2/24/09 Homework

How would you know have felt as a teenager back then if you had read about Emmit Til's murder in the newspaper?

I would have been hurt and mad. Words could'nt even explain how I would've felt. It hurt's to know that an Black boy your age was killed numeruos times. Its funny to say that but they beat Emmit Til numerous times as if he already was'nt dead. I believe that everything that happend was'nt called for. Those men should have went to jail just because they beat him and tourtured him numerous times. All because your skin color changes everything. It changes the way people look at you in life. I would have cried through the whole newspaper article. It was very said to see the way his body look after they tortured Emmit Til. I'm happy an Black person finally had something in the newspaper even if it was bad. The only good thing that newspaper article had in my opinion is that it set off the civil war. Also it woke up the young minds of black people then and even today. After seeing the video today it made me realize alot about myself and my life.

2/16-20/09 What should Hiram have done differently?

The things Hiram could have done differently is not talk to Emmit Til at all and just let him be. I understand why he accepted him as a friend. It caused alot of drama in the book. Hiram could have not went fishing with R.C or while he was there didn't talk to Emmit and his cousins because it didn't do anything but stir up trouble. He could have gave Emmit and his cousins the lunch but he should have burg it to him. He should've had Emmit follow him. He should've told Emmit that he had someone else with him that didn't like his kind. Hiram could have just listened to his father and stayed in Arizona. If he would have stayed he wouldn't have to be in the mess he was in. He wouldn't have to face racism as much in Arizona. He wouldn't have to worry about nothing happening to Emmit at all because he wouldn't know him. That would just be one thing not on his mind. He wouldn't have to be scared to testify because he wouldn't be in the situation. He is not in Arizona so he is in all the things he didn't have o be in if he would have just listened to his father. I believe that he remembered what his mother told him. She told him to remember who he was and tell the truth.

2/16-20/09 What could Hiram, or anyone else, have done, or do to stop the crime?

Hiram could have told someone other than his friends and grandpa. He should have told someone who had power to stop bad things from happening. The people that he told should have also said something but in my opinion they didn't or at least the people Hiram told thought that nothing was going to happen anyways so why waste their breathe. I think it would have still been good that someone in power could have knew so that they could have done something. Hiram probably thought that he was doing the right thing by telling his grandpa but his grandpa didn't do anything but have complaints about it so I would have done something differently like tell Emmit Til's family and the police. I think that the police would have done something about it even if it was just go check to see if Emmit was where he was suppose to be. Hiram could have told his friends to stop but they probably wouldn't listen. Hiram could have tried to warn Emmit about the men before they went to his uncle house. He also could have told Emmit cousins. They should have just told the police so they could be on the look out for trouble. As soon as Hiram heard what Emmit did he should have told someone right then and there. That was the right thing to do in that situation. He probably felt threatened by R.C.

February 16-20,2009 Why does Racism exist?

Racism isn't just color. Racism is color, religion or even how someone dresses. Racism is all over the world it originated from the Romans. Racism exist because racism is apart of discrimination. Racism comes from fear. I think that white people feared black people because they skin was darker. So in my opinion they felt that anybody that didn't look like them don't belong. What they mean by don't belong is that they should have no power with anything. Rather its education, jobs or just in the streets. Racism isn't just between blacks, whites and slavery. Racism is between any culture, religion or people. In the United States Racism is focused on Blacks and whites. In the United States Blacks are at the bottom for everything. The number one thing that whites tried to keep away from black is Education. they did that because they know that Education is power and not just to the mind. It was power to jobs, culture, race and the world. A white person hates when they see an black person with power and right now a black person has the most person in this country and that is President Barack Obama. Racism exists because of fear and white people fear that black people will have power and right now A Black Man has the most power in the United States and dont for get it!.