Pat Conroy's Memoir "The Water Is Wide"

Throughout the American South, of many Negro’s childhood, the system of segregation determined the patterns of life. Blacks attended separate schools from whites, were barred from pools and parks where whites swam and played, from cafes and hotels where whites ate and slept. On sidewalks, they were expected to step aside for whites. It took a brave person to challenge this system, when those that did suffered a white storm of rancour. Affronting this hatred, with assistance from the Federal Government, were nine courageous school children, permitted into the 1957/8 school year at Little Rock Central High. The unofficial leader of this band of students was Ernest Green.

This is Water, was a commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005. Ever since this speech has been given it has become well known. Because of the length, it can be hard to read through the speech while trying to understand the whole idea of it. Wallace fills the speech with stories, examples, and vivid ideas while trying to convince these college graduates how to view life in a positive perspective. While this speech is packed full of ideas he manages to give it in a way outside of the norm for commencement speeches. Yet still gets all the information to the graduates and anyone else who listens to it.

“He is one of the Ewell’s, ma’am,” a child told me. This explanation was the second of its kind I had received that day. I hadn’t been in Maycomb for long and I didn’t know the ethics of a small town. I listened on to see what the child had to say. Education doesn’t appear to be one of the Ewell family’s principles. It seemed that the children attend the school for the first day of each school year just to satisfy the law.

The Color of Water, written by James McBride is a non-fiction book that takes place in New York in the 1950’s. James tells his story of struggle of growing up as a mixed white and African American boy and his search to find and understand his own identity. He tells the story of his childhood as well as his mother’s life and what struggles she endured. She grew up Jewish and then conformed to Christianity, then marring and having children with a black man. No matter what colour James and his siblings are his mother still strived to raise them to the best of her ability in a Christ-like manner. In this book James talks explains his struggle and his siblings struggle to attempt to fit into the society. While society had certain negative expectations for James and his family because of their skin colour. No matter what struggles James and his family endured, whether it was poverty, change and transition, the cruelness of society or the struggle of living without a father they

They were to ignore him when acted out or became disruptive and praise him when he behaved in an acceptable manner. In a sense, this made every one of the kids in his class one of Sean’s teachers. They were forced to accept that Sean could get away with doing things that would have landed them in the principal’s office. Kathy would have to spend significant amounts of extra time working with Sean when teaching him how to do something the other children had learned in five minutes two weeks ago. The academic gap between Sean and the rest of his classmates continued to widen as the school year continued.

We saw prejudice and discrimination throughout the book. For example, when Lafayette’s was charged with a crime due to hi, been associated with who did it. When LaJoe lost her benefits from the state due to her on and off husband using her home address and when collecting unemployment benefits which LaJoe did not claim as income coming into the home. In both instances, the Rivers were treated as if they were liars and criminals. Because of Lafayette being from the inner city, there was this predetermine thought about any youth that lived in the inner city from the court system. LaJoe was treated with disrespect by the welfare office because of the prejudgment they had formed about people that lived in the inner city. Due to the location in which they stayed, the importance of healthy living condition was not a priority to the city. They were forced to live in the vicinity of garbage, broken sewer systems, dead animals, etc. Also, the children were forced to either stay in their apartments or play on the railroad tracks because the city had only a few areas for them to play. These areas had become run down and it was unsafe for kids to play in. It is unsure why the was such neglect for those areas of the inner city, but one could only think that it had to do with how this race has been treated for years.

The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination… the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land (qtd. in W.T.L. 235).

In Lines 12-13 “The water people were harvesters and the volcano people sowed in ash.” Segregation has always been a big part of how people in America separate themselves by social

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

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

We immediately learn that Miss Moore is not the average Harlem teacher. She is educated herself, along with being very opinionated. The children explain that she has nappy

As stated above, section one is about how to fail and how to prevent failing. In this section it introduced us to a teacher, named Elizabeth Dozier, who became a principal in some of the poorest schools in Chicago. The book also introduced us to Nadine Burke Harris, who is a pediatrician and opened a clinic in the poorest part of San Francisco. Each of these women took an interest in the children and families that are affected by poverty. Dozier became the principal of Fenger High School, and the first thing she did when she arrived was removing almost all the teachers. She brought in young and ambitious teachers, who she thought would make a difference in the school. One of the best decisions she made while she was at Fenger was to enforce a zero tolerance policy for violence, because gangs were a huge problem in the community and the school. Dozier sent twenty five of her most troubled students to an intensive mentoring program. The book then goes on

Pat Conroy is a New York Times bestselling author that has written many renowned novels and memoirs. “He's not much of a stylist, and his sense of humor needs work, but Pat Conroy has a nice wry perspective and a wholehearted commitment to his job.” (CLC 45). One of his best selling novels is The Prince of Tides. This novel depicts the life of Tom Wingo a southern boy and all the problems he faces with his family. Pat Conroy has won many awards for his writings and continues to be on summer reading lists throughout the country. The most recent award he received was in 2010, the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts, South Carolina, Lifetime Achievement.

Setting is an important feature of novels. This narration takes place in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1960. A time that saw the segregation of black people and the dominance of white people in the southern United States. In this novel the setting of 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi exposes significant themes such as racial discrimination, social partiality. The setting also supplies decisive insight into character inspirations and views.

At school, Charlie finds a friend and mentor in his English teacher, Bill. He also overcomes his chronic shyness and approaches a classmate, Patrick, and his stepsister Sam, become two of Charlie's BFFs. Charlie’s new found friends – Sam, Patrick, Mary Elizabeth and Bob - aren't exactly popular and are outcasts themselves. They are all seniors and often hang out at the Big Boy except Bob who doesn't go to school.