LITR 5731: Seminar in American Multicultural Literature: Minority

Sample Student Research Project, fall 2007

Are There Any Positive Examples for Minority Students?
A Review of African & Mexican American Works

 Introduction

My job at San Jacinto College is to find out why students are not being successful in their classes.  I am responsible for finding out what courses have a high withdrawal rate and implement programs and solutions to help lower that rate.  A huge part of my job is to talk to students who are in danger of failing their classes. This past semester I have been contacting students to ask them what I can do to help turn their semester around. It seems that I get the most passionate responses from the students taking English Composition and Literature classes. When asked why they are not turning in assignments or not showing up to class, I get the response: I do not like English or English is hard for me.  When I ask them why they think English Is hard, they tell me because they have to read and write about people they never heard of before or they want to read books from authors who come from the same background as them. I should note that San Jacinto College has a huge population of Mexican and African Americans. While I do tell them that it is important to read books from authors from various backgrounds, I also think teachers should incorporate more minority texts in their lesson plans.

Students

One action I decided to take is to survey minority students that have taken English classes at San Jacinto College and withdrew before the withdrawal date. I surveyed 10 students in all. I didn’t limit the surveys to just African American and Mexican American students. I thought it best to give it to any minority student. The questions and results are as follows:

Q1: Why did you drop your English class?  A. Failing B. Absences C. Personal D. Other

A.     80%  B. 10% C. 10% D. 0%

Q2: Did you talk with your professor before you dropped?

            Yes: 20% No: 80%

Q3: Did you talk with a counselor or advisor before you dropped?

            Yes: 40% No: 60%

Q4: What did you like best about your English class?

            No one gave an answer

Q5: What did you dislike most about the class?

            A1: Tests 30%

            A2: Assignments 10%

            A3: Essays 30%

            A4: Readings 30%

Faculty

Another action I took was that I decided to talk with faculty members to see why they think students are dropping their classes in huge numbers. I began by asking the overall question as to why there is not more minority literature authors included in their unit plans. I then I asked them to respond to the answers students gave me on the surveys. What I was surprised to find out was that all 3 faculty members I asked said that they could not add any more texts because there is not enough class time and that they would need two semesters to cover all the material. They proceeded to tell me that they teach according to the College’s unit plan and they cannot derive from the plan. When I showed them the students’ survey results, the teachers informed me that they did not believe the results. They think the students were not being honest and that the majority of their students are coming to them from high school underprepared for their class. They proceeded to tell me that most students are lazy and that when they went to college they did not have it as easy as students today. They believe today’s student should just suck it up and do what they are told.

Conclusion

What I learned from this project is that both sides feel very passionate about what they think is fair. While I was surprised by the faculty’s response, I also know that they could be correct about their students. Students could be lazy and not want to do the work. They could be lying about dropping their classes because of the readings or tests. However, should San Jacinto College keep allowing students withdraw at a huge rate?  My boss asked me to do a survey on a wider scale at the end of the semester. I will be surveying close to 250 English students who dropped their class by the withdrawal date. So, even though I feel like I did not get the results that I wanted, maybe this project started something the college can look into. I did have one professor who requested that I send them the list of authors and texts from my project and they will see if they could get them added to the curriculum. I guess that is a step in the right direction.

Sample Authors & Readings

Below are the authors I recommend to English faculty at San Jacinto College. I have included a background of the authors as well as titles of works I suggested. I also included some internet resources that they could look at to get more information.

 Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley was born in 1753 in Gambia, Africa. She was the first published African American poet. She became a slave at the age of seven to the Boston Wheatley family. Even though she was enslaved to the family, they taught her to read and write, and encouraged her to write poetry. She mainly wrote elegies and her poetry was mostly focused on moral and religious subjects. Her success as a poet brought her freedom from slavery in 1773. She even appeared before George Washington, who praised her work. After her master’s family deaths, she married a free black man named John Peters.  She earned a living soon after John abandoned her by being a servant. By 1784 she was living at a boarding house and in December of that year she and her remaining alive child were buried.  She died in poverty at the age of 31. 

