Wednesday, October 02, 2013

 
Today we continued working on our Pidd assignments. Most students have completed their Pronoun Case Essay Exam 1. There are two more: Possessives and Parallel Structure. If you did not complete it, give it to me tomorrow. I will be in A-205 from 12:30-2 p.m. 

I will put graded Pronoun Case essays in an envelop outside my office tomorrow.

The plan for next week is for students to complete three more essays. Wherever you are complete three more. That is, complete the exercises and the templates. We were supposed to have completed Pidd by October 3.

We completed the Ellipsis Marks Quiz. It is connected to the Pronoun Case section. The essay is Synthetica. 

I gave students a handout which we read on LEO: Thesis Sentences. We then developed a few using as our topic "virgin soul." What does the author mean by this? What is a virgin soul? How is Geniece a "virgin soul"?

Here are the sentences we developed:

Geniece maintains her innocence even though at times violence surrounds her.

Judy Juanita's character in Virgin Soul remains naive despite her deepening involvment in the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.

Despite the events occurring in Oakland at a time when there were major protests nationally against the war in Vietnam and locally against police brutality, Geneice Hightower remains pure; her soul is virgin.

New:

When one thinks about virgin territory, what comes to mind is Geniece Hightower; she is open and accepting yet not without analysis. 

I will post a few writing prompts for freewrites. Each writing assignment is 250 words minimal. It is a cyber-assignment. The first one is for today.


Writing Assignment 1 Due now.
Using evidence from the text, discuss Geniece's self-image. What does she think about herself? Is she pretty, is she smart, is she confident? How does this change over the course of her early relationship with Allwood?

Discuss a few crucial moments where she actually sees herself for the first time and likes what she sees. 

Give examples from the novel to support your claims. Remember to introduce the speaker and put a page number at the end of the direct quote of free paraphrase.

Don't forget to include a works cited page. 

Check back Monday and Wednesday for two more writing prompts.

Comments:
Peter Roque
Professor Sabir
English 201A
October 9th, 2013
Genicece is not proud of her self-image. For the most part, she doesn’t think she is beautiful. Her family seems very open to who they are and what they look like but, Geniece seems like the oddball of the family. She is not proud of what she looks like and wants to get out of her old shoes. As in, she wants to get out of Oakland California and become more of herself. She is confident when it comes to being independent. When it comes down to what she really wants in life, she seems clueless. For example, she thinks she reads a lot but, when she meets someone who is new to her, she finds out that she doesn’t read as much as she thinks. However, she starts doing a lot more from this. She is always eager to venture out and do something with her life. This will cause her to eventually join the black panther group. She is smart and well educated. She is very committed of making a better life for herself by going to school. Her relationship with Allwood helps her move forward in completing a different look from her old life. He introduces her to new things which is exactly what she wants. It is through him where she learns about the black panther. In retrospect, they both represent change in society. However, she is in some cases treated as trash. At one point, someone tells Allwood to control his women as if she is to just stay there and not do anything. She is not treated as a true individual. However, she still thrives in finding out who she is. Through this, she feels comfortable on who she is and doesn’t think she is ugly as a person.

 
Tsatsral Tsendsuren
Professor Sabir
English 201A
13 October 2013
Geniece is not proud of her self-image because she does not like her skin color, and she thinks she is not beautiful at all. She is not proud of what she looks like. Geniece is all too eager and smart girl. And yes, she is confident that she has a dream to follow. Her dream is to be educated. “The country was in the grips of antiwar sentiment, strikes, and civil rights protests, and Oakland was no exception” (0513), but she wanted to study. Being educated was impossible to Blacks who could not get to college any other way except “City.” But Geniece did not lose her hope.
Also she met a guy who’s name is Allwood, and he taught a lot to her. Geniece thought, she reads a lot until she met with Allwood. After Allwood gave a list of books, she discovered a more things in her life. Some of the books were a new to her that she has never heard about. More reading a book, more she was learning and knowing. She was always brave to do and change something with her life. And she deserved a better life by going to school, and being educated. Her relationship with Allwood was helping her find the way that she needs to follow. Then she joined the Black Panther Party.

 
Sonia Reyes
Professor Sabir
English 201B
10 October 2013

Having a positive self image is imperative to a persons personal growth. Geniece does not seem to have a good self image. I feel that she thinks that light skinned people are more attractive than darker skinned people. She is of darker skin and she is smart. She is very aware of her surroundings and of the people that are around her. She notices all the light skinned folks in her family and how they say that being light skinned is enough.
Geniece states,
“I knew the browner people in the family could be smart as hell. It was never enough. If you were brown, you better know how to do something and do it well. Even then, you didn’t get slack.” (Juanita 58).
Once in a relationship with Allwood he took her the “black house” where she met Fatimah the woman who took her in front of a mirror and pulled her hair back to show her how beautiful she really was. Fatimah made Geniece repeat how beautiful she was and Geniece did just that.
Geniece states,
“ For so long, I had used my hair as my shield. To see myself in front of her as I saw myself in the morning was a shock.” “ ‘You are a beautiful woman.’ ” “She turned my chin from side to side.”...(Juanita 64) “
‘You have to say it,‘ “ she said.
“ ‘Say what?‘ “
“ ‘I am such a beautiful woman.’ “
“I said it quickly.”
“ ‘No, say it slowly looking at yourself, not me.’ “...(Juanita 64)
“I looked at that mirror and saw the Geniece she saw.”
Geniece finally began to see herself in a different light. She realized that she was more than just a woman with body parts that men singled out and desired. She saw herself as a valuable whole woman.
 
Very nice use of text Sonia to support your claims.
 
Peter, your statement: "In retrospect, they both represent change in society." would make a great thesis, especially when we are speaking of Geneice and to a certain degree we find out Allwood, who is smart and comes from a working class family (dad a bus driver whom college students consult).

