Tia Simmons

Professor Ziegler

LIT4934

Why Does Reading Matter?

Introduction

I heard about this course several semesters ago from a classmate. “All you have to do is

go and read to kids the entire semester and turn in an eight-page paper for the final on why

reading matters. It’s a senior seminar!” I kept this class noted in my mind. When it came time to

sign up for classes for my final semester I was reminded by my advisor that I also needed to

enroll in a senior seminar course. I thought about this class. I was hesitant about signing up but

the idea of a light workload and easy ‘A’ enticed me. You just have to read to kids, I thought.

This attitude followed me into the classroom for the first two weeks. The third week, I was

introduced to my reading buddies, Tymari and Suliman. Once I was introduced to them my

selfish idea of this class solely benefiting my GPA vanished. Each time I met with my reading

buddies I paid close attention to details such as how they read, comprehended and behaved in a

classroom setting as it related to their race, socioeconomic status and family setting. The joy

each one of my buddies shared for reading compelled me to create the most effective learning

environment I could. Despite our sessions being ephemeral my new desire was to actually teach

these kids things that may have already been introduced to them, but in a way that reinforced the

ideas and left a lasting impact in their minds. I utilized tactics, which I will later discuss, to make

things we reviewed lucid.

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Ms. Ziegler introduced a new concept to me this semester: “create your own reading

curriculum.” I chose to focus my reading curriculum around African American Literature. For

my reading curriculum I focused on Black Literature that explored various struggles within the

Black community. I begin with two books that explored the African Diaspora and the placement

of Blacks to gain background knowledge on the roots of their struggles. There is an apparent

absence of use concerning African American Literature in the academic field. I think much of

this is due to thoughts the word “intellectual” generally elicit. In a chapter titled “The Politics of

Black Feminist Thought,” Patricia Hill Collins wrote, “Examining the contributions of women

like Sojourner Truth suggests that the concept of ‘intellectual’ must itself be deconstructed. Not

all Black (women) intellectuals are educated. Not all Black (women) intellectuals work in

academia. Furthermore, not all highly educated Black (women), especially these who are

employed in U.S. colleges and universities, are automatically intellectuals. One is neither born an

intellectual nor does one become one by earning a degree” (409). If the idea of an intellectual

was to be dismantled completely and reconstructed in the minds of many there is a possibility of

more than just White American authors being on the syllabus.

In what follows I will continue in explanation on my experience at Woodland Acres,

provide advice for the “next generation” of Reading Matters students, extend discussion on my

reading curriculum, and dive deeper into the topic of why reading matters.

Intermission

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Woodland Acres

I recall my first day at Woodland Acres like it was yesterday. We would be reading Percy

Jackson and The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan. I was very much impressed by Tymari and

Suliman. These boys articulated words that I did not think they would be able to read through.

They knew how to sound out words until they got the correct pronunciation. Their ability to read

and comprehend, even infer about various scenes in the book, was extraordinary. I was not

expecting this. Both boys came and set the standard for fifth grade students. It was remarkable to

see that these boys were not only fifth graders but minorities as well. They were Black safety

patrols and noteworthy readers for their age. These facts alone defied so many stereotypes of

children like them. Marianna did not join our group until the second week of my placement at

Woodland Acres. I was a bit concerned with Marianna’s reading proficiency. She was not as

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eager to read as the boys were. When she did read she stuttered and had a hard time pronouncing

many words. I decided to work closely with her to improve these skills. I did not make her read

when she did not want to; however, I strongly encouraged her to try.

I got attached to my buddies quickly. When things in other fields of my life got hectic,

like the sudden passing of my grandfather, I knew I could come to them and feel revived. Seeing

their bright smiles and listening to their intellectual thoughts brought sunshine to days that had

been much dampened. In addition, I never wanted to disappoint them by not showing up. It

warmed my heart to see them looking for me in our regular spot for meeting. It made me feel like

they were getting comfortable. I was always sure to put off some fun and energetic vibes so that I

would receive them back. I was so glad to not allow the stressful events going on in my life to be

brought into their reading sessions. That would not be fair to them. I thought about how it would

feel to be on the other end of that deal so I was careful to not show a bit of distress. If you would

have questioned me ten weeks ago, I would have told you there is no way I am going to be

attached to these students. I simply, thought, “Oh I’m teaching kids? Cool. In and out.” As stated

previously, this is far from my demeanor today. To have them reassure me that they were

learning and retaining information relieved my soul. Knowing that I made a positive and

effective impact in the lives of these three students is far more rewarding than receiving an “A”

in the class. I am glad that I was able to give them lessons to carryon to the next stage of their

life. I did not always reward them or pat them on the back, but I was silently rooting for each and

every one of them to perform well. In an article titled, “Teacher, Leave those Kids Alone,”

