Poster Child: Chapter 8-14

Identify main characters.

• Kemba Smith
• Didn't believe Donte set him up
• Was oblivious to the fact that she was an accomplice in the murder of Khalif
• she didn't think she could get in trouble for what Khalif did
• She as apart of Khalif's mess
• Took messages from him
• she suffered a miscarriage 
• she was innocent for the most part
• loved Khalif
• Was controlled by Khalif
• Lied to her attorney
• Wasn't familiar with the legal process
• she had to snitch on her love in order for her to be free
• Enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University
• Was blinded by love
• grandmother died while on the run with Khalif
• Was on the run for 8 months
• was charged with 6 charges
• was scared to turn Khalif in
• Turned Khalif in after he died
• Her parents loved her and wanted the best for her they mortgagee their house in order to get a good attorney
• Incoruged her to turn her self in
• Donte
• Set Khalif up
• Was Khalif's friend
• Was killed by Khalif and Katiya
• Khalif
• He almost got caught in Virginia
• Killed Donte
• got locked up 
• was on the run
• Wanted Kemba to clear her name
• Convinced Kenmba of doing so much
• Was cheating with Katiya
• was on the run
• very manipulative
• Was mugged
• Was 31 on the most wanted list
• Khalif died was murdered
• Katiya
• Helped kill Donte
• was a snake
• Lived with Khalif in ATL
• was preganant with Khalif's baby
• Turned on kemba and Khalif
• She was arrested
• Her attorney (richard)
• prominent and very arriogant black man
• talked to Kemba as if she was a child
• was very aggressive in questioning her'
• didn't do his best
• Was really no help
• didn't keep his word
• was unfamiliar with her type of case
• told her that she should plead guilty

Identify symbols or traditions--rituals.

• the contract with america
• more prisons being built in 1993
• drug trafficking
• justice

Identify words or phrases that have a special meaning.

• federal government
• guilt by association
• plead guilty

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• Kemba's main flaw was letting love get the best of her. She knew at times what she was doing was wrong but she continued to do things that she shouldn't of been doing. 

Identify the setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period.

• 1993-1994+, New York, Seattle, Atlanta, Virginia, Houston

Bring a question.

• Why wasn't she freed when Khalif Died? If the psychologist said she had a problem why wasn't she freed or given help? How can you love someone and be afraid of them at the same time?

In this novel Kemba Smith talks about the misrepresentation that Blacks seem to face in the court system. Although she is freed, she talks about the struggle of living and prison. Not only that but kemba talks about how domestic violence is hard to get out of she brings up love and being afraid. In this novel Kemba is treated unfairly and just thinking that you can be in jail for a very long time for something that you aren't even apart of is scary. This just shows that society doesn't care no matter what someone has to pay. 

Poster Child: Chapter 1-7

Identify main characters.

• Kemba Smith
• went from student to inmate #26370-083
• Was the only child
• Narrator
• first-time, non-violent drug offender serving 24 and 1/2 years
• Became 'poster child' for harsh mandatory minimum sentencing
• boyfriend sold drugs
• she got caught up
• President Clinton freed her
• had  minor roles in a crack conspiracy
• got out of prison at 29
• graduate from Virginia University with honors
• had her baby while incarcerated
• had first child at age 23 locked up
• she pleaded guilty
• Blanche , her nurse was so nice
• Naturally petite
• youthful face
• Turned herself on September 1, 1994
• Darnell her boyfriend before Khalif
• Started to turn against her parents because of Khalif
• Katiya, Kemba's friend who had sex with her boyfriend
• she understood the drug dealer lifestyle
• she dated hustlers
• she loved him
• Khalif
• drug dealer
• Kemba's boyfriend
• cheated on her with her bestfriend
• abused Kemba
• a fugitive
• wanted for a lot of crimes
• Spoiled Kemba
• "I didn't want to hurt you. I just had teach you a lesson"(Smith)
• Born in Jamaica
• Controlling, has rules for Kemba Smith
• Someone broke into his home
• Shayne Khalif's brother
• Her mom and dad (Mr and Mrs. Smith)
• her mom was grateful to be able to see her deliver
• her dad's name is Gus wants the best for her
• always provided the best for Kemba
• Lieutenant Lewis
• Tall
• Brown-skinned man
• Early Forties
• He was humorous
• nice to Kemba
• He cared about her safety and what she wanted and needed
• Kemda's first lawyer
• Didn't know what he was doing
• let her down
• he told her to pleaded guilty
• made her so many false promises

Identify symbols or traditions--rituals.

• "war on drugs"
• Poster child
• mandatory minimum sentencing
• Crack
• shackles
• prisons

Identify words or phrases that have a special meaning.

