The story of Emmitt Till getting shot for no reason other then supposedly whistling at a white women is an infuriating one. From the beginning of this story to how the trial ended. That people for no reason at all other then there skin color have had to live in fear there entire life, segregated, and could not even look at white people does not make sense. It shows just how stupid people at that acted, and that even after the Murder was committed they still didn’t comprehend just how terrible these white men acted. After the fact however it is amazing that Emmetts mum was able to show just how wrong it was, and that people had to see what had happened to her son. This started the civil rights movement and eventually changed the system.
The story of Emmitt Till shows that when something negative/bad happens it causes people to make a stand to try and change it. To prove my point there have been multiple examples since then that have showed that this is true. One of the most prominent cases being the spark of the black lives movement. Trayvon Martin was shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida February 26, 2012. When Trayvon went to visit his father in a gated community, The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida he did not know what he was in for. On February 26th Trayvon was walking to the corner store to get an iced tea and skittles while talking to his girlfriend. Not long after beginning his walk he realized he was being followed. He was being followed by George Zimmerman, one of the residents who was selected to patrol the grounds carrying a firearm in response to a rash of robberies and burglaries. Zimmerman phoned the police only to be told to stand put as he was not a threat. However Zimmerman decided to ignore this decision and instead shot 17 year old Trayvon Martin. This resulted in a lawsuit against Zimmerman as he had shot a boy who did nothing wrong just as Emmitt Till had done nothing wrong. However in both cases even if neither of the murderers had to deal with any consequences it did change the system.
Emmitt Till getting shot caused the world to start talking about how unfair African Americans were being treated. Showing his torn up body, his mother saying speeches nationwide and protests going on worldwide showed that a change needed to happen and people would do anything to do that. When Emmitt Till died in Glendora, Mississippi, near the Tallahatchie River on August 28th, 1955 it caused a spark of the civil rights movement.
When Trayvon Martin was shot in Sanford, Florida, on February 26th 2012 it caused the black lives matter movement to begin. When he was wrongly shot it caused people to protest, and fight against the racism that was still happening. In 2013, three radical Black organizers—Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi—created a Black-centered political will and movement building project called #BlackLivesMatter as a result of Martin being killed.. On the black lives matter website they state “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression”. The black lives matter movement has effected significant change locally and nationally, including the ousting of high-profile corrupt prosecutors. It has also made people want to make a difference, and changed society. If the black lives matter movement had not started who knows if the #metoo movement would have happened comply because people now have the confidence to speak out because this movement has changed things. That not to say that racism is gone, it definitely is still very much alive however more people are speaking out and do want to make a difference.
Recently in class we have also been reading Dear Martin a book written by Nic Stone. When Justyce a teen African American boy is handcuffed and almost arrested it causes an out break. Since he was treated differently it sparked the community/ one of his school classes to start speaking up about the issue so that they could turn the negative into positive. And even though this is a fictional story it is a very real event that happens worldwide everyday.
Between these few examples (there are many more as well) you can see just how much change people can make when they want to. And when they want to is when they are outraged by a negative event that happened. So truly you can see that in some cases in order for a change a negative event has to happen.
It’s come to that time of the year again when its time to present our learning. Everything from our goals, “failures”, projects I am proud of to projects that I feel I could have done better. Through this presentation I am going to talk about how I am going to progress as a learner before the end of the school year. So to start this project I am going to talk about the humanities course.
Thinking back I realize just how much we have gone over, from the Mahnhatten Project regarding the Atomic bomb and then leading into the 50’s and communism and the crucible we have covered a lot. This year I have found all of these topics and projects interesting however one specific project I would like to talk about is the History in 5 video project. This was in accord to the Mahnhatten field school and unit. I found this a very interesting unit talking about the Cold War, the science behind the bomb, why the bomb was created and its affect on both present and past times. At first when we were learning about everything it confused me as it was a lot to take in. From learning the science behind the bomb to how all of the countries interacted with each other during the Cold War and then the many views on the subject. However thanks to the many worksheets that we filled out during the time leading up to the trip I was able to understand (for the most part) what we were learning.
