Muhammad Ali

American History X

At first I would like to give my view on the way the referents presented their topics and following I will proceed with the vital importance of Muhammad Ali respectively the movie American History X.

Muhammad Ali

I am of the opinion that M. has given us a really good presentation about Muhammad Ali. I got to know an entirely new view of that man.
Previously I was just deeming that Muhammad Ali would be a famous boxer. I had never suspected his important role in the anti-war movement and in the emancipation movement for the black community.
In my opinion M. outlined the main aspects for that movements pretty well and he gave us interesting information e.g. about Ali’s change of name, which he intensified by using apt quotations from him.
There is no doubt about it that Ali achieved great things, success in sports as well as his participation in above-mentioned movements.
One of the most interesting facts was that Ali had nerve enough to refuse the conscription, although it was known that this action would be a commission of a crime.
Another significant point is that Ali was born in slavery, which most of people did not know. Here M. presented an apt quotation:

“Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it, and I didn’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God – and I insist people use it when speaking to me and of me.”

This quote connects the most important reasons, why the black community should have equal conditions and rights like white people.

“I didn’t choose it, and I didn’t want it.”
The black community never did something for which they would deserve this extent of segregation. Simultaneously there is a stubborn will to not accept his life as slave recognisable.

“[…] it means beloved of God […]”
Look at “imago dei”. This godlikeness refers to all human-beings, so to black people as well. We are all made in the image of God.
Summing up it can be said that Muhammad Ali is an important person and idol for the black community.

American History X

Generally it is really absorbing that the view of a white racist is presented, who fortunately changes his attitude in the course of the movie.
My personal view is that A.’s presentation was pretty good. He showed us significant and impressive scenes. For instance the scene before the group ravages a store from Asians. In his inciting speech Derek Vinyard, the protagonist, adduces reasons for hating black people. For example he calls them “parasites”. In his opinion black people are at fault for all nuisances in the country and society. Not only black people commit crimes also the Whites, e.g. even Derek when he kills two black men.
Therefore he goes to prison. There he becomes more or less voluntarily friends with Lamont, a black man. After that period of time in prison his attitude has changed. Derek does not hate black people anymore. The reason is that Derek notices that, in that case Lamont, black people are like him and that they are treated unfair.
As far as I remember, Lamont is in prison for a quite trite reason but although for a longer time than Derek, who killed two people! Actually Derek, who after all was a convinced racist, is surprised when he hears Lamont’s story.
At the end, just as Danny, Derek’s little brother, has also changed his mind he is shot dead by a young black man, because of his previous racialist attitude.
His “voice” quotes:

“Hate is a baggage. Life is too short to be pissed off all the time.”

With regard to the question “Is your life better now?”, which Derek is asked, it is clear that their racialist attitude does not solve any problems. It is certain that there are some social wrongs, but people cannot find the black community guilty.  When the hate endures there never will be a pleasant life for white as well as for black people.

In contrast to the statement of the first presentation, this one helps to “understand” why white people are racist and hate black people, BUT simultaneously it clarifies that these are wrong reasons and it shows, where it will end up.

Therefore these two presentations are complementary, because they show on the one hand the view of black people and on the other hand the view of white people.
I should like to repeat once again that the Whites have wrong reasons for hating the black community and I would like to emphasise that both presentations fortunately have shown that.

1) family

• mother is aggressive
• not interested in school
• abusing, raping and beating her
• no love for her

2) school

• chaos
• no respect
• no one is interested in school and education
• but precious is good at math

3) city

• many black people in thestreets
• crackheads make the ghetto dangerous and give him a “bad name”
• high, grey houses with many appartements [german: Plattenbau?]
• everything is grey, black and dark
• contrast: Hotel Theresa is very clean, light and modern

Top 10 useful words and expressions:

1.      the country went into a fit of self-doubt and outrage

2.      equal access to a decent education

3.      terrible education opportunities

4.      the largest disparity

5.      to lag behind

6.      disconcerting

7.      high-achieving students <-> low-achieving students

…

Find out as much as you can about the film PRECIOUS. Consider summaries, trailers and reviews and collect reasons why it might or might not be interesting and enlightening to watch the film in class.