Amanda Ripley expounded on the different types of parenting. I tried to implement the

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authoritative parenting style with the students. If they were not on task or did not bring their

book I let them know there were consequences for these things. I would also give them praise

and gratification when they were performing on or above standard and doing what was asked. I

always wanted these children to receive the best experience from this program.

It became almost habitual for me to loosely connect the students’ academic success with

their race, socioeconomic status, and family setting. I think back to when I discovered Marianna

did not live with her parents. I further identified that she not only stayed with her grandmother

but two younger siblings as well. Taking into account Marianna’s stammered speech and her

living situation, I was led to believe she is not receiving the individual focus needed at home.

She confirmed my conviction that she was Hispanic and that her grandmother was as well. It

could be that Marianna’s grandmother’s English is not good or she just does not know English at

all. Fifteen percent of the students at Woodland Acres Elementary are English language learners.

For these students, their first language at home is not English. On the contrary, you have Tymari

and Suliman, two Black boys. If I only stated that fact about them and provided the fact that the

elementary school was Title 11, there are some that would make the assumption that neither one

of them were reading at a proficient rate. Suliman lives with his mother and older brother.

Tymari is a part of a blended family. His parents are divorced, yet his biological father is active

in his life as well as his mom and stepdad. He resides with his mom where he is the only child. It

1 Title I is the federal program that provides funding to local school districts to improve the

academic achievement of disadvantaged students. It is part of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act first passed in 1965.

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could be that since Tymari is the only child of a three-parent situation and Suliman’s sibling is

older, most of the parental concern is put into academic success. I assert the claim that a child’s

home life has a major impact on their reading habits. If reading is not enforced at home, then

why should it be important to a child at school? Inevitably in our adolescent years everything our

parents say and do is gold; and if they are not doing it then we feel as though we should not

either. There are many children that overcome their situations. They do not become products of

their environment but I wonder just how many do.

On the third week I gifted the trio with reading bags. I created the bags with the thought

of keeping them engaged in the reading. Inside the tote bags were mechanical pencils,

highlighters, a sticky notepad, and a small green composition book. The composition books and

sticky pads would hopefully be a place for them to foster ideas about what they were reading. I

encouraged them to use the highlighter to flag things they felt important or wanted to do further

research on such as a new word or historical event. They received the reading bags well. The

tools would promote active and attentive reading that involved posing questions, researching

facts, digging deeper, making connections, etc. Tymari and Suliman were eager to use the tools.

Again, I reiterate that their behavior tears down conventional ideas that Black youth are not

interested in education.

After three weeks of just reading, I decided I would change my approach. I did not feel I

was maximizing every learning point possible by just reading for an hour straight every week. I

began constructing a lesson plan for our weekly sessions. Since the ability to summarize was a

benchmark standard for fifth graders we began by recalling what we had read during our time

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apart at the start of each session. I would either have them orally call off details or write them

down in their composition books. Reinforcing a classroom ritual of raising your hand was key in

this exercise. I made them talk one at a time, teaching them to respect each other’s voice. Each of

them described their experiences in such strong, vivid details. Pleasure and enjoyment danced

throughout their faces letting me know this was far from a chore to them. Summary was

followed up with designated time for vocabulary and text synthesis. I used the time we spent on

vocabulary to reinforce the use of context clues to understand what a word meant and to ensure

they knew how to use a dictionary. The group was instructed to jot down the words and

definitions in their composition books. We looked up words such as obnoxious and ajar. Before

diving into the dictionary for clarity I always asked if anyone had a clue what any of the words

meant. They were sure of some words they just sought reassurance. There were a few times I did

our vocabulary segment differently. I presented the word to them, allowing them to take a guess.

