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Research Paper: Should AAL be taught in the classroom?

Teaching AAL in the classroom is a subject that is not widely discussed but it is a very important topic for people to be informed in. There are two arguments when it comes to the discussion AAL in the classroom. The first argument is that teaching AAL in the classroom is unnecessary because students will not benefit from it. The second argument is that teaching AAL in the classroom is very effective and should be encouraged in every school curriculum. The arguments differ because many people do not see the importance of teaching AAL because they do not believe students will benefit from the curriculum. There is a poem written by Gerald Early that really gives a great analysis and real life situation of the lack of AAL being taught in schools. 

Teaching Contemporary African-American Literature 

By: Gerald Early 

At the end of the semester, when the surveys wearily And winding go modern or post-modern, as you will, Comes upon you, in the big anthology, something by Amiri Baraka called "A Poem for Willie Best"; then Someone asks "Who is Willie Best?" like an echo From your own child who, watching some old Charlie Chan or Shirley Temple movie, asks who's that silly black man there Which is precisely a question you asked your mother In a dark theater long ago, in 1962, you heard someone Behind you say he died at 45, penniless, in a Relief Home, Completely alone, holding an autographed picture of Sugar Ray Robinson as if it could talk to him, as if pictures could talk, easing his cancers; In the silence, someone asks are he and Stepin Fetchit the same; In the darkness, your mother answered, "Willie Best is just another name."

This poem is a great example because it shows how students lack the knowledge of AAL. At the end of the poem it states that people that should be known are just another name, which was another great way to show the lack of knowledge. 

AAL is a topic that students of all different races should be taught because it teaches students to go beyond stereotypes. There is an article written by Myung Ja Kim who is a college professor in Korea. He gives great examples to explain the difficulties when teaching AAL. He says, “Anyone who has tried to teach a foreign novel to students who are studying a second language would agree that the task is a formidable one, but the challenge increases when a teacher must get students to see beyond their stereotypes to un- derstand the complicated nuances of the culture that a novel repre- sents. The most difficult aspect of teaching African American lit- erature to Korean students is to challenge the society and system that have historically supported a popular view of America”. This explains that bring AAL into the curriculum can be very challenging but Myung Ja Kim saw it as a topic that was very important for students to increase there understandings. From the Journal of Black Studies there was a study done to see the perception that professors have at a community college when it comes to teaching AAL. In the article it discusses that there is a big link to race and the professor, “Willingness to teach African American students. Results of an ANOVA revealed a statistically significant relationship between race and faculty's willingness to teach African American students, whether compared individually or by using the majority and minority dichotom” (Costner,2016 p.44). This was something that makes a lot of sense because they can relate to it more but it is not an excuse. 

In conclusion. teaching AAL in the classroom is a topic that many people have different opinions on because of many different reasons. Culture and race are two large items that influence the teaching of AAL. Teaching AAL is something that should be more widely included in school  curriculum’s. ’. 

.  Costner, K., Daniels, K., & Clark, M. (2010). The Struggle Will Not Continue: An Examination of Faculty Attitudes Toward Teaching African American Students. Journal of Black Studies, 41(1), 40-55. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/stable/25704093

Myung Ja Kim. (2004). Literature as Engagement: Teaching African American Literature to Korean Students. MELUS, 29(3/4), 103-120. doi:10.2307/4141845

Early, G. (1991). Teaching Contemporary African-American Literature. Callaloo, 14(2), 464-464. doi:10.2307/2931648

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Rhetorical Analysis 3

This is my third Rhetorical Analysis and it is focused on an Artwork called “The Thankful Poor”. This artwork is by Henry Tanner and was created in 1894. Henry Tanner is an African American painter that gained popularity with his biblical paintings. This artwork has a very large audience because most people could find something to love about this painting. When I first looked at this painting I automatically felt sadness for the two people in the painting because you can tell that they are starving and have no food but they are still praying and not losing faith. The expectations for the painter is that he was depicting a family that was extremely poor but had so much faith even when life was hard. Henry Tanner is communicating this to the audience so that we are aware of how people are living and it allows us to be sympathetic for the characters. I think this painting does contribute towards AAL because it was focused during the times where life was hard and it gives people hope during it all.  

