Literary Analysis: Last Supper Club By Stanley Burnside

The author uses tone and images throughout to compare and contrast the concepts of “black wealth” and a “hard life”. The author combines the use of images with blunt word combinations to make her point; for example, “you always remember things like living in Woodlawn with no inside toilet”. This image evokes the warmth of remembering a special community with the negative, have to use outdoor facilities. Another example of this combination of tone and imagery is “how good the water felt when you got your bath from one of those big tubs that folk in Chicago barbecue in”. Again the author’s positive memory is of feeling fresh after her bath combined with a negative, the fact that it was a barbecue drum.

To show first hand to the whites the inequality’s and hardships that the blacks face, the entire first section is in a narrative and a descriptive format. The use of these types of essays lets the readers feel more involved in the story and feel things for themselves. Split into two sections within itself, this first paragraph juxtaposes two stories — one about a “young Negro boy” living in Harlem, and the other about a “young Negro girl” living in Birmingham. The parallelism in the sentence structures of introducing the children likens them even more — despite the differences between them — whether it be their far away location, or their differing, yet still awful, situations. Since this section is focused more towards his white audience, King goes into a description of what it was like living as an African American in those times— a situation the black audience knew all too well. His intense word choice of describing the boy’s house as “vermin-infested” provokes a very negative reaction due to the bad

Segregation had had many effects on the black nation, to the point that it started building up ones character, “See the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness towards white people”, King shows readers that segregation is even affecting little children, that it is starting to build up a young girls character and is contributing to the child developing hatred “bitterness” towards the white Americans. King makes readers imagine a black cloud settling in a young girls brain mentally, when instead she should have an image of a colorful blue sky with a rainbow, isn’t that suppose to be part of a 6 year-old’s imagination? King gives readers an image of destruction civil disobedience had created in the black community, especially in the young innocent little children.

The Breakfast Club is a movie about five students from Shermer High School who gather on a Saturday to sit through eight hours of detention. These five students; Andrew Clark, Claire Standish, John Bender, Allison Reynolds and Brian Johnson, have nothing in common. The Breakfast Club zooms in on the high school social groups and cliques that are often seen in the development of peer groups during adolescents. The peer groups that are portrayed in The Breakfast Club include, John “the criminal”, Claire “the Princess”, Allison “the Basket case”, Brian “the Brain”, and Andrew “the athlete”. The movie centers around an essay that Principle Vernon wants each student to write regarding who they think they are. In the beginning of the film, the

It demonstrates that even without juridical discrimination; hate speech, lowered expectations, and dismissive behavior can have devastating effects on achievement. Black members of the blue-eyed group forcefully remind whites that they undergo similar stresses, not just for a few hours in a controlled experiment, but every day of their lives. Although these concepts are food for thought… they are merely preludes to the main course. The most important lesson to be learned here is that just one person can make a difference.       Next we join a group of 40 teachers, police, school administrators and social workers in Kansas City - blacks, Hispanics, whites, women and men.

Primarily, Ellison’s appeal to the audience's emotions greatly sways how the view of the reader views it in his perspective. Originating with his father dying at an early age and his mother having to work diligently to take care of her two children, began to paint a picture of how difficult his life was. The author is able to convey his point across through the repetition of the word “you” which intentionally puts the reader into the perspective of the main character, making it seem like the course of the events were happening to them. Throughout the course of the story the reader will feel as if they are the one who is personally being discriminated against. When the boy tries to go play with the band and is singled out with “Then you heard a man’s voice exclaim, ‘I’ll be damn, it’s a little nigger!’” (Ellison, pg. 7) the author conveys an atmosphere of alienation of how the child is unable to express his talents. Additionally, the author provides first hand experiences throughout the work in order to envelop people’s emotions into the individual’s life. The author emphasizes the harsh tone used by a police officer enforcing racial discrimination at the zoo by mentioning the actual conversation, “‘Girl,’ he shouted, ‘where are your white folks!’” (Ellison, pg. 4) the explicit words allow the readers to sympathize for the main character. His story regarding his experience at the zoo was heartbreaking due to how the cops were dehumanizing the family and making them feel like criminals and trespassers. The reader is able to come to the conclusion that humans should be treated in a more respected manner.

