Category: McCoy 337 Spring 2019

The collaborative blog post project inspired me to reflect on my role in the world and the impact that my actions have on the sustainability of the planet. I also considered how through our interactions we impact each other’s lives, specifically in regards to the products of our group work. While I was thinkING about this process, I recalled Audre Lorde’s poem “What My Child Learns of the Sea.” My first interpretation of this poem is of the impact that a mother has on the experiences of her daughter. After reviewing the ideas surrounding sustainability with my group, I reread this poem and grasped a new understanding of it. Continue reading ““What My Child Learns of the Sea” and Sustainability”

In my Western Humanities course (HUMN221) at Geneseo, I was given the task to read a speech given by Frederick Douglass which he gave at Rochester, New York by the title of “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” In the entirety of his speech, Douglass questions what freedom African Americans have received in the United States after its independence from Great Britain. Douglass says that the “blessings in which [white people]… rejoice, are not enjoyed in common” with African Americans. He is in shock that they must “prove that [they] are men!” Having to prove and question the blessings that others receive and what they don’t, reminds me of Ella Jenkins version of “Wade in the Water”. In this song, the fugitives question God’s ability to save them when they sing “Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel well/ Then why not every man?” While this point does pique my interest,  I am also particularly interested in exploring the modern version of the song, “Hey Little Walter” by Tony! Toni! Toné! In which the main character, Little Walter, seems to be receiving blessings but is actually not. This brings me to highlight the transformation these songs go through to adapt to current problems the African-American community is experiencing.

The purpose of the hook in a song is to catch the ears attention by having a set of lyrics being repeated throughout. In “Wade in the Water” the title of the song is the actual hook. This hook is a reminder to those in the journey that as long as the stay by the water they will not be caught by dogs. In the modern version of this song by Tony! Toni! Toné! the hook is “Hey Little Walter” which is also the title of the song. The hook’s purpose it to catch Little Walter’s attention since he keeps avoiding the speaker of the song, his roommate. While there are exact lyrical differences between throughout both songs, their titles are the hooks for the song. In addition, both hooks are a voice of guidance towards their audience which for “Wade in the Water” are fugitives and for “Hey Little Walter” is for all the Little Walter’s out there who are following his footsteps.

One other aspect of these two songs I will discuss is the main character’s journey within the song. In the Jenkins version, the fugitives would wade and “wash the sins (slavery) all the way.”  The trip was dangerous as they ‘washed till [their] hands were sore” telling us how long and tiring this trip was. While some were able to complete their journey by escaping, some “could wash a-no more” and would not make the whole trip. While the journey the slaves go through fits the literal definition of a journey, in “Hey Little Walter” is completely different. The journey between both the speaker and Little Walter’s relationship. The speaker’s journey is him trying to work things out with Little Walter until he starts noticing his ability to waste money on other things besides what he is responsible for. Towards the end of their journey, the speaker  “thought [having to straight Little Walter] would be short, but it lasted half the night” followed by Little Walter being shot in the head.

Although I was aware of song covers and parodies, I am amazed at how the songs are somewhat reconstructed where we can still recognize its origin. I now wonder if this is present within other cultures too.

This is my second time reading Big Machine, and I still find myself puzzling over the Washerwomen and the power they held over Ricky and his family, all while preaching a gospel of doubt: “Half the Bible is folks getting tricked! So maybe we rethink doubt. Not as our enemy but our ally.” This perspective surprises me because it seems that most systems of faith, both religious and secular, emphasize loyalty above all else. In my mind, loyalty and doubt will always be at odds.

Continue reading “The “Cult” of Academia”

Group Members: Shakira Browne, Analiese Vasciannie, Sean McAneny, Tayler Thompson, Taylor VanTine, Evelyn Mendez, Sakshi Kumar

“My job is to notice…and to notice that you can notice.”–Dionne Brand

According to the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act, the goal of sustainability is to “create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.” Keeping future generations in mind suggests an environmental component to sustainability. We can identify the three pillars of sustainability, then, as social, economic, and environmental. Within each of those domains, sustainability is seeking productive harmony and attempting to limit the harm that is done. In other words, the goals of one pillar should be attainable without compromising the goals of the other two. When there is tension between the pillars, careful reflection is required on the part of those individuals, or organizations, striving for sustainability. Because reflection is so essential to sustainable practice, we believe that reflection should be added to the definition of sustainability. In the metaphorical structure of the pillars holding up a roof of sustainability, reflection is the foundation.

Continue reading “SEE (Social, Environmental, Economic) Reflection”

When I first started to write this blog post, I began with “I have been struggling…” and immediately hated how that sounded. As a student and future teacher, I have decided to never use the word “struggling” when describing work performance again. Instead, I want to say “need more support with”.  The reason I say that “I need more support with” is because I believe I need more support with vocalizing myself and my ideas. This past week, we were working on a collaborative blog post and I realized that I focus way to much on the expectations of my professor and peers rather than taking the time to just speak my mind and the ideas I have. However, for the split second that I did forget about the expectations of others, I voiced my opinion and my group members built upon what I had to contribute, which is always a great feeling. Continue reading “Dealing With Expectations”