To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty (1768)

This poem praised George III for repealing the Stamp act.

On Being Brought from Africa to America

This poem reflects her thoughts on the effects of slavery. White people did not believe that Phillis wrote poetry that was considered intelligent. In 1772 she had to defend her literary ability in court. The panel concluded that she did in fact write the poems credited to her.

Resources:

http://www.lkwdpl.org/WIHOHIO/whea-phi.htm

http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/treasures/american/wheatley.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p12.html

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born in February 1818. He was an author, editor and orator.  Douglass believed that equality was important for all people, whether black, white or brown. He was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. Even though Douglass speculated that his father was also his master he later acknowledged that he knew nothing of his father’s identity. When he was twelve, his master’s wife, Sophia Auld, begin teaching Douglass his letters of the alphabet. After that initial introduction, nothing could keep him from acquiring knowledge. He began learning to read from white kids he grew up with.  This education began his passion to condemn the institution of slavery.  He began by teaching other slaves how to read and write.  He became an ordained minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.  In 1872, Douglass became the first African American to receive a nomination for Vice-President of the United Sates. Douglass died in 1894 following massive heart attack.

A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845)

This autobiographic narrative outlines Douglass’ life from being born into slavery to his escape.

Resources:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html

http://www.nps.gov/archive/frdo/fdlife.htm

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/douglass

W.E.B. Dubois

Dubois was born William Edward Burghardt DuBois on February 23, 1868. He was an African American writer, poet and civil rights activist. He was born a free man, but he and his mother were abandoned by his father. Later, after receiving a legal separation, DuBois’ mother suffered a stroke.  Since she could no longer work, DuBois took it upon himself to provide for the both of them. They survived on his after school jobs and also donations from family members. Although, DuBois was poor and fatherless, he was extremely intelligent. Others around him recognized this and encouraged him to take pre-college classes while attending high school. This led him to think that he could empower African American about using knowledge to gain power.  Dubois received a Bachelors degree from Harvard University in 1890 and later on was the first African American to receive a PhD from that school. In total, Dubois wrote 22 books. Dubois was also an activist. He was labeled “The Father of Pan-Africanism” and co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. He worked as Editor-in-Chief for “The Crisis”, a NAACP publication.  Dubois wrote many articles telling blacks they should question whites on all grounds. He believed that blacks had to know in their minds when to act black and when to act white. W.E.B. Dubois died on August 27, 1963 at the age of ninety-five, the day before Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a Dream Speech”.

The Philadelphia Negro (1899)

This book outlines the  association between level of employment, level of education and criminal activity.

The Souls of Black Folk (1903)

This book contains several assays on race. Most of the essays are concerning the relationships between men. But, overwhelmingly, the essays are about black men and their relationships with others living in a white dominated society.

Resources:

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/dubois

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aap/dubois.html

http://www.bartleby.com/114/

http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9279924

http://books.google.com/books?id=VuUtAAAAIAAJ&dq=web+dubois+quotes&pg=PP1&ots=lEt2jfPEX5&source
=citation&sig=ib6z0VCkUOtzTB-H-uEHusn0-8M&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3Dw.e.b.%2Bdubois%2Bquotes%26revid%3D402489533%26sa%3DX%26oi%3Drevisions_inline%26resnum%3D0%26ct%3Dbroad-revision%26cd%3D3&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1&cad=bottom-3results#PPA1,M1

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902. He was a novelist, playwright and columnist. But, he was most famous for his poetry. Hughes father abandoned Hughes and his mother and went to Cuba because of the racism he experienced in the United States. Hughes was raised mainly by his grandmother because his mother had to look for work. At an early age Hughes was recognized for his rhythm. He was elected class poet while in grammar school. While in high school he wrote his first piece of Jazz poetry, When Sue Wears Red. During the early 1920’s Hughes spent time in Paris becoming part of the black Expatriate community. He received his B.A. degree from Lincoln University in 1929. Today biographers acknowledge that Hughes was a closeted homosexual. He kept his secret to retain the support of the black churches and organizations. He died from complications of surgery at the age of 65.  Hughes wanted African American writers to be objective about their race but not scorn it. He believed that the Black Power movement in the 1960’s consisted of men that were too angry.   