• title:  Precious: Based on the Novel  “Push” by Sapphire
• was published in 2009 by Lee Daniels
• Gabourey Sidibe plays the central character Claireece Jones, called Precious
• Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey also play a role

The movie plays in the year 1987 with the 16-yearls-old Claireece, who is overweight, cannot really write and read and who is pregnant for the second time.
Her first child is called “Mongo” and has Mongolian idiocy [-> Down's syndrome]. Her quasi stepfather raped her, so he is the father of both kids.
Her unemployed mother beats and mistreats Precious.
Although she has good results in school , she has to leave school because of her second pregnancy and has to participate at the project “Each One Teach One”.
Miss Rain helps her to proof her writing and reading skills during her visits at school. There is also a social worker,Mrs Weiss, who helps Claireece. The people from  “Each One Teach One” visit her at hospital after birth.
Mary, her mother, accuses Precious of stealing her boyfriend, who eventually infected her with HIV [: human immunodeficiency virus].
While a meeting, arranged by Miss Rain, between Mary and Claireece, she gets to know that she was raped since her third year.
In the end she leaves her mother and her old life with her two children.

Trailer

Vocabulary web

EDUCATION

teacher                                     Lehrer

pupil                                        Schüler

school                                      Schule

manners                                   Umgangsformen

elementary school                    Grundschule

support                                    Unterstützung

to learn one’s lesson                 Seine Lektion lernen

social life                                 soziales Umfeld

mentor                                    Mentor

ideal                                        Vorbild

ambitious                                 strebsam

desirable                                  erstrebenswert

humble circumstances   ärmliche Verhältnisse

pecunious                                 wohlhabend

balance                                    Ausgleich

spare time                                Freizeit

independent                             unabhängig

eager for knowledge                wissbegierig

keen to learn                            lernbereit

FROM RAGS TO RICHES - von den Lumpen zum Reichtum

… will follow

That is the reason why I would love to watch the whole movie.
I want to know what these old, wise-looking man could teach the young boy and contrariwise.
Besides, it would be interesting to see how the public reacts of William Forrester’s return.

~~~~

The Bronx is shown a kind of dark and dismal. All the houses have nearly the same colour and there are many high fences.

• the population was increasing
• a third black, a third Latin American and a third Asian and white
• schools were overcrowded

The first pictures shows the back og a coloured boy and the face of an elder man. The man looks grimly and like he is not amused to see the boy.

The second pictures shows again the coloured boy and the elder man but this time it seems like they have a better relation. The position of the elder man, William Forrester by the way, looks like he would teach or ask something, while Jamal Wallace, the boy, is listening.

The third picture shows Jamal Wallace while he is playing with the basket ball in front of a lot of books. This scene connectes the two main hobbies of Jamal: basket ball and writing.

The fourth pictures again shows Forrester and Wallace. It seems like Forrester has an important information for Wallace, because he maybe heads him off while coming from school [school-uniform].

The fifth picture shows Wallace and an other elder man, who could be a teacher. They look like there would be something to check with each other.

The last pictures shows a young white girl, who looks a bit desperately or thoughtful.
She could be a friend of Jamal, although she definitely does not look like she would live in the Bronx.

-> eats  

/

/ Tell the children thank you for pecans 

p. 163 l. 1 p. 166 l. 10  

/

/

è    speaks to him

è    radio, food Wants Jefferson to come into the dayroom Brings him some pecans, apples, funny books, notebook Eats at first, forgets to pray  

/

Body contact

Hands shaking Talks to him Quite for a while quotations Let me bring you a little radio  

/

p. 161 l. 35

Jefferson, I want to be your friend p. 167 l. 15  

/