4/16/2017 0 Comments English & Media StudiesMy disciplines of study are English and Media Studies. I use evidence in my writing to make my analysis of text stronger, which often comes from quotations from selected readings from class, such as novels, journals, or other scholarly texts. Evidence in Media Studies may come from less traditional sources, such as films, or other art forms, but also calls on traditional sources frequently. As an English and Media Studies major, forms of communication within my fields of study include conversations or debates about pertinent topics, creating a website or other multimodal projects, reading primary and secondary sources, plays, and books, writing papers or writing creatively, and speaking publicly in class. I think that an unwritten rule of communication in both of my disciplines is to never assume that your opinion is sovereign. English classes revolve around debates and analysis, and part of the beauty of this academic subject is that there is no single “right” answer. Media Studies expands on this and prompts discussion about various topics, whether it be a period piece or specific genre of film, an ongoing news story or topic, or new way of creating media.
English is not as concerned with the concept of timeliness as Media Studies is. Media Studies requires students to tackle contemporary topics that vary from day to day. On the other hand, English has the power to withstand time. Whether my class is discussing a Shakespearean play or Greek epic or recently released novel, there’s no wrong time to dive in. My two majors connect to one another in that they allow me as both a student and writer to dip a toe in both the past and the present, bringing each to the forefront of the conversation.
0 Comments
2/6/2017 0 Comments Blog #4Reading the first two chapters of The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South by Eli N. Evans provided a stark contrast to Stella Suberman’s memoir, The Jew Store. While both writers approach their families’ histories in the south, Suberman’s took on a much lighter tone, whereas Eli N. Evans approached his story with a much more straight forward way of writing. Racism was secondary to the struggles of the Bronson family in The Jew Store, with the threat of the Ku Klux Klan being nothing more than hubris in Concordia, but in Durham, the threat was anything but fable. I also found it interesting that though the Bronson parents and the Evans parents were separated by a generation or two, the ownership of Jew stores connected them. Reading about the Evanses was like looking into the future of the Bronsons, a continuation of their story following a new set of Jewish southerners. It was interesting to me that there was freedom for Eli and his brother to choose their futures, and that Evans United Dollar Store wasn’t at the center of their family’s identity. Additionally, I was intrigued by the juxtaposition of the Bronsons beginning to cater to African American customers, paired with the Evanses source of income coming specifically from the black community in Durham. While it was still clear to me that there was a hierarchy of citizens in North Carolina, and Jews ranked below the average white man, the difference in religion orientation didn’t serve as such a large hindrance in the Evans’ advancement in the community as it did for the Bronsons. As a reader, I enjoyed the story-like quality of The Jew Store by Stella Suberman more, but as a Jew seeking a greater understanding of her religious history, I wholly appreciate The Provincials by Eli N. Evans.
2/1/2017 0 Comments Blog #3I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stella Suberman’s The Jew Store. Though it was a work of nonfiction, the story flowed in a way similar to that of a novel, and provided the most authentic look possible into the world of a Jewish immigrant family in the 1920s American south. Whereas Jewish Roots in Southern Soil gave a starker view of race relations and treatment of the Jewish people in the south, I felt that The Jew Store made these issues more accessible and personable. In sharing her family’s experiences with her readership, Stella Suberman allowed a new generation to share in the Bronsons’ struggles and watch them work to overcome them.
What I found particularly striking about Suberman’s memoir was her account of the conflict between Jews, specifically between Aunt Sadie, Aunt Hannah, and Reba Bronson, and between the Rastows and the Bronsons. I understand the desire to preserve religion and faith to the highest order, but it seems that Aunt Sadie’s presence was a nuisance and hindrance to the other members of the family more than anything else, especially in terms of individual and personal growth. For Aunt Hannah, she puts a stop to her engagement to Manny, and with Reba, Sadie bullies her into the realization that Joey must attend cheder in New York. In these situations, the Jewish religion overpowered the value of family, which was a harsh reality to grapple with as a reader. The conflict between the Rastows and the Bronsons was also unexpected, as I would have assumed that two Jewish families relatively alone in the south would bond rather than clash. Instead, it seemed that Mrs. Rastow looked down on the Bronsons, and was far less concerned with preserving her family’s Jewish identity to the extent that Reba was hers. These harsh realities both worked to shatter the stereotypical image of camaraderie amongst Jews far and wide, especially that which Reba had hoped for and expected. 1/16/2017 0 Comments Blog #2In reading Chapter 8: A Tangled Web: Black-Jewish Relations in the Twentieth-Century South of Jewish Roots in Southern Soil, again, I thought of my own experiences as a Jew in comparison to those of my ancestors in the American south. The Jews and African Americans of the colonial and twentieth-century south have a parallel history to some extent. What struck me most was that the two minority groups were in opposition for such a long time, not only for the sake of protecting themselves, but because there was genuine hostility between them. Not only was each group left to vie for the approval of the white majority in charge, but as a result, they worked against one another.