I, Too (1925)

This poem declares victory over slavery. It addresses the past when African Americans had to eat in the kitchen. Hughes also acknowledges that black people are now free and equal. He says in this poem that he is American, not just black.

Theme for English B (1951)

This poem discusses what life like was Hughes going to school in the early 1900’s. He talks about being the only “colored” in his class and addresses his white instructor on how much they are alike even though they look different.  

Resources:

http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=1552

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/hughes

http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/hughes_l.htm

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison was born in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. She was the second of four children in a black working-class family. She displayed an early interest in literature. Morrison studied humanities at Howard and Cornell Universities, followed by an academic career at Texas Southern University, Howard University, Yale, and since 1989, a chair at Princeton University. She has also worked as an editor for Random House, a critic, and given numerous public lectures, specializing in African-American literature. She made her debut as a novelist in 1970, soon gaining the attention of both critics and a wider audience for her epic power, unerring ear for dialogue, and her poetically-charged and richly-expressive depictions of Black America. A member since 1981 of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has been awarded a number of literary distinctions, among them the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

Recitatif (1983)

This short story highlights the unlikely friendship between two orphans, one black and one white. The story recited 5 meetings between the two that spanned throughout their adult life life. It chronicles the different paths they each took and the results of following those paths.

Song of Solomon (1977)

This book gave Morrison national attention. The story is about one boy’s quest to find his identity. He does this by researching and investigating his ancestor’s pasts. In the end, the main character, Milkman, finds his identity in the most unlikely place, through his relationship with his best friend, Guitar and his Aunt Pilate.

Resources:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1993/morrison-bio.html

http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/morrison_toni.html

http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9415590

Jose Joaquin Lizardi

Jose Joaquin Lizardi was born in 1776 in Mexico City. He was a writer and political journalist.  He was best known as the author of El Periquillo Sarniento (1816), reported to be the first novel written in Latin America.   After his father died he took it upon himself to support his family by taking up writing. In January 1811 Lizardi was taken prisoner as a rebel sympathizer of the Mexican War of Independence. After becoming free and living in Mexico City, Lizardi published more than twenty poems within a year. Throughout his life Lizardi was attacked and imprisoned for speaking out against the government. Lizardi died of Tuberculosis in 1827. He was only 50 years old. Since he was poor when he died he was buried in an anonymous grave. 

El Periquillo Sarniento (1816)

This novel included extensive criticism on the political and moral climate of Mexico.  There were three volumes published before he was censured. The fourth volume attacked the institution of slavery.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Joaqu%C3%ADn_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Lizardi

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0018-2133(196312)46%3A4%3C753%3ANLOFDL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R

Octavio Paz

Octavio Paz was born March 31, 1914. He was raised in the Mexico City by his mother and aunt because his father was absent a lot. His father was the Lawyer for Emiliano Zapata, who was involved in agrarian reform.  Because of his family’s public support of Zapata, they were forced into exile after Zapata’s assassination. During the 1920’s he received great influence by European poets Diego, Ramon and Machado. When he was a teenager, he was influenced by the writings of D.H Lawrence. At the age of 17 he published his first collection of poems “Caballera”.  Paz was also an essayist and wrote mostly about Mexican politics, economics, art and sexuality. From 1970-1974 he lectured at Harvard University. In 1977 he won the Jerusalem m Prize for Literature on the theme of individual freedom.  In 1990 he was awarded the Nobel Prize. He died of cancer in 1998.

