...Episode 1 of the Eyes on the Prize was compelling in so many different ways. There are numerous discussions, scenes and stories that are thought provoking, sad and disturbing the documentary as a whole brings me to a great range of emotions. The story of Emmitt Till and how he was murdered really brought to life the horrific conditions of the blacks in the south. Just to think that someone could knock on the door of a home take and kill a 14 year old boy for simply saying “bye babe” to a white woman and then get away with a crime that the entire town knew was committed is simply absurd. To view the photo of young Emmitt Tills body after what had been done to him was so heart wrenching I can’t even begin to imagine what his mother must have had felt. She displayed so much courage by allowing Tills body to be publicly viewed and printed in news publication. I believe her courage was one of the great catalysts in the civil rights fight. The trial they had for the defendants was a mockery of justice and further emphasized that there was no true justice for blacks. “Desegregation is against the bible”! I am utterly dumbfounded by the levels of ignorance and the ability of these white people to convince themselves that they are better than blacks. I mean I know how deep racism was in the south but just to hear the ignorance these people spew baffles me beyond belief. The reaction of the southerners at learning that they have to finally abide by the 14th amendment is insane...
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...Nonviolence was the key to tactical victories won in this era. And the Constitution of the United States was the anchor that provided guarantees that non-violent tactics were legally defensible to provide the gains necessary. People were willing to violate local laws because they believed they answered to a higher law, the Constitution. Students should become aware of the hardships faced by people who were willing to risk job and home and even life to win the prize of justice, self-respect and fair treatment. What gains were made during this decade of marches, meetings, jailings, sit-ins and freedom rides? My unit presents five themes, in the context of barriers to overcome: A. SOCIAL BARRIERS. Racial prejudices and fears that led to the formation of the Ku Klux Klan; fears of black-white race-mixing, culminating in the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi in 1955. Why did the Till case become a national scandal? Tills mother said, The murder of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of all of us. B. EDUCATIONAL BARRIERS. Implementation of the Brown decision in Little Rock produced heroes and villains like Orval Faubus, Daisy Bates and Thurgood Marshall. What was it like for Mrs. Bates after she was struck by a rock thrown through her living room window with a note, Stone this time. Dynamite next? The confrontation achieved historic proportions when President Eisenhower reluctantly brought in federal...
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...The documentary "Eyes on the Prize" focuses primarily on the segregation and mistreatment of African-Americans in the United States, which lead to the Civil Rights Movement. The documentary utilizes footage accumulated over many years, giving the viewer an in depth and unique view into the various eras of time. In the documentary there were interviews with a diverse selection of people from scholars and historians to victims of segregation and individuals who were active in the Civil Rights Movement. In "Eyes on the Prize", several African-Americans told their stories of segregation, racism and violence; these were accompanied by horrific and unsettling video clips of violence and mistreatment. The documentary was able to drive its narrative...
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...“Eyes on the Prize” was a documentary created by PBS that explored the American Civil Rights Movement. The section we watched in class detailed the death of Emmit Till. A young boy who was viciously murdered over calling an unattractive white woman “Baby.” When the men who were convicted of the murder were sent to trial, they were convicted not guilty from a jury of white males. After this event, Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up to a white man and was arrested. These were the starting points of this revolution, because of Martin Luther King Jr. He changed the perspective of how African Americans should view Caucasian people, rather than be angry with them, they should feel forgiveness. That was the start of a new perspective. From watching the film and exploring the website, I have...
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...For example in the film Eyes on the Prize, said, “On November 13, 1956, the US supreme court broke the deadlock ruling unanimously that Montgomery's bus segregation was unconstitutional, that day the Ku Klux Klan rode and walked the black neighborhood’s again. This time, the blacks just watched, unmoved and unafraid” (Eyes on the Prize). The blacks had made the progress thought to stop segregation in buses. Furthermore, blacks were proud of how much they went through to actually gain their...
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...True Grit tells Mattie’s journey to avenge her father’s death by tracking down the murderer of him, who is named Tom Chaney. Along the way, she faces many arduous tasks. The songs “Move Along,” by The All-American Rejects, and “Carry On,” by Fun, both highlight not allowing obstacles to slow yourself down, which Mattie did in order to move on. Mattie is a perseverant and determined person, which is also why she would probably enjoy “Fight Song,” by Rachel Platten, which encourages those two aspects, and also “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor, which talks about fighting in difficult situations. During her quest of vengeance, Mattie meets other problems as well. She often must remind herself to focus on her end goal, which is the reason why she would possibly enjoy “Eyes on the Prize,” by Bruce Springsteen, in addition to those listed above. Regardless of Mattie’s musical tastes, however, it is needless to say that if her fans from all over the world found out about them, they would for sure still keep on...
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...Balcetis research is based on perception is subjective. What we assume we observe is filtered through our mind’s eye. Balcetis defines a person’s fitness by measuring the circumference of their waist compared to the circumference of their hips. She claimed a higher “Waist-to-hip” ratio is an indicator of being less physically fit than a lower “Waist-to-hip” ratio. People who are less physically fit see their goals to a finish line as farther than those with a lower “Waist-to-hip”. She did another study on whether the motivation of the participants affected their perception of distance to the finish line. If people with strong motivation and strong goals might view the end closer than weaker motivated people. Research proved that people less...
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...four years old sitting on a brightly colored carpet in a brightly colored room. As the teacher goes up to her big , pretty chair which was basically her throne, in the eyes of us preschoolers. All of us preschoolers knew that it was time to be quiet when Miss Julie got up on her chair to talk to us preschoolers. “Today class we are all going to read and you will all get the same book that I have.” I was very excited because that meant I would be one step closer to being like Molly.. Then, Miss Julie started handing out the books that all of us preschoolers would get identical copies of. The first kid who got his turned his upside down and started making noises that were extremely unpleasant to my ears.. The next few kids starting throwing their books when they finally received them . Miss Julie said, “ Now friends, do you really want to do that to your new big kid books?” “No , Miss Julie,” we all responded.They continued acting like hooligans until Miss Julie finally got mad and made all of the people who were not treating their books with respect lose a few minutes of their highly valued recess time . She told everyone to take their books home and try to read them with their parents so we could win a prize.. I finally had my mom pick me up and I was extremely eager to go home and read it so I could get a prize, and be like Molly of course.. I kept shouting on the way home , “Look mommy, I am almost like Molly now being able to read!” My mom was probably extremely disinterested...
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...Non-violent direct action was based on the premise that proving the violence came from anti-Civil Rights protesters would benefit the progression of the movement. This type of protest stemmed from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal beliefs, and were practiced beginning in the sit-ins in the 1960s (Eyes on the Prize). Students would go limp when attacked and put their hands up to show they were not fighting back. This caught the attention of the media and news spread worldwide that only white people were fighting minority groups. King also organized the Montgomery Bus Boycotts in 1955 following the arrest of Rosa Parks (Eyes on the Prize). This was a peaceful boycott in which those who used the bus system would instead walk or use carpools and taxis. Yet again this brought white people to spew hatred towards those who did this and violently react against them....
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...entered the reading competition I knew that I had to get focused and read every night in order to win. Now, it wasn’t a little prize like a movie ticket or some school supplies. The prize was the greatest prize ever, cutting the ribbon to The Tiger Mountain at the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo didn’t have any tigers before 2005, so it meant a lot to me, if I won and got to cut the ribbon. I was in the fourth grade when Mrs. Lola was telling us about the competition. Mrs. Lola was from Tennessee and she had a very southern accent. She said “Now, Now kids we’ll be having a competition. You’ll have a period of 2 months to read as much books as you can and jot it down on the organizer sheet. Whoever reads the most books gets to cut the ribbon for the new attraction at The Bronx Zoo, called The Tiger Mountain!” As soon as she said the last sentence my eyes lit up, like a kid in the candy store. I stood up and volunteered before she finished her sentence. It was no surprise to Mrs. Lola that I was up there first, she knew how upbeat I was when it came to competitions. During the two months I read a book every day, maybe even two! Man I was on fire. I would come to school and ask my opponents how many books they had read so far and I would always make sure I was ahead at least by one. At the end of the first month Mrs. Lola told us that there was more to the prize, the winner was going to be on the news. Well, I didn’t watch the news, due to the fact that I was only 10 years old. But I...
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...Not Know About the Nobel Prizes It's Fun Friday -- time for some fun for the weekend. Enjoy today's post and I'll see you back here on Monday with more philatelic news and notes. Sweden Scott #2415a-d Sweden was home to Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and other explosives. He left most of his fortune to endow the annual Nobel Prize awards in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, literature, physiology or medicine, and peace. Sweden has been a prolific issuer of stamps related to Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes. In 2001, Sweden commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first Nobel Prizes awarded by issuing stamps depicting Nobel and the actual medals. The 4-stamp set was engraved by master engraver, Czeslaw Slania. He expertly depicted Alfred Nobel in profile view, as well as the fine detail of the medals. This set of stamps is a beautiful addition to any collection due to its historical commemoration and the sheer beauty of the engravings. If you are like most people, you may be under the impression that only the best of the best get awarded Nobel Prizes. You may think that the carefully thought out opinions by the selection committees would highlight lasting improvements in the sciences and the peace process. You may also be aware that the Nobel Prizes are never given out posthumously. If you believe any of those, like I did, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Here then are some curious facts about the Nobel Prizes, the recipients, and the...