As a seventh grader, I was taken on a civil rights trip across the south with my middle school class. During our stay in Georgia, we went to the site of the Leo Frank memorial. I remember the purpose of the trip was to give the class a preview of the theme for 8th grade: civil rights. Social justice was a core value of the school, and the trip paired well that platform. I remember hearing the chilling story of Leo Frank, but the racial controversy that resulted was omitted. When I read about it in Jewish Roots in Southern Soil, I was surprised to see a story that painted a picture of more conflict between Jews and African Americans. I felt naïve and misinformed. Again, in a state where I’ve always felt comfortable, especially with my Jewish identity, so many people of my faith were subjected to silence and mistreatment. And they were therefore forced to forfeit their right to play a part in the social justice of the Civil Rights movement. While continuing on in the chapter, I began drawing more comparisons between myself and the period of Jews and African Americans discussed. Though Clive Webb uses the terminology “culturally alien” (197) in reference to the southern Jews of the desegregation movement, this phrasing still feels relevant to the Jews and African Americans of today’s world. Finally, reading this chapter on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has layered this reading with even more meaning and impact. 1/16/2017 0 Comments Blog #1Throughout my reading of the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Jewish Roots in Southern Soil, specifically during Chapter 1, I felt myself growing angrier and more offended the more I read.
I was raised with a very strong Jewish background and attended a Jewish day school from pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade. At Rodeph Sholom, I learned how to read and write in Hebrew, Jewish Studies classes were integrated into the core curriculum and weekly Shabbat services were held on Friday mornings. I am no stranger to the struggle and strife of my people, yet reading about Dr. Nunes and the migration of Jews to Georgia really struck a chord for me. Time and time again, Jews have been forced out of their homes and left seeking entrance and acceptance elsewhere. But why? Even in a state created specifically for them, Jews still face discrimination and prosecution every day. The William and Sarah from England to Savannah was accepted on a technicality. There was no moral high ground taken, no encouragement from a tolerant mind. Instead the Jews were admitted begrudgingly, simply because they were not “papists.” As a Jew, I read this and felt a sense of loss and sadness. Even when Jews are accepted, it’s still with limitations more often than not. It’s a very different experience to read about the classical Jewish exile led by Moses, or even the Holocaust. While those histories are undoubtedly devastating, they have been so widely told and taught that to read an account that I haven’t been as extensively educated about left a new sense of rawness. This kind of history feels much more personal. My people were almost denied entry to a state that I've come to call home, both as a student and Jew, without any doubts or hesitation. |
Image Credit: Jenni Field https://www.flickr.com/photos/onlinepastrychef/5259343998/in/photolist-91KvJN-b1Q8LM-dtmK7-8zHZyp-skkYfv-e3enxM-e6kZFH-6fr9Hb-91GshF-W74v-71aBMg-jj4Kdv-nyiMeQ-7NuNX6-6eniWU-niRSYx-niRWtt-jgntbJ-91GrEr-D8s8x-91Gtai-nAmsxn-niRTYu-4BDY9J-biCVpc-z2Uez-nAmrUP-nA7GcG-6iYy6y-nC8vpX-oHxiGt-niRU48-8GXdwu-4GGbC7-dpj4gB-4GRCSy-bKskKP-6ezJrM-6eCsmM-bE9ngM-crKHkJ-e7Jxka-6eGzGQ-z2UbU-4x3JVL-83GtzM-bKxSQx-bL832-5qtB58-7Tcm8K
Archives
April 2017
Categories |