as well. Getting back to the Brownies Magazine... I liked ost of the material although some of the stuff was hard to grasp. I guess they were promoting the uplift of blacks, and starting at the bottom with the children was the best way to instill the proper values and implants of positive esteem. My favorite story out of all of the poems and stories was the one with Dolly. I think this story can be read by anybody of any color and teach a good moral lesson. It teaches children to proud of what they are and to be careful what they wish for... A real life example of Dolly is Michael Jackson... except he wasnt dreaming!

pASSING (FIRST READING)

It took me a minute here to figure out exactly what was going on this book; I didnt take the title into much consideration, I thought "passing" would mean someone passing away. I found out in the fist few chapters that i was wrong, and "passin"g meant passing as a white person even tho there is black blood involved. This book relates back to James Weldon Johnsons autobio in that the main character is light skinned and percieved by many to be white but acutally somewhat black. I ama bit confused as to how this girl is tricking her racist husband into believing this story. Maybe as a I read on it will explain this sitution better but i dont understand how the husband would marry this girl without ever meeting someone in her family! Either that or this guy knows and is just picking on his wife by calling her "nig". I think that is weird if he doesnt have any idea that she is black at all. Does this classify this girl as a gold digger? She apparently is looking for white gold...what comes along with being white? I guess she wants to be part of a more civilized and exclusive crowd? it must be some kind of thrill, but i would be pissed if someone i married lied to me about there heritage... if i loved them i loved them but come on dont lie about something as serious as this. I wonder how she became involved with such a racist guy too. i have another question.. are her friends white or black or are they just "passing? as well?
Anyway the reading has engaged me somewhat and the conversation and vocabulary have been great-- the story so far on par and refreshing compared to the poetry weve been reading..but im waiting for this sotry to develop into something with action and not just racist remarks. Clare dissapeared, but she gonna be around and be found out by everyone who thought she was gone? Her parents etc...? I wonder how the husband is going to respond if he finds out his wife is black.. > im hoping this makes him more accepting...but he might want to kill her!
I think that this girl Clare and whoever else make a joke out of their heritage, culture and people all together by hiding behind their appearance. I think people should be proud... if she want s to act or be a certain way than so be it.. just dont lie about where u came from that is disheartening

The gift of laughter ((POsT 6)

Jessie Fauset gives a strong opinion in "The Gift of Laughter". The reading gives me an impression that Fauset, like most of the other african american authors of the time believed that whites hindered blacks abilities and talents. The minstrel shows that were still going on in the early years of fauset's life really bothered her. She didnt like how blacks had to do what whites wanted, be mocked or mock themselves in order to make whites laugh. She spoke of comedy and the pain behind the smiles by Bert Williams; who learned and practiced minstrel art, but unseemingly was still "the saddest man" WC fields ever knew. In this reading I had to think about how Dave Chapelle has made me and so many others laugh so hard. Dave has a gift, but unfourtanetly his gift came at the expense of making fun of his own people. To me he was a modern day minstrel show, not to discredit the fact that he did much more than that and took much of his comedy in a more respectable direction. The Chappelle show often took cracks at african americans and potrayed some of the stereotypes that have taken so long to settle below the sediment. I can remember that as Dave was doing his show he recieved alot of blacklash from people of his own race. I dont remember anybody relating his show to a minstrel show, but i can picture something being said as i read fauset's writing. I bet Jessie would turn in her grave if someone would play the Chappelle show close enough to her tombstone.

Fauset did show that she had great hope and beliefs for the african american people as the Harlem Renassanice took foothold. She desribed comedy and other theatrical displays such as Dramas that gave african americans a more respectable and sincere look. As blacks achieved more prominent roles and got more credit, as whites began to look at african americans in a different light, I hope fauset got to see this. Sometimes its hard for the eyes to adjust when the sun has been down for so long.

4th [POST] Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is written in an interesting way. I feel the writing helps give me a better feel for the time period as slavery was coming to an end. Shockingly we have reading that doesnt necessairly deal with race relations between blacks and whites as much. I think this is good so we can really focus in on what the blacks were doing amongst themselves in this time period. The read was pretty hard to understand at first but after learning the style and to quickly take the words such as "en i ses to him" and translate to and i said to him.. or "i aint sez nothing ontel" and translate to i hadnt said anything until... or "jes" to just... i realized it wasnt that hard and i enjoyed getting a better grasp of these ebonix or whatever this form of slang is called.
The story was a bit strange but ended well. A story within a story is a nice way to show how change can come. The way that Roger and the author healed their relationship because of Mary Elizabeth's story was nice. It is hard to believe that people would get taken away and remarry so many times. You would think once they made a commititment that thye would stick with it even if unable to be by that person. I guess over time that they had physical and mental needs to fullfill and thought they would never see their spouses again? I dont know but i dont like it and glad i dont have to deal with it. i feel bad for the blacks who had to go through this. And i dont know if i should feel good or bad when in Mary Elizabeths story her biologiacal parents meet up... its good for her I guess... and for her parents? waht about their current spouses? what kind of pain are they gonna feel if they are left because a past love comes back into the picture? this bothers me a bit maybe i should be more optimistic though.