Wednesday, January 30, 2008

 

Coretta King: Revisited by Alice Walker

Today in class we reviewed the essay and then did some prewriting in groups. The second class didn't have their Hacker textbooks so we weren't able to read the sections on paraphrasing and summary, signal phrases or how to cite MLA style for an essay. Students can post their 3-paragraph essays here. Each class also was told to complete a planning sheet first. Post that with your essay also. For the afternoon class, some of the essays were collaborative. Make sure to include all students’ names, so you can all have credit for the work.

I wrote a short essay in response to the assignment and I will post it below. Homework is to read the essay on Martin Luther King III from the book: Children of the Movement by John Blake, and annotate it and prepare to either develop and outline, a summary or an essay. We will post and respond to student posts Monday in class for the last hour.

Students should bring their books to class. Since the store doesn't have Letters from Mississippi, we'll start with James Baldwin's book, The Fire Next Time. Bring it to class Monday, February 4. I still want you to purchase Children of the Movement; hopefully the other book will be in soon. We'll read the Baldwin essays quickly.


Other posts
Please post your State of the Union responses at the assignment location also. You can wait until I return the essays to you if you gave it to me already; otherwise, post it.

Coretta Scott King: Revisited
By Wanda Sabir

In "Coretta King: Revisited," Alice Walker realizes that her idols, Martin King and his wife, Coretta Scott, were made of flesh not stone and that their heroism came at great personal sacrifice. She says, "...[Coretta] pulled me to my feet, as her husband had done in a different way, and forced me to acknowledge that debt I owed, not only to her husband's memory, but also to the living continuation of his work" (148). Walker then shares her observations of how CSK's person had changed since their first interview in 1962 and the follow-up 10 years later.

She mentions CSK's eyes--"reserved," her manner--"cool" even "bored," as she ticked off a list of queries in her mind. Walker reevaluated CSK's voice and noticed how the public differed distinctly from her oratory or public speaking one, which uncannily resembled her late husband's.

Walker shared the sudden realization that perhaps she'd misread CSK, perhaps this woman had suffered unspeakably from her husband's death and the burden she now carried alone. Walker said she stared at CSK as she wondered "where so much strength is coming from" (150).

As the interview progressed Walker asked CSK how she and her husband met, her musical career, her compromises and sacrifices and what it was like to be with such a man--these choices and implied or stated shifts in relationship or roles caused Walker to reflect on her own life and what she was committed to. Was there anything or anyone she loved so much she would give her life over to unasked?

As the meeting moves into its second hour, Walker talks to Coretta like a woman confides in a big sister. She asks her about the Women's Movement and where black women fit. Mrs. King assures her that "black women in the south [had] been liberated for generations" (152-153). Walker laughingly agreed.

Just as Alice Walker would become, CSK also wanted to be an inspiration, to be a model of encouragement for young black women. Alice Walker left the second interview renewed, her battery charged, refreshed and a lot more optimistic about her future and that of her people.

Comments:
Mario Talavera
Prof. Wanda Sabir
Eng.201A 10-12
February 13, 2008
Coretta King: Revisited

In this essay Alice Walker talks about the first time she went to Atlanta to visit and interview Coretta King, the interview was about Martin Luther King Jr. and all the hard work that he was doing at that time for all the people that was unprotected, not just African Americans but Mexicans and Indians too. She also describes how she felt the first time she went, the feelings she had after Martin Luther King Jr. died, the revisit to Coretta King, how she got to know her better as a person.
When Alice Walker went to visit Coretta King for the first time, she was impressed with how beautiful she was, and she didn’t even have any make up on, Alice describes the way they lived, they lived in a very simple house, the furniture was very cheap, she was not expecting that, she felt very comfortable being there. For Alice Walker Martin Luther King and Coretta King were heroes, she couldn’t see them as regular people, they were like gods. The second time that Alice Walker went to visit Coretta, she was whole different person she was very hurt, but she still wanted to keep his husband’s dream and legacy alive(154). She was a very strong woman who also was also against discrimination and racism.
In that visit the Alice tells us how she saw a different side of Coretta, she began to look at her as a human being, vulnerable for her lost but still very strong to continue. Coretta was a person who supported the women’s rights too, she was a feminist. She wanted them to become better individuals, and believe in themselves, believe that they can go far in life if they want to and they work hard. After Martin Luther King died the author tells us how she felt like, her life was over, she didn’t want to do anything, but after she saw Coretta a women that after her lost she was still fighting and committed to end discrimination, that was something very inspiring for her, and even more after she said these words “women in general, are not a part of the corruption of the past, so they can give a new king of leadership, a new image for mankind.” (154). She believed more in herself, because she was a person just like Coretta, and if she could fight to continue his husband’s legacy, why can’t she do the same thing, she felt like she could contribute and benefit the society as Martin Luther King did.
 