And though I did eventually get to understanding everything I do wish I had asked more questions as it would have lead me to understanding the topic sooner which i feel in the end would have lead to a better learning outcome. That is one way I am going to progress as a learner by the end of the year, by asking questions to my teachers, parents and fellow students when I need help. During the project the final product was the History in 5 video and I was in a group with Claire and Simon and we looked into 5 interesting facts about the Mahnhatten Project. I feel that we did good however I wish that I had spoken up about my opinion on what we were doing more so. For example while we were at the Hanford Site and on the bus tour my group found it hard to get interviews as other groups were ahead of us or we were focusing on the area and what we had to film at each location. So in that sense I wish that I had spoken up and said that we needed to simply push forward and get the interview. I also wish that in the video itself I had memorized my script so that it would have looked better, which is one thing I would improve on if I were to do this project again. However overall I was proud of the video and the information that we included in the video.
Then there’s our PGP class, at the beginning of the year I was confused as to what this course had in store. The first aspect I would like to talk about is actually a FAIL. We were introduced to time blocking at our last PGP meeting and though I have been putting in all of my classes and most of my activities I have found it difficult to plan out my time. To actually sit down and figure out what needs to be done and when. This is one thing I would like to improve upon because in the end it will help my progress as a learner.
The next aspect I would like to talk about in PLP is something I’m proud of. We have been reading the book What do you really want? And have been filling out forms along the way. At first I didn’t understand why we were doing it and in the start I did procrastinate however once I started reading it I realized that it was helpful. For example form seven is all about goals that we want to achieve and having to actually write it out and think of them has really put things into perspective for me. From what I want to do once I graduate, to a current part job I want to get as well as other personal goals.
In this meeting I have shown you a few examples of my work and I know there are things I have to improve on to become a better learner however I’m wondering and this is a question to you, what steps I should be taking to improve my communication skills in order to further improve my learning.
As you may know by now (since I’ve been in PLP since grade 8) every winter we have an exhibition and every year it seems to change. One year we looked into Star Wars, last year we had to find stories and interview people for podcasts however this year was debatably one of the largest challenges. We were reaserching communism, the 50’s, the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller as well as more. So you may be a bit confused how this alrelates to each other as well as the exhibition, well in this blog post I will be explaining all of that.
We first started this project by first looking into the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. This play was based on the Salem Witch trials which took place in Massachusetts Bay Colony during around 1692. This is story tells of a time when girls in a small town in Massachusetts were found dancing in the forest and were said to be conjuring spirits which resulted in one of the girls (Betty) to be put in a coma like state. At this time this was not socially acceptable and everyone in the community seemed to have an opinion on the topic. There are many layers to the story regarding the characters interactions with each other and how they expressed them. At one point in the story Giles Corey a professor from a nearby who new how to spot a witch came and tried to help deciliter everything and everyone started blaming each other for things they didn’t do or possibly did (who knows). Then people start to get arrested and brought into the trials and eventually even led to multiple death penalties due to the witch accusations. This is a VERY brief explanation and could have so much more information as there are so many layers and details to this story however for the purpose of this blog post that’s the general idea of simply the story.
To show some of the understating we learned through the play we wrote creative blog posts we had to right three blogs regarding three topics which we could choose from a list of ten. I chose to write first about the squestion: Abigail (one of the characters) was a strong, domineering influence on Mary Warren. When did the power or control of someone else influence you?
(click the pictures to go to the blog posts on these subjects)
And then about: Read “How to Spot a Witch”. Write a paper or create something similar to this essay on how to spot a _________. You fill in the blank: example: How to Spot a Liar. How to Spot a Surfer. Etc.
And finally to Describe a time when you have felt isolated.
Then once we had a general background of the crucible, that time period and the personalities within the book it was time to start looking into the future… the 50’s. This would all help us in the upcoming exhibit but first we had to learn how. So to learn about this topic we watched videos as well as being taught by our teachers on keynote. So here are some of the notes I took while learning all of this.