• poster child
• "girlfriend cases"
• Freedom

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• Kemba smith responded to her community, in  a way that got her into trouble. Her flaw was falling in love with  a man that was no good for her, he beat her and abused her. Her flaw was not using her brain as well as not understanding that you are a criminal through association. 

Identify the setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period.

• Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk, Virginia 
• Richmond, Virginia
• 1993-1994+

Bring a question.

• Why did Kemba Smith get in trouble for not really doing anything? Is the system set up to let Blacks fail?

My notes: In chapters 1-7, Kemba was drawn into the wrong crowd. Her lawyer didn't really help her in fact he may have hurt her. I read this for my paper although, I didn't use it though but I learned more about mandatory minimum sentencing and the power that a man can have over you if you give it to them.

A Lesson Before Dying: Chapters 22-32

In the last few parts of A Lesson Before Dying, Grant got into a fight with a white man over Jefferson. Not only that but Grant was able to get through to Jefferson, he was able to get him to interact more. Jefferson in his last days wrote things in his notebook that Grant gave to him. In Jeffersons last few days he was becoming a hero, something that Grant explained to him, something that Grant wanted to be, but felt as though he was just a teacher. In his last days Jefferson realized he was a man.  Jefferson died a brave man and Grant realized why he stayed at the plantation, not only did those people that lived there needed him but he needed them as well.

What makes someone a man? Are you born a "man" or do you have to grow into a man?

A Lesson Before Dying: Chapters 11-21

Identify main characters.

• Jefferson
• Sees himself as a hog
• has no hope for the future
• Doesn't take care or himself
• He's ready to die
• Out of a bag like a hog
• has a dead face expression
• Cynical grin
• Was baptized at 11 or 12
• Didn't keep his faith
• has a  nonchalant attitude
• Shows a hate for the reverend 
• doesn't show any feelings
• keeps saying he didn't ask to be born
• Is really hurt, but doesn't express it very well
• He is losing weight
• is set to die the second Friday after easter, April eighth
• Grant
• Trying to convince Jefferson he's a human
• Wants to get away but doesn't want to get away
• Loves Vivian 
• Is conflicted with the love he has for his people and the hate he has for the place he lives
• Stopped going to church, and "stopped" believing
• Short tempered at times
• but cannot stay angry long
• cannot believe in anything 
• Vivian
• Loves Grant but loves her children more
• Taught 6th nd 7th graders
• had beautiful and even teeth
• Catholic
• Married a dark skin boy while attending Xavier University in New Orleans
• From Free LaCove, a place that doesn't really care for people of color
• Her family had nothing to do with her children or her husband
• Has good manners
• Seen as a lady of quality
• Miss Emma
• Sick
• Really wants Jefferson to know he is a man
• Is very hurt for Jefferson's situation
• Whats him to change before she dies
• Grant's aunt (Tante Lou)
• Doesn't look at him anymore on Sundays
• strong wheeled
• doesn't want Grant to leave
• Knew how to get under your skin
• Reverend Ambrose
• short and very dark
• was not educated 
• was the plantation pastor
• had a bald head, a shiny bald head

Identify symbols or traditions--rituals.

• Prisoners
• The sycamore tree
• Pale-blue sky
• Corn
• Christmas Plays
• Jackie Robison
• Cold, depressed cell uptown
• Determination sunday, the third sunday of each month
• Darkness
• Chains
• Easter
• Execution/death

Identify words or phrases that have a special meaning.

• Youmans-humans
• 'termination song'

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• How grant responds to his environment is he hates it but he continues to stay, he knows that there is more to be done to his home and he just cannot leave no matter how much he talks about it he always comes back. Grants biggest flaw is not making the best out of his situation, he's always complaining. 
• How Jefferson responds to his environment is he doesn't he is very nonchalant and withdrawn from his setting. His biggest flaw is not knowing that he is a man and no matter what he will always be a man

Identify the setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period.

• The setting is still the same Louisiana

Bring a question.

• Why doesn't Grant leave?

Lucy Delaney From the Darkness Cometh the Light: Chapter 4-7

Main characters:

• Lucy
• Stayed in jail for 17 months
• she won her freedom
• became an expert seamstress
• 1845 married Fredrick Turner, but he died in an explosion
• 4 years later married Zachariah Delaney
• They had for child all who died
• her two girls died while they were still young
• her daughter died when she was 22
• and her son died when he was 24
• all died free though...
• she became the president of the first colored society "Female Union"
• Polly (Lucy's Mother)
• Sued Mr. D.D. Mitchell for Lucy in 1842 September 8th
• she fought for her child
• became the first-class laundress
• her mother died, but was able to see her race made free
• Nancy
• had a nice home
• married a prosperous farmer who owned the farm they lived on and some property in the city
• Mr. Mitchell
• Didn't believe in slavery but didn't want to see Lucy free
• Mr. Murdock
• Lucy's Lawyer
• Judge Bate
• Named Edward bates born September 1793
• ran with Abraham lincoln but dropped out
• his mother was his influence
• emigrated to Missouri in1841
• was quaker decent
• became an anti-slavery mans