Javier Chavez
Eng 201 B 1-3pm
Coretta King: Revisited

In “Coretta King: Revisited” Alice Walker realizes that her heroes Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King are just human. She says “if it had not been for her husband, Dr. King, I would have come of age believing in nothing and no one”(147). I think Alice Walker was also somewhat reborn since losing Dr. King. Walker also notes a change in CSK’s from her first interview to her second.

When Walker first meets CSK in their first interview she describes CSK as “bright-eyed, slim and actually bubbly..”(146-147), then during their second interview she notices that CSK’s eyes changed, their more reserve, and she is not a slim as she was before.(148-149). Towards the end of their second interview as Walker was leaving CSK’s house she mentions that “ there is a feeling that spring has already come to the winter-colored slopes of Atlanta”(156). I think she mentions this because spring is the time when plants come to life and bears awake from their slumber. So she might be referring to spring because she feels reborn.

Alice Walker said “knowing that when i arrive the very ground may tremble and convulse but I will walk upright, forever”(157). Alice Walker learned much from her interview with CSK and with it became stronger, for herself and for her people.
 
Chesi Brown
Sophia
English 201B


In Alice Walker essay Coretta King. “Revisited”. Alice Walker finds that Martin Luther Kings legacy is neither dead nor forgotten. After, Alice’s interview with Coretta King, She reconnects with her self and finds motivation from her deceased hero.

Alice felt invisible before her knowledge of Dr. King. Do to his presents in the movement, Alice says: “I fault harder for myself and for a chance for my self, to be more than a shadow or a number than I’ve had every done in my life”. (pg 124, Civil Rights Movement)

The absents of Dr. King made Ms. Walker feel that the future was worthless, pointless, and know use of trying, because it wouldn’t make a different. Ms. Walker states, “When he was assassinated in 1968, it was as if the light in my world as gone out.”(pg 147, Corretta King Revisit)

After, revisiting with Ms. King. Alice Walker begins to feel alive again. Through realizing just how much Ms. King shared the same traits as her husband. This gave Ms. Alice Walker her strength back.

Alice Walker is now standing strong, sharing with the world her knowledge. Putting a little of her hero, (Dr. King) in everyone. He is still her hero and he will continue to live in her.
 
Alberto Reyna
English 201B
1-3pm
2/4/08

In her essay, “Coretta King: Revisited,” it becomes apparent that Alice Walker’s faith and belief in the civil rights movement were resurrected through her interview with Coretta King (148). During this hard time for Walker, it seemed as though she had found another source of inspiration and strength to bring life to all that had withered within her following King’s death.

Immediately following Martin Luther King Junior’s assassination Alice Walker was devastated. In her writings, she describes how “when he was assassinated in 1968 it was as if the last light in my world had gone out” (147).This was a time when she felt the movement and herself as lost. However, when Walker interviewed Coretta King some time after King’s death, it was as though she realized that the movement was far from over and that there remained much to fight for. Through Coretta King’s words advocating gender equality and the descriptions she gave of MLK as a family man, Walker’s feelings of devastation and grief were alleviated. Thus, her faith and her strength were resurrected.

For Alice Walker the movement died with MLK Jr. In the end it took another source of strength and hope, which CSK became for her. She made this evident when she wrote “she pulled me to my feet, as her husband had in a different way, and forced me to acknowledge the debt I owed, not only to her husband’s memory but also to the living continuation of his work” (148).
 
