Burning In Ark City Burning

Fire in the Ashes, by Jonathan Kozal, is a book about Kozal’s observations regarding impoverished families living in New York City. Through his work, Kozal not only befriends the families he is studying, but is also granted access into the Martinique hotel, a housing establishment in New York City for the poor.

Jill Lepore, is a David Woods Kemper’ 41 professor of America History at Harvard University and a staff writer at The New Yorker. She writes about America history, law, literature and politics. She is consider an American historian, has her B.A. where she teaches American politics history, and focuses on missing evidence in historical record and articles. The purposes for Lepore to write this book “New York Burning” was to rewrite the New York conspiracy of 1741, by using the Horsmanden Journal, she shows how politics and laws were used in the 18th century against the slave and how the white New Yorkers fear of slaves. Lepore used demographic and physical information about New York City, gave reports with a rich context to the historical events,

“‘Race Politics” by Luis J. Rodriguez was about him and his brother living in a place called Watts. They journey over the tracks, trying to get the “good food” for their family. They go to the store, and find themselves face to face with five teenagers who knock the food out of their hands, and beat up the main character’s older brother, causing him to vomit. The teenagers leave, with them on the floor. The purpose for writing this essay is to identify syntax, connotation, and imagery within this poem, and decide what makes it important to the overall poem. The overall impression that Luis conveys within his work is the feeling of separation.

He wants his readers to imagine the pain and humiliation of the ill treatment that African Americans endure on a daily basis. King writes of vicious mobs lynching people’s mothers and fathers, policemen killing people’s brothers and sisters, a man and his wife not receiving the proper respect they deserve because of their skin color, and the notion that African Americans feel insignificant within their communities; this is why these peaceful demonstrators of whom the clergymen attack “find it difficult to wait” (King, 20). However, King believes that soon, injustice will be exposed, like “a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up” (King, 30). This vivid description helps arouse an emotional response, driving shame into the hearts of his white readers.

The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing on September 15, 1963 has been one of the most historic bombing in the African American community. Since then, the Spike Lee’s Four Little Girls film and the poem, Ballad of Birmingham, have been created to commemorate the event and the loss of the four beautiful young girls. Both have received awards for their outstanding and thoughtful works that both artist put into their projects. The movie, Four Little Girls, was a very stimulating movie because it was not your typical scripted play. It was a documentary of all the family, friends, and community that were affected by this event. On the other hand, the poem, Ballad of Birmingham, was very eye opening because it put a new perspective of the church bombing.

I was particularly interested in Camille Dungy’s “Tales from a Black Girl on Fire, or Why I Hate to Walk Outside and See Things Burning” which we read from the book Colors of Nature Culture, Identity, and the Natural World. I thought that our discussion in class of her poem was quite good, and realized it was something I wouldn't mind thinking a little bit more about. As I reread the poem, I found a few sentences that I still didn't quite understand what she meant by. In light of this, I have decided to write on what I believe to be her meaning. I wasn't sure why the fear of walking outside didn’t hit her until she moved to an old plantation sate. Why would it take up until then if she had been hearing her families history her entire life?

While the population is diverse, the economic and class structure are not. The city is segregated amongst social and class lines that have caused conflict between the residence and the police force for some time (Inkeep, 2015). Because of these past interactions between the Baltimore citizens and police, the events pose sociological interests that are different from other recent riots and protests. In addition, the context is different because unlike past riots where ethnic race was a contributor, this riot was more about social injustice

In the year of 1963, Martin Luther King was imprisoned for peacefully marching in a parade as a nonviolent campaign against segregation. In Martin Luther King’s essay “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the paragraphs that have the most emotional appeal are, just as the critics say, paragraphs thirteen and fourteen. King tugs at the reader’s emotions in these specific paragraphs using very detailed examples about the difficult, heart-wrenching misfortunes that have happened to the African American society and what they had to endure on a daily basis in Birmingham by using metaphors, contrasts, alliteration, anaphora, and imagery. As taken from an excerpt of “MLK - Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” In paragraphs thirteen and fourteen of Letter

On the hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation, James Baldwin writes a letter to his nephew regarding identity as a black man in 1960’s America. Using a wide range of rhetorical devices, the writer attempts to convince his vulnerable relative to believe he is forever loved. In “My Dungeon Shook” from The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, the author presents a unique rhetorical strategy which uses comparison and description to reach the main goal of helping the reader focus on the most important points of the writing. The grand design for this section of the novel allows Baldwin to accomplish the purpose by addressing the American citizens in 1963 in order to inform them how black and white people cannot have equal opportunities until the Caucasians recognize their crimes and African-Americans lovingly forgive their previous oppressors.

