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Yes I do know that my dads side of the family is from jamaica and my moms side is from here.Knowing your family history matters because you can learn from it.I don't know if other people think the same way, but I like to learn from my family history because it teaches you good and bad things that will be important.For example, if a kid has racist parents or family once they find that out they can make choice, they can change and realize thats not good, or they can follow on their footsteps.My grandfather has racist parents and he decided to change that and not carry those thoughts with him because he realized its not right . Thats why I think knowing your family history matters.

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why is it difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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why is it difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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It is difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives because it isn't always the full story. For example when being interviewed some ex-slaves just say what the reporter wants to hear. I also think that the story in the beginning would have been better if it was in James pov because it was happening to her and not  William Sykes pov or if  William Sykes told his own stories. Ex-slaves usually change the story up to make it more interesting instead of just keeping the story as is. Since so many Ex- slaves do so the readers have trouble believing whats true and whats not.

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Knowing your family history is important because you can learn who you are and how you are similar and different from your family. I like to learn about my family history because i can be educated on my parents beliefs and background and either have the same views as them or make my own. Knowing my family has not had racist background i have learned not to as well. Society and your family can impact who you are and who you choose to be but knowing what you families history is can be changed by you being educated.

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The difference between be a Lewis is he knows more about his great-great- grandfather. I can related to the feeling that Lewis had when he said they should run when they were enslaved, because when i found out that people was slaves I thought they can sneak out but when you are caught then i saw why it was hard to excape. When I learned about enslavment I read about how they exaped and how they hide so they don't get caught or if they where caught they were punished.

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personally I don't know where most of my family is from, however I would like to learn about it. I want to learn about this because knowing your family history can help you learn more about yourself and about the members of your family. family history is very important to a lot of people because it can help them meet new people that are like them, and learn about your family beliefs and traditions. For my family instead of celebrating normal Easter we celebrate something called Greek Easter, because my great grandma was from Greece. So in conclusion knowing and learning about your family history is important because it can help shape who you