reading for 9/14 and journal #3

For Monday please read Chapter XIV of Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery. This chapter is vital because it includes the "Atlanta Exposition Address", which Washington delivered at the Cotton States and International Exposition in September of 1895. During this speech Washington outlines his philosophy regarding "the great and intricate problem" of Negros in the post-slavery South. To help you complete this journal assignment, I've offered some guiding questions and comments below. Use them if you'd like or follow your own direction...

Pay attention to Washington's overall argument and how it is supported. How does he mean to "cure" the Negro problem of the late 1800's? What does he advocate for? What is his attitude, his mood, his means of approach? Compare and contrast your observations with those made when reading WEB Du Bois and Barack Obama's memoir. How do these three social advocates differ? How are they the same? Which author and/or text do you find more compelling? Why?

Remember to parenthetically site any quotations that you offer!

Monday's reading passage can be found on the web here. If you're interested in the other chapters contained within Washington's autobiography look for the following link-bar located towards the top of the page:

Booker T. Washington > Up from Slavery > XIV. The Atlanta Exposition Address

Click the title and you're off to the beginning, with information about the author and the text. It even includes a table of contents.

If you're interested in downloading and printing a Word Document version of the Washington selection, you can do so here.

You may also find Chapter III of Du Bois's Souls to be illuminating... as it is a direct response to Washington's social theories.

journal #2 (9/9)

After reading the Du Bois selection, consider responding to some or all of the following questions in this journal entry:

What is the argument that Du Bois is trying to make in "Of Our Spiritual Strivings"? How do you think Du Bois's concept of double-consciousness applies to Barack Obama's text? Think about the way Obama describes his feelings, thoughts, and emotions throughout the first section, "Origins". In what ways does Obama react to the various life-changing situations he experiences? What events in Obama's life relate to some of the things that Du Bois discusses nearly a century earlier?

Do you think that double-consciousness, as described by WEB Du Bois, can be extended beyond the" polarized" races of black and white? Is there the possibility of a triple-, multi-, or poly-consciousness? How does this "fragmented" consciousness affect the individual? How does ownership and/or possession factor in here?

Explain your answer using either course text, if not both, as support. Draw from personal experience too, if you can, when answering these questions. Be sure to cite the appropriate page numbers if you quote something!