50’s
The Fifties
Baby Boom:
Following WWII, North America experiences a spike in birth rates
This generation of “baby boomers” was the result of a strong postwar economy
The US added 4.24 million new babies to the population every year between 1946 and 1964
Americans felt confident they would be able to support a larger number of children
The GI bill was a plan that allowed soldiers to come home get free schooling
Baby boomer Connections
Great Depression
Move from the farm to the city
Urgency of wartime
Gl (government issue) Bill
Civil rights movement
Vietnam War
Second wave of feminism
Growth of suburbia:
In the postwar era, many Americans moved away from cities and into suburbs, helped by the GI bill benefits that guaranteed home loans
Mass production techniques made it possible to build homes faster and cheaper than ever before
After WWII, cookie cutter homes sprang up outside metropolitan areas-not grand palaces,
Suburbia came to symbolize the “American dream”: 2.5 Kidd’s, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence
This became one of the most iconic and enduring images in American culture- and the object of both praise (as evidence of a high standard of living) and ridicule (as evidence of conformity and materialism)
The postwar exodus to the suburbs was part of a vast reorganization of power and money that affected industry, race relations, and gender roles
Two thirds of Americans lived in suburbs
William Levit
Levittown “its the good life in the suburbs”
The Eisenhower Era:
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a popular war hero whose eight-year presidency (1953-1961) was characterized by peace and prosperity, despite Cold War tensions and nuclear anxieties
During this presidency the nation’s consumer culture flourished. Worker’s wages rose, the baby boom reached its peak and the suburbs grew rapidly
Supported the largest public works project in US history: the interstate highway system
Was the president throughout basically all of the 50’s
Interstate highway was built also for military use
The Eisenhower Era of the 1950’s was a time unprecedented economic growth and prosperity
GDP (gross domestic product) grew by an astonishing 150% during the period from 1945 to 1960
In the 1950’s, with only five percent of the world’s population, the US economy produced almost half of the worlds manufactured products
The US drove three quarters of the world cars and consumed half of the world’s energy
The Cold War framed Eisenhower’s foreign policy, frequently adopting an “us-versus-them” mindset
Eisenhower’s provided aid to dictators friendly to US interests (the Shah of Iran, Barista in Cuba) and authorized covert CIA missions to overthrow governments sympathetic to the Soviets
Did not go to war in Vietnam when communists took control in 1954, but did supply South the Vietnam with military advisers and equipment
“Kind, Gentle, Tough leader, reserved ” – the Uncle you look up to
Was the job of the president to not allow war to begin was what Eisenhower believed
Because of that military background he thought of all backgrounds and details
Presentation; perception is not always reality
Anti communism:
Revelations that spies inside the US atomic program had passed secrets to the Soviet Union set off a nationwide panic that communist spies might be infiltrating American institutions
The US government stepped up loyalty programs and purged itself of anyone deemed a security threat
Individuals believed to be particularly susceptible to bribery or blackmail, such as debtors or homosexuals, were summarily dismissed
The Rosenberg Trials
Schools and universities fired teachers whi=o refused to swear an oath that they were not communists
Even civil rights organizations like the NAACP and the Urban League moved quickly to rid themselves of communists to avoid any accusations of subversion
Although a tiny fraction of those who lost their positions were actually connected with the USSR in any way
Called the red or the red menace because the soviet flag is red
Formed in 1938, the house Committee on Un-American Activities or HUAC was a special representatives tasked with investigating subversive individuals and organizations
In the 1950s HUAC turns its attention to hunting “reds”
Allegations that Hollywood was rifle with communists led HUAC to investigate many actors, writers and directors
Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of this widespread paranoia to advance himself politically
McCarthy relished the spotlight; for more than four year McCarthy raised against supposed communists, democrats and homosexuals
Ne never produced any evidence against anyone, but even those powerful enough to stop him didn’t because they were to scared
The use of the term McCarthyism has come to describe the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations
McCarthy finally went to far in 1954 when he initiated hearings against the US army; the televised hearings showcased McCarthys increasingly erratic behaviour and reliance on guilt ny association rather then evidence
In December 1954 the US senate voted to censure McCarthy
McCarthy died of complies alcoholism less then three years later
Destroyed by the power of television
Then with all of this knowledge it was then time to actually start the project! We first had to figure out what we actually wanted the exhibition to look like, meaning what are the main points that we learned about that we want to show, how are we going to show them and how they will all connect to each other. At first I was hesitant as to how a whole class project would work simply because of our previous class project on Lord of the Flies and just how intense everything got. However thankfully and surprisingly everything went great and as a class I feel we worked well and were able to achieve lots. In the end we decided we were going to have 6 stations and there would be 2 to 3 people at each station and then four guides that would lead people to each station. Then we were each put int our groups so that we could then figure out everyone’s characters and what physically was needed for this project, since we had such a large space to fill (the gym).
