Beverly Atlee Bunn: A Brief Biography

Alice Malsenior Walker, an African American born into poverty, came into this world on February 9, 1944 in Eatonon, Georgia. She was the youngest child of eight children born to Willie Lee and Minnie Tallulah Walkers. Both of her parents were sharecroppers as well as expert story tellers. Things were not easy for the Walkers and Alice often witnessed her mother’s frustration of having the burden to take care of eight children with little means. Even though children of share croppers were usually made to work the fields, Alice’s mother made sure that her kids received an education. Alice was brilliant at writing poetry.

The essay “How My Illiterate Grandmother Raised an Educated Black Man” was written by Terrell Jermaine Starr. After four years of journalism experience, Terrell is now the associate editor for an online journal called NewsOne. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and two master degrees. He says that he owes all of his success to his grandmother; without her constant encouragement, he would never have become the accomplished journalist he is today.

She uses unique words and phrases, metaphors and descriptions, and witty but informative tone. She opens the readers’ minds up to what the world we are living in is becoming. It is everyone for themselves, therefore every individual should become educated on every subject that they can handle. There is no possible way someone should overeducate themselves; it is just an impossibility. Imagine what life would be like if eventually everyone only knew about what their degree was in. There would not be many conversations, no improvement in the quality of life, a shorter survival rate, etc. The worst feeling in the world is feeling useless or worthless which could happen if you do not expand your knowledge. Go out in the world and learn what can be learned by observing, reading, studying, listening, asking, tasting, touching, smelling, or anything that helps you learn. The world needs more intelligence in every area. It is time that we take a stand and educate ourselves and others as much as we possibly

To teach young children that being yourself is the best way to live, taking chances, being respectful and opening up always goes a long way. I feel she wants to show us that reading and writing are great separate but together it shows within. Words are taught to people from books, so if no one reads new words how will the next person learn the meaning.

As a girl growing up around a group of bikers, boys and two parents who listened to eighties hair bands and metal, you wouldn’t think that I read or was read to frequently before starting school. I pursued in reading quite often, actually. When I finally started school, I had the tendency of keeping to myself and staying quiet. There never have been very many friends in the picture of my life. I learned at a young age that there often are going to be cliques, even when you’re an eight year old in girl scouts. I stood out in more ways than one, but for now I’m only going to elucidate why reading is so salient to me.

Eudora Welty’s sheltered, adolescent life, coupled with her parent’s emphasis on education and reading, helped to shape her as the writer she was by making her stylistic approaches daring and intelligent while keeping a southern tone and state of mind.

of why she's apprehensive of the books, other than that because the society says she should be.

Susie Baker was born under the slave law in Georgia, in 1848. She was raised by her grandmother in Savannah, Georgia. It was Susie’s grandmother that ensured she learned to read and write. Susie was sent discretely to study with a friend of the family, and tutors were sought out wherever they could be found. Discretion was necessary because some southern

One such author, poet Langston Hughes, wrote “Let America Be America Again.” Hughes is known for his portrayal of the African American life in America during the early to mid 1900’s. Hughes was born in 1902 in Missouri where his parents divorced when he was a young child. He was raised by his grandmother until his teenage years before he moved to live with his mother and her new husband. He was a college graduate from Lincoln University and was an award winning novelist. Another author, Edward McClelland, we don’t learn as much about. We know he grew up in an auto making town in the 1970s, a time during which middle-class America was strong and prosperous. McClelland tells us his ideology through personal experience, examples, and the use of some statistics. With our last author, meet D. Watkins, a college professor who has a master’s degree in education from John Hopkins University and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Baltimore. (3) We

The book is written by Melba Pattillo Beals. She was born December seventh, nineteen forty one. She was born in Little Rock Arkansas . Melba Pattillo Beals is important because she is one of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African-American students that were involved in the desegregation of Little Central High School in nineteen fifty seven. Melba has not passed away she is seventy five years old. Melba Pattillo Beals grew up around family members who knew the importance of getting an education. Her mother Lois Marie Pattillo, was one of the first black graduates of the University of Arkansas, in nineteen fifty four. Her mother was also a high school english

