Natalie Nuzzo, Instructor – Brooklyn College English Department Spring 2012
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Sunday, February 19, 2012
Angela Davis -- 1969
Angela Davis was born on January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. The above news clips detail the 1969 inauguration of Chancellor Charles Young at UCLA, despite student protests.
26 comments:
Anonymous
said...
"And especially for those who are going to struggle until racism and class injustice are forever banished from our history" I'm assuming that for something to be "banished" from our history that means it is no longer taught. Its sort of a catch 22. If the individual/ society ever evolves to a point where racism no longer exists do we still teach our children that it did exist. By teaching that it did exist does that run the danger of reintroducing racism into the minds and hearts of future generations. For the most part I think we forget our history more so than banish it.
In regard to the origins of racism. "Psychology as it is generally practiced is not geared to cure. Often it does not reach the root of the problem because it does not recognize the social origin of many forms of mental illness." I think there is a possibility that one day it will be debated that extreme forms of racism will be considered a form of mental illness. For instance, up until around 1970 homosexuality was officially considered a mental illness. There is definitely some level of paranoia in racism. I believe that deep down inside racism is also a form of self-hatred. - Anthony Sivio
When Angela Davis writes, "I remembered how they had murdered li'l Bobby Hutton, how they shot him in the back after telling him to run. (Davis 13)," it reminds me of some of the corrupted cops we have in our societies now. The corrupted cops would lie and kill someone and get away with it.
I read a few lines that really stuck out to me. One of them on the 43rd page of the autobio says, "In a way, these officers were prisoners themselves, and some of them were keenly aware that they were treading ambiguous waters." I felt that it was interesting that even in her state of her confinement Angela Davis had the intellect enough to find parallels with those who were being forced to oppress her. In both of the hierarchical societies involved in this scenario, (Angela Davis and her being inferior because of her race and her involvement in the Black Communist Party, and the younger black female jail workers being inferior to the older black ones and the white female workers)those at the bottom of the totem pole found a way to help others even if it was in the most seemingly insignificant way.
Another quote that I almost fell in love with, had little to do with racism but the way Davis writes. While reading this, there were times when she sounded almost poetic and the words she chose made her story flow all the better, "Trapped in this wasteland inhabited by the sick" was what Davis used to describe the mental ward of the prison where people were subdued to even deeper depths of whatever mental illness they had or were prescribed to have. I felt like that quote not only described the mental ward but also the areas in which she had to escape from. The wasteland would be the cities she came in contact with where the sick (those who were infected with the "ancient plague").
On page 18, 2nd paragraph, "At age 15 I accepted some of the myths surrounding prisoners. I did not see them quite the criminals society said they were, but they did seem aliens in the world i inhabited."
In this quote I feel like Angela realizes that she will be surrounded by prisoners that she once ignored and she also realizes how society contradicts itself because they label these people as criminals and put them away but at the same time they put Angela Davis away for causing trouble as a communist. When she mentions that at age 15 she accepted the "myths" of these prisoners she now sees that she has become a myth herself because no one knows her real story.
Another quote would be on page 36 on the last paragraph, "This woman was rotting in a snake pit of racism, flagellating herself daily with her obscene and graphic imagination. In order to understand her illness, it would be necessary to start with the illness of the society- for it was from the society that she had so perfectly learned how to hate black people."
I just realized as I was writing this quote that when Angela Davis mentions society she is actually defending her belief of her communist ideologies. As common as she mentions it in her first quote about society, Angela also makes a point in the 2nd quote that because of society racism has grown like a disease. And because of society and the way it works that people have been influenced and have learned how to hate other races as well.
" Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo-obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other"(52).
I found this quote interesting and thought provoking. It is true that prisons are designed to punish criminals, however, in this situation Angela Davis was in jail and these women were not even convicted yet; while they were being treated so harshly. At that time period,1969, the prison/jail system were running a unethical business embracing intense discrimination based on race and political beliefs. Davis was not being treated fairly and was not given basic human rights due to the color of her skin and even a more ridiculous factor, her belief and support for communism. The officers were isolating her in order to prevent her from influencing others and to drive her insane. What I found very powerful though is how the women created a family system in order to keep their spirits alive. According to the text, a lot of these prisoners are innocent like Angela Davis. This text was mainly written to show the corruption of the U.S prison system. I feel empathy for those women who had to go through such injustice. The guards were indeed treating them like animals; keeping them locked up, isolated, body searches when they felt like it, mice infested cells, disgusting food, no medical care, etc. This passage also reminds me of past slavery; submissive to the master while being treated like an animal. I am not sure of the extent of how the prison system has altered today, but I know there is still corruption and it will be hard to eliminate.
" Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo-obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other"(52).
I found this quote interesting and thought provoking. It is true that prisons are designed to punish criminals, however, in this situation Angela Davis was in jail and these women were not even convicted yet; while they were being treated so harshly. At that time period,1969, the prison/jail system were running a unethical business embracing intense discrimination based on race and political beliefs. Davis was not being treated fairly and was not given basic human rights due to the color of her skin and even a more ridiculous factor, her belief and support for communism. The officers were isolating her in order to prevent her from influencing others and to drive her insane. What I found very powerful though is how the women created a family system in order to keep their spirits alive. According to the text, a lot of these prisoners are innocent like Angela Davis. This text was mainly written to show the corruption of the U.S prison system. I feel empathy for those women who had to go through such injustice. The guards were indeed treating them like animals; keeping them locked up, isolated, body searches when they felt like it, mice infested cells, disgusting food, no medical care, etc. This passage also reminds me of past slavery; submissive to the master while being treated like an animal. I am not sure of the extent of how the prison system has altered today, but I know there is still corruption and it will be hard to eliminate.
