Booker T. Washington
Page 665
I have to admit that I was surprised by this reading. I want to focus on the first half of this read, only because it opened my eyes to a way of feeling and life of the slaves during slavery and the Civil War. I thought I had a clear understanding about how they were treated. But, after reading this I understand that not all slaves were treated as bad as others. Also, a lot of the slaves respected and cared for their masters. But, on the other hand this was still heart breaking for me to read and hear about the atmosphere and surroundings he was raised in. That any children would have to be in the middle of this and experience the pain he had to.
Washington starts this story out by giving some back ground on him and his life. He tells us that he is not sure what day he was born to his mother. He picked his birthday once he was an adult.
Washington tells about his childhood and that it was miserable, desolate, and discouraging, although, his owners or master was not cruel to them compared to others that they knew of.
He makes a statement about how he felt he wasn’t a good slave because of his small size and “would have been a more useful man if I had had time for sports” (page 667).
Washington was intrigued with the schoolhouse since he had never had any schooling what so ever. “I had the feeling that to get into a schoolhouse and study in this way would be about the same as getting into PARDISE”. I have never heard anyone say this while I was growing up. It made me stop and think about how lucky I am and others in this day and age was that we are able to take advantage of learning.
The part of his childhood that really touched me and melted my heart was when he was talking about how many of the slaves truly loved and cared about their masters. Some of them even took care of their masters who were in need. Page 669 Washington states, “During the Civil War one of my young maters was killed, and two were severely wounded. I recall the feeling of sorrow which existed among the slaves when they heard of the death of ‘Mar’s Billy’. It was no sham sorrow, BUT REAL.” Another one on page 670 that really shocked me is when he’s talking about protecting the maters’ family. “In order to defend and protect the woman and children who were left on the plantations when the white males went to war, the slaves would have laid down their lives. The slave who was selected to sleep in the “big house” during the absence of the males was considered to have a place of honour. Any one attempting to harm “young mistress or “old mistress” during the night would have had to cross the dead body of the slave to do so.” I find this very interesting because all that I have ever been taught in school was that the slaves hated the white man for what they did to them and their race. This story tells me otherwise. I love the fact that Washington says more than once that the black man feels that his word means more to them than anything else. Most of them said that they would not imagine breaking their word. Even though they were not treated always as they would have wanted to be, they always had that moral of keeping their word!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
[He has filled graves with our bones] Charlot page 385
Charlots’ father had an agreement with the American government to allow the tribe to live on Bitterroot Valley, but the government did not keep the agreement and sent the tribe somewhere else. Charlot wouldn’t leave the land; he stayed without violence until the white man made him leave. This speech given by Charlot was about the white mans’ greed in wanting the Indians to pay him taxes. Charlot felt it was outrageous. I could hear and feel the pain and concern for the people in his tribe through his tone.
Charlot states that this land that they live on is given to them from their God and their forefathers, not by the white man. It was never his so why should they pay the white man for it? Charlot seems to be amazed that these men are not even shameful for demanding this of the Indians. The white men see nothing wrong in wanting, possibly even forcing the Indians to pay him.
Charlot, like Cochise, is questioning why the white man is doing this when they were always kind to him. “No; we did not refuse him in his weakness; in his poverty we fed, we cherished him- yes, befriended him, and showed [him] the fords and defiles of our lands.” (p.386) He goes on to say that the Indian people fed them their own cattle on their own land. The white men swore to God and to the president of the U.S. to give the Indians land that he has not given them and never intended on giving them.
Charlot compares the American government to an “unsatisfied beggar” (p.386). He is always needing and wanting more. “He is cold, and stealth and envy are with him” (p.387). Charlot tells his people, “We owe him nothing; he owes us more that he will pay, yet says there is a God” (p.387)
There are two stories in his speech that stand out in my mind. The first is an old Indian man who was refused shelter by four different white men. It was cold and they left the old man out there to meet his fate. The second story was an Indian man, wife, and their daughter who welcomed two white men into their lodge because they were out in the cold and pitiful. The wife and daughter gave them new shoes to keep them warm, soup to eat with deer and beaver meat. They had saved these men because they were kind people. They left the lodge, only to return that night and kill all three of them and take their beaver skins and horses. I was so disappointed when I read this. I had to tell myself, “This could not have really happened. Did it?” What was the point of this? Were power, control, money, and the growth in land honestly more important than friendship, integrity, loyalty, and trust? I had feelings of embarrassment for the white men, for the American people. I can see the view point of the Indians feeling that they did not owe the white men anything. They gave them all they could! They opened their house and land up to them for the soldiers to run them out and kill their tribes. He ends his speech by saying, “His laws never gave us a blade not a tree, nor a duck; nor a grouse, nor a trout” (p. 387). They had good reason for feeling the way they felt of being used and taken advantage of.
Charlot states that this land that they live on is given to them from their God and their forefathers, not by the white man. It was never his so why should they pay the white man for it? Charlot seems to be amazed that these men are not even shameful for demanding this of the Indians. The white men see nothing wrong in wanting, possibly even forcing the Indians to pay him.