Motion

If you are the amber mare
I am the road of blood
If you are the first snow
I am he who lights the hearth of dawn
If you are the tower of night
I am the spike burning in your mind
If you are the morning tide
I am the first bird's cry
If you are the basket of oranges
I am the knife of the sun
If you are the stone altar
I am the sacrilegious hand
If you are the sleeping land
I am the green cane
If you are the wind's leap
I am the buried fire
If you are the water's mouth
I am the mouth of moss
If you are the forest of the clouds
I am the axe that parts it
If you are the profaned city
I am the rain of consecration
If you are the yellow mountain
I am the red arms of lichen
If you are the rising sun
I am the road of blood

Resources:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1990/paz-bio.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/remember/1998/paz_4-20.html

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0277-335X(198805)53%3A2%3C188%3ATOPARO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-X

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1990/paz-poetry.html

Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez was born March 27, 1950 in New York. She is a novelist and a poet. Her parents moved back to the Dominican Republic when she was 3 months old. Alvarez graduated from Abbot Academy in 1967 and summa cum laude from Middlebury College in 1971. She received her Master’s in Creative Writing from Syracuse University in 1975.   She became a poet in the schools for the Kentucky Arts Commission from 1975-1977.  She taught at Middlebury College as an assistant professor for a number of years before resigning to write full time in 1998. 

From How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

“Snow”

This story from her novel describes what it is like when you do not know the language or customs of a country you are living in.  The Garcia girls have just moved to New York and are trying to become accustom to the ways of the land. One day while in class one of the girls sees snow for the first time and panics.

Resources:

http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/Holt_ElementsofLit-3/Collection%203/snow%20julia%20alvarez.htm

http://www.juliaalvarez.com/

http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Alvarez.html

Gary Soto

Gary Soto was born April 12, 1952 in Fresno California. He is an American author and poet.  He was born and raised by working class Mexican American parents.  His literature inspirations include Loser Marquez, David Mamet, Martin Espada and William Shakespeare. Although he had low grades throughout school, he became fond of poetry in high school and began writing poems when he attended Fresno City College.  He got his undergraduate degree at California State University and then received his Master’s of Fine Arts at the University of California, Irvine. In 1975 he won an Academy of American Poets Prize. He taught English and Chicano Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. However, he stopped teaching in 1994 to write full-time. Currently, he is writing for Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing, which will be in stores in spring 2008.

How Things Work (1985)

Today it's going to cost us twenty dollars
To live. Five for a softball. Four for a book,
A handful of ones for coffee and two sweet rolls,
Bus fare, rosin for your mother's violin.
We're completing our task. The tip I left
For the waitress filters down
Like rain, wetting the new roots of a child
Perhaps, a belligerent cat that won't let go
Of a balled sock until there's chicken to eat.
As far as I can tell, daughter, it works like this:
You buy bread from a grocery, a bag of apples
From a fruit stand, and what coins
Are passed on helps others buy pencils, glue,
Tickets to a movie in which laughter
Is thrown into their faces.
If we buy goldfish, someone tries on a hat.
If we buy crayons, someone walks home with a broom.
A tip. a small purchase here and there,
And things just keep going. I guess.

Resources:

http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/soto-how-things-work.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Soto

Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros was born December 20, 1954. She is a writer and poet. She is the only daughter in her family of seven. She is the product of a Mexican father and a Mexican-American mother. Her writing is influenced by life around her. Her writings are based on things that happened in her childhood and in the lives of her family and friends. She received her B.A. in English from Loyola University. She earned her master’s degree from University of Iowa in 1978. She received an honorary doctorate from by the State University of New York at Purchase in 1993. In 1995 she founded the Macondo Workshop. She now resides in San Antonio Texas.

From Woman Hollering Creek

“Mericans”

This story reads from a child’s point of view. She realizes the little things in life. She describes that the inside of churches smell like an ear. She also realizes that first impressions are sometimes wrong when a couple of tourists mistake her and her brothers for non Americans.

Resources:

http://www.sandracisneros.com/

http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/chh/bio/cisneros_s.htm

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/cisnerosbib.htm

Bibliography of Works Not Listed under Resources

Cisneros, Sandra.  Woman Hollering Creek.  New York: Vintage Books, 1991.

Douglass, Frederick. “Narratives of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” 1845. The

            Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Penguin, 1987.

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Knopf, 1977.