Please select ONE of the following questions and respond:
1) Why does Kenny's behavior after the Watsons return home worry his parents? What is wrong with him?
2) Why do you think the author describes the colors of the victims' dresses as the colors of the American flag?
3) Why does author Curtis say that those who worked for racial equality during the civil rights era are true American heroes?
Kenny's behavior after the Watsons return home worries his parents because he is withdrawn and depressed. He does not participate in any events just hides behind the couch. He also does not speak of the event and his feelings about what happened. He seems to be experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. He witnessed what happened in that church. He saw the dead bodies, the blood, and the destruction that occurred. He also had the shock thinking his sister was dead and he took her shoe only to realize it was not hers, but another deceased girl. He probably was also scared to go out into the world after what he experienced. His sense of security was lost just because of the color of his skin.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the author wanted all who read the book to understand that the victims were Americans, even if their skin color was different. So many people back then thought that African Americans (or Negroes back then) did not belong in the United States, they should go back to where they came from, not caring that they were actually born in the United States. These individuals were born in the same country as those who hated them so much beacause of the color skin. It helped the reader feel sympathy for those lost in this senseless act. The flag is sacred in the United States and so should human life, regardless of the color of their skin.
Question 1: Why does Kenny's behavior after the Watsons return home worry his parents? What is wrong with him?
ReplyDeleteKenny's behavior after the trip to Birmingham worries his parents because he is so withdrawn from everyone. He is afraid to leave his house and he hides behind the couch at “The World Famous Watson Pet Hotel.” He feels safe and secure behind the house and doesn’t think that anything bad will happen to him there. He is not talking about what happened at church and how he feels about what he saw. He can’t get the image of the girls and their dresses out of his head. I think Byron notices Kenny's behavior and tries to coax him out of isolation. What he saw in Birmingham was more than any child should have to see. He is also struggling with the reason that it happened. Like a previous poster stated, it appears that Kenny is experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has to come to grips with what he witnessed. His parents are concerned because he is not socializing with anyone.
1) Why does Kenny's behavior after the Watsons return home worry his parents? What is wrong with him?
ReplyDeleteKenny begins to act very strangely after returning from Alabama. He goes missing for long periods of time and later his parents find out that he is spending all of those "missing" hours hiding behind the couch. Kenny witnessed the horror and devastation that happened inside that church. He saw dead bodies and removed a shoe from a body he believed was his own sister. Later we find out that Kenny felt very guilty. He was ashamed of himself for not fighting to save his sister in the same way that his brother fought to save him.
I feel that the little girls who were victimized in the church bombing were wearing dresses the color of the American flag because the author wanted the reader to realize that despite their skin color they too were Americans. The mindset of the the times separated African Americans as separate from everyone else...thus not American. What the author wishes the reader to think, or rather feel, in that moment of the novel is not that the attack was merely on a race or a skin color, but rather should be taken personally by all Americans because it was their fello countrymen, or in this case children, who were being victimized.
ReplyDeleteI think that Kenny was an out going child and very helpful before the trip, and he became very withdrawn and this was very noticable. He stayed out of sight and not commucicating with anyone. No one is aware what he saw while at the church so no one knew what was happening to him. Kenny believed that being in the place behind the couch could save him or protect him from the harm is witnessed. He was very young and could not understand what went on or why it happened. He needed to discuss the situation but he did not know how. Because of his age this is understandable that he could not understand the situation in Birmingham.
ReplyDeleteKenny's behavior worries his parents because they know that he has been through a very traumatic experience and are at a loss for how to help him. What Kenny experienced and is able to "see" is so beyond anything that his family members have ever seen. Kenny's spiritual knowledge raises many questions for his parents and they in turn have no real answers. Bless his heart, you feel so badly for him behind that sofa day in and day out. If he were my child, I would have been freaking out that he would never overcome all that he had "seen." I couldn't put the book down at this point in the story....it was riveting!!
ReplyDelete3. The author, Christopher Paul Curtis wrote in the Epilogue that individuals that worked for racial equality during the civil rights movement were true Americans heroes because they took great personal risks and preformed courageous acts. Many of these individuals faced death, but still worked to achieve basic human rights for all and end segregation and discrimination.
ReplyDeleteI believe the author used the colors of the American flag because, like Karen said, he wanted us to remember that they were Americans. It doesn't matter the color, nationality, or ethnicity of a person. If they were born here or came to this country legally, they are Americans.
ReplyDeleteEven in this day and age, we sometimes need to be reminded. We sometimes forget that even though we are not the same, we are all human, and we all deserve the same rights. It seems that the same fight that was fought in the book is still going on today. We tend to look at the outward (skin color, speech, etc.), but missing the heart that beats for America!
1. Kenny's behavior changed dramatically after the event in Alabama. He was quiet, secluding himself, and no longer having any expressions. Also he was hiding behind the couch in order to magically get better. He went through a life changing event that even his parents did not experience. He saw the inside of the church and the three girls lying on the ground outside the church.