Charlot, like Cochise, is questioning why the white man is doing this when they were always kind to him. “No; we did not refuse him in his weakness; in his poverty we fed, we cherished him- yes, befriended him, and showed [him] the fords and defiles of our lands.” (p.386) He goes on to say that the Indian people fed them their own cattle on their own land. The white men swore to God and to the president of the U.S. to give the Indians land that he has not given them and never intended on giving them.
Charlot compares the American government to an “unsatisfied beggar” (p.386). He is always needing and wanting more. “He is cold, and stealth and envy are with him” (p.387). Charlot tells his people, “We owe him nothing; he owes us more that he will pay, yet says there is a God” (p.387)
There are two stories in his speech that stand out in my mind. The first is an old Indian man who was refused shelter by four different white men. It was cold and they left the old man out there to meet his fate. The second story was an Indian man, wife, and their daughter who welcomed two white men into their lodge because they were out in the cold and pitiful. The wife and daughter gave them new shoes to keep them warm, soup to eat with deer and beaver meat. They had saved these men because they were kind people. They left the lodge, only to return that night and kill all three of them and take their beaver skins and horses. I was so disappointed when I read this. I had to tell myself, “This could not have really happened. Did it?” What was the point of this? Were power, control, money, and the growth in land honestly more important than friendship, integrity, loyalty, and trust? I had feelings of embarrassment for the white men, for the American people. I can see the view point of the Indians feeling that they did not owe the white men anything. They gave them all they could! They opened their house and land up to them for the soldiers to run them out and kill their tribes. He ends his speech by saying, “His laws never gave us a blade not a tree, nor a duck; nor a grouse, nor a trout” (p. 387). They had good reason for feeling the way they felt of being used and taken advantage of.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
FROM Letters From The Earth February 2, 2010
Mark Twain
By the time I finished this read I was asking myself a lot of questions. I enjoyed reading this because it makes me wonder why we do the things to get to Heaven. Twain makes many points about the way we, the human race, act and feel towards something that we are supposed to be working so hard to get to. It is intriguing to me that he is coming from the view points of the Archangels and Gods.
“The Law of Nature” I find to be very interesting that Satan asks God why the animals are not responsible for the ‘murders’ that they commit. God tells him that it doesn’t make sense for them to be responsible when that’s all these animals know. It’s their “Law of Nature” and they have to follow this. Then God states that EVERY man will have certain characteristics, and depending on how they react with these characteristics will determine if they are ‘good men’ or ‘bad men’. But, if we all carry these traits and it’s our “Law of Nature” or “Law of God” to follow it, how can we be accountable for our actions?
I had to laugh just a little bit when I was reading about people who go to church. I’m not judging but he makes a great point, in my opinion.
“To forty-nine men in fifty the Sabbath Day is a dreary, dreary bore.
Of all the men in church on a Sunday, two-thirds are tied when the service is over, and the rest before it is finished.
The gladdest moment for all of them is when the preacher uplifts his hands for the benediction “ (page 311, 3rd paragraph).
Another thing that sticks out in my mind is when Satan is talking about God being jealous.(page 316) I never thought of Him as being looked at in this light. Then Satan states that he is misrepresenting Him. He tells us that God only wants us to obey one of the commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” I thought to myself, on the other hand, another commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet...”. Covet is wanting what someone else has, so wouldn’t this include God?
The main question that is being asked in this read we should answer to ourselves if our belief is that there is a God, Heaven, and a Hell. If we aren’t willing to do these things here on earth now, what makes us think we will like heaven? Are we really human beings without a mind and can’t think for ourselves? This is what is being suggested to us.
Mark Twain
By the time I finished this read I was asking myself a lot of questions. I enjoyed reading this because it makes me wonder why we do the things to get to Heaven. Twain makes many points about the way we, the human race, act and feel towards something that we are supposed to be working so hard to get to. It is intriguing to me that he is coming from the view points of the Archangels and Gods.
“The Law of Nature” I find to be very interesting that Satan asks God why the animals are not responsible for the ‘murders’ that they commit. God tells him that it doesn’t make sense for them to be responsible when that’s all these animals know. It’s their “Law of Nature” and they have to follow this. Then God states that EVERY man will have certain characteristics, and depending on how they react with these characteristics will determine if they are ‘good men’ or ‘bad men’. But, if we all carry these traits and it’s our “Law of Nature” or “Law of God” to follow it, how can we be accountable for our actions?
I had to laugh just a little bit when I was reading about people who go to church. I’m not judging but he makes a great point, in my opinion.
“To forty-nine men in fifty the Sabbath Day is a dreary, dreary bore.
Of all the men in church on a Sunday, two-thirds are tied when the service is over, and the rest before it is finished.
The gladdest moment for all of them is when the preacher uplifts his hands for the benediction “ (page 311, 3rd paragraph).
Another thing that sticks out in my mind is when Satan is talking about God being jealous.(page 316) I never thought of Him as being looked at in this light. Then Satan states that he is misrepresenting Him. He tells us that God only wants us to obey one of the commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” I thought to myself, on the other hand, another commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet...”. Covet is wanting what someone else has, so wouldn’t this include God?
The main question that is being asked in this read we should answer to ourselves if our belief is that there is a God, Heaven, and a Hell. If we aren’t willing to do these things here on earth now, what makes us think we will like heaven? Are we really human beings without a mind and can’t think for ourselves? This is what is being suggested to us.
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