"A flock of memories fought for my attention. Walking to the subway station after school, I used to look up at this building almost every day, trying not to listen to the terrible noises spilling from the windows... My mind was now filled with the specters of those faceless women whom I had not answered. Would I scream out at the people passing in the streets, only to have them pretend not to hear me as I once pretended not to hear those women?" -Excerpts from Pg 18
"Someone noticed a sympathetic-looking white couple on Greenwich Avenue staring up in wonderment at the building, which was shaking with the clamor of protests from our floor. We called down to them that a sister has just been beaten... We were bold that evening. (I later discovered that they had spent the evening contacting contacting everyone they felt could help us.)" -Excerpts Pg 66
What I loved most particularly about the former excerpt is how Angela Davis' initial outside skepticism is then later squashed, the behavior of jail women is embraced, and her fears of being ignored are proven false.
In the latter excerpt, we see her becoming the women she recalls, and being acknowledged by the passerby's in the streets. Her fears of being ignored never take fruit, and in actuality she was not only heard in this scene but was able to recruit help to assist her. You see this reoccur in the passages often, via sympathy through the officers, cellmates, and external organizations themselves.
" The Gay life" was all consuming; it prevented many of the women from developing their personal dissatisfaction with the conditions around them into a political dissatisfaction, because the homosexual fantasy life provided an easy and attractive channel for escape."
This quote stood out to me because I was surprised of the actions prisoners take in order to forget the reality of the jail life. Creating new families and marriages made them escape the prison life and feel more at home. I could not believe that such ideas are practiced in jails nor could I imagine what decisions prisoners chose because of such poor jail life.
" We got together in our corridor, deciding on the slogans we would shout and how to make them come out in unison- even though we were going to be spread down the corridor in different cells, screaming from different windows. I had never dreamed that such powerful feelings of pride and confidence could develop among the sisters in jail."
While reading this quote, I became proud of the movement Angela has lead within the jail. She has gathered dozens of prisoners and lead a rebellion within the prison, despite the isolated communication. Nowadays, such an activist could rarely be found.
As I was reading the text, I came across a very interesting quote on page 20. Angela Davis said " But to me jail was jail- there were no degree of better or worse. And nothing could detract from the thought that they wanted to isolate me because they feared the impact the mere presence of a political prisoner would have on the other women"
Often is society murderers, robbers, and sexual offenders are viewed as a treat to the rest of society. Law enforcement do what ever it takes to arrest this type of people and trow them behind bars to keep the rest of society safe. However in this quote and during this time period politicians and civil right activist were consider far more dangerous than any other criminals. Often they were isolated or killed to keep them away from the rest of society. These type of people had unique way of influencing others and changing the way they thing. Government did what ever it takes to stop these people before they gain more followers. A lot of people such as Martin Luther King and many others were assassinated to prevent change and rebellion against the government. In this case Angela Davis was accused of being a dangerous criminal and was thrown behind bars for standing in what she believed in.
"Back at the jail I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that I only wanted to sleep. Even the hard cell cot in the "mental" ward felt comfortable. But as soon as I closed my eyes, I was jolted out of my exhaustion by piercing screams in a language that sounded Slavic. They came from a cell at the other end of the corridor. Footsteps approached the cell in the darkness. Voices tried to calm the woman in English but could not assuage her terror. I listened all to her all night until they took her away in the morning" 29-30 Davis.
This displays the harsh reality of her situation. Even tho the day went fairly well for a day spent incarcerated. When she finally was able to do what she wanted and felt some comfort, it was snatched from her in a second. She wanted to sleep but ended up staying up all night listening to the screams. What a reality check that must be.
On page 36 towards the last paragraph, Angela Davis writes "How could the woman next door to me even begin to be cured if the psychologist treating her was not aware of the way in which racism, like an ancient plague, infects every joint, muscle and tissue of social life in this country? This woman was rotting in a snake pit of racism, flagellating herself daily with her obscene graphic imagination...for it was from the society that she had so perfectly learned how to hate Black people."
Angela Davis is trying to say how Black women cannot be helped if their helper is unaware about racism (I would assume most psychologist were white men) and how racism does not affect a person mentally, but emotionally and physically. Racism could even be related to a "plague" because it is something so powerful, and spreads quickly. The women in the jail cell is surrounded by racism and being left in a solitude state allows her imagination to take over her thoughts and turn them into something ugly (they say the worse enemy is yourself.) Throughout the reading Angela Davis focuses on a lot of people, and not only makes the author feel sad towards Black women, but towards prisioners in general. She makes them seem like "normal" people...which is a view that doesn't get a lot of attention. Also, I find it ironic how a psychologists job is to listen and analyze a situation, and that is exactly what us readers do. Although we feel we have some sort of knowledge of how racism was practiced a long time ago, there is no way we can fully understand and try to relate to these victims emotions because we were not there to actually see the real thing (just like if the women got a psychologist.)
"It was a pregnant prisoner about to deliver-and soon. Wasn't anybody going to do anything? Were they going to let her have the baby right here in this dump?"(21) Once I read this part of the passage I was so engaged in the story. I think pregnancy is beautiful, therefore my heart went out to this prisoner who was about to deliver in jail. In these two sentences, Angela Davis shows how strong her compassion is for other people. Angela Davis put her own problems aside and became so concerned and worried about the next person. This also shows that no matter how bad the situation is there’s always someone worse off than you.