Then I gave them the book definition and pictorial representation of the word. I would choose

words that even I myself wanted to know the definition of; maraschino cherry, paper parasol,

cherub, satyr, pinochle, and caduceus were just a few. Our text synthesis and connections bled

into our vocabulary time. One of the words we defined was “pseudonym”. I defined the word

and gave them an example from the text. We then picked pseudonyms from a list of Greek gods’

and goddesses’ names. We carried these names for the remainder of our time together. There

was a point in the text when the main character, Percy, admits to plagiarizing. I explained what

exactly plagiarizing was and made sure I adamantly emphasized how wrong it was to take credit

for the work of someone else.

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For the latter end of our time together, we did more reinforcement activities and read

individually at home. One day I distributed a blank storybook to each of them. Each one of them

was to illustrate a scene from the book. On the inside they described the scene and wrote down

why they chose the scene. Their drawings were exceptional, however, on the inside looking at

their sentences I was appalled. There were many grammatical errors and misspellings. For the

group to read so well for the most part, their spelling and grammar was a bit off. This puzzled

me. Studentsfirst.org featured an article titled “Statistics About Education in America”. Within

the article different statistics were listed: “Sixty-six percent of all U.S. fourth graders scored

"below proficient" on the 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading test,

meaning that they are not reading at grade level. Even more alarming is the fact that among

students from low-income backgrounds, 80 percent score below grade level in reading.” I pose

the following questions: Who determines what is proficient and what is not? How is proficiency

measured and what exactly is it measure up against? Who draws up the standards children are

called to reach and what makes them qualified, other than just a degree, to do so?

 Reflecting upon the data, I began to try and understand why reading proficiency is at a

low. Teachers are focusing on just one thing throughout the entire school year, standardized

testing. As a result, the other skills necessary that come with literature are not being sharpened.

Teachers are pushed to focus on their students’ receiving high test scores that they are failing to

reinforce other reading skills. Through this activity, I discovered that my own students are

victims of this same system. I felt sorry for them because at this age they cannot help their

misunderstandings. The following week I addressed the errors in their storybooks. Their

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sentences needed to be corrected but in a reinforcing manner. I started with Suliman because he

came in first. I then worked with Tymari followed by Marianna. I explained to each of them that

they were not in trouble and that this criticism was only to better prepare them for the next level.

I think explaining to the kids the purpose of the corrections put them at ease. I believe for them

knowing that they were not in trouble was a major relief. We reconstructed sentences while

working on subject-verb agreement, diction and spelling, as well as punctuation.

Shifting to a sociological lens, I must iterate how nice it was to see two African American

boys enjoy the privilege of reading. I tasked them with a writing prompt, “Reading matters to me

because…” Marianna was not here on this day therefore I am only able to report Tymari and

Suliman’s responses. Tymari wrote, “Reading matters to me because it can take me to places I

can only dream of. Reading is in our life. How can anyone live without reading?” Suliman wrote,

“Reading matters to me because it helps me learn new things. Reading makes me emotional. I

get to spend time with my friends…reading!” How amazing, I thought, that early on these

children understand the importance of reading, not to mention the horrid treatment African

Americans once received for even harboring the desire to read. My heart dances with joy each

and every time the boys speak and I watch them embrace reading. Many Black children are not

able to enjoy this rite of passage – learning to read so that they may access the life they want to

live. Learning to read and actually enjoying it, I feel, leads to motivation to excel academically.

To watch the two of them give off numerous reasons why reading matters to them gave me the

urge to want and call the news and let them get this on tape. There are Black children, more

specifically Black male youth, some growing up in impoverished situations, who are literate and

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understand the importance of reading early on. Suliman informed me that he was one of these

students. He shared that his mom lived in government funded housing. He also let me know this,

“Reading is my escape from all the crazy things that happen in my life. When I read I am

whoever I want to be and I am wherever I want to be. Sometimes our lights are cut off. I just go

to the park and read to get away.” Remarkable.

On the final day of our sessions, we watched Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief.

Marianna was unable to join us for she had other obligations. Slowly but surely other boys

gathered around to join in. It was comforting to see a group of African American males come

together to bond over something more than just drugs, money, and sports – general stereotypes

made by biased onlookers. With many of the things going on in society today it was refreshing to

see a group of heavily stereotyped kids polar opposite of those absurd assumptions. They were

bonding over reading! Each of these young boys were extremely knowledgeable of every detail

in this book and movie. They pointed out things to me about some of the characters that I myself

did not even catch.   To watch my two boys enjoy reading and learning new things was very

satisfying.