Social Conflict Theory: The Social Conflict Theory states that people who are put down tend to stay down and be dictated by the force keeping them down. In the impoverished city in which this movie takes place in we see that people are very needy and have no dignity. It is in towns like this that many gangs find their burrows grounds and infiltrate these shanty towns to begin their cartels and reigns of terror. Here the people do not like the MS13 gang, but cannot do anything about it because they will be killed instantly. MS13 treat the people like dirt and freely rob, rape, and kill the people whenever they feel like it.

Hughes uses powerful imagery as he describes the most ostracized groups in American society from which this voice derives: the poor white man “fooled and pushed apart”, the black man “bearing slavery’s scars”, the red man “driven from his land”, and the immigrant “clutching” onto hope. He uses stirring metaphors, “slavery’s scars”, to relay the image of suffering experienced by these forgotten

King is able to unify the protesters, encourage them to rise up together, and defeat the atrocity of racism by alluding to their anguish through personification and imagery. For example, King recognizes that “the nation is sick”(King 2). King assigns human qualities to the nation in order to comment on the offenses committed against the African Americans by the people of the nation. These offenses remind the audience of their common struggle and unify them. In doing so, King reveals that this is an issue but it can be resolved and the audience can heal the nation as they would a human being. Imagery in King’s speech also develops the intensity of the distress African Americans face. To illustrate, King describes “thirteen hundred of God’s children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights” (King 4). This gut-wrenching image causes the audience to feel immense sorrow and anguish for the African Americans depicted. These emotions are uniform in every member of the audience and thus unites them on an emotional level. A pathetic appeal is integrated into King’s argument to stop this pain and

The flames look hypnotizing, seemingly swallowing up the page. The sharp ends and contour of the lines create an almost holographic effect. Satrapi also makes this panel large, about half the page, which further intensifies and dramatizes the other events occurring on the page; in the panels above, Marji and her family frantically dial the telephone to reach their loved ones. In this panel, we fully understand the cause of the suspense they feel. At first glance, it seems that the flames that the taxis escape represent the bombings and annihilation of the border towns. During the violence and danger of the war, we imagine destruction and carnage as the only things the refugees have to leave behind. However, fire also symbolizes protection and passion. The residents of the border towns are not only running from the horrors of war, but are also being forced to forsake their homes, friends, and belongings. Some taxis illustrated are partially engulfed by the flames; those Iranians could not bear to desert their past lives, or did not do so fast

King urges the clergymen to support peaceful protests before years of oppression turn into violence. King emphasizes that anyone who is trapped has a burning desire to be free, for “oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.” Similar to a bomb, these African Americans will soon emotionally explode, hurting both themselves and the people around them. King urges the clergymen to support the non-violent protests by exposing the threat of a violent confrontation. Furthermore, King additionally accentuates the idea of rebellion as he states, “the yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself… something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be

This is just an example of everyday living in Watts. One resident said living in Watts is like a "living hell." Homelessness, poverty, lack of resources and programs, gang violence and drugs is only part of the problem. While many feel African Americans have made huge strides, rising in professions and positions of leadership, there is still a crisis in the Black community. Radio host and activist in Baltimore, Farajii Muhammad draws a connection between the Black Lives Matter protest and Watts Riots. Muhammad feels present day Baltimore is reminiscent of Watts in 1965 due to the "same economic conditions, the same employment conditions, the lack of educational opportunities and just the overall culture of violence and hopelessness (Mozingo & Jennings,