After watching the Youtube video, I find the government's decision to fire Angela Davis highly unethical. In my opinion, it is very cleat that they didn't want her teaching due to her political beliefs. The way I see it, they saw her as a threat to America because she believed in Communism; therefore, with her being a communist and a teacher at the same time, she could spread the wrong ideologies to students.
I thought that the reason the English came here was for freedom, but yet as we see; freedom is something that clearly doesn't exist in America, in it's fullest potential.
On page 13, it says "I remembered how they had murdered li'l Bobby Hutton, how they shot him in the back after telling him to run". This quote stands out to me because I have seen a film about the Black Panthers and I remember seeing that particular scene. Through this quote I can understand where she is coming from. She was very paranoid but she realized at that time she had no reason to feel that way. If the men that she was seeing at the time truly were agents then they would've have wasted no time apprehending her or even worse, shooting her.
"It was simple. I had to be worthy of them". I chose this quote because I feel like a lotnof people live by this type of motto in their lives. I know I do, especially when it comes to my family. I want to make my family proud and want them proud of me.
The second quote I chose may not be so "important" but I relate to Angela Davis without a doubt. " If you were a chain smoker, as I was at the time, and especially if you had kept your sanity and sobriety, this little ceremony was itself maddening". I do smoke, and I don't know what I would do if I couldn't have a cigarette when I wanted. Being a smoker is like being a prisoner and Angela was both. I don't know what I would do if I was in her situation, I would probably go " mad" like she stated.
"Nothing, I later discovered, absolutely nothing was allowed inside the cells--not only were cigarettes and matches banned but also books, writing material, toothbrushes, soaps, washcloths, clothes and shoes. Before being locked into her cell, each prisoner was always checked to make sure she had removed her underwear and was wearing nothing except the flimsy, light-green nightgowns she was given. A book or magazine? How could they be used to inflict injury on oneself? And toilet paper? We could not even keep a roll of toilet paper in the cell. Like dependent infants, each time we wanted to use the toilet, we had to call the officer to bring us paper."
One of the paragraphs that grasped my attention while reading was the fist paragraph on page 31. It astonishes me the way that Angela Davis was treated while imprisoned. I feel empathy for her and all the people that have gone through this. This quote refers to the treatment of prisoners and their restrictions. Angela Davis was isolated from the world while she was in her cell. I agree with Angela when she asks how books or magazines could be used to inflict injury on oneself. Instead of trying to inflict injury on oneself by being denied of certain everyday items they were going to drive them to the point of insanity. Books were designed to be read and gain knowledge from. I don't see any wrong with giving a prisoner something to read. If I were locked in a room with nothing to do all day I would surely go crazy. There are many people that need someone to talk so that they can let all the emotions that they have bottled up inside come out. I think that having a journal to write your ideas and feelings is therapeutic. Knowing that Angela and other prisoners didn’t have access to a piece of pen and paper makes appreciate the little things I have in life. This quote also makes me wonder how some prisoners that are in jail are able to have access to weapons and cell phones if they are supposedly searched and have no possible communication with the outside world. Having to depend for someone to bring you toilet paper when you have to go to the bathroom must be uncomfortable. From what Angela describes prisoners lose their right to privacy.
one thing that stood out to me was when Angela Davis said "outside in the open, entangled in my grief and anger was also fear. A plain and simple fear so overwhelming, and so elemental that the only thing i could compare it to was that sense of engulfment i used to feel as a child when i was left alone in the dark. that indescribable, monstrous thing would be at my back, never quite touching me, but always there ready to attack"
The way she wrote it stood out to me. In a sense i could feel her paranoia, that having to look over your shoulder constantly type of feeling intensified by the darkness of the night. You soon find yourself looking into the shadows waiting, expecting something or someone to come out or thinking a shadow is in the form of a person. when i read this part it made me imediatly think back to when i was a kid afraid of the dark always thinking something was in the shadows. I could really relate to her fear but the fact that she felt such fear and paranoia at her age really shows how her situation was really bad and how it affected her psychologically.
On page 23, the 3rd paragraph, I liked the statement she said. "One would have thought that this was an enormous defeat. Yet, at that moment, I was feeling better than I had felt in a long time. The struggle would be difficult, but there was already a hint of victory.
When Angela says this, it shows that even though she is locked up on all those horrible charges, she still has hope. She had a feeling that everything would be okay, even though the fight to be free was going to be tough. It also makes me think that no matter how tough things may be in our lives, we should try to find something that will give us hope to fight and move on.
Another statement is on page 32 in the second paragraph. Angela states, "The officer said I had been placed in 4b not because I was psychologically unsound, but for my own safety and to keep me from disrupting the life of jail. I was not persuaded."
I feel like Angela knew why they placed her in 4b. They knew that she was a political activist and did not want her to persuade or spread knowledge to the other inmates at the jail. The officer even stated that she did not need to be there because she was not psychologically unsound. I think Angela knew she was not going to be harmed because most of the inmates and even some officers were on her side. The jail just did not want her to speak how she truly felt about matters.