Dylan

In Alice Walker's essay Coretta King. “Revisited”. Alice Walker finds that Martin Luther King's legacy is still alive. After, Alice’s meeting with Coretta King, she reconnects with herself and finds motivation from her hero.

Dr. King not being present made Ms. Walker feel that the future was pointless, because it wouldn’t make a difference. Ms. Walker said, “When he was assassinated in 1968, it was as if the light in my world as gone out.”(pg 147, Corretta King Revisit)

After, revisiting with Ms. King. Alice Walker begins to feel alive again. Through realizing just how much Ms. King shared the same personal feelings as her husband. This gave Alice Walker her strength back more than ever.

Alice felt invisible before her knowledge of Dr. King. Do to his presence in the movement, Alice says: “I fault harder for myself and for a chance for my self, to be more than a shadow or a number than I’ve had every done in my life”. (pg 124, Civil Rights Movement)

Alice talks about how he is still her hero and is responsible for the sole reason of why she stands so strong in the world to this current day.
 
Irene Nu
201B 1-3

“Coretta king: revisited “was to respond how she felt after her husband death. To show what her husband has inspired her and become a strong woman today. She still misses her husband, because she have music concert for black candidates and the money are raise for the memorial to her husband that she think he must have. Overall, Coretta was a very strong woman because her husband was a person who helped a lot of people, and after his death, she is still trying to remind people of what her husband have done.

“Coretta is concerned but firm. She tells him that since he has missed the ride home that was arranged for him he will just have to wait until she can send someone for him” (155) this shows that Coretta are very strict dealing with her kids. At most time, mothers will pick up their child right again when they missed their ride home, especially in the rain. But Coretta showed that she is very strict on them because he missed the ride she had arranged for him but he missed it, so either he will have to walk or wait for the next arrangement she have for him. She shows that because her husband died, doesn’t mean she have to spoil her kids and she are being very strict on them.

Coretta is a very caring person, “losing got to him, but the important thing, is that he still has the courage to try to change things in the south so that all people can live there in harmony and peace”. Coretta not only think about herself when it comes to harmony and peace but she thinks about others also. She wants people to at least try to make a change so others will have peace. Losing is not a problem, but people who showed have the courage to try.
 
Jessica Ramos
Eng. 201B 1-3
Martin Luther King Jr. was a person who wanted change in this world, he wanted his people; African Americans to be treated differently, he wanted everyone, blacks and whites to be treated the same way. He worked very hard and he got many people to follow him and tried to do the same things that he was doing. There were many people who like Alice Walker thought that Martin Luther King Jr. was a person they could believe in and that he could get them a better future. The death of Martin Luther King Jr. got many people sad; there were many that suffered especially his wife. Alice Walker was very affected by Martin Luther King’s death and talking to Coretta Scott King was like a relief because it made her realize that she can continue with her life.
Alice Walker like many other people got very sad when Martin Luther King died. “It seemed to me, at the time, that if ‘he’ must die no one deserved to live” (148). There were so many people that felt like they didn’t want to live anymore because Martin Luther King was dead; he was a person who gave others a reason to keep going because they had a person who was fighting for their rights, someone who wanted everyone to be treated equally.
 
Eng.201 10-12
Feb 04, 2008

Coretta King: Revisited

Initial Planning Sheet
1.What is the subject of your paper?
: The living continuation of the work of MLK, Jr.
2.Why do you want to write about this subject?
: Even though Dr. King died, his impact of nonviolence Civil Right Movement has made people dedicate their life to the Movement.
3.What audience will you write for?
: The people who believe the Movement is over.
4.What question do you want your research paper to answer?
:* How does Coretta King influenced on Walker?
*What made Walker rededicate to his work?
5.What is the main writing strategy you think you will use?
: Description

In "Coretta King: Revisited," Alice Walker’s revisit of Coretta King to interview for this article became a chance of her rededication to the work of MLK, Jr. which has continued by his wife Coretta King after his death. Even though Dr. King died, his impact of nonviolence Civil Right Movement has made people to dedicate their life to the Movement and has kept alive.