Symbols or traditions--rituals:

• Freedom=Birthright
• Suing for freedom- we still do that today
• being born free if the mother is free... children follows the condition of the mother
• Lucy's Mother

Words or phrases that have a special meaning:

• "...old people are like old tree, uproot them, and transplant to other scenes, they droop and die, no matter how bright the sunshine, or how balmy the breezes"

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• The characters responded to their environment pretty well, I guess the biggest flaw that Lucy had towards the beginning was having little to no faith in her situation, but how could you blame her she was still a child at mind and didn't understand or know what was going on. 

Setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period:

• St. Louis 1840-18--

Bring a question.
Will African Americans ever truly be free? Are we free know or is it just an illusion? 

Lucy Delaney's From the Darkness Cometh the Light: Chapters 1-3

Main characters:

• Lucy
• a slave
• the narrator
• determined not to be sold and whipped
• treated unfairly because mother isn't a slave
• didn't understand slavery at a young age
• wanted to escape with sister
• was a child
• was never taught to be a slave
• referred to herself as ignorant
• viewed herself as hopeless and ignorant 
• Polly Crocket
• Lucy's mom
• kidnapped
• sent to the state of St.Louis
• Married Apollo
• mother of Nancy
• didn't want her children to continue in slavery encouraged daughter Nancy to run away, and she did very successfully
• sued for her freedom and won, was able to prove she was kidnapped
• Mr.Mitchell
• superintendent of Indian affairs
• doesn't really care for slavery
• Mrs. Mitchell
• Major Taylor Berry
• A wealthy man
• married to Mrs. Franny Berry
• she remarried, then died
• died in a fight
• in is will set all his slaves free
• Mary
• Major Berry's daughter
• Married H.S.Cox
• Took Nancy with them on their honeymoon, there she escaped
• Mrs. Cox commenced house keep
• she entertained lavishly
• Turned on polly

Symbols or traditions--rituals:

• Darkness
• Slavery
• Freedom
• Whipping
• Nigger hunters
• Bloodhounds

Words or phrases that have a special meaning:

• Freedom
• Slavery!

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• Lucy's flaw is that she is a slave, and doesn't really know what to do or how to do the work that they ask. Also talking down on herself calling herself ignorant

Setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period:

• 18-- State of Illinois

Bring a question.

• If the rule is that whatever your mother is born, then you are then why is Lucy still a slave although her mother is free?

Passing: Part 3- Finale

Identify main characters.

• Irene
• didn't feel in the christmas spirit
• very weary and depressed
• was beggining to get jelouse of clare
• didn't want her family broken up
• conflicted in telling Jack about her
• wished she wasn't born a negro
• unable to hurt her race by telling on Clare
• Pushed Clare out the window
• Clare
• her mental and physcial languor receded
• seen as an obsticle in Irene's eyes
• wanted to abandon the life she made for herself
• wanted to move to harlem
• Died by getting pushed out the window
• Brian
• Unhappy
• Restless
• Withdrawn
• he had violent outburst
• wanted to be somewhere else

Identify symbols or traditions--rituals.

• Lynching people of color
• the glass that irene broke

Identify words or phrases that have a special meaning.

• nigger

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• Clare wanted her cake and wanted to eat it too, she got pushed out the window, being very self centered and not caring about her daughter. 
• Irene, cared so much for her race that she let her self down, and did what ever she had do to keep her family together, she pushed Clare out the window. 

Identify the setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period.

• New York, Harlem 1920's around Christmas(December)

Bring a question.

• Why did Irene allow Clare to get so close to her husband?

Passing: Part 2- Re-encounter

Identify main characters.

• Irene
• Feels humalited by Clare
• Felt as if she couldn't betray Clare
• Felt for the race, her race
• Has warm olive skin
• Quick to anger
• not one to cry
• Clare
• Annoying
• Bitter
• Doesn't care for other's suffering
• wanted her cake and wanted to eat it as well, but also wanted to eat other peoples cake as well
• Clare didn't care for the race just herself
• Margery, Clare's daughter only child
• went to school  in switzerland
• wanted to be on the black side agian
• Discovered that some colored men where supieor to white men
• Got along well with Ted and Junior
• Had a thing for Brian
• Do anything to get what she want's doesn't care
• Brian
• Still had the power to disconcert Irene after years together
• Was of a darker complexion 
• Has an amusing smile, faintest bit supercilious
• Extremely good looking
• Deep Cooper colored skin 
• Wanted to go to Brazil
• Hates sick people, but is a Doctor
• Have had affairs in the past
• Had a thing for Clare
• Ted
• Deceptively gracious
• speculative and withdrawn
• was more like his father
• Junior
• Going to fast in school for Irene
• Not eleven yet
• Junior seems like Brian's favorite
• Serious
• Positive
• Tall for his age
• like is father in features and color
• had a temper like Irene
• Hugh Wentworth
• a white man that went to a black dance
• an author
• married to Bianca

Identify symbols or traditions--rituals.