In essence, school depletes the optimistic and open mind children have. School tells

children that you have to do things a certain a way to get the most desired result. School leaves

no room for children to express their creativity and exhibit their personality. This program does.

By splitting the students up into smaller groups, there is more focus on the individual needs of

each of them. In an everyday classroom setting this impossible. With this in mind, adding a

program such as this one, permanently, to the school agenda could actually be beneficial. Of

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course there will be those teachers that do not have such experience so they will complain about

the student’s regular classroom time being cut short. I would ask them and anyone else for the

matter the following: Which is more important? One teacher’s success rate on standardized test

or masses of children’s literacy skills being improved and them receiving the individualized help

they need.

There should also be a requirement that college students seeking a career in childhood

education undergo a course such as this one. Just studying education for four years and being

taught how to work with children and accommodate their needs is not enough. There is no time

for trial and error. A child’s education should not be a guinea pig for newcomers. Through this

experience I learned that there is much more to teaching a child than standing before them and

telling them what to do. Teacher and student is a juxtaposing relationship. Formally, the adult is

the teacher and the child is the one learning. What many turn a blind eye to is the fact that the

child also teaches, subconsciously. This calls for the adult to have enough humility to admit they

are not experts and that they can always learn something from the child. There is no way

someone that has not sat down with a group of children and worked with them to understand

each child and their needs, be allowed to receive certification as a teacher just by passing a test.

In chapter three of her book, The Smartest Kids in the World, Amanda Ripley addresses

standardized testing. I was completely shocked to uncover that America’s standardized testing

did not rank as challenging when compared to other countries. There are so many children failing

these tests that are not even considered tough. Students should be labeled by numbers and test

score though as in other countries like Korea and Japan. A test score should not be a determinant

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as to where one will end up or how far they will go. Gathering information from such a program

will allow future teachers to integrate what they have been taught in school with what they have

learned from actual students to create a curriculum that not only pushes for on level and above

test scores but also a curriculum that enhances the skills that will stick with these children for a

lifetime.

On the day of my departure from the students my mother asked me, “How come you

were so emotional about parting from your students?” I asked her how come she was so

emotional when she sent us to school for the first time. I did not give her time to answer. I began,

“You wonder if all the time you have spent was in vain. You worry if you have actually taught

them everything you possibly could and then you realize that it is now or never. You have to let

them go and you wonder if the things you have taught them will help them float or cause them to

sink. Being a teacher is like being a parent. You prepare them for as much as you can but

ultimately you are aware that it is there decision.” That was my explanation. I knew in this

moment, because of this experience, I am not ready to have children. The emotional stress that

came with caring for these students and wanting them to succeed let me know I am not ready to

take this on full time. For the simple fact, I do not want to fail an innocent human being. The

things these kids have taught me over the ten weeks we spent together, I will carry with me for

the remainder of my life. I constantly asked them if my methods were working. I asked if they

were understanding everything. When planning out my weekly lesson plans I would panic trying

to make sure I had maximized every learning point possible. Me and the boys ended how we

started, just us three. I did miss Marianna’s presence and was reluctant in thought, wishing she

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could have spent the last two weeks with us. I am extremely proud and even more grateful to

have worked with three of the brightest kids I have ever met - the faces of our future.

Reading Curriculum (Reading in Context)

I decided to direct my focus on Black American Literature that hovered around the

experiences of Black females and African immigrants as their race and gender equate to their

situations. I laid the foundation for my reading curriculum with a study of the African Diaspora.

