Summer Assignment Follow Up
You read a biography and wrote journal entries about your person. Tonight you will take a step further and analyze how your American fits with the idea of justice and of being a hero.
Read Frank Rich’s article, “Angels in America,” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/opinion/15rich.html?ref=frankrichin which he quotes Tony Kushner’s epic drama “Angels in America”: “The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word ‘free’ to a note so high nobody can reach it. But sometimes we do hit that note, however tentatively.” In his article, Rich shows how Judith Dunnington Peabody was an “Angel in America.”
Question 1. In what way did your person “hit the note” of freedom? Please answer in one paragraph (max 100 words) using the RACE format.
Write a paragraph in the following format:
Restate the question
Answer the question
Cite the evidence
Explain how the evidence relates to the question
Sample for Question 1:
In Freedom’s Teacher, the Life of Septima Clark, Clark (1898-1987) “hits the high note of freedom” by her support of equality through education. Clark, who lived in South Carolina, pushed for African American equal rights by supporting teachers and adult education for citizenship through the Citizenship Education Program. Though Clark did not have a following like Martin Luther King, her efforts training teachers who taught adults about citizenship had a deep impact on the structure of democracy in many southern towns. Though she suffered financially standing up for equality, she continued to devote her life to freedom. (95 words)
Then read “The Folk Hero Playbook,” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/weekinreview/15carey.html?scp=1&sq=August%2014%20heroes&st=cse. In this article, Benedict Carey argues that there are three types of folk heroes.
Question 2. What type of folk hero was your person, as analyzed in your biography, one who showed spectacular courage and skill; a political hero, or a daring but flawed solo actor? Please answer in one paragraph (max 100 words) using the RACE format.
Septima Clark fits best as a political hero. She was committed to equal rights through education. She might be considered a rogue because she broke the segregation laws and tried to show the injustice of “the man,” but in fact, she stood for equality and freedom, which in the 1950s and 1960s were beyond the law for African Americans. She had to fight the black middle class who were not willing to risk their societal position for equality. She was a political hero because she never stopped fighting and resisting the powerful people and laws who kept those rights from African Americans. (98 words)
