Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage, is a play about a group of black people who live in Nicodemus, Kansas after leaving Memphis, Tennessee. In Act I, scene 3 we see three of the main characters engage in a ritual. This ritual is significant to the sisters because it represents their freedom and their courage.
In Act I, scene 3 of Flyin’ West we find Sister Sophie Washington, Fannie Dove and Minnie Dove Charles performing a ritual. This ritual was the same ritual they performed the day they left Memphis and headed West. As they hold hands in a circle they recite the verse alternatively: “Because we are free Negro women… Born of free Negro women… Back as far as time begins… We choose this day to leave a place where our lives, our honor and our very souls are not our own. We choose this day to declare our lives to be our own and no one else’s. And we promise to always remember the day we left Memphis and went West together to be free women as a sacred bond between us with all our trust…And all our strength…And all our courage…And all our love.” I believe this ritual serves as encouragement to Sophie, Minnie and Fannie. In their verse they remind themselves of the reasons for why they are leaving Memphis: to seek the freedom they deserve. The ritual reminds the participants of the strong bond they have created as they set for their journey out West as black women.
This ritual also has a connection with the characters’ gender and race history. Being black in the late 1800’s meant being a slave. Not just a slave but also a victim of lynching and riots. For these reasons the Dove sisters along with Sister Sophie decided to travel West, in search of their freedom. The sisters wanted to be free to act and do what they wanted without the white folks hurting them. This ritual also connects to Fannie, Minnie and Sister Sophie’s gender because in the ritual these three women demonstrate great courage. In the 1800’s it was rare for a woman to demonstrate leadership. Yet these three black women decide to travel to a place where they would be free without a man by their side. They know the risks they take by traveling West but decide their freedom is more important. They also promise to keep a strong bond with each other as they set on their journey.
Even though the ritual in Act I, scene 3 may be small, the importance to the characters is great. The ritual represents the day three black women left Memphis, Tennessee to fly West where they would be three free black women with rights.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Shirley Temple Curls
As a young girl, the only thing the narrator, Frankie Lennon, wanted was to have hair like Shirley Temple. Instead of having Shirley Temple curls, she felt she had hair that made her look like Topsy. She was fascinated by Shirley temple because she was what all the other little girls wanted to be. Everybody thought Shirley Temple had the entire “package.” She was cute, polite, famous and the most shiny, silky curls. She was just perfect. Females these days seem to compare themselves to celebrities because they seem to have the perfect image. It seems that American women are programmed to believe that what they see in the magazines is the way everyone should look like. American women seen to compare themselves to actresses and models who are pretty and talented.
People Who Went West
The play Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage, tells the story of black people who traveled West in search of their freedom. In particular, it tells the story of the Dove sisters, Minnie and Fannie along with Sister Sophie. We are also introduced to Miss Leah, Wil and Frank Charles, Minnie’s light-skinned black husband. So far, I have really enjoyed this play because the characters tell stories and demonstrate courage as black women.
One thing I really like about this story is the fact that the main characters are women. My favorite scene is when Minnie, Sophie and Fannie are outside their house and they perform the same ritual they performed the day they left Memphis. I like this scene because it demonstrates how they empower each other as they remember how they became free black women. I also like this story because each character has a story to tell. I enjoy reading everyone’s stories but I think Miss Leah’s are the most interesting. Though her stories are a bit harsh, they are very informative and they show how she lived as a slave. For instance, the story she told Minnie about the first time she met and slept with James. She explained she had to do it in front of an overseer and was still expected to work the next day. Miss Leah also demonstrates courage like the rest of the women in this play. They were able to free themselves from the painful life they had in Memphis, Tennessee.
As I read the play there were a couple of words I didn’t quite understand. The first word I didn’t understand was picaninny. This word can be found in page 50 when Frank tells Minnie, “You look like a damn picaninny. We haven’t been here twenty-four hours and look at you.” In doing research, I learned this word is an offensive word for a Black child. Another word I needed to clarify was the word biding. This word can be found in page 62 in a conversation between Fannie and Minnie. Fannie tells Minnie, “Mama always said she was biding her time until we could get these white folks off our backs so she could get colored men straightened out on a thing or two a little bit closer to home, but until then, she said she’d give him the benefit of the doubt.” While looking for the meaning of the word I realized that the word biding was part of an idiom used by Fannie. To bide one’s time means to wait for a favorable opportunity. Learning the meaning of these terms helped me understand the play better.