It was a priority for me to first be conscious of the irreversible path that brought many Africans

to the Americas. I settled upon African Diaspora: A History Through Culture by Patrick

Manning along with Tradition and the Black Atlantic: A Critical Theory in the African Diaspora

authored by Henry Louis Gates Jr. The word diaspora was new to me. Prior to the start of the

two books I had no recollection of ever coming in contact with the term. Manning wrote,

“Diaspora is an ancient term long used almost exclusively in reference to the dispersion of

Jewish people around the world” (2). Manning’s purpose for writing was to give a thorough

explanation on the dispersion of various African tribes whereas Gates’ purpose was to combine

what he knew with what he thought to offer personal insight on the Black Atlantic. Even though

Gate’s novel was not my favorite of the two I enjoyed one particular section. In this section

Gates discusses “culture wars” on African American dialect and primitivism. “For literary and

culture critics, ‘the culture wars’ were battles that raged during the late 1980s and 1990s, first

and foremost, over which authors of their text would be a part of literacy cannon, the “classical,”

“timeless,” or “universal” texts that we teach in survey courses, say, in American literature, or in

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“Great Books” courses, the texts that stand the test of time, the texts that – in some magical way

– speak to the universal human condition” (Gates 114). Gates addressed an underrated issue in

the literature departments across the nation by expressing the feelings that Black writers and

voices were overlooked, in particularly referencing Zora Neale Hurston’s renowned novel Their

Eyes Were Watching God. The idea that Black authors are overlooked has been illustrated rather

boldly to me, going through the school system and even now in college. In eight grade we read

Monster by Walter Myers. This was the first time an author that we were reading looked like me.

I remember thinking, “Students could actually read my books in class.” It was not until my

junior year in college that this idea was renewed in my mind. I introduced to writers such as

Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Toni Morrison, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Alice

Walker, W.E.B. DuBois and so forth.

The transition to W.E.B. DuBois’ Dusks of Dawn was smooth. I opened the novel and

begin reading. After about ten pages into the reading I realized that I had forgot to annotate. In

the journal entry, I note that my overall experience as a reader was enriching and pleasurable.

This book linked the diaspora Manning and Gates discussed with the pains and formality the

characters I later read about lived through. DuBois expounded upon the explicit belief that race is

an abstraction. DuBois utilized life experiences in autobiographical context to clarify the concept

of race: “I have written then what is meant to be not so much my autobiography as the

autobiography of a concept of race, elucidated, magnified and doubtless distorted in the thoughts

and deeds which were more” (551). DuBois does not put much emphasis on his own life but uses

it as a guideline to highlight the history and timeline of the construction of race.

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“Countee Cullen sings: What is Africa to me: Copper sun or scarlet sea/ Jungle state or jungle

track/ Strong bronzed men/ or regal black Women from whose lions I sprang/ When the birds of

Eden sang? One three centuries removed/ From the scenes his fathers love/ Spicy grove

cinnamon tree/ What is Africa to me?” (639). It was important for me to note DuBois’ use of

another African American writer to further present the concept of race. This recognition creates a

window of exposure to authors that share the same race as DuBois that you may would not

receive from reading To Kill a Mocking Bird, Karl Marx, or in a standard. I think of all the things

Cullen calls to the recollection of the mind and wonder do I associate these things with my

heritage? What even is my heritage? There are times I struggle with talks on race and ethnicity

and even deciding what to identify as and having a valid reason to support this choice. Utilizing

Cullen’s poem to trigger thoughts on racial identification prompts me to seek out the entirety of

Cullen’s writing to come to a conclusion.

All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu was the first fictional novel in the curriculum.

Mengestu’s purpose was to show the stereotypes of American immigrants. In turn, Mengestu

creates a character that life exemplifies these assumptions yet is not the ideal candidate - a white

woman in early 1970’s America. Isaac, the main character and first narrator, is created by

presenting through mystery. Isaac does not speak much of himself and Helen does not know

much about him. “There was hardly anything in it, to begin with: a single loose lead of paper

with his name and date of birth and a brief paragraph stating he was here as a foreign-exchange

student. His was the only file like that in our office” (Mengestu 98). It is here I remember

understanding that something is not quite right about Isaac’s character. This created a feeling of

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nostalgia, reminding me of Joyce Carol Oates’ character Arnold Friendly since nothing about

him fit – just like Isaac – nothing qualified him as authentic. There were many holes in Isaac’s

life that the reader and second narrator knew nothing about. Helen and I, the reader, were aware

that we did not know everything if not anything about Isaac. Dinaw conveys this by writing,

“There was no shock or surprise waiting: I had known all along that there was something

fraudulent about the man sitting next to me; the only real surprise was how come he came to tell

me” (149). Helen was content, I on the other hand was not. I wanted to be able to attach myself

to Isaac but the destabilization created around himself forced me to remain an outsider of his life

until the end of the book. It was this same destabilization of the main character that kept me

engaged.