One passage that strike me interest was the one on 4-5. "OUtside in the open, entangled in my grief and anger was also fear. A plan and simple fear so overwhelming, and so elemental that the only thing I could compare it to was that sense of engulfmentI used to feel as a child when I was left alone in the dark. That indescribable, monstrous thing would be at my back, never quite touching me, but always there ready to attack. When my mother and father asked me what it was that made me so afraid, the words I used to describe this sounded so ridiculous and stupid. Now with each step, I could feel a presence which I could describe easily. Images of attack kept flashing into my mind, but they were not abstract-they were clear pictures of machine guns breaking out of the darkness, surrounding Helen and me, unleashing fire..." This passage kept to the back of my mind after I finished the reading. The fear Davis felt during the siege was perfectly compared to what she felt as a child. When a child fears something, it can ruin their life or innocence. What Davis feared must have traumatized her and at one point ruined her life but she was a strong woman. Her will helped her through all the tough discrimination she faced as a black woman in 1970s America. I also felt the same kind of fear she felt as a child when I watch horror movies or when I saw a snake. It is indescribable with words and it is a feeling only one would know when they experience it.
The negligence toward the prisoner’ health was also reflected in the daily routine of the jail. If pregnant women could not afford to buy a carton of milk on the three days we went to commissary the only way they could supplement three skimpy glasses of milk they received at mealtimes would be through scheming.”
This was a very touching quote. She gave a perfect example how dysfunctional was the system. I felt pity on the pregnant woman. I also like how later in the reading she said schemed that she was sick and a doctor came to examine her, a special diet, including milk, was prescribed to her, and she shared that milk with her. It’s sad that jail system, didn’t even consider giving pregnant woman adequate diet and care. I can imagine the way they treated other women. Its very sad and disheartening the way they treated women.
"With this, the range of activities behind the walls was practically complete. It was amazing, however, how much time could be consumed in these things, most of which contributed not in the least to the educational, cultural or social development of the prisoners. The main purpose of these pastimes was to encourage, in a subtle way, obedience and submissiveness."
I find it interesting that prisons were using meaningless activities to subdue the prisoners and the same thing is happening today with the media. More and more people, myself included, watch 2 or more hours of TV or a day and do not try to learn, create, or add to society in any meaningful way.
"Knowing that my name was now familiar to the millions of people, I felt overwhelmed. Yet I knew that all this publicity was not really aimed at me as an individual. Using me as an example, they wanted to discredit the Black Liberation Movement, the Left in general and obviously also the Community Party. I was only the occasion for their manipulations."
This quote on the top of page 25, basically demonstrates the reality of the situation. Angela Davies in this quotation feels an overflow of emotion. Having found out that her name is posted throughout the country as basically a poster board of humiliation for not only herself, but the various groups she mentions. Throughout history we notice that when the dominant group of society feels threaten by the minority, they find was to down grade the minority into silence and fear.
Angela Davis realizes their tactics as she states on page 48 ," I would not let them conquer me. I transformed my frustration into raging energy for the fight." There is no doubt that Angela Davies was a strong women physically and mentally. As she fought against the mental trauma of the jail cell, for its purpose was to inflict inferiority on a person.
Page 40 "Outraged, I demanded to know what was going on, but of course there was no explanation from the officer who had silently led me away. After all, she said, she was only following the instructions of her supervisor. It was not hard to see the probable connection between the harmless discussion with the sisters upstairs about communism and this abrupt and unexplained move into solitary confinement." I think that this is one of the points at which Angela Davis realizes that her actions are taken very seriously by her jailers. They are afraid of what she is capable of accomplishing, not only outside in the free world, but also in jail. The authorities deem Ms. Davis and the philosophies she has as so dangerous that they take and are willing to take any unreasonable and drastic step to stop her from spreading her ideas. This makes me wonder about the “freedom” that citizens of the USA are entitled to. If I wouldn’t have known where this autobiography was set, I would have guessed (ironically) from this passage that this scene took place in a jail in a communist country!
"nothing was allowed inside the cells-not only were cigarettes and matches banned, but also books, writing materials" pg 31. I got the feeling that the government is corrupt. It's understanding if you ban cigarettes or pens because they can be used as weapons. reading and writing only makes you a smarter person. The people that made those rules did not want anyone becoming wiser. I have read books on people in jail who become really intelligent because they have nothing to do so they read and write.
"seeing her daughter behind bars in a filthy, mouse-ridden jail" pg 59. She has mentioned a few times about how dirty this jail is. I think it is trying to tell the reader that if you came to visit that jail you would throw up. You won't stand the smell of dead things. I think it is also trying to say that she was treated like a animal and didn't want her mother to see it and feel bad.
“Hattie left after seeing me safely into David's apartment overlooking the calm waters of Lake Michigan. Although I was glad to see him, I had grown so close to Hattie that it hurt to see her leave. When we embraced, I couldn't say thank you-those words were far too small for someone who had risked her life to help save mine.”- Page 9 (Second Paragraph)
This paragraph caught my attention because it is a great example of how bonds can quickly form during difficult times. It's as if through struggle, people can become like family. Angela Davis realizes how fortunate she is and feels it is not possible to express the gratitude she feels. I'm curious though as to what allowed Hattie to put her life on the line for someone she knew for a short time.
"David and I were unarmed. If they pulled out their weapons we wouldn't have a chance. As the frail man reached for me, I saw the guns coming out. I imagined the deafening noise of gunshots and our bodies lying in pools of blood in the corridor of the Howard Johnson motel."
This idea of a frail man who's only job is to protect those that are innocent. But because of his own frailness he does things unbefitting to his job/title or doesn't deserve the title in the first place. In this case a cop who would potentially kill a group of citizens who might possibly be innocent because of brashness or some other minor inconvenience. Angela points out how does she feel safe in a system where the people who are designated to protect you are a group of weak minded individuals who would kill you on sight without even thinking about it.