• Race
• Skin
• N.W.L. Dance (negro welfare league)
• White people coming to black affairs

Identify words or phrases that have a special meaning.

• Sheba

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• Clare, not being content with the life that she ideally choose for herself. 
• Irene be conflicted with passing.not standing up to Brian when she feels there is a problem, putting up with Brian's cheating.

Identify the setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period.

• New York, Harlem 1920's

Bring a question.

• Why does Clare want so bad to be with Negros if she has a "good life" passing, if passing is something that she wanted to do?

Passing: Part 1- Encounter

Identify main characters

• Irene Redfield's
• A year or more older than Clare
• "Rene"
• Junior Irene's Son
• Wanted mechanical airplane
• Ted Irene's Son
• Wanted drawing book
• Married to Brian
• Passes only sometimes
• Has a thing for Clare????
• Clare Kendry
• Daughter of Bob Kendry, the Janitor 
• Bob Kendry killed in a saloon fight
• 15 when father died
• Self
• Cold
• Harsh
• Catlike
• beautiful 
• has dark almost black eyes
• wide mouth like a scarlet flower
• ivory skin
• A year or more younger than Irene
• married to a white man who doesn't know she's black
• Married to John bellow
• John bellow
• racist white man
• calls Clare nig
• doesn't know she's black
• has a daughter with her
• Gertrude
• married to Fred
• Married to a white man, who knows shes black
• has twins

Identify symbols or traditions--rituals.

• Letter From Clare
• Passing

Identify words or phrases that have a special meaning.

• Negro
• Passing
• Nig.

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• Clare and Irene respond to their environment differently but similarly. They both pass but Clare more than ever.  Clare's biggest flaw is being selfish and determined to get what she wants no matter what. Irene's flaw would be not speaking out on how she really feels. 

Identify the setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period.

• New York 1920's

Bring a question.

• Are Clare and Irene secret lovers? 

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845): Chapters 1, 2, 6, 10

Main characters:

Fredrick Douglas

• Doesn't know his age
• Doesn't know his birthday
• Knows his mother
• Harriet Bailey daughter of Isaac and Betsey Bailey
• Father was a white man
• Master may have been his father
• Was separated from his mother as an infant
• witnessed his aunt be beaten (aunt Hester)
• Slaveholder desired her presence
• woman of noble form
• graceful proportions
• January 1, 1833, first time being in the fields
• Douglas wrote him and a few others to freedom

New Mistress

• At first saved from slavery meaning she wasn't tainted
• women of the kindest heart
• never had slaves under her control
• Douglas's mistress
• weaver by trade
• she turned after owning slaves

Mr. Thomas Hamilton

• owned two slaves (Henrietta and mary)

Anthony 

• Captian Anthony 1st master
• owned 2-3 farms
• owned about 30 slaves
• overseer (Plummer)
• Cruel man hardened by slaveholding

Colone Lloyd's

• clerk and superintendent
• one of Fredrick's masters
• had two sons and one daughter
• the overseer of the overseers
• Douglas spent two years of his childhood with him
• Kept 3-400 slaves 

Mr. and Mrs. Auld

• Mrs. auld taught him his ABC's
• husband told her it was unlawful and unsafe to do so

Mr. covey

• was mean
• lived with covey for a year
• got into an altercation with Douglas
• Worked with hands
• called the snake
• he was a poor man
• He breeded slaves
• succeeded in breaking slaves

Symbols or traditions--rituals:

• Age
• The plantation
• Getting separated from parents
• Reading & writing
• Whipping
• monthly allowance of food
• yearly clothing
• Singing-represents sorrow of his heart
• common custom for children to be taken away from biological parents as an infant

Words or phrases that have a special meaning:

• Nigger
• Freedom

Discuss how the characters respond to their communities and/or change in their environment. What is the main character's flaw?

• The characters responded to their communities and/or change in their environment the best way they knew how. For example, Douglas did what it is he had to do in order to survive he wanted a better life for himself and he got that. The main characters flaw would probably be not knowing his age or when he was born also not truly knowing how to read and write or being taught like kids are taught today, not really being able to have a childhood.

Setting - country, tribe, city, state, time period:
Tuckahoe, twelve miles from Easton. Talbot county, Maryland

Bring a question.
Why is it important for someone to know their age? How did the slaveholders use this knowledge to keep a handle on the slaves?