I found the story of C.P. Ellis just fascinating. His values may have been wrong, but the blueprint he lived his life to was moral. He was a nobody in life, and throughout his life, Ellis just wanted to become an important person who was not "ashamed of the way he'd dress." I believe that it was wrong that Ellis decided to become a klansman, but the way that he inserted himself into an organized group of people was important for his self-esteem. He wanted his kids to not live the childhood that he had to live, and I think that his actions allowed for his children not to live that life. His story raises the question, should we act against our feelings in order to do what is right and moral? Is it worth crossing the line and risking reputation in our city? Should society ruin a friendship in order to help the rest of the community? I believe that Ellis shows the correct way to answer those questions. He despises whites because he uses them as a scape goat for his sad childhood. I was amazed when he decided to work with Ann Atwater. The power when they both told the stories of when their children came home from school crying should be spread around the city because it would destroy the nonsense that is created from the racism talks.
Andy Johnson's story may seem like the story of the average immigrant who made their way to America. I believe, however, that the story of Andy Johnson is fascinating because of his dedication towards helping society as a whole. He knows that he is not able to change the way that America develops. He only knows what the result will be if Americans continue to live the way that they are. Andy Johnson describes the future by saying, "I see a wonderful future for humanity, or the end of it." And all of us know that American started to descend into an awful place because of the tension between blacks and whites during the Civil Rights era. Although he knows that he will have no impact and that the future is based off all of the citizens, he tries sending letter after letter to the local newspaper in order to help the future society. His dedication towards helping people who are not even living now is just amazing. It is exactly like all of the global warming talk today. Some do not care about the subject because it does not affect them. Others are willing to help because they want to save America for other generations. Andy Johnson understands what the average American lives through, and he realizes that change must be made in order to increase the welfare of the average American
Some powerful and important ideas Jason, especially these questions "His story raises the question, should we act against our feelings in order to do what is right and moral? Is it worth crossing the line and risking reputation in our city? Should society ruin a friendship in order to help the rest of the community?" Work to provide answers and use text in your responses.
ReplyDeleteRisking one's reputation in their city to do what is morally right would be a very difficult task. You would have to be ready for the consequences for your beliefs. C.P. Ellis decided that it was worth the consequences of becoming friends with Ann Atwater. I think that he finally learned his morals and decided that hating African Americans was wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn Andy Johnson's story I thought that he learned the truth about what America is and even says, "Your American Dream? You got a terrible-looking hole down in the ground where we used to live once." He sees that there is no such thing as the American Dream, and tries to show this to people so they do not make the same mistakes that he has.