26 comments:
"And especially for those who are going to struggle until racism and class injustice are forever banished from our history" I'm assuming that for something to be "banished" from our history that means it is no longer taught. Its sort of a catch 22. If the individual/ society ever evolves to a point where racism no longer exists do we still teach our children that it did exist. By teaching that it did exist does that run the danger of reintroducing racism into the minds and hearts of future generations. For the most part I think we forget our history more so than banish it.
In regard to the origins of racism. "Psychology as it is generally practiced is not geared to cure. Often it does not reach the root of the problem because it does not recognize the social origin of many forms of mental illness." I think there is a possibility that one day it will be debated that extreme forms of racism will be considered a form of mental illness. For instance, up until around 1970 homosexuality was officially considered a mental illness. There is definitely some level of paranoia in racism. I believe that deep down inside racism is also a form of self-hatred. - Anthony Sivio
When Angela Davis writes, "I remembered how they had murdered li'l Bobby Hutton, how they shot him in the back after telling him to run. (Davis 13)," it reminds me of some of the corrupted cops we have in our societies now. The corrupted cops would lie and kill someone and get away with it.
I read a few lines that really stuck out to me. One of them on the 43rd page of the autobio says, "In a way, these officers were prisoners themselves, and some of them were keenly aware that they were treading ambiguous waters." I felt that it was interesting that even in her state of her confinement Angela Davis had the intellect enough to find parallels with those who were being forced to oppress her. In both of the hierarchical societies involved in this scenario, (Angela Davis and her being inferior because of her race and her involvement in the Black Communist Party, and the younger black female jail workers being inferior to the older black ones and the white female workers)those at the bottom of the totem pole found a way to help others even if it was in the most seemingly insignificant way.
Another quote that I almost fell in love with, had little to do with racism but the way Davis writes. While reading this, there were times when she sounded almost poetic and the words she chose made her story flow all the better, "Trapped in this wasteland inhabited by the sick" was what Davis used to describe the mental ward of the prison where people were subdued to even deeper depths of whatever mental illness they had or were prescribed to have. I felt like that quote not only described the mental ward but also the areas in which she had to escape from. The wasteland would be the cities she came in contact with where the sick (those who were infected with the "ancient plague").
On page 18, 2nd paragraph, "At age 15 I accepted some of the myths surrounding prisoners. I did not see them quite the criminals society said they were, but they did seem aliens in the world i inhabited."
In this quote I feel like Angela realizes that she will be surrounded by prisoners that she once ignored and she also realizes how society contradicts itself because they label these people as criminals and put them away but at the same time they put Angela Davis away for causing trouble as a communist. When she mentions that at age 15 she accepted the "myths" of these prisoners she now sees that she has become a myth herself because no one knows her real story.
Another quote would be on page 36 on the last paragraph, "This woman was rotting in a snake pit of racism, flagellating herself daily with her obscene and graphic imagination. In order to understand her illness, it would be necessary to start with the illness of the society- for it was from the society that she had so perfectly learned how to hate black people."
I just realized as I was writing this quote that when Angela Davis mentions society she is actually defending her belief of her communist ideologies. As common as she mentions it in her first quote about society, Angela also makes a point in the 2nd quote that because of society racism has grown like a disease. And because of society and the way it works that people have been influenced and have learned how to hate other races as well.
" Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo-obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other"(52).
I found this quote interesting and thought provoking. It is true that prisons are designed to punish criminals, however, in this situation Angela Davis was in jail and these women were not even convicted yet; while they were being treated so harshly. At that time period,1969, the prison/jail system were running a unethical business embracing intense discrimination based on race and political beliefs. Davis was not being treated fairly and was not given basic human rights due to the color of her skin and even a more ridiculous factor, her belief and support for communism. The officers were isolating her in order to prevent her from influencing others and to drive her insane. What I found very powerful though is how the women created a family system in order to keep their spirits alive. According to the text, a lot of these prisoners are innocent like Angela Davis. This text was mainly written to show the corruption of the U.S prison system. I feel empathy for those women who had to go through such injustice. The guards were indeed treating them like animals; keeping them locked up, isolated, body searches when they felt like it, mice infested cells, disgusting food, no medical care, etc. This passage also reminds me of past slavery; submissive to the master while being treated like an animal. I am not sure of the extent of how the prison system has altered today, but I know there is still corruption and it will be hard to eliminate.
" Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo-obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other"(52).
I found this quote interesting and thought provoking. It is true that prisons are designed to punish criminals, however, in this situation Angela Davis was in jail and these women were not even convicted yet; while they were being treated so harshly. At that time period,1969, the prison/jail system were running a unethical business embracing intense discrimination based on race and political beliefs. Davis was not being treated fairly and was not given basic human rights due to the color of her skin and even a more ridiculous factor, her belief and support for communism. The officers were isolating her in order to prevent her from influencing others and to drive her insane. What I found very powerful though is how the women created a family system in order to keep their spirits alive. According to the text, a lot of these prisoners are innocent like Angela Davis. This text was mainly written to show the corruption of the U.S prison system. I feel empathy for those women who had to go through such injustice. The guards were indeed treating them like animals; keeping them locked up, isolated, body searches when they felt like it, mice infested cells, disgusting food, no medical care, etc. This passage also reminds me of past slavery; submissive to the master while being treated like an animal. I am not sure of the extent of how the prison system has altered today, but I know there is still corruption and it will be hard to eliminate.
