1943 Harlem and 1965 Watts

In class Monday we discussed Ann Petry's In Darkness and Confusion, and in class Thursday we discussed the opening chapters of Walter Mosley's Little Scarlet.

The discussion of the Petry short story was spread through four groups; each group focused on a different theme from the text: education, the riot, the protagonist William's relationship to his son, Sam, and the impact of World War II on the events in the text. As we observed from our power point during class, the contradictions of the war and pervasive discrimination through defense industries had provided some of the background context for the riot. We also closely examined the connections between high wartime food prices, resentments against police brutality, and poor living conditions in Harlem. Students can check their notes against the notes on the board accompanying this post. They should note, too, that we covered some of the big themes that have been raised thus far in the course.

In Thursday's class we learned more about Watts and theories of "hostile belief systems" and the role they play in riots. We looked at those ideas from Terry Ann Knopf's Rumor Race and Riot, and then initiated a discussion of Mosley's Little Scarlet. Perhaps most notably, we framed our discussion using the opening scene, post-riot, when Easy Rawlins speaks to a disgruntled customer at a burned out shoe store. The customer had been desiring "justice" in a larger sense, not just the price of his lost shoes. As he Easy moved into his investigation of Nola Payne (and the central theme of black women comes into focus), his ability to move between different neighborhoods and spaces becomes important. He also must 'control' his behavior in order to keep his focus on the job. We moved this language of nerves and pulses into a more general discussion about the way trauma and emotion become biologized in the body - the 'self' is not 'one' with the body.

Students should note, too, that we discussed the second assignment on Thursday. Some of the vital issues students might consider for their writing are noted in the board notes here.