Author: Chang Ni Page 1 of 2

I find that telling a story in graphic format gives the reader a stronger visual impact. There is a great contrast between the author’s innocent words and the black and white monotone of the pictures. Graphic format simplified complex ideas and events, making them more accessible for readers.

Do these two learning moments have to happen in the assigned writings in this class?
For the specific personal story, does it have to come from class materials?
Is there any requirements of how formal the essay should be?

After the Virginians of African descent were freed, there were still discrimination against them. “the war had ended slavery and restored the Union, but it did not decide negro equality…” Richmond’s press began to campaign against voting rights for black citizens, and the city maintained a fundamental policy of racial segregation. The city decided to extend a street in order to support a new suburb, the street and viaduct cut through and tore up Richmond’s historic black cemetery. This illustrates the level of disregard for the African American community by white power structure. The discrimination also exists in transportation, marriage, public facilities, and education. Ironically, the state’s solution to these discrimination is not to provide more help to blacks, but to give more privileges to whites, such as the provision for state tuition grants to private schools for white child, and review the application of black student requesting to go to a school other than assigned.

Chapter 4-6 mainly talks about the history of the class system and slavery in Richmond. The prosperity of the tobacco industry had a decisive impact on the social development of the colony, with the emergence of “old planters” and the birth of private economy. The high price of tobacco caused England to keep importing laborers, and these slaves had a high mortality rate. By 1660, Virginia’s population was divided into six distinct social and economy class. In the 1675 conflict between English settlers and the Indians, Bacon promised freedom to an army about 800 black and white. Bacon’s rebellion reveals a continued racism of all classes against the Indians, combined with a rapidly closing gap between disenfranchised whites and blacks. From 1680 to 1700, Virginia’s switch to African slave labor occurred quickly and decisively. After 1669, the act about casual killing of slaves was published and punishments to slaves became harsher. The author highlights the long-lasting effects of the history of slavery on African Americans and their struggle for freedom and equality.

-…they also planted seed of economic exploitation, racial discrimination, a hierarchical class system, and a heretical version of christianity, seeds that have constantly threatened and retarded the development of the city with economic racial, social and religious diseases that could still destroy it.

-…whose land would be taken and whose culture displaced in religious terms. He first accused the Spaniards of having killed more than fifteen million natives.

-It carried the dreams of a nation-ignorant and practical, imperialistic and self-serving, spiritual and material…to establish a settlement which should become a market for English goods.

-…they were not even considered to have title to the land or to be persons of substance deserving respect.

-…the arrival of the Bermuda survivors in Virginia just in time to save the colony.
-Dale resolved to bring order to the Virginia Colony, turning his military discipline against settlers as well as native people.

-It was the hope of the English that they could ultimately pacify and incorporate the native people into their colonial society by taking Indian children from their homes and educating them in an English environment.

-The English incursion had been founded on the assumption that land could be taken from its inhabitants without contract or remuneration. The relationship with these people was a perpetual state of war…

Reflection about endeavor goals:

Due to my cultural background, it’s difficult for me to resonate with the authors of Writing Our Way Out, and I often feel confused about the content. Meanwhile, my language ability limit my expression, so I didn’t contribute much toward the class goal yet. 

I haven’t participate in class which usually engage with the community outside of school before, so this course offers me a better understanding about the community and a different way of learning. It also made me to think about how can I use what I’ve learned to benefit the community.

Question for McConnell:

-How to protect public safety when rehabilitation fails?

-There’s substantial evidence to indicate that a relatively small subset of violent juveniles commits the majority of violent crimes and continues its violent behavior into adulthood. Psychopaths may complete treatment programs with the cunning and conning skills. How can rehabilitation works for them?

(for writers) How has participating in this writing program helped you in your life later away from the jail? Do you look back on previous experiences with different feelings or perspectives after writing them down?

(for David Coogan) Is there any texts in this book that you specifically kept or modified?