"A flock of memories fought for my attention. Walking to the subway station after school, I used to look up at this building almost every day, trying not to listen to the terrible noises spilling from the windows... My mind was now filled with the specters of those faceless women whom I had not answered. Would I scream out at the people passing in the streets, only to have them pretend not to hear me as I once pretended not to hear those women?" -Excerpts from Pg 18
"Someone noticed a sympathetic-looking white couple on Greenwich Avenue staring up in wonderment at the building, which was shaking with the clamor of protests from our floor. We called down to them that a sister has just been beaten... We were bold that evening. (I later discovered that they had spent the evening contacting contacting everyone they felt could help us.)" -Excerpts Pg 66
What I loved most particularly about the former excerpt is how Angela Davis' initial outside skepticism is then later squashed, the behavior of jail women is embraced, and her fears of being ignored are proven false.
In the latter excerpt, we see her becoming the women she recalls, and being acknowledged by the passerby's in the streets. Her fears of being ignored never take fruit, and in actuality she was not only heard in this scene but was able to recruit help to assist her. You see this reoccur in the passages often, via sympathy through the officers, cellmates, and external organizations themselves.
" The Gay life" was all consuming; it prevented many of the women from developing their personal dissatisfaction with the conditions around them into a political dissatisfaction, because the homosexual fantasy life provided an easy and attractive channel for escape."
This quote stood out to me because I was surprised of the actions prisoners take in order to forget the reality of the jail life. Creating new families and marriages made them escape the prison life and feel more at home. I could not believe that such ideas are practiced in jails nor could I imagine what decisions prisoners chose because of such poor jail life.
" We got together in our corridor, deciding on the slogans we would shout and how to make them come out in unison- even though we were going to be spread down the corridor in different cells, screaming from different windows. I had never dreamed that such powerful feelings of pride and confidence could develop among the sisters in jail."
While reading this quote, I became proud of the movement Angela has lead within the jail. She has gathered dozens of prisoners and lead a rebellion within the prison, despite the isolated communication. Nowadays, such an activist could rarely be found.
As I was reading the text, I came across a very interesting quote on page 20. Angela Davis said " But to me jail was jail- there were no degree of better or worse. And nothing could detract from the thought that they wanted to isolate me because they feared the impact the mere presence of a political prisoner would have on the other women"
Often is society murderers, robbers, and sexual offenders are viewed as a treat to the rest of society. Law enforcement do what ever it takes to arrest this type of people and trow them behind bars to keep the rest of society safe. However in this quote and during this time period politicians and civil right activist were consider far more dangerous than any other criminals. Often they were isolated or killed to keep them away from the rest of society. These type of people had unique way of influencing others and changing the way they thing. Government did what ever it takes to stop these people before they gain more followers. A lot of people such as Martin Luther King and many others were assassinated to prevent change and rebellion against the government. In this case Angela Davis was accused of being a dangerous criminal and was thrown behind bars for standing in what she believed in.
"Back at the jail I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that I only wanted to sleep. Even the hard cell cot in the "mental" ward felt comfortable. But as soon as I closed my eyes, I was jolted out of my exhaustion by piercing screams in a language that sounded Slavic. They came from a cell at the other end of the corridor. Footsteps approached the cell in the darkness. Voices tried to calm the woman in English but could not assuage her terror. I listened all to her all night until they took her away in the morning" 29-30 Davis.
This displays the harsh reality of her situation. Even tho the day went fairly well for a day spent incarcerated. When she finally was able to do what she wanted and felt some comfort, it was snatched from her in a second. She wanted to sleep but ended up staying up all night listening to the screams. What a reality check that must be.
On page 36 towards the last paragraph, Angela Davis writes "How could the woman next door to me even begin to be cured if the psychologist treating her was not aware of the way in which racism, like an ancient plague, infects every joint, muscle and tissue of social life in this country? This woman was rotting in a snake pit of racism, flagellating herself daily with her obscene graphic imagination...for it was from the society that she had so perfectly learned how to hate Black people."
Angela Davis is trying to say how Black women cannot be helped if their helper is unaware about racism (I would assume most psychologist were white men) and how racism does not affect a person mentally, but emotionally and physically. Racism could even be related to a "plague" because it is something so powerful, and spreads quickly. The women in the jail cell is surrounded by racism and being left in a solitude state allows her imagination to take over her thoughts and turn them into something ugly (they say the worse enemy is yourself.) Throughout the reading Angela Davis focuses on a lot of people, and not only makes the author feel sad towards Black women, but towards prisioners in general. She makes them seem like "normal" people...which is a view that doesn't get a lot of attention. Also, I find it ironic how a psychologists job is to listen and analyze a situation, and that is exactly what us readers do. Although we feel we have some sort of knowledge of how racism was practiced a long time ago, there is no way we can fully understand and try to relate to these victims emotions because we were not there to actually see the real thing (just like if the women got a psychologist.)
"It was a pregnant prisoner about to deliver-and soon. Wasn't anybody going to do anything? Were they going to let her have the baby right here in this dump?"(21)
Once I read this part of the passage I was so engaged in the story. I think pregnancy is beautiful, therefore my heart went out to this prisoner who was about to deliver in jail. In these two sentences,
Angela Davis shows how strong her compassion is for other people. Angela Davis put her own problems aside and became so concerned and worried about the next person. This also shows that no matter how bad the situation is there’s always someone worse off than you.