I note a habit I have observed through my own reflections of myself as a reader. Once I

am no longer immersed in the text I no longer read effectively. I speak of my bias toward

Manning’s text over Gates’. I highlighted, noted, and thought with deep intuitive knowledge on

ideas Manning’s text propose whereas with Gates’ text I read for completion of an assignment

and it is evident in my journal entry for that week. I summarize information about the text I have

fewer interest in whereas for a novel like that of DuBois or Manning I included excerpts from the

writing with heavy critical thought. This same juxtaposition can be seen with the last two entries

I completed. The final two books on my reading curriculum were both authored by Toni

Morrison: The Bluest Eye and Sula.

The Bluest Eye was a stranger read. It was set up differently and that in itself made it

harder for me to read. he first four pages of the chapter are untitled. There is one paragraph on

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the page, aligned as if it would be if it was a title heading the page. The sentences are short and

precise but it is unclear who the people are that they are talking about. “Here is the house. It is

green and white. It is very pretty. Here is the family. Mother, Father, Dick, and Jane live in the

green-and-white house. They are very happy. See Jane. She has a red dress” (Morrison 1). The

paragraph continues on in the same fashion but what is even stranger is what I discover on the

following page. It is the same paragraph but it is written without any punctuation. “Here is the

house it is green and white it has a red door it is very pretty here is the family mother father dick

and jane live in the green-and-white house they are very happy see jane she has a red dress she

wants to play” (Morrison 2). Below it is the same paragraph but it is written without spacing

between any of the letters. This odd introduction heightened my expectations for the reading. I

was sure that I was going to gain something from this reading just because the initial interaction

with the text was complicated. As I furthered my reading, I paused and came back to these two

pages. I concluded that these three paragraphs containing the same thing but constructed

different ways represented the three social classes in the book. The helped, the help, the helpless.

The helped would be the white people in this story. Their lives are fully constructed but only on

behalf of Blacks who maintain a sense of homeostasis in the homes of White people. This idea in

turn makes White people are the helped. Just like their lives, which they believe strive oblivious

to the contributions of Blacks, are held up by Blacks so is the initial paragraph. The words are

separated by commas and periods, etc. which allows for a grouping of ideas. In reality though,

that paragraph holds just as much meaning as the second paragraph it is just deemed superior

because of the extra help, like Black and Whites during the twentieth century. The Blacks that

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could read and write were just as good as the White people but instead of leading they help the

helped. They are the help. The last paragraph that is barely readable is a depiction of the Blacks

that could not educate themselves. They are helpless. They cannot help with proving the idea that

Blacks should be equal nor can they really benefit themselves because of their education level.

Similar to The Bluest Eye, Sula is also a feminist coming of age novel. The book explores

the many ways women of color seek to live their lives up against the standards preset for them.

This text challenges such preset conventions within African American women relationships,

along with the trials and pains that come with such relationships. Morrison has several themes at

work: race, womanhood, contingencies of love, and the effects of history. All four themes are

woven into each other; often time one them hurdling off the back of another theme. Because of

the novel’s many themes one could read this book multiple times and still learn something new.

Since there are so many representations of each theme, I would pose the question to Morrison,

“What is your own personal attitude towards the conventional boundaries set for colored

women?” For me, since there are a surplus of women it was hard for me to decide whether

Morrison is promoting fluidity and difference or making aware the trouble that comes along with

not living by the mark.

Throughout the semester my scope has remained the same: the effects of race and gender

in relation to the surrounding situations. With this field of reference, I composed my reading

curriculum. Manning’s and Gates’ texts connect race with geographical location. Out of result of

geographical transfer, race is now a determinant of priority in which Dusks of Dawn explores.

With clarity on the abstraction of race I uncover more areas of discrimination within the last

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three novels. These areas of discrimination are like sub-topics under race; gender, socio-

economic status, citizenship status, disability, etc. The sub-topics create sub-issues; it is not just

oppression because one is Black but also Black and female, mulatto and rich, Black and from

Kenya (immigrant), Black and suffering from PTSD after serving in the war and so forth. I found

that if I have a purpose for reading, I read the text very closely. I pose many questions in

response to ideas I linked amongst texts that bought astute awareness to my initial scope.