“Many of the artists who have represented Negro life have seen only the comic, ludicrous side of it, and have lacked sympathy with and appreciation for the warm big heart that dwells within such a rough exterior” -Henry Ossawa Tanner

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Rhetorical Analysis 2

Ths a 

This is my second Rhetorical Analysis, this is my spoken piece. I am focusing is on the song Alright by Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar is a rapper and songwriter but he had definitely when influenced as a young kid by violence on the streets and gangs. He was born is Compton, California but as a child he didn’t let that atmosphere affect him. He has gained his authority to sing about AAL because of his lifestyle and his parents lifestyle. In this song I think that his audience is anyone that is interested in his music and wants to also hear a story. In this song he utilizes a lot of cultural dialogues that give the song a very culturalized edge. The audience expectation of Kendrick Lamar is for him to share stories from his life but to incorporate his rap into them. The speaker is communicating to audience so that people can be aware of what actually happens but also to communicate his love for music. This song has a lot to do AAL because within the song he is using slang and incorporates with AAL. Kendrick Lamar also being a black male gives him some authority within the AAL community and provides background information to really understand where he is coming from.

 “I had to come from something, come from a place that was negative and positive but the majority of it is a negative place”  -Kendrick Lamar

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Rhetorical Analysis 1

For this analysis I will be focusing on the text from Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: A Remembrance, by Kiese Laymon. The author of this story is what really creates such a interesting story because he has an interesting story himself. The beginning of the story begins by him talking about his first experience when he almost died because someone had pulled a gun on him. The author is from Mississippi and is a black male which also adds a lot to the story. I think that the audience for this story is anyone that is interested to learn about the violence that takes place. The audiences expectation of the speaker is that we expect him to be any many life threatening situations and this is because of how the story starts and it creates some worry with the reader. Kiese Laymon has probably decided to write all of this so that his readers are aware of what is happening and how much danger there is in the world. I think that is does appeal to African American Literacy because of his story and that he is an African American sharing his real life stories. I think that writing this story wasn’t necessary but I think it was very eye-opening and very real..   

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Reading Reflection #5

I really enjoyed reading “Comedians and Actors” because I felt like I could still compare it to today. It was really interesting to learn how black vernacular was used to create such comedy. In the reading you can see how much of what was composed back then is still the basis for comedy today. That is one of my favorite things about reading stories from years ago because I like to see how it still is visible today and being used daily.

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Reading Reflection #4

The readings for this week were very interesting and really opened my eyes to more of the African American life. My favorite reading for this week was "From Dead Presidents" because I thought it was really interesting to read how the African American slaves had what they called a dynamic language which mostly consisted of slang words. I also thought It was interesting that there were basically stereotypes for hair, it was interesting how black women would all straighten there hair and I feel like this happened because they felt they had too so they felt "normal". When I got to the part of "African to African American" they were discussing all the names that were used to distinguish African Americans, many of these names I have never heard. The second reading was "Grammar" which I didn't find as interesting as the other reading. This reading was mostly just discussing the African American language system and how words were created in a grammatical sense.

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Reading Reflection 3

I really enjoyed the readings for this week and seeing different points of view on the topic of women and racism. The readings for this week were mostly about African American women and how they were looked down and were given stereotypes. It was very eye opening to read about Elaine Richardsons experiences and to see that some of the stereotypes that she hit on in the book are still visible today. The reading shown that people automatically make an opinion on someone just because of there skin color and to see real world examples that took place is what is so eye opening and emotional.

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Reflection 2

This weeks reading really helped me to get a better understand of AAL. It allowed me get a better understanding of AAL in the classroom and how they were treated. This weeks reading helped to glue everything together that we had read last week. It was interesting to read how people felt they had to change there papers into a more "white" dialect to get a good grade. This shows how brainwashed everyone was. There was also a part about a young boy who was being put into a literacy course that wasn't on his level. This goes to show that they really didn't care and now looking back it makes me so sad.

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Reflection 1

For this week we had to read two different pieces that are both focused around African American literacy. The first reading was by Frederick Douglas; “Learning to read and Write”, and the second reading was by Shevaun Watson; “Good will Come of the Evil”. My first thought after reading these to pieces were sadness, I really just felt so much sympathy for the authors and the characters. It is really crazy to read pieces from the past and to compare to the present because it shows how much has changed but how there is still evil. I think progress comes in one step at a time and it will always be like that. One of the things that really effected me the most was how education and literacy was just a way of showing you had power. Shevaun Watson and Frederick Douglas discussed how African Americans were not given any education. It makes you reflect on how education is now and how everyone is given a chance for free public education. Readings and past stories like these really give me such a different perspective and help open my eyes on the world today. 

“A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.” -Frederick Douglass

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Get to know me!

Hello everyone! My name is Cara Hill and I am a senior at Old Dominion University, I live in Chesapeake and I commute to ODU on Monday-Thursday.  I am majoring in Elementary Education and in the process of receiving my Masters in three years.I am so excited to graduate because I cannot wait to get in the classroom and teach. My dream grade to teach is second grade because as a student that was my favorite grade so I think it would be great to make that same impact on my future students.