In front of her husband’s death, Coretta King trusted his belief and rededicated her life to continue what he believed. It became a chance for Walker who had adored Dr. King and his work, but deeply disappointed about the results of the nonviolence, the death of Dr. King, to realize her disbelief and self-pity. She said, "...[Coretta] pulled me to my feet, as her husband had done in a different way, and forced me to acknowledge that debt I owed, not only to her husband's memory, but also to the living continuation of his work" (148). Coretta King’s rededicate to unpromising faith awakened Walker.

When she revisited Coretta, Walker read the presence of Dr. King and continuation of his work from Coretta King who had changed since Walker’s first visit in 1962, 10years ago. As Walker mentioned about Coretta’s eyes, voice and manner that has changed a lot reminded her of Dr. King, she confirmed that “…she[Coretta] continues to believe in and carry on her husband’s work along with her own”(150). From her experience of revisiting Coretta, Walker realized that his legacy still grows through the people who carry on his mission. With the last sentence, “I gaze down from the plane on the blood-red hills of Georgia and Alabama and finally, home, Mississippi, knowing that when I arrive the very ground may tremble and convulse but I will walk upright, forever” (157), Walker rededicated herself to on unpromising but continual mission that Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife carried on.
 
Kay Kaunda
Eng 201A 10-12

In Coretta King: Revisited’ we see that this is about how Alice walker Views changed as a result of Martian Luther King Jr death. The fact of her visiting Coretta King, we see how Alice Walker herself revisits her past.
One of the first point Alice Walker makes discusses how much of an affect Dr King had on her. She say’s ‘If it had not been for her husband, Dr King I would have come of age believing in nothing and no one’ (147). This Quota, she has used in previous writings showing how much of an importance this is to her as it had been repeated. It also makes us readers understand just how much importance this played to her. She also say’s ‘when he was assassinated in 1968 it was as if the light in my world had gone out’ (147) Her describing how ‘the light in my world had gone out’ shows how much of an impact his death had made on her. Light usually symbolize hope and life what explains why she used this to describe his death. We also see how much of an affect Dr King’s death had made on her, when she describes herself as ‘I lost the child I had been carrying, I did not even care. It seemed to me at the time that if ‘he’ must die no one deserved to live not even my own child’ (148) This is a very powerful sentence as she can’t even able herself from using his name an just refers to him as ‘he’. Also the fact that she feels not like morning for the death of her unborn child shows how strongly she felt for Dr King.
We also see when Coretta King is talking, Alice walker describes her voice ‘Perhaps it was my imagination, but she sounded so much like her husband that for a minute I thought I was hearing his voice’ (148). This made Alice walker that that her morning for Dr king was in self pity, as she could hear the voice of his wife still strong and fighting for what she believes in.
 
Essence Mercer
English 201A
Professor Sabir 10-12
February 6, 2008

In this essay, Alice Walker talks about a series of visits with Coretta Scott King. Alice Walker was extremely overjoyed at the opportunity to interview King. The experience was so enlightening, Walker could not talk (pg.147) “I was so delighted that the furniture was plain…..” (pg.146) says Walker about the king home. This was the first meeting of the two ladies.

Walker did not see King for many years thereafter. The next time not so joyous as the first. Walker and her husband had traveled down to Atlanta for the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. No words were exchanged between the two ladies but Walker was able to see Coretta’s face again. In that brief moment everything that Walker had believed in seemed so foreign and obsolete, the rage and anger of Dr. King‘s death resonated. She began to despise the non-violent movement. The pain and emotions got the best of Walker and she ended up losing the baby that she was carrying. A few weeks after the funeral, Walker was tuned to the television to hear Coretta’s first speech since her husband had been assonated. King sounded so much like her husband that the non-violence movement awakened once again in Walker. (pg.148)

The opportunity to interview King came ten years later. Besides that fact that King had aged a bit, she was the same woman as before only her eyes were different.(pg.148) Many of the questions that Walker had prepared to ask King we no longer needed. This was the first time that Walker saw King as a regular person and not some God like figure. Emotions, problems and family issues were equal to both women. King began to open up to Walker and let her into her world. She spoke of her beliefs and many things that she was passionate about. Walker and King shared a lot of similar views and seeing King in that form showed Walker that she was no different. She had spent many years this couple for how strong and different they were and it was in this moment that Walker realized that it was also inside of her as it was in them. All the years that Walker had been searching for inner-peace and in this moment she actually found it. Her heart opened and she realized that just because MLK is dead, his legacy will live on forever and it was not in vain.
 
