"The Big Mama Stories" Evaluation

Overall, this was a great book to read. Although it was fiction, it dealt with stories that could really happen in real life. My favorite was "An Independent Woman" because that's what I strive to be along with everyone in my class. I also learned from the selection "Watch the Spirit Move" because it taught me that karma can really come back to bite you in the butt. I am someone who likes to get revenge on those who have done me wrong, just like Franklin in the story, but he in the end had bad things happen to him, because he put out bad vibes. I now know I need to stop doing that because it will come back to me full  force. Honestly I am happy my class read this. The stories were interesting and entertaining, and I totally realize why Prof. Lennon chose these stories for us, because they really do teach us about life. Every selection is a different lesson and I've learned a lot from this book.

"Rosewood" essay

Stephanie Robinson
English 1B
Prof. Lennon

A Story to Be Told

Watching the film “Rosewood” was a great experience for me. The reason being because it has truly opened my eyes to the injustice of the world at that time and even today. The film has given me a new perspective on the subject of history also. We need stories to be told so that we can know what happened in the world.

One of the main motifs presented in the movie is number 20, Interlocking systems of oppression. Of course, the most significant part of that motif is racism. The whole basis of the film centered around a lie from a white woman. Therefore, blacks were considered the enemy. An example is when Aunt Sarah confronted the mob, told them the truth about what she had seen and was ultimately shot. Another aspect of the motif is sexism, when the whites started killing random black men because they fit the description of the suspect. As a viewer, I felt absolutely outraged. I wanted to yell at the screen, “what are you doing?!” Even when people part of the mob knew that the victims were innocent, they said nothing and conformed to the group.

Another motif shown is number 4, Acts of Violence. Lynching became the most widely used form of killing in the south and was very accurately portrayed in the film. That was one of the more horrifying parts of the movie for me. I could not believe they would make the killings public for the whole town, and even the victims family, could see. I did not know until later that the people committing the murders thought of it as a form of entertainment. To me it seemed like a sick validation of the fact that they were the majority and a major abuse of their authority.

Finally, I think it’s great that the story of “Rosewood” was made into a film. If it hadn’t, I probably would never have known about it. This movie has really impacted the way that I view racism. Looking at the lynchings, I can not say that was part of the past, because it still happens today in the south. Prejudice is alive and well in the world and the films, books or even songs made about it should help us know what an ugly thing it really is. I hope in the future more stories are told.

"An Independent Woman"

Stephanie Robinson

Eng. 1B

Prof. Lennon

“An Independent Woman”

The story, “An Independent Woman” from the book Big Mama Stories written by Shay Youngblood, takes place in the downtown projects of Princeton, Georgia during the late 60’s. It tells the tale of the narrator’s Aunt Mae, and her way of life. It is about how this woman disregarded societal norms and live her life the way she wanted.

            The story is told in first person: single narrator and the center story is only told of Aunt Mae. To me the setting was not important to the telling of the story because if it were set in the modern-day, people would still have the same reaction to the way this woman lived her life. The protagonist is Aunt Mae and the antagonist seems to be society. There is an inner conflict presented because, she was married before and from then on promised herself that she would always be as free as the “Fourth of July.” I would say the theme of this story is obviously independence. It is shown through the 5 ways Aunt Mae is portrayed. She often talks about never getting married again, only having men when as dates, and her wardrobe consist of short, bright dresses unlike the rest of the women her age. Big Mama describes how charming she is and that’s what makes her so alluring to men. Another sign of her independence may be her use of alcohol, which is also how she makes a living. The two values Aunt Mae possesses is being a woman and having her freedom. These values help her throughout the story because they make it easier for her to move on. For example, when she told Mr. Otis to leave and didn’t seem to miss him afterward.

In conclusion, I would recommend this story for every girl out there to read because it will help show them that they can have their own identity without having a male in their life. I enjoyed reading this story because it is so relevant to today, and it shows that women can be independent without a husband and not apologize for it.

"Born with Religion" quiz

Storytelling I

1. The story takes place in the 1960's (allusion to Dr. King) in the dowtown projects of Princeton, Georgia. Basically, the story is about how the narrator's religion was a big part of her life growing up.
2. The point of view in the story if first person: single narrator
3. This story does not have a  frame structure becasue there is just one center story presented
4. It would not be the same if it were set in maybe, modern-day white suburbia. The narrator, nor the other charcters in the story would have the same struggles or experiences as in the past.
5. I think the main charcter is Big Mama. The narrator is neither the protagonist nor the antagonist of the story. Big Mama is possibly opposing against the evil and temptations becasue she is constantly calling on God.
6. The main conflict is between Big Mama and evil

Storytelling II

    2. I guess the theme would be faith. In the south , the majority of people there are Christian, God-fearing    individuals so it only makes sense that the narrator is born with that in her life. Also whenever they were blessed or something went wrong, they would call on God becasue that's what they were taught.
    3. The character I chose was Big Mama. She seemed to value the church and her family. These values aid her in getting through tough situations, like for example and illness or financial strains. When Aunt Vi was diagnosed with a tumorin her stomach, she prayed to God and it was released from her body soon after.
    4.The African American motif Political Philosophies and Strategies for Freedom, is present. Particularly the part on segregation. It is presented when the narrator describes the two separate cemetaries where one held blacks and the other whites. Another motif is Archetypal Characters, the bglack preacher. The narrator decribes how the preacher would scream to praise God for absolutely everything.