Throughout the book, Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, it discusses the adventures and mishaps of a young girl named Isabel, struggling to gain her freedom with her sister, Ruth. In the beginning of the story, Isabel and her sister are forced to leave to New York after their old owner died to live with their new, selfish owners, Mr. and Mrs. Lockton. When Isabel hears the news about the start of a riot from the British colonies trying to attain their freedom from her new friend, Curzon, she begins to spy and give details about Mr. Lockton's plans and schemes. Eventually, Ruth gets taken away from their home after a series of on and off ilnesses, and Mrs. Lockton realizes that Isabel has been giving information to the Patriots, their enemy,
In the novel Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, on page 280, Isabel thinks that Madam Lockton has “more than her share” of evil. This can be proven because of all of the evil things that she has done since she had bought Isabel and Ruth Gardner. On page 93, it states, “Madam brought the broom down on the small, twisted body. Ruth couldn’t raise her hands to protect herself.” This means that Madam Lockton didn’t care that Ruth was having a seizure and she started to hit her with a broom to “get the devil out”.
The Hero’s Journey: A journey in which a hero develops, faces challenges, and discovers themselves. In a dystopia, a hero is the only chance of hope for society to overcome and rebel against the government, but the hero not only fights for their society, they lead and inspire others to do the same. Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Chains, develops Isabel’s journey; Isabel is a slave during the Revolutionary War that changes the life for not only her sister and friend but for many slaves in New York. Isabel’s desire for freedom and determination leads her to rebel against her strict master and changing lives for. Isabel grows and changes throughout her hero’s journey, which is unique because of her atonement and is complete with her abyss.
Slaves in every situation, had the short end of the stick, and were not allowed to be themselves at all. In the book “Chains” by Laurie Halse Anderson it follows two girls that go through different situations, Isabel and Ruth. And this book has an amazing metaphor and a lot of them throughout the book, the main one is Chains, or the book title. I will share with you what I think this means. Isabel, the character that the book is told in, goes to New York, where the people are really divided.
The book Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, has two scenes where a river is brought up, but each have two different moods. In the first scene (pg. 147), the main character Isabel is in a stockade about to be branded. Several thoughts go through her mind like wanting to cry a river to escape to freedom, creating a depressed mood. In the second scene (pg. 167), Isabel is overhearing chatter around the tea water pump and notices some slaves arguing over which side- the patriots or the loyalists-they should choose to earn their freedom. At this point Grandfather, a character that regularly meets at the tea water pump, joins the conversation and gives advice, creating a mood that is reassuring.
In her book, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, Alice Goffman provides a detailed account of the six years she spent living in and observing a poor, predominantly African American neighborhood in Philadelphia. This community, which she refers to as “6th Street,” directly experienced the immediate effects of mass incarceration in the United States. Thus, that reality caused 6th Street residents to shape their actions, socialization, customs and norms to avoid the police while simultaneously maintaining behaviors––that would otherwise be considered criminal––to survive in a rough and unforgiving environment. To further explore and to try to understand the conditions 6th Street inhabitants faced, Goffman conducted ethnographical research
In Incidents In the Life of A Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, Harriet shares her experience in slavery and how she overcame trials presented in the form of her master and mistress, and how she battled constant separation from her family and children. In order to protect herself from her master, who constantly attempts to pressure Harriet into a sexual relationship with him, Harriet becomes involved in a relationship with a white man and gains two children. However, in order to escape slavery, Harriet stays for seven years in a small shed in her grandmother’s home and eventually gains her freedom. The book shows that in a system of slavery, family ties and the idea of motherhood are two things that are almost unachievable due to the uncertainty
Nikky Finney's book Head Off and Split is a work of art in every sense. It combines both historical elements and personal elements. She shines the light on our countries habit of oppressing and enslaving African Americans. She masterfully weaves together the history of the time and her own memories in an unabashed way that lays bare the wrongdoings of our country. Forcing the reader to see part of our history that is often glossed and skimmed over in conventional textbooks.
In 1973, Clifford Geertz- an American anthropologist- authored The Interpretation of Cultures, in which he defines culture as a context that behaviors and processes can be described from. His work, particularly this one, has come to be fundamental in the anthropological field, especially for symbolic anthropology-study of the role of symbols in a society- and an understanding of “thick description”-human behavior described such that it has meaning to an outsider of the community it originated. Alice Goffman is an American sociologist and ethnographer widely-known for her work, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City (2015). In this work, she relays how for her undergraduate and doctoral research project, she immersed herself in a predominately African-American community of Philadelphia as a white, privileged woman. Goffman goes on the explain how the frequent policing and incarceration of young, black men from this neighborhood affects the entire community and even affected Goffman herself.
In Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson reveals dehumanization in many forms, but they all end up having the same strong effect on Isabel. In this scene, Curzon is trying to show Isabel how cruel this world can be by using her own scenarios and how people have treated her. “You are a small black girl, Country,” he said bitterly. “You are a slave, not a person” (41). This quote is clearly portraying dehumanization.
In stop #1 of the book, Underground to Canada, by Barbara Smucker, the main character, Julilly, and many other children are taken away by a ruthless slave trader to soon be sold. The story begins when the word spreads that a slave trader is coming to town to separate families and to be sold as slaves. Meanwhile, Mammy Sally, Julilly’s mother, tells Julilly about a slave free place called Canada. Mammy Sally is scared of losing Julilly, so she tells her “we are strong, if we ever get separated we will surely meet each other once again,” The next morning the slave trader arrives to find himself some new slaves. Everyone is terrified and scared.
There are many actions steps I could take as social worker to try to address racism. According to the Cycle of Liberation Model by Bobbie Harro (2013), social change involves getting ready by gaining knowledge, reaching out to those with different and similar views and experiences, building community, and organizing. The first action step would be to get ready by educating myself more about racism and the different racial groups it affects. I would gain more knowledge of how racism is woven into our institution and perpetuated in our culture. For example, examining how the criminal justice system discriminates against minority groups by giving them longer sentences for similar crimes committed by the dominant group.
Book Review: On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City Jaleesa Reed University of Georgia Book Review: On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City is a fascinating ethnography that seeks to expose and unpack the everyday lives of African American men living in Philadelphia. The author, Alice Goffman, examines the lives of these men who are “on the run” not only from the laws that seek to restrict their lives, but also from their own identities that have become synonymous with outstanding warrants, prison time, and running. Like ethnographers before her, Goffman immerses herself in the lives of her informants. Her study reveals the oppressive nature of neoliberal America and urges
In the book Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino, a 9th grader at Merryweather High School, called the cops during Kyle Rodger’s end-of-summer party. She had a good reason to call the cops, but because she busted the party, everyone at school hates her. She gets bullied all the time, and her ‘friends’ avoid her without trying to find out what happened. So, in the beginning of the book, Melinda is an outcast in the school. After a short time, Melinda meets Heather, who transferred from another school.
The beginning of the 17th Century marked the practice of slavery which continued till next 250 years by the colonies and states in America. Slaves, mostly from Africa, worked in the production of tobacco and cotton crops. Later , they were employed or ‘enslaved’ by the whites as for the job of care takers of their houses. The practice of slavery also led the beginning of racism among the people of America. The blacks were restricted for all the basic and legally privileged rights.