Theresa Smith
February 13, 2008
English A 10-12
Title
Revisited by Alice Walker
Alice Walker’s essay was written in the winter time during 1966. It took place in New York City; with a young black woman who shared a room with a law student above Washington Square Park. Alice Walker first wrote her first essay she won first prize which rewarded her three hundred dollars.
During the 1960’s Mississippi was involved in the Civil Right Movement. One day someone asked and old black woman who had been beaten badly for disturbing the peace a question: Since the Civil Rights Movement is dead, what do you think about it? “The black woman told him the Civil Rights Movement was like her, if it’s dead it sure isn’t ready to lie down. The Civil Rights Movement will never be over as long as our skin is black.
The Civil Rights Movement will never be over; we have to continue to fight for black people’s rights in order for our people to be free, and alt to provide for themselves and their families. Our generation is enormous and is growing rapidly. We have to continue t grow to protect our children. The Civil Rights Movement is over to the white man because he skin is not as dark as ours. This is not their fight; they can afford to not be part of our fight because it does not draw an interest to them.
Black people can never take our hands off the prize as long as we have lives and people to save generation after generation. The movement may not do anything for us that day but the knowledge to retain the information we may need later will be beneficial. The more people we educate towards our rights and what we fight for will make it easy for the to go on, due to the communication with the black people and the right for Civil Rights
 
Michael Tran
Coretta king
afternoon class
1-3 pm
201B

In Alice walker essay Coretta king ; revisited she talks about engaging a interview. She was a woman with strong believes in freedom. When Coretta child died, she wasn't upset at all. Because MLK lifted her away, with his powerful words that he gives when he is in front of people." It seems to me, at the time, that if "'he" must died no one deserve to live, not even my own child." (pg 148)

During the first interview Alice describes coretta physical looks and how she had cheap furniture. Alice begins to feel alive again. Through realizing just how much Coretta shared the same personal feelings as her husband. This gave Alice Walker her strength to come back.

After alice was done with the interview she reflected Coretta again and felt that Coretta is a strong woman. Her husband died and many people looked up to her because she was married to a great man. "When Coretta king is on the plane she knows that many people will wait for her when she arrive but she will stand tall and fearless forever.
 
Nseke Ngilbus
prof.sabir
eng 1
march 15, 2010

Alice Walker essay, Corretta King: Revisited, is a journey of self discovery. Alice is trying to find something she believe is lost, or fill the void in her heart. Alice visited the kings twice; the first time she remembers that she was real happy. She states “I was so delighted that the furniture was plain…”(146). TShe also rememeber looking upon the KIngs as not human, but Gods. sHe had the upmost respect for them. She consider Martin Luther King as her shining light, as her beacon to lead her to the promise land. She had a strong profound love for King, and that why so respected him so.

Unfortunately, the second time Alice met with Coretta king it was under greivous circumstances. MLK had been assinated, it was then that Alice realize that King is not a God, she has weaknesses and emotions just like every one else. She states "The second time that Alice Walker went to visit Coretta, she was whole different person she was very hurt, but she still wanted to keep his husband’s dream and legacy alive"(154). The death of King really affected Alice, she felt like life was not worth living anymore. She had lost her hero and there was no way of getting him back. She was devastated. But as she started to talk with Coretta, she realize that although MLK has died, his dream has not; it is still live and influential. Alice was so affected by MLK's death, that when her child died she showed no remorse. She states "It seems to me, at the time, that if "'he" must died no one deserve to live, not even my own child"(150). Alice is overall distraut, but she comes to find solace in knowing that MLKK legacy lives on.
 
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