In Class: Collect your notebooks
Nobody is born prejudice, yet throughout history, we continue to form opinions about people who look or act differently than we do.
Begin with a correct MLA heading:
Your name
Instructor's name
English-II-( ), America
27 September 2021
Respond to the following question in a complete, well-written sentence.
1. How does prejudice emerge in a person or society?
(Be prepared to share)
Respond to the following question in two to three complete, well-written sentence.
2. What are the effects of prejudice? (consider customs, laws and institutions)
(Be prepared to share)
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Let's take a look at ourselves
Concepts That Numb the Brain
The effects of prejudice – what happens inside us, outside us, and all around us – when prejudice exists.
Hurtful Words
There are words in our vocabulary that disrespect and dehumanize people. Many are designed to put down certain groups. Using hurtful words is one way we let our prejudices show.
Conditioned Thoughts + Reinforced by Conditioned Feelings = Conditioned Re-Actions
Making Generalizations
Lazy thinking causes us to make generalizations about people without taking the time to find out the specifics of who they really are. Take a look at a few results of prejudiced thinking.
Sterotyping
A standardized mental picture held in common by members of a group, that represents an oversimplified opinion, attitude or judgment.
Test your prejudiced thinking by mentally filling in the blanks in your mind. Do not speak your thoughts aloud.
- Westerners are ________
- Northeasterners are ________
- Southerners are ________
- Northerners are ________
- Foreigners are ________
- Asians are ________
- The Irish are ________
- Mexicans are ___________
- Jews are ________
- Africans are ____________
- Arabs are ______________
Bigotry
Refers to one who is strongly partial to one’s own group, belief system, race or politics, and is intolerant of those who are different.
A bigot has a fixed mindset, an immovable way of thinking that divides people. Bigots think in terms of “my group” vs. “your group.” As soon as we have “my” vs. “your” anything, we have conflict. Sectioning the human race into “different” parts creates separation and conflict.
In this life, we focus more on differences than similarities, and we need to change this.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29: Collect your notebooks.
The following is a continuation of your responses / reflections on prejudice.
We are reading Claude McKay's sonnet America as a class.
As you read, take note of the figurative language device of imagery. Think about how the five different senses are employed to give depth of thought and feeling to McKay's poem.
Once we have reviewed the poem, please follow the instructions listed below to respond to the four questions that follow.
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| New York skyline 1920's |
Guiding questions:
What is the theme or central idea of Claude McKay's America?
How does he feel about this city?
What are clues in the poem that tell us how feels?
This unit has to do with prejudice and discrimination. How is this relevant to this poem?
AMERICA
As you read, note the use of the figurative language device of imagery* in this sonnet* that communicates the speaker's perspective on America. We will be reviewing the poem's imagery in class on Thursday.
* an English sonnet has 14 lines of 10 syllables per line
*imagery is the use of figurative language to represent the objects, ideas, and actions in such a way that the appeals to the physical sense.
Sensory imagery involves the use of descriptive language to create mental images. In literary terms, sensory imagery is a type of imagery; the difference is that sensory imagery works by engaging a reader’s five senses. Any description of sensory experience in writing can be considered sensory imagery.
Five types of imagery: (there are more, but this is what we are focusing on)
1. seeing or visual
2. hearing or auditory
3. smelling or olfactory
4.tasting or gustatory
5. feeling or sensory
1. Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth.
5. Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate,
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet, as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
10. Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.
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In your notebook, as a continuation of yesterday, please respond to the following guiding question. Weave in text using evidence from the poem (don't forget you quotation marks" to support your response. This needs only to be one or two sentences.
Your question: What is the theme or central idea of Claude McKay's America?
Example of how to weave in the text:
In response to the question of how McKay feels about the city:
McKay has mixed feelings about New York. While he "love[s] this cultured hell", the city "feeds [him] bread of bitterness."
Note that how you can change the word within the line. Just put your words into brackets.
Text-Dependent Questions Directions:
For the following four questions, choose the best answer: In your notebook write:
number 1: number 2: number 3: number 4:
Question1_________________
1. PART A: Which of the following best describes the speaker’s feelings about America?
A. The speaker has experienced both good and bad things in America, and thus
remains indifferent.
B. The speaker despises America and has decided to speak out about their bad
experiences.
C. The speaker has a love-hate relationship with America, but ultimately has lost
faith in the country.
D. The speaker dislikes and has lost faith in America and believes that it will not last
as it is.
Question 2______________________
2. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, / And sinks into my throat her
tiger’s tooth, / Stealing my breath of life, I will confess / I love this cultured hell
that tests my youth.” (Lines 1-4)
B. “Her vigor flows like tides into my blood, / Giving me strength erect against her
hate” (Lines 5-6)
C. “Yet, as a rebel fronts a king in state, / I stand within her walls with not a shred--
/ Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.” (Lines 8-10)
D. “Darkly I gaze into the days ahead, / And see her might and granite wonders
there” (Lines 11-12)
Question 3_____________________________
3. PART A: In line 11, the word “darkly” is most likely used to convey which of the following?
A. The word “darkly” conveys the speaker has an overall cynical opinion of America.
B. The word “darkly” conveys the speaker’s general fear of time.
C. The word “darkly” conveys the speaker’s uncertainty about the future of
America.
D. The word “darkly” conveys that the speaker does not actually know anything
about America.
Question 4_________________________________
4. PART B: Which of the following phrases supports the answer to Part A?
A. “I gaze into the days ahead” (Line 11)
B. “might and granite wonders” (Line 12)
C. “the Touch of Time’s unerring hand” (Line 13)
D. “priceless treasures sinking in the sand” (Line 14)
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