Both are running away from a certain aspect of themselves represented by for Geniece a sense of belonging and acceptance which she finds in the BPP.
 
Tstral:

When you write: "She was always brave to do and change something with her life." you have the genesis of an interesting and compelling argument.

Look at the changes Geniece makes. How do these actions exemplify a courageous woman? How do these changes illustrate her growth?
 
Hannah Wollo
Professor Sabir
English 201A
4 October 2013
Assignment:
1. Using evidence from the text, discuss Geniece's self-image. What does she think about herself? Is she pretty, is she smart, is she confident? How does this change over the course of her early relationship with Allwood?
2. Discuss a few crucial moments where she actually sees herself for the first time and likes what she sees.
3. Give examples from the novel to support your claims. Remember to introduce the speaker and put a page number at the end of the direct quote or free paraphrase.
In Judy Juanita novel Virgin Soul, introduce a young unconfident lady. Geniece Hightower should look more into herself because she needs to know that dark skin is beautiful. It is not what people think about you but what you think about yourself. Being one of the darkest people in the family put her in place that she sees herself different from her family. For example, she believes that she’s an orphan because her father left. She sees herself as an outsider and she don’t think she’s beautiful.
She feels ugly because she’s dark skin and has different kind of hair. I really don’t know why she makes herself feel like an outsider. Geniece is a very smart young lady and pretty but she just needed to see her beauty. It was at the Black House, when she saw the real Geniece. One of the sisters (Fatimah) pulls her in front of the mirror and pulls back hair. She could see the beauty Fatimah was talking about. “It was not my hair or pretty feet that no one ever saw first, any other part, not even my mind.” (Pg 65). It does not matter what people say about you. She is a beautiful dark skin lady. Geniece fell in love with Allwood because he was smart. She and Allwood make love because they had been together and she wanted to be part of society.
When she asked Fatimah, ”Am I seeing thing wrong or do I just happen to see a lot of light-skinned brothers in the movement with darker-skinned sisters?” (64). she does not know that dark shin is beautiful and need to build more confident on her life style.
 
Delgermaa Ailtgui
Professor Sabir
English 201B
14 October 2013
Typical African American girl Geniece thinks herself as a girl who’s not girly not even close to beautiful. She does not think that she is ugly or unattractive but because of her opinion that relies on skin color makes her think she’s not beautiful. She thinks that light skinned people look more attractive than the dark skinned people. But, after all she is very smart and her thoughts are very clever. She stands out with her uniqueness from the crowd.
Geniece tried to be someone that she’s not because she has always been a girl that doesn’t appreciate the beauty that is given to her and she lacked a confidence to believe that she was beautiful. Until, she discovered through the woman that was at “black house” made her see what a beautiful unique creature was standing in front of the mirror.
I think Allwood became very important person to Geniece because he is like a pavement that leads her. He shapes her personality and behaviors. He is a kind of person that can make Geniece a woman that she wouldn’t even imagine.

 
Gerlanda Gelin
Professor Wanda Sabir
English201B
14 October 2013
Virgin Soul a book by Judy Juanita, she unfolded the story of a young lady name Geniece who remains pure despite of her involvement with the Black Panther Party, and all the events occurring in Oakland protests against police brutality, and segregation in the South. Geniece a naïve young lady who is emerging in her new life caught up in the mist of the new rebellious generation. As a child Geniece mother died and later abandoned by her father. A young child who can barely walk was left alone to strive for her life. She was raised by her father’s family, Uncle Boy-boy and his wife Ola, their two children Buddy and Corliss, her grandmother Goosey. She was called the broken-home baby and the all by-they-self-baby, her family loves her. But Geniece always feel as an outcast, whenever her grandmother’s word plays in her head “No count pissantsy boots. Leaving all these all by-they-self-babies for the family to raise (14),” growing up Geniece had so many unanswered questions in her head, questions that nobody could answer.
Not only Geniece was an orphan she also battling self-confident, in the book she talks about her skin color. “The sedids possessed money or, in lieu of that yellow, high yellow, sandy yellow, mellow yellow, sandy, mariney, light brown, peach, or caramel skin; in the line stopped there.” She never thought that she was beautiful because she was dark. A smart young lady with a broken heart searching for answers to define her life. Geniece life transformed from a low self-confident young lady to revolutionary fighter when she met Allwood. Allwood introduced Geniece to her new life when he took her to her first BPP meeting in San Francisco. There Geniece saw a whole new image of herself, she stops caring about what other think of her skin color; especially Aunt Ola who always nagging about her hair Geniece became more appreciative of her beauty.

 
Maria Rosas
Professor Sabir
English 201B
10 October 2013



Geniece Hightower. An intelligent, innocent, and pretty girl. Even though she had a lot of qualities she not felt comfortable with herself. Because of her lack of self-confidence regarding to her appearance, Geniece felt as the ugly person in the world. Essentially this was because of her skin color. On the other hand, she was a strong young woman that knew what she likes for her future. Geniece believed that being lighter was enough to be success in life.
I believe that one important moment in Geniece life that might change her thoughts about herself, was when she went to the black house. There she met many people. However, was Fatimah who made Geniece understand how beautiful she was. Fatimah brought Geniece in front of the mirror and made her say that she was beautiful. The meaning of this was not made Geniece said it in front of the mirror. Fatimah’s purpose was that Geniece truly believe it.
When Geniece saw a new image of herself, she did not care any more about her skin color and what others have to say about her. After the visit to the black house, Geniece change in the way of how she saw herself. Also she became more confident regarding to her relationship with Allwood, enough to bring their relationship to the next level.
Her relationship with Allwood wasn’t the most romantic but once he left to Cal Tech, she started to realize that she was in love with him.

 
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