Synthesis of Contextual/Evidence

Reading has been an essential part of my life since I have been in my mother’s womb.

My parents read to me every night until birth. I recall my mom reading to me and my brother

every night in preschool. It began with Bible parables and shifted to fictional short stories. When

I began public school in fourth grade we were given a reading list full of books to read. Granny

Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech is the first novel in my memory of reading on my own.

This book begins my reading memory. Beyond school days I would watch my mother read books

at her leisure. She was a part of an African American book club. Once I found out the book club

had a children’s circle I eagerly had her sign me up.

Reading served as the gateway to my imagination and escapism for me; I did not have

many friends outside of school and I was not close with my cousins which left me often alone. I

fell in love with reading when I uncovered that I could disappear and drift off into another world

as long as I read. I loved putting myself into the shoes of the characters I was reading. Carmen

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Brown series my first set of books from the book club. The genre was Christian youth fiction. I

loved this series and eventually read every youth book authored by Stephanie Perry Moore.

As I grew older I explored different genres but my knack for Black writers continued

growing, immensely. In school I had no choice but to read White western writers. I carried no

animosity toward such authors, I simply longed for more diversity in the classroom. I wanted to

see the diversity the university promotes actually penetrated. I fell out of love with reading and

writing after years of reading the same exact things. I began seeking a career in medicine. The

curriculum hosted in my American literature class took reading and writing by the hand and

danced them back into my heart. The agenda not only introduced more African American

authors like Frederick Douglass, Olauduh Equiano and Harriet Jacobs; but also, white female

writers like Kate Chopin and Flannery O’Connor. It was not just the divergence of the curricula

but the ability for the professor to integrate the works together despite race and gender

differences.

Reaching back to my time at Woodland Acres, I remember asking the boys had they ever

heard of James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, or Booker T. Washington. Their responses

were like arrows piercing my flesh. “No who is that?” “I know who Jackson Robinson is!”

“Didn’t Booker T. Washington invent peanut butter?” The fact that two ten-year-old black boys

with at least B+ averages had no idea who these prominent figures were was disturbing. This is

detrimental to society as a whole and suicide Black community.

Tia Simmons 24

Gathering the preceding information, I propose a purpose for reading and perhaps even

why it is a necessity. Reading is the sole connector that links generations, races, struggles,

migrations, and so forth. Without the ability to read, it is impossible to inherent any meaningful

information about the past to take into the present to work on changing things in the future.

Even amongst cultures, races, nationalities, etc. there should be ongoing reading to create a

concise understanding of self which thus gives each and every one of us purpose. This is a

necessity that needs to stay relevant because there needs to be a familiarity with history so that

the past is not repeated as much. It is of importance that the youth is encouraged to read and take

pride and joy when doing so. Boys like Tymari and Suliman need to know there were great men

that looked like them that achieved so much. Understanding this will uproot any disbelief and

discouragement they have been carrying. As a Black female, I identify with the urgent need for a

dismantle of the same syllabus and curriculums that host nothing but dead white men. There is

an outcry for diversity. Diversity does not mean including a prominent Black writer, but teaching

African American vernacular, incorporating Asian, Hispanic/Latino, disabled, Jew and so many

more groups that are rarely even mentioned in American coursework. Reading is a

comprehensive and a thought provoking task. If we read to escape into the lives of others,

perhaps the person we pretend to be is really the person we ought to be – a Black female

astronaut, a deaf white male pianist, a Black man that survived oppression, a Hispanic judge,

and so much more. It is through reading that we discover, the sky is the limit.

Tia Simmons 25

Tia Simmons 26

Works Cited

B., Du Bois William E. Writings by W. E. B. DuBois in Periodicals Edited by Others. Millwood:

Kraus-Thomson, 1982. Print.

Gates, Henry Louis. Tradition and the Black Atlantic: Critical Theory in the African Diaspora.

New York: BasicCivitas, 2010. Print.

Manning, Patrick. The African Diaspora: A History through Culture. New York: Columbia UP,

2009. Print.

Mengestu, Dinaw. All Our Names. Thorndike: Center Point Large Print, 2014. Print.

Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. Print.

Ripley, Amanda. The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way. New York:

Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2014. Print.