After watching the Youtube video, I find the government's decision to fire Angela Davis highly unethical. In my opinion, it is very cleat that they didn't want her teaching due to her political beliefs. The way I see it, they saw her as a threat to America because she believed in Communism; therefore, with her being a communist and a teacher at the same time, she could spread the wrong ideologies to students.
I thought that the reason the English came here was for freedom, but yet as we see; freedom is something that clearly doesn't exist in America, in it's fullest potential.
On page 13, it says "I remembered how they had murdered li'l Bobby Hutton, how they shot him in the back after telling him to run". This quote stands out to me because I have seen a film about the Black Panthers and I remember seeing that particular scene. Through this quote I can understand where she is coming from. She was very paranoid but she realized at that time she had no reason to feel that way. If the men that she was seeing at the time truly were agents then they would've have wasted no time apprehending her or even worse, shooting her.
"It was simple. I had to be worthy of them". I chose this quote because I feel like a lotnof people live by this type of motto in their lives. I know I do, especially when it comes to my family. I want to make my family proud and want them proud of me.
The second quote I chose may not be so "important" but I relate to Angela Davis without a doubt. " If you were a chain smoker, as I was at the time, and especially if you had kept your sanity and sobriety, this little ceremony was itself maddening". I do smoke, and I don't know what I would do if I couldn't have a cigarette when I wanted. Being a smoker is like being a prisoner and Angela was both. I don't know what I would do if I was in her situation, I would probably go " mad" like she stated.
"Nothing, I later discovered, absolutely nothing was allowed inside the cells--not only were cigarettes and matches banned but also books, writing material, toothbrushes, soaps, washcloths, clothes and shoes. Before being locked into her cell, each prisoner was always checked to make sure she had removed her underwear and was wearing nothing except the flimsy, light-green nightgowns she was given. A book or magazine? How could they be used to inflict injury on oneself? And toilet paper? We could not even keep a roll of toilet paper in the cell. Like dependent infants, each time we wanted to use the toilet, we had to call the officer to bring us paper."
One of the paragraphs that grasped my attention while reading was the fist paragraph on page 31. It astonishes me the way that Angela Davis was treated while imprisoned. I feel empathy for her and all the people that have gone through this. This quote refers to the treatment of prisoners and their restrictions. Angela Davis was isolated from the world while she was in her cell. I agree with Angela when she asks how books or magazines could be used to inflict injury on oneself. Instead of trying to inflict injury on oneself by being denied of certain everyday items they were going to drive them to the point of insanity. Books were designed to be read and gain knowledge from. I don't see any wrong with giving a prisoner something to read. If I were locked in a room with nothing to do all day I would surely go crazy. There are many people that need someone to talk so that they can let all the emotions that they have bottled up inside come out. I think that having a journal to write your ideas and feelings is therapeutic. Knowing that Angela and other prisoners didn’t have access to a piece of pen and paper makes appreciate the little things I have in life. This quote also makes me wonder how some prisoners that are in jail are able to have access to weapons and cell phones if they are supposedly searched and have no possible communication with the outside world. Having to depend for someone to bring you toilet paper when you have to go to the bathroom must be uncomfortable. From what Angela describes prisoners lose their right to privacy.
one thing that stood out to me was when Angela Davis said "outside in the open, entangled in my grief and anger was also fear. A plain and simple fear so overwhelming, and so elemental that the only thing i could compare it to was that sense of engulfment i used to feel as a child when i was left alone in the dark. that indescribable, monstrous thing would be at my back, never quite touching me, but always there ready to attack"
The way she wrote it stood out to me. In a sense i could feel her paranoia, that having to look over your shoulder constantly type of feeling intensified by the darkness of the night. You soon find yourself looking into the shadows waiting, expecting something or someone to come out or thinking a shadow is in the form of a person. when i read this part it made me imediatly think back to when i was a kid afraid of the dark always thinking something was in the shadows. I could really relate to her fear but the fact that she felt such fear and paranoia at her age really shows how her situation was really bad and how it affected her psychologically.
On page 23, the 3rd paragraph, I liked the statement she said. "One would have thought that this was an enormous defeat. Yet, at that moment, I was feeling better than I had felt in a long time. The struggle would be difficult, but there was already a hint of victory.
When Angela says this, it shows that even though she is locked up on all those horrible charges, she still has hope. She had a feeling that everything would be okay, even though the fight to be free was going to be tough. It also makes me think that no matter how tough things may be in our lives, we should try to find something that will give us hope to fight and move on.
Another statement is on page 32 in the second paragraph. Angela states, "The officer said I had been placed in 4b not because I was psychologically unsound, but for my own safety and to keep me from disrupting the life of jail. I was not persuaded."
I feel like Angela knew why they placed her in 4b. They knew that she was a political activist and did not want her to persuade or spread knowledge to the other inmates at the jail. The officer even stated that she did not need to be there because she was not psychologically unsound. I think Angela knew she was not going to be harmed because most of the inmates and even some officers were on her side. The jail just did not want her to speak how she truly felt about matters.
One passage that strike me interest was the one on 4-5. "OUtside in the open, entangled in my grief and anger was also fear. A plan and simple fear so overwhelming, and so elemental that the only thing I could compare it to was that sense of engulfmentI used to feel as a child when I was left alone in the dark. That indescribable, monstrous thing would be at my back, never quite touching me, but always there ready to attack. When my mother and father asked me what it was that made me so afraid, the words I used to describe this sounded so ridiculous and stupid. Now with each step, I could feel a presence which I could describe easily. Images of attack kept flashing into my mind, but they were not abstract-they were clear pictures of machine guns breaking out of the darkness, surrounding Helen and me, unleashing fire..."