ReplyDelete2. I believe the author placed the girls in the colors of the flag to represent that they too were Americans and they died in a fight for their freedom in America. Although they were not military soldiers, they were soldiers of the Civil Rights movement.
3. The people who fought for Civil Rights fought for the basic freedom that America is suppose to provide. They opened the gateway for equality for all instead of the illusion of equality of all. They fought when it seemed as if nothing would change and when no one else would.
After the Watsons return from Alabama, Kenny retreats behind the couch to the Watsons' World-Famous Animal Hospital, which is a space behind the Watsons' couch where their injured or ill animals will hide while they heal. He's suffering from depression, even though he doesn't know it. I suspect he's also feeling a bit of survivor's shock / guilt. This is where his older brother, Byron, really steps up and starts to *grow* up.
ReplyDeleteEven though this part of the book is VERY serious, I liked the fact that the author still used humor. Am I the only one who giggled about the Wool Pooh? At the same time, it was also very heart-wrenching, especially his description of the church after the bombing. It's hard to believe, but events like this happened, and not that long ago.
I believe Chrsitopher Paul Curtis said that the people that worked for equal righs were true Americans because those people risked so much. Not only did those people risk their own lives to help other people but they also risked the lives of their own famalies. People in these days were very violent just because the color of skin was not the same as their own. I very much agree with Mr. Curtis. The people who fought for civil rights are true American heroes. They faught this very importany war at home and slowly but surely it made a significant difference in our society today.
ReplyDelete1. Kenny's parents are concerned with his behavior because he is withdrawn from society. Kenny has witnessed a devastating tragedy that can impact anyone. He hides behind a couch like an ill animal. It is very sad how he secludes himself. This part of the book was very sad to me....I felt so sorry for Kenny! Awesome book.
ReplyDeleteHannah McDonald
I think he wrote that individuals who worked for racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement were true American heroes because they took great pride in fighting for what they believed in. It should not matter what the color of your skin, how rich or poor an individual is, or whatever the circumstance; those people were Americans too.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Civil Rights Movement, some felt African Americans did not belong in this country, which is not so. They were born in this country just like the others, so African Americans deserved the same rights and freedoms as others. I think Curtis wants readers to look at those warriors in a special way which shows their diligence and endurance for fighting for what belonged to them anyway, equal rights and freedoms.
Kenny's behavior when he arrives back home from staying with his grandmother is the complete opposite as his parents remember it being. He is reserved and stand-offish. A huge difference from the loud mouthed, know-it-all they left him. He doesnt leave the house, and hides behind the couch. Reason being, he feels comfort inside the house and feels like no one can hurt him. After Kenny witnessed the devestating sight he saw at the church, girls' dead bodies on the floor, he was a little thrown back. On top of that, he even was convinced at one point that one of the girls was his sister and he took off her shoe, thankfully realizing it wasnt her. But just the fact that Kenny experienced this made his demeanor and attitude change a little. We later realize that guilt had gotten the best of Kenny and he felt guilty that he did not help with the fight.
ReplyDeleteWhen Kenny returned from his grandmother's house, he was not the same. He was quit and withdrawn. He had found a new hiding place, a safe place, behind the couch. His world as he knew it had changed. The bombing at his grandmother's church put him in a state of depression. It wasn't only the bombing but the possibility that his sister might have been killed in the explosion. He witnessed this horrible crime. He saw the bodies of three innocent little girls. Just like a couple of people before me, I believe he was going through Post Tramatic Stress Disorder. I also believe that this was a crime against Americans. Americans killing Americans because of the color of their skin. What a sad time for all Americans. The people that stood up against this hatred were heroes. They were willing to stand up and face this hatred no matter the cost. I loved this book and I am glad to have read it. Thanks
ReplyDelete#3: Curtis says those who worked for racial equality during the civil rights era are true American heroes because they faced down their fears & suffered so that all blacks & other minorities could be considered equal. You could agree that the Civil Rights Movement was one of the most intense times in the United States history since the American Civil War. These courageous people risked their lives & the lives of their families to stand up for what they believed in, hoping for a change in society. Not everyone believed in the rules of the Jim Crow South but that every person, black or white, are considered a human being & have rights just as everybody else living in America. Without these people, the United States wouldn't have made the progress it has in giving civil rights to all citizens, regardless of gender, race, or social status.
ReplyDelete3) Why does author Curtis say that those who worked for racial equality during the civil rights era are true American heroes?
ReplyDeleteI believe Curtis says that those people are true American heroes because they were the ones who risked it all to fight for racial equality. Even during very difficult time, those people were willing to lay everything on the line to fight for their rights and freedom. I think Curtis recognizes that these were the people who made a difference for all black people and other minorities today. True heroism comes from the willingness to fight and protect rights for the good of everyone no matter the cost.
I think the author describes the colors of the victims dresses as being the colors of the American flag to show the essence of a very significant part of American history. Birmingham, Alabama is a very well known city of the Civil Rights movement. Three little black girls lost their lives in dresses that were the same colors of the American flag in a city that was fueled with racial prejudices. To me the colors show that they to were American and "color" didn't matter.
ReplyDelete