Kanawha Themes

Why is there racial tension and political dissension in America? Why did Russia feel its Crimean invasion was justifiable? How did China become an economic power? These questions are answered by a proper understanding of history, helping us to better comprehend the world of 2015. Education’s role needs to be thus: to prepare students as learned individuals and to exist in such an international community. This is why I think history is still incredibly relevant despite focusing on the

At first glance the movie Jumanji might seem far off and like surreal scenario. But getting to its core you will most likely see that it’s based upon everyday subjects and people. Only suddenly put in extreme situations. Jumanji is a tale of friendship, treachery and finding peace. Much like other popular culture pieces and neither less to say life itself.

High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actual history. Sadly, not one text measures up to the author's expectation of teaching students to think. What is worse, though, is that students come away from their classes without "having developed the ability to think coherently about social

The Strange Career of Jim Crow, by C. Van Woodward, traces the history of race relations in the United States from the mid and late nineteenth century through the twentieth century. In doing so Woodward brings to light significant aspects of Reconstruction that remain unknown to many today. He argues that the races were not as separate many people believe until the Jim Crow laws. To set up such an argument, Woodward first outlines the relationship between Southern and Northern whites, and African Americans during the nineteenth century. He then breaks down the details of the injustice brought about by the Jim Crow laws, and outlines the transformation in American society from discrimination to Civil Rights.

The study of history and the teaching of history has come under intense public debate in the United States in the last few decades. The “culture-wars” began with the call to add more works by non-Caucasians and women and has bled into the study of history. Not only in the study of history or literature, this debate has spread into American culture like wildfire.

In the 1940‘s racial segregation gripped southern American life. The notion of separating blacks from whites created immense tension. Separate water fountains, bathrooms, restaurants, etc. were variables that helped keep races apart. “Jim Crow” laws in the south were intended to prevent blacks from voting. These laws, combined with the segregated educational system, instilled the sense that blacks were “separate” but not equal (174). Many people of color weren‘t able to survive through this time period because of the actions of whites. One individual who overcame the relentless struggles was Ralph Ellison. Ellison, a famous author, depicted racial segregation in the 1940’s through a fictional short story entitled “Battle Royal.” Battle

America has come a long way from its initial prejudices and has made strides to include people of all colors and origins. However, despite making progress, we are embarking on a new Civil Rights' movement which will me immortalized in our textbooks for future generations. I will be utilizing three various, distinct articles and show their correlation to past events of racism. Starting with institutionalized racism, how the election of Donald Trump has emboldened racists, and concluding with the Black Lives Matter movement that endeavors to rid the country of racial injustices.

Richard Wright is an African American writer who grow up during the 1900s to 1920s when Jim Crow laws and racial segregation were rampaging through the entire South. Wright had faced and witnessed many unjust, cruel incidents and scenes throughout his youth, for instance: frequent violence against black people in which the police didn’t care; getting disparaged by white comrades; being attacked by hunger because the white offered them a tiny amount of food. However, Wright learned the way to survive by putting down his dignity and pride when dealing with white people, and being humble and submissive. Today, in this post-racialism society, racist incidents happen far less than before. Nonetheless, there are still some major obstacles hindering

This essay is about the 3 major themes of the book Nightjohn. Nightjohn is a book about slavery and one man who’s a slave who arrives at the plantation this book takes place in. When this man arrives he looks beat up and rough. Later the slaves find out his name is John. John teaches a girl named sarney how to read and write, which is not tolerated among slaves. The three themes that stood out most to me were the themes of prejudice, freedom, and leadership in Nightjohn.

The vignette on Rashaud Kates illustrates cultural racism. Kates noted that, “There’s not really any stories [sic] or literature about African Americans in our school” (Nieto & Bode, 2008, p. 104). He became discouraged with the literature he had to study because it did not reflect his culture, heritage, or historical experiences (Nieto & Bode, 2008).

The theme of Racial Violence has been prevalent in The United States since the beginning of the age of exploration. White Skin, dominating as the superior race has been a driving force in the development of racist attitudes, which are eloquently portrayed in Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. To Kill a Mockingbird, is Harper Lee’s take on racial injustice in the United States, during the Great Depression, from the perspective of a white family that is pro-equality. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie explores the concept of identity crisis through separation from one’s roots, as a result of seeking racial justice, and the implications it has on the individual

Central High School is one of the first schools in American history to integrate black and white students. Nine students, known as “The Little Rock Nine,” were chosen to be the first black students to enter that high school. Elizabeth Eckford was one of the nine students who entered Central High School all alone on September 4th 1957. This day was a nightmare for Elizabeth. After being denied entry by the Arkansas National Guard and being harassed by a shouting crowd who were opposed to integration, Elizabeth managed to stay calm. Hazel Bryan was one of the tormentors in the crowd in front of Central High School. Many cameras were clicking that day trying to capture history being made, but one photo that went viral would unintentionally connect these two girls for life. The famous photo of Elizabeth and Hazel captured by Will Counts was prominently displayed in newspapers, newscasts, and magazines all over the world (62). The photo shows a white girl shouting viciously towards a desolate black girl. In the photo, there are other whites surrounding these girls, but they seem to be indifferent towards the shouting white girls’ behavior. The girls in the photo are soon to be recognized as Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan. The defining essence of this memorable and historic situation is a sense of division between white and black Americans: the photograph captures the decisive moment by showing racism and hate from whites towards blacks portrayed through Hazel towards

There are two themes within the title of the film, one of them is Kamikakushi. Kamikakushi is an old Japanese folk belief that literarily means “to be hidden by a Kami/deity”. The closest English translation is “Spirited Away”. It was used as an explanation to sudden disappearances of young people. The term was used when people –usually villagers- searched for the mysteriously missing people for a long time and had not found them. It gave the family of the missing people a reason to justify their disappearance and to end the fretful search. Kamikakushi also offered a reassuring belief to the family members that the missing person has not demised in an unfortunate accident but instead he is on a journey in the realm of spirits and he might even come back one day. Thus, it is clear that Kamikakushi is used for the sake of families of the missing people. Some anthropologists hypothesized that Kamikakushi is actually a cover for insanity, elopement, or even murder. (komatsu 2002, 217).

The course of history serves as an influential bridge that connects the past with our education, future, and perspectives on crucial issues. In public education, history is a school subject that is taken by a large population of students, and although authors and historians are working to create content with less bias, the course is bound to present subjectivities. Such examples include the neglect towards the Soviet era war crimes in Eastern European countries or the lack of attention given to the Nanking Massacre in Japanese textbooks. These misleading alterations of historical content can often cause the minds of youths to lack important facts and instead be distorted with false information. Thus, in order for society to achieve incremental equality and to preserve true and meaningful historical context, we must take initiatives to

Kanyadaan is a Marathi play written by Vijay Tendulkar. It was later translated into English by Gowri Ramnarayan. The play revolves around an intercaste marriage between Arun Athavale, a Dalit, and Jyothi Devlalikar, a Brahmin. Jyothi, inspired by her father's ideals of reforming the society through practice, and not just talk, decides not to pay heed to her mother, Seva's practical advice to not go ahead with the marriage and look for a compatible relationship instead. The family is divided, with Seva and her son, Jayaprakash, opposing the marriage, and Jyothi and Nath on the other side. Supported by her father, Jyothi gets married against the will of her mother and brother. From that point, all goes downhill. Arun, the young poetic, determined