This passage kept to the back of my mind after I finished the reading. The fear Davis felt during the siege was perfectly compared to what she felt as a child. When a child fears something, it can ruin their life or innocence. What Davis feared must have traumatized her and at one point ruined her life but she was a strong woman. Her will helped her through all the tough discrimination she faced as a black woman in 1970s America. I also felt the same kind of fear she felt as a child when I watch horror movies or when I saw a snake. It is indescribable with words and it is a feeling only one would know when they experience it.
The negligence toward the prisoner’ health was also reflected in the daily routine of the jail. If pregnant women could not afford to buy a carton of milk on the three days we went to commissary the only way they could supplement three skimpy glasses of milk they received at mealtimes would be through scheming.”
This was a very touching quote. She gave a perfect example how dysfunctional was the system. I felt pity on the pregnant woman. I also like how later in the reading she said schemed that she was sick and a doctor came to examine her, a special diet, including milk, was prescribed to her, and she shared that milk with her. It’s sad that jail system, didn’t even consider giving pregnant woman adequate diet and care. I can imagine the way they treated other women. Its very sad and disheartening the way they treated women.
"With this, the range of activities behind the walls was practically complete. It was amazing, however, how much time could be consumed in these things, most of which contributed not in the least to the educational, cultural or social development of the prisoners. The main purpose of these pastimes was to encourage, in a subtle way, obedience and submissiveness."
I find it interesting that prisons were using meaningless activities to subdue the prisoners and the same thing is happening today with the media. More and more people, myself included, watch 2 or more hours of TV or a day and do not try to learn, create, or add to society in any meaningful way.
"Knowing that my name was now familiar to the millions of people, I felt overwhelmed. Yet I knew that all this publicity was not really aimed at me as an individual. Using me as an example, they wanted to discredit the Black Liberation Movement, the Left in general and obviously also the Community Party. I was only the occasion for their manipulations."
This quote on the top of page 25, basically demonstrates the reality of the situation. Angela Davies in this quotation feels an overflow of emotion. Having found out that her name is posted throughout the country as basically a poster board of humiliation for not only herself, but the various groups she mentions. Throughout history we notice that when the dominant group of society feels threaten by the minority, they find was to down grade the minority into silence and fear.
Angela Davis realizes their tactics as she states on page 48 ," I would not let them conquer me. I transformed my frustration into raging energy for the fight." There is no doubt that Angela Davies was a strong women physically and mentally. As she fought against the mental trauma of the jail cell, for its purpose was to inflict inferiority on a person.
Page 40
"Outraged, I demanded to know what was going on, but of course there was no explanation from the officer who had silently led me away. After all, she said, she was only following the instructions of her supervisor. It was not hard to see the probable connection between the harmless discussion with the sisters upstairs about communism and this abrupt and unexplained move into solitary confinement."
I think that this is one of the points at which Angela Davis realizes that her actions are taken very seriously by her jailers. They are afraid of what she is capable of accomplishing, not only outside in the free world, but also in jail. The authorities deem Ms. Davis and the philosophies she has as so dangerous that they take and are willing to take any unreasonable and drastic step to stop her from spreading her ideas. This makes me wonder about the “freedom” that citizens of the USA are entitled to. If I wouldn’t have known where this autobiography was set, I would have guessed (ironically) from this passage that this scene took place in a jail in a communist country!
"nothing was allowed inside the cells-not only were cigarettes and matches banned, but also books, writing materials" pg 31. I got the feeling that the government is corrupt. It's understanding if you ban cigarettes or pens because they can be used as weapons. reading and writing only makes you a smarter person. The people that made those rules did not want anyone becoming wiser. I have read books on people in jail who become really intelligent because they have nothing to do so they read and write.
"seeing her daughter behind bars in a filthy, mouse-ridden jail" pg 59. She has mentioned a few times about how dirty this jail is. I think it is trying to tell the reader that if you came to visit that jail you would throw up. You won't stand the smell of dead things. I think it is also trying to say that she was treated like a animal and didn't want her mother to see it and feel bad.
“Hattie left after seeing me safely into David's apartment overlooking the calm waters of Lake Michigan. Although I was glad to see him, I had grown so close to Hattie that it hurt to see her leave. When we embraced, I couldn't say thank you-those words were far too small for someone who had risked her life to help save mine.”- Page 9 (Second Paragraph)
This paragraph caught my attention because it is a great example of how bonds can quickly form during difficult times. It's as if through struggle, people can become like family. Angela Davis realizes how fortunate she is and feels it is not possible to express the gratitude she feels. I'm curious though as to what allowed Hattie to put her life on the line for someone she knew for a short time.
"David and I were unarmed. If they pulled out their weapons we wouldn't have a chance. As the frail man reached for me, I saw the guns coming out. I imagined the deafening noise of gunshots and our bodies lying in pools of blood in the corridor of the Howard Johnson motel."
This idea of a frail man who's only job is to protect those that are innocent. But because of his own frailness he does things unbefitting to his job/title or doesn't deserve the title in the first place. In this case a cop who would potentially kill a group of citizens who might possibly be innocent because of brashness or some other minor inconvenience. Angela points out how does she feel safe in a system where the people who are designated to protect you are a group of weak minded individuals who would kill you on sight without even thinking about it.
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