This soon changed as it was not yet approved by our teachers
I was assigned to a group with Ryan and we would be the station that shows the typical 50’s nuclear family. For mine and Ryans area we were making a nuclear family so we wanted to show a typical house and that meant I was a house wife and Ryan was the husband. We had a kid and I was pregnant as the typical family was two and a half kids (meaning one was on the way). We also mentioned in our scene consumerism as it was such a key role in the 50’s and influenced a lot of people. And as all scene mentioned it in some way, we talked about communism and related it to the following scene.Once in our groups we had to get the script done and with thanks to our script team I feel that everyone’s stations had a good script that was interesting and made sense. Here is the script of our scene so you can fully understand:
Script
Take away from the scene:
The perfect family isn’t really perfect, consumerism can take over and not everything you see is true.
Theme: conformity, status quo.
Symbol:
Camera with a picture already taken that is handed to an audience member by the guide because the guide is learning about the “nuclear family” so that they can fit in.
Roles (2)
Isobel: Susan
Ryan: Patrick
Character info
Patrick/Ryan
Costume: Nice fancy clothes, Dress shirt, Dress Pants, Tie, Fedora.
Role: Father in nuclear family
Hair + makeup: Hair gelled back
Want/need: Patrick is a veteran of WWII and after going to school and getting a good job with the GI Bill he just wants time with his family to relax and celebrate. Has no intentions to go back to war or any communist ideals.
Susan/Isobel
Costume: Dress, Pearls (Isobel has these)
Role: Mother in nuclear family
Hair + Makeup: Typical 50’s makeup, 50’s hair.
Want/need: She is a typical 50’s housewife who just wants to fit in
Setting
Description (what do we see?): 1950s cookie cutter house
Drawing (outline where stuff is):
Props (list and where getting):
Red couch – (library)
50’s Blender – (simon?)
Table – (library)
Table cloth -
Record player – (Isobel or simon)
Lamp -
Holiday lights -
Tea set – izzy
Rug -
Plant -
Chair -
Doll – Mimi
[Guide to the audience before they enter the scene]
Guide: So today we're going to visit a so called “perfect family” in the suburbs of LA. Though it doesn’t really matter what house we go to because they’re all basically the same. Anyway let's head in so you can see for yourself
[the audience and guide enter a 1950s style living room with a tv, record player, blender, and a couch to see the soldier/dad (Patrick) and his wife (Susan) sitting on the couch watching the TV. Susan is holding a small baby]
[Patrick looks up and sees the guides and audience. He smiles]
Guide:Hey Patrick, thanks a ton for hosting this party. I brought some of the new neighbours if you don’t mind
Patrick: Hey, glad to see you made it to our little bash! Everyone’s welcome in our humble little pad
Susan: Make yourself at home. Have some jello salad! [she offers a plate of jello to the guide].
[The guide accepts the jello salad, looking a little disturbed] Guide: Thanks, Susan. [Turns to Patrick] How’s the daughter?
Patrick: Well, it’ll be a miracle if she ever sleeps through the night, but we love her all the same.
[Patrick and the guide share a chuckle] Guide: Patrick, you’re a big tickle, you know that?
