James Baldwin was active as a writer, speaker, and ally of the Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. Baldwin’s writing “Talk to Teachers” is very powerful and defiant. He speaks passionately from his heart, he uses repetition to emphasize important ideas, and he doesn't sugarcoat the truth. He makes many incredible points in his writing. Personally, I feel that in today’s education system, there are many aspects that need to be re-evaluated. As a student in high school, it has become increasingly obvious that there is a significant gap in what we are taught in school and what we truly need to succeed in life. While teachers dedicate themselves to teaching knowledge in various subjects, …show more content…
These skills are the building blocks of a successful and fulfilling life, yet our education system fails to prioritize them. Additionally, the significance of standardized testing (e.g. keystones) seems disconnected from the real-world challenges we will eventually face. These tests prioritize memorization and test-taking strategies over practical knowledge and critical thinking. As students, we often find ourselves cramming information to pass these tests, only to realize that the skills we develop in this process will rarely apply in the real world. It is time for a shift in our educational priorities. Teachers should be empowered to incorporate life skills into their lessons, providing students with the tools they need to succeed in all aspects of their lives. As the head of the school, I urge you to consider the importance of teaching life skills in school and reevaluate the relevance of keystones in our educational system. Our future success depends on our ability to navigate the complexities of the world beyond the classroom, and it is essential that our education system reflects this
Toni Cade Bambara’s ‘The Lesson’ starts with the Sylvia’s description about one African-American’s appearance, who is called Miss Moore. The story is focused on the the event of field trip that Miss Moore conducted for her students one day. She takes her students to pricy toy store which is called F.A.O. Schwartz, to let them see the reality of gap between poor and rich. The story took place in 1970s which was during the movements for civil and social rights, equality and justice swept the United States. According to university of California, during this time, the opportunity to African American was really limited in a lot of aspects, including the education. People often tend to interpret the most important main point of this
Through the article, "How the School Shortchange Boys," by Gerry Garibaldi implies that the school setting has experienced a transformation towards feminization. In the past, the child faced numerous conditions that vindicated her trouble in a male dominated society. However, after the deceitful discharge processes, the woman was finally free and all institutions welcomed her input seeking to create a fair society. According to Garibaldi (2006), the modern school setting deprives the boy child freedom to interact and relate in a natural environment (Garibaldi 54). Girls are kind, complacent, understanding and conform to salient regulations without emphasis. With these elements, girls comply with school regulations delivering assignments on time. The boy child is inquisitive, rational and desires logical explanations explaining the reason behind every instruction. The modern school setting does shortchange boys as it creates an unequal platform where teachers favor girls and victimize boys because of their inherent traits.
“I never found myself needing that piece of paper,” is a remark actor Johnny Depp made back in 2010 about his relationship with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis. Depp and Paradis have been in a relationship since 1998 and have two children together, Lily Rose and Jack. Another member of Hollywood’s elite, Latin singer Shakira, shares a similar view saying that marriage is like a contract, and that is unromantic. However, celebrities living like Shakira and Depp are also committing fornication and already view themselves as being married; the marriage is just not official. This draws comparisons to Ernest Gaines’ novel 'A Lesson Before Dying'. Two of the novel’s main characters, Grant and Vivian, have sex outside of marriage because they cannot be married since Vivian is still legally married to another man (Gaines 29). Even though of Vivian’s situation differs slightly from that of Depp’s, the act is still the same. These adults are conducting the act of sex outside of marriage; they are either ignoring what their religion teaches on the subject or do not care what religion has to say.
It is not persuasive, since he did not prove it. He states that America’s economic progress can assist to black lives and civil right. Specifically, the wealthy black people should have to pay to the poor black people. He states that there is minority progress in America, such as black Jewish, black people and others. In contrary, from Baldwin’s opinion he states that black people has economical problem, but they have basic civil rights. In addition, he states about freedom example, he said all societies are free to live and free to do anything. He said it is not white people’s purpose to condemn black people, generally his idea was not persuasive, he believes white culture is civilized and superior. I believe Baldwin is expert persuader in logical argument, he states all the inequality between whites and black in America. He gave examples what happened to black people, and he proofed it. As he states concluding, Diversity of people live in America, so they need happiness, equality and liberty. Therefore, in the past 50 years in America a great change has been occurred, in equality of citizens, specifically black and white people, minority, and immigrant. Therefore, American dream at the expense of Negros has achieved because of the hero black people. America is a land of opportunity for people from all
James Baldwin?s change from hatred to love was an idea few could consciously grasp in effort to remove ?the problem of the color line? (103). Baldwin believed that love was the answer and religion did not help to make a difference. Christianity taught love, but not the love that was needed to destroy the race barrier; it taught a racist love. Baldwin?s complex views can be summed up rather simply in a quote from the text. ?I love a few people and they love me and some of them are white, and isn?t love more important than color?? (71).