On a long dirt road in a wooden farmhouse in Mississippi, lived Bessie Vanburen, her 4 children, and her husband John Vanburen. Bessie was a beloved mother who did everything for everyone else before seeing about herself. She had 3 ?boys and 1 girl. Jackson & Justin were the oldest boys who were identical twins. Jonathan was the middle son who had autism where he needed proper care for his health. Jennifer was the only girl & the baby who was always whining about having to do stuff with her brothers all the time. Bessie was a very caring young woman who didn?t work but did housewife chores all day every day. ?The more dirt around the house the more she felt the need to clean up. At the age of 16 Bessie found love while playing in the field yard with some friends. Mr. John Vanburen took her hand in marriage and started a family with her. Although, Bessie was a slave she was very sick but was too busy to focus on her health. ?She stayed in the field majority of the day while her husband go? out and work to provide. The kids would be tagging along with her because there weren?t any babysitters around the way. Bessie was very young with a life of her own. She had lost both of her parents in war ?and grew up raising herself after her grandparent?s? passed. Everything that the family had for dinner was

In Susie King Taylor’s Memoir, we are submerged into a vivid retelling of an African American woman’s experience during her time serving as a nurse and laundress for African American infantries during the Civil War. Taylor describes in great detail what life was like for the African American soldiers whom she would care for during their battles against the rebels of the confederacy. Taylor also shares what her own life was like prior to, during, and after her time as an infantry worker. Taylor’s personal story parallels the lives of many African Americans during the civil war era, and the array of social challenges African Americans were forced to endure day in and day out. As we look into this great recollection of history, it is important to understand the significant influence education had over Taylor. During Taylor’s lifetime, education granted her the ability to survive during her time working for the military, educate those around that were around her, and formulate her own life experiences into literature.

She rewrites this statement several times to clarify the meaning it has to her and says, “All of these had everything to do with who I am today.”(first paragraph of “only daughter”). Reading and writing was not a challenge so to speak as it was for Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X, but it was the process of what she did with that skill that was difficult. Ever since she was in elementary school she knew she wanted to go to college, she shared this with her father and he was pleased. She misunderstood understanding and states later, “What I didn’t realize was that my father thought college was good for girls for finding a husband.”(third paragraph of “only daughter”). She says that all her writing was for him, for his approval, but the ironic part of this is that he barely read anything at all, and not a word of english. He worked with his hands and read things like magazines and comics, nothing too lengthy and hard. She says he would always tell them, “ “Use this,” my father said, tapping his head, “and not this,” showing us those hands. He always looked tired when he said it.” (tenth paragraph of “only daughter”). See he believed she was smart and could make something of herself but that was not the goal he expected her to reach. He was expecting her to find a husband and make a family, this was not the goal in her mind. She wanted to become a writer and make a career for herself. He wouldn’t interrupt her with her work except for the occasional “ What are you writing?” but she wanted him to interrupt, she felt at times that he didn’t care what she did as long as she got a husband in the end. This frustrated her beyond belief along with the fact that he would always say that he had “seven sons” but in spanish it translates to that but it really just means seven children. She took this to heart and mentions it several times to get the message across that she was offended. She later had one of her

Education plays a very important role in Beverly's life. She said that she sees the world as a candy store. She taught at Fullerton Community College and at the high school level, and her students made a deep impact on her.

In a Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl by Joyce Hansen, the personality of Patsy demonstrates audacity. As an illustration, the story reveals that “I have never written in a book before. If Mistress Davis catch me she’ll whip me and take you away, little book. Whenever newspapers was thrown away for burning, I would take a page and hide it under my pallet, so that when I was alone, I could practice reading words” (Hansen 3,4). Patsy learned how to read even though slaves were not allowed to be educated.