Patrick: Well, it is a party. Say, let me show you our new blender! Susan loves it– I expect she’ll be making jello milkshakes soon enough. Or some weird craving– she’s pregnant again, you know!
[Patrick picks up a blender from a shelf and shows it off]
Guide: Congratulations. Can I get a picture of your perfect, soon-to-be-larger family with the blender?
[takes the photo, the scene then freezes, and the guide hands the picture to an audience member]
Guide tells the audience member: Why don’t you hold onto this, it could help us blend in later on.
[Scene resumes]
Guide to Susan: So Susan, how far along are you?
Susan: We just found out a week ago. Baby Audrey’s going to be a big sister!
Guide: Well, golly gee! And Pat, how’s the job going? Are you going to be able to support all your lovely ladies?
Patrick: Sales are good! Sale are good. Everyone wants something shiny, it seems.
Guide: It has been a bleak few years. That GI Bill sure helped though, eh? Cushy sales job and a nice little house in the suburbs?
Patrick: It sure did, Charlie. We’re on cloud nine here. It’s amazing what old Ike has done for this country!
[they turn to the tv, which has been displaying a video of Eisenhower]
Guide: Oh, he’s changed things, that’s for sure. Yessiree. Big changes from Ike. [He watches the tv in silence for a few seconds, then turns back to Patrick and Susan, shaking his head a bit as if just awoken] This is a lovely party, Susan.
Susan (smiling): Why, thank you, Charlie! I’m so glad you could make it. What with the baby and all, it’s been difficult having many guests lately. [Her face saddens a bit] I guess a second baby will make it harder still.
[Patrick, seeing her sadness]: It’s alright, Susan. We won’t need so many guests when our house is full of a perfect, happy family. Why, if anything we’ll long for the peace and quiet of being alone!
Susan: I do like peace and quiet.
Guide: Especially peace, eh? I think we’re all big fans of that.
Susan: Yes, I think so. [she steps to turn off the tv, and instead puts on music] I see brought with you some of those hip and happening younguns. (turns to audience) I bet you’ve all heard the new tunes that are playing these days.
[They quiet for a few seconds to listen to the music. It’s Bing Crosby.]
Patrick: Say, have you heard about all of those people getting arrested for communism?
Guide: I didn’t even know there were communists in America
Susan: Oh, there definitely are, and people have started speaking out about it. We’ve been hearing people rally about it all day. Such an annoyance
Patrick: Just the other day my brother was accused of communism, so I can see why the two people out there are protesting. McCarthy is taking innocent people away from their families as it’s becoming a kind of witch hunt! Why don’t you go check out the rally that’s going on out there.
Guide: Maybe, we might go check it out. We do have to be on our way anyways. Have a good night you two.
[The guide leads the audience out, and they move to scene 2]
Then since we knew our stations, had our scripts and knew our characters it was time to start building!
The layout of the gym we planned for all the stations
A few of us painting a background
Some classmates painting a stop sign for the street scene
This truly was a team effort
And finally it was the night of the exhibition! Since it was also the day of the Seycove alumni basketball game we started setting up at 3 pm. This was a quick turn around as we only had until 6pm to get everything up. In that time we came across a few problems, the first and largest problem was that the wall that we were going to use as a divider to split up the sections was not working. And so we had to find a different way to split up the gym and we did that by use curtains that we hung as well as backings that are used for concerts. In the end the teachers actually thought it worked out better, and I believe it didn’t look bad either. Here are some pictures from the night:
Overall this truly was an amazing project and I learned so much. I learned about the 50’s, communism, the crucible as well as how to work in large groups and problem solve when things don’t go as planned. When things don’t go as planned you cant panic and simply give up. You have to face the problem and find a different solution, I feel that thanks to our previous Destination Imagination years that I was able to overcome these challenges that as a class we faced. In this project I truly do feel that I learned a lot and that it sparked my curiosity about the 50’s and communism. And really overall it taught me that I would be a pretty good 50’s house wife (even though at the time i may not have enjoyed it).