Baldwin makes people see the flaws in our society by comparing it to Europe. Whether we decide to take it as an example to change to, or follow our American mindset and take this as the biased piece that it is and still claim that we are the best country in the world, disregard his words and continue with our strive for
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper lee in 1960. The novel tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, and Tom Robinson, a black servant, accused of raping a white female. Finch defends Robinson in court arguing lack of evidence as his main point. However, the judge and jury still believe the woman’s testimony and orders Robinson to be killed. The novel has been praised for its outstanding literature since its publication. However, it remains a banned book by the American Library Association for its use of racial slurs and profanity. Due to it being banned, many high schools have reconsidered the notion of teaching it to their students. Two prominent authors wrote articles pertaining to this piece of literature: Angela Shaw-Thornburg wrote an article on her re-reading of the novel and her opinions on it; while Malcom Gladwell wrote an article comparing Atticus Finch to a state governor liberalist, James Folsom, and the restraints of liberalism in the south. In addition, Rebecca Best contributes her thought on how the novel should be taught by introducing the idea of “the other.” Regardless of the modern day political arguments surrounding this piece of literature, this novel contains a large insight into the time period of the 1960s which is an influential topic that should be taught to young high school students.
"My Children are black. They don't look like your children. They know that they are black, and we want it recognized. It's a positive difference, an interesting difference, and a comfortable natural difference. At least it could be so, if you teachers learned to value difference more. What you value, you talk about.'" p.12
Baldwin’s father died a broken and ruined man on July 29th, 1943. This only paralleled the chaos occurring around him at the time, such as the race riots of Detroit and Harlem which Baldwin describes to be as “spoils of injustice, anarchy, discontent, and hatred.” (63) His father was born in New Orleans, the first generation of “free men” in a land where “opportunities, real and fancied, are thicker than anywhere else.” (63) Although free from slavery, African-Americans still faced the hardships of racism and were still oppressed from any opportunities, which is a factor that led Baldwin’s father to going mad and eventually being committed. Baldwin would also later learn how “…white people would do anything to keep a Negro down.” (68) For a preacher, there was little trust and faith his father ...
According to James Baldwin’s “My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to My Nephew” African Americans cannot obtain their piece of the American Dream. Baldwin wrote a letter to his nephew in hope of guiding him through life. Baldwin had many words of wisdom to share, mostly words provoked by pain and anger. Baldwin wanted to teach his nephew about the cruelty of society. His main point was to teach his nephew not to believe the white man and his words. He wanted to encourage his nephew to succeed in life but not to expect the unassailable. By believing the white man one can not succeed but by knowing where one comes from will lead to success was the foundation of Baldwin’s message (243-246).
Baldwin makes certain readers understand the states of the issue at once; his essay starts by describing his father’s funeral in the aftermath of the Harlem riots of 1943. Baldwin states, “As we drove him to the graveyard, the spoils of injustice, anarchy, discountent, and hatred were all around us. It seemed to me that God himself had devised, to mark my father’s end, the most sustained and brutally dissonant of codas” (63). Yet as Baldwin mourned the death of his father, he celebrated the birth of his yo...
...erance for those who are disrespectful, but realizes that people can and hopefully will change and that we need each other to change. The New York Times described the James Baldwin segment as "a television experience that seared the conscience" (qtd. in PBS Online). In one instance Baldwin makes a hearty and honest “can’t we all get along” statement. “In short, we, the black and the white, deeply need each other here if we are really to become a nation – if we are really, that is, to achieve our identity, our maturity as men and women” (Baldwin 342).
In his work, “A Talk to Teachers,” James Baldwin poured out his point of view on how he believed American children should be taught. Throughout the essay, Baldwin focused on a specific race of school children: Negros. Perhaps this was because he himself was an African American, or even for the mere idea that Negros were the most vulnerable for never amounting to anything — according to what the American society thought during the twentieth century, specifically the 1960s when this piece was published. With the focus determined, the reader is able to begin analyzing Baldwin’s main appeal through the essay. At first glance one could argue that the essay has no credibility with Baldwin’s lack of not being a school teacher himself; however, when further evaluated one could state that whether or not he was a school teacher has nothing to do with the fact that he establishes his credibility, he appeals to morals, emotions with authority, and values, which thus outweighs the possible negativities associated with his argument.
Many individuals have been affected negatively by trouble makers in school. Troublemakers have either disrupted classes or bullied other students. Yes, trouble makers may harm one’s learning environment, but should they be kicked out of school? Though many individuals argue that troublemakers will not change and hold the class down, they should not be kicked out because they need help. Most of these kids that are disobedient do not know the distinction between right and wrong. We should not withdraw trouble makers from school, rather, we should help these troublemakers and teach them right from wrong. In the article “Let’s Really Reform Our Schools” by Anita Garland, she states that American high schools are disasters because there are troublemakers (694). She asserts that the withdrawal of troublemakers in schools would make the learning environment peaceful for students who want to learn
...as a reader I must understand that his opinions are supported by his true, raw emotions. These negative feelings shared by all of his ancestors were too strong to just pass by as meaningless emotions. Baldwin created an outlook simply from his honest views on racial issues of his time, and ours. Baldwin?s essay puts the white American to shame simply by stating what he perceived as truth. Baldwin isn?t searching for sympathy by discussing his emotions, nor is he looking for an apology. I feel that he is pointing out the errors in Americans? thinking and probably saying, ?Look at what you people have to live with, if and when you come back to the reality of ?our? world.?