Finishing Douglass and Preparing for Our Debates

We finished reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass this week. I had many students who really wrestled with this story this time. Every time I have taught it, the students have enjoyed the work and found it eye opening. However, this was something deeper. I could see the students really trying to wrap their heads around the idea of slavery – both how it affected the slaves and slave owners. They also seemed very troubled by the idea of “humane” slave owners. How can you participate in such an evil enterprise, but not actually be evil all the time? That was an actual student question. And what a question it is.

We spent a great deal of time talking about Douglass’s use of rhetoric. As we moved through the piece, the students were really able to appreciate just how clever he is, and how well he understands his audience. My hope is that this understanding will translate to their persuasive letters about how to solve the issue of modern slavery.

 

Next week the students will be introduced to the ideas of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois – and to the epic philosophical battle that took place between them. They will use their understanding of these two authors to inform their beliefs about how best to tackle poverty in modern America, and prepare to debate one another about the topic. Our guest speaker will also help the students to prepare for this debate. 

What can I say? Overall I am just so pleased with how the students are stretching themselves. On Tuesday, we will conduct a World Café to foster discussion on key questions brought up in Narrative and the documentary. If you have never witnessed or been a part of a World Café, you are missing out! You can learn more about the concept here. We will address the following questions: How did slavery affect African Americans? How did slavery affect the slave owner? What current issues are there in today’s society that might be aftereffects of slavery? Why do “good” people participate in “bad” things? What is the most effective way to resist injustice?

I LOVE doing this activity, and have never had a bad experience with it. The pictures on this post are from last semester’s World Café’s, and I think they speak for themselves!

Make sure to check out some student blogs – they are moving and grooving!