At Hazelwood High School, they do things differently than at my school. At Hazelwood, most of the people worry about themselves and nobody else. Most of the school doesn’t get good grades and the school does not do anything about it. One day in English class Andy walked out when they were reading Macbeth because it was too emotional for Andy to handle. His friends were concerned and told the school counselor. They said, “But… but… it seems like… like… he needs help or somethin’.” Then the counselor said, “Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you boys this, but he is getting some outside counseling… So you boys can relax and be assured that he is getting whatever help he needs”(100). At Harrisburg High School, if someone had an issue like that, the counselors and teachers would be concerned, even if the person was getting outside help. Another thing about education that is different than mine is the school. In Ronda’s English homework, she wrote, “Our school building must have been built about a million years ago, because it was brown and tall and raggedy-looking, but it fit right in with the rest of the day”(16). At my high school, we are very fortunate to have a very new building to learn inside of. At Hazelwood High, they were not fortunate enough to have a new high school be built. Culture and education are very important pieces of people’s

The route the children are designated to take, in addition, is specified in the writing to inspire in the audience fear. The segregated school for Black students is located within a mass of railroad tracks, warehouses, and red-light districts, all notably dangerous locations for children to be in. By specifically mentioning that Ellison had “forbidden words” added to his vocabulary, he implies that he had interacted with the many unsavory individuals in the area to the extent of learning immoral materials or skills (Ellison 4433). This emotional appeal enforces the idea that impressionable children are innocent and that their actions were forced upon them by the adults in control. It also appeals to the parental instinct to protect children and preserve their future. By being forced to maintain continuous exposure to dangerous environments and professions of ambiguous morality, the Black children are victims of tarnishing and possible injury by the White authority purposefully segregating the children to hazardous areas. The strategy in specifying the unfortunate circumstances the African American children are facing is for causing the White adults to appear as villains who impose professionals of socially denigrated on innocent children. In contrast, Ellison, despite not doing anything particularly virtuous, is designated the ‘hero’ to be cheered for along with all his associates and peers, who are also victims.

There were many diverse aspects to this book. Most of this book is a recall from either the main character, or one of his students. This book is intended to open people’s eyes to see that in order to change the world we must first change ourselves. Being able to go through this story and see the mistakes, and the good decisions, teachers in Michie’s life have made, has taught me that the best way to teach is through love, justice, cultural empathy and imagination. Some of the points brought up in this book include the positive and negative sides of physical contact with a student, classification/stereotyping, race, gangs, police brutality/lack of justice, and children not being able to escape peer pressure.

In “The Dinner Party” a colonial official and his wife are throwing a dinner party for the army officers and the government attaches and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist (Gardner 1). In this story the characters are having an argument over women’s and men’s control of their “jumping-out-of-your-chair phase.” Who do you agree with, the colonel or the young girl? Have women grown out of this phase? Lets find out how men and women react.

Not only more work (at Exeter five hours of homework was the norm), not only harder play (all were required to play a sport every season), but more responsibility- to themselves, to their school, to their family and country.” (180) The students at Exeter are well aware of what they have to accomplish. The 40 colored students of Edmunds class might have felt pressure to succeed more than their white peers. On a daily basis Edmund had to prove that he could do what the white students were capable of. This caused him to feel inadequate because he had to try harder and put in more effort than they did. Whatever Edmund did he would never be considered as equal when compared to his white peers.

Throughout her struggle to find a balance between school and work, Moody begins to take note of the racial inequalities in her society. The black and white dichotomy was not the only form of racial distinction she internalized. The poor treatment of “high yellows”

While presenting itself as an institution of the upmost moral character, the Devon School is really the breeding ground for broken students. As a result it is this very framework, the war and the prestige of a distinguished academy, which caused these students to break. The youth at this school were forced to put up with emotional struggle after struggle, and that reflects the harsh setting of this story.

“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe, and “Prey” by Richard Matheson all utilize grotesque or bizarre occurrences and a mysterious nature as their two themes. These authors used these themes for individual purposes that were not the same but all to give a lesson. Washington Irving wrote about how money can’t buy you happiness, Edgar Allan Poe wrote about how you cannot hold on to the past, and Richard Matheson wrote about how you cannot take control of your loved one’s life.

The Breakfast Club was a movie delineating the interactions of five high school students from differing backgrounds encountering the obstacle of a Saturday detention. These five students were composed of a princess, a brain, an outcast, a jock, and most pertinent to this paper, the rebel, John Bender. John Bender is depicted within this movie as a careless and hostile character with some authority issues. An impulsive and uncooperative individual, Bender, in the detention for pulling the fire alarm, serves as a sharp juxtaposition to the other characters, often challenging the others on their perspectives. This contrast could perhaps be attributed to his home life, which is different from his four detention counterparts.