1. At times in this essay, Michelle Cliff uses rich description with poetic language. Provide 3 different quotes, where, in your opinion, she demonstrates this. Examine their overall effect on the reader.
Numerous times throughout the essay, Michelle Cliff uses imagery described with poetic language in her essay, for example: “I remember when I saw San Quentin by night. A wrong turn on the way to the Pacific Ocean, and then the lit-up Oz, but yellow, not green like the Emerald City”, “I drive on to Sharpsburg where the graves lie. Row upon row of tiny white stones. The word unknown repeats and repeats. So many times to read it may become meaningless. The stones resemble nothing so much as babies’ teeth”, and “A woman in a high-neck collar, …show more content…
The student’s ignorance toward the truth of the harsh realities of slavery and its extensive span, specifically her belief that the “slaves” volunteered to help build Monticello, offended Cliff. Not only was the depth of the student’s ignorance highly rude to Cliff, but her disinterest in taking the time to actually become educated by reading about the subject was seen as offensive.
5. What does the reader learn about Mary Ellen Pleasant from just this essay?
From this essay alone, the reader learns that Mary Ellen Pleasant was a misjudged and underestimated figure in history. Most people either do not know her, or think of her only as “the owner of a whorehouse in San Francisco”. More importantly, Pleasant was the one who funded abolitionist John Brown, enabling him to execute his raid on Harpers Ferry, and she also traveled to the south by means of a gun-filled wagon in order to help arm slaves.
6. The epitaph on Mary Ellen Pleasant’s grave reads: “She was a friend of John Brown.” Now that you have conducted your research, provide an explanation as to why Pleasant insisted on these
Numerous times throughout the essay, Michelle Cliff uses imagery described with poetic language in her essay, for example: “I remember when I saw San Quentin by night. A wrong turn on the way to the Pacific Ocean, and then the lit-up Oz, but yellow, not green like the Emerald City”, “I drive on to Sharpsburg where the graves lie. Row upon row of tiny white stones. The word unknown repeats and repeats. So many times to read it may become meaningless. The stones resemble nothing so much as babies’ teeth”, and “A woman in a high-neck collar, …show more content…
The student’s ignorance toward the truth of the harsh realities of slavery and its extensive span, specifically her belief that the “slaves” volunteered to help build Monticello, offended Cliff. Not only was the depth of the student’s ignorance highly rude to Cliff, but her disinterest in taking the time to actually become educated by reading about the subject was seen as offensive.
5. What does the reader learn about Mary Ellen Pleasant from just this essay?
From this essay alone, the reader learns that Mary Ellen Pleasant was a misjudged and underestimated figure in history. Most people either do not know her, or think of her only as “the owner of a whorehouse in San Francisco”. More importantly, Pleasant was the one who funded abolitionist John Brown, enabling him to execute his raid on Harpers Ferry, and she also traveled to the south by means of a gun-filled wagon in order to help arm slaves.
6. The epitaph on Mary Ellen Pleasant’s grave reads: “She was a friend of John Brown.” Now that you have conducted your research, provide an explanation as to why Pleasant insisted on these