So far I have enjoyed this play. I like the characters and their women power. I also like learning their stories about where they came from. If I could choose a character to ask a question to, I would choose Frank. I would ask Frank why he mistreats his wife and if he even loves her.
One thing I really like about this story is the fact that the main characters are women. My favorite scene is when Minnie, Sophie and Fannie are outside their house and they perform the same ritual they performed the day they left Memphis. I like this scene because it demonstrates how they empower each other as they remember how they became free black women. I also like this story because each character has a story to tell. I enjoy reading everyone’s stories but I think Miss Leah’s are the most interesting. Though her stories are a bit harsh, they are very informative and they show how she lived as a slave. For instance, the story she told Minnie about the first time she met and slept with James. She explained she had to do it in front of an overseer and was still expected to work the next day. Miss Leah also demonstrates courage like the rest of the women in this play. They were able to free themselves from the painful life they had in Memphis, Tennessee.
As I read the play there were a couple of words I didn’t quite understand. The first word I didn’t understand was picaninny. This word can be found in page 50 when Frank tells Minnie, “You look like a damn picaninny. We haven’t been here twenty-four hours and look at you.” In doing research, I learned this word is an offensive word for a Black child. Another word I needed to clarify was the word biding. This word can be found in page 62 in a conversation between Fannie and Minnie. Fannie tells Minnie, “Mama always said she was biding her time until we could get these white folks off our backs so she could get colored men straightened out on a thing or two a little bit closer to home, but until then, she said she’d give him the benefit of the doubt.” While looking for the meaning of the word I realized that the word biding was part of an idiom used by Fannie. To bide one’s time means to wait for a favorable opportunity. Learning the meaning of these terms helped me understand the play better.
So far I have enjoyed this play. I like the characters and their women power. I also like learning their stories about where they came from. If I could choose a character to ask a question to, I would choose Frank. I would ask Frank why he mistreats his wife and if he even loves her.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Value of Stories
Why do people value stories? Some people believe that stories are just fairy tales that only children enjoy. I disagree. Stories are for children and grown-ups alike. Stories have value because they help us learn about the author and about life’s journeys.
In her blog Frankie Lennon states that, “If we tell them to each other as adults and we listen, they reveal the markers of life’s journeys” which I believe is true. I agree with Frankie Lennon because stories are told to teach us about life’s journeys through the experiences of the author. By reading The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life by Frankie Lennon I learned about life through Lennon’s experiences. Even though her stories and my stories are different, I feel like we share some things in common. A good story shares with the reader the value of life. One story that taught me this was “Scotch on the Rocks.” This story taught me that even the “bad” stories have an impact on how we live life. I learned that the so-called bad stories are a good story in disguise. And that’s what life is.
As readers, we learn the accomplishments and events the author experiences. The book The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life is proof that stories tell us a lot about the author. As her student, I learned a lot about Lennon that I would have never learned by just sitting in her English class. As Lennon mentions in her blog, stories reveal turning points in the author’s life. Her book did just that, it taught me more than meets the eye. One of the stories I liked that taught me about the author was “Fever.” I liked it because I learned about one of her life turning events. It helped to see her as a person and not just as the professor who assigns me homework
Stories allow us to learn the most intimate character traits and experiences about the author. They also serve as a guide through life. We relate to the author’s experience and learn about life itself.
In her blog Frankie Lennon states that, “If we tell them to each other as adults and we listen, they reveal the markers of life’s journeys” which I believe is true. I agree with Frankie Lennon because stories are told to teach us about life’s journeys through the experiences of the author. By reading The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life by Frankie Lennon I learned about life through Lennon’s experiences. Even though her stories and my stories are different, I feel like we share some things in common. A good story shares with the reader the value of life. One story that taught me this was “Scotch on the Rocks.” This story taught me that even the “bad” stories have an impact on how we live life. I learned that the so-called bad stories are a good story in disguise. And that’s what life is.
As readers, we learn the accomplishments and events the author experiences. The book The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life is proof that stories tell us a lot about the author. As her student, I learned a lot about Lennon that I would have never learned by just sitting in her English class. As Lennon mentions in her blog, stories reveal turning points in the author’s life. Her book did just that, it taught me more than meets the eye. One of the stories I liked that taught me about the author was “Fever.” I liked it because I learned about one of her life turning events. It helped to see her as a person and not just as the professor who assigns me homework
Stories allow us to learn the most intimate character traits and experiences about the author. They also serve as a guide through life. We relate to the author’s experience and learn about life itself.
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