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...FINDING FORRESTER TEACHERS’ NOTES Finding Forrester is a film about the inspirational relationship between a street-wise black teenager and a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. This study guide is for pupils of GCSE and A level English and Media Studies. The areas of study include starting points for creative writing, writing a critique, what makes great writing, representation and mise en scène. SYNOPSIS He was a vibrant personality who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novel four decades ago. And that is the last word heard of William Forrester (Sean Connery). That is until Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), a brash sixteen-year-old with writing aspirations of his own, cracks the veneer of Forrester’s sheltered existence and re-ignites the dreams of this literary legend in the winter of his life. Known as the neighbourhood recluse, silver-haired Forrester is a man whose mystery and eccentricity border on the mythical. When he discovers that Jamal - a talented African-American scholar-athlete who is recruited by an elite Manhattan school for his brilliance on and off the basketball court - has sneaked into his apartment and left his backpack full of writings behind, they both get something unexpected in return. Forced to look past skin colour and suppositions, Jamal encounters not only his first fan, but a mentor who will challenge and change him forever, and Forrester has his first reason in years to emerge from his self-imposed solitude. Visit www.columbiatrlstar.co.uk/forrester...
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...Essay The use of media as a reliable source has been tainted through scandal, such as Watergate and Janet Cooke. When stories sound unbelievable, they usually are. In 1981, a young aspiring journalist wrote a compelling story about an 8 year old boy. Jimmy was described as a third-generation heroin addict, a precocious little boy with sandy hair, velvety brown eyes, needle mark freckles, and the baby-smooth skin of his thin brown arms. Who could resist a story about this boy? The media could not. This story is one example of how the media we see, hear and read are unreliable sources of information. Once one reads Janet Cooke’s article “Jimmy’s World,” they feel empathy and sadness for this boy. The media allowed the public to see a lifestyle different than what we knew. It was said that the article was based on interviews with the boy, his mother and his mother's boyfriend. However, Cooke, the journalist wrote a hoax article about a young boy to get higher ratings and praise to receive the best prize a journalist can receive. Later, Janet Cooke, an African American journalist in 1981 was given a Pulitzer Prize for her article on Jimmy. The world believed this story. This story was published and printed on the front cover of the newspaper. The world was shocked and felt a sense of disbelief. In fact, the article prompted a strong and immediate response in the city. There was an assigned task force of police and social workers to help locate Jimmy, so he could obtain medical...
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...immense source of pride for Americans; it occurred during the Cold War, a period of political turmoil between the United States and Soviet Union. As more than 600 million huddled in front of their T.V. screens watching a group of American men made history, they were united under a national identity. Americans viewed the landing as a U.S. victory and the end of the Cold War. Given that consumers make “62% to 90% of their snap decisions about products based on color alone”, the use of color in the moon landing advertisements is very conscious. In the first and second advertisements, complimentary colors red and green are used. The use of complementary colors provide “stark visual contrast” and are considered more “dynamic and pleasing to the eye”. The third advertisement, though not specifically marketing the moon landing, uses red, white, and blue. This creates a patriotic undertone,...
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...Eyes on the Prize is a documentary that follows the progression of the African American civil rights movement from 1954 to 1985. This documentary is split into two separate volumes, America’s Civil Rights Years (1954-1964) and American at the Racial Crossroads (1965-1985). The entirety of this documentary is about 14 hours long, so I only watched the first volume: America’s Civil Rights Years. This documentary provides a vast amount of personal accounts and interviews from various people who were directly and/or indirectly linked to the civil rights movement. These interviews gave the individual perspectives of the movement, which were all unique, but established similarities in the feelings of social injustices and prejudices. This documentary did a good job in showing how these individual experiences developed and united to form the civil rights movement. The first volume of Eyes on the Prize hints at the mobilization and political process perspectives mentioned in the introduction of Goodwin /Jasper textbook. The migration of blacks out of the agricultural south provided new resources and opportunities that weren’t available before. The acquisition of these resources including social networking and organizational infrastructure allowed a place to discuss the social injustices brought upon them. Some of the interviewees in the documentary made mentions of going to the churches to unionize, a luxury that wasn’t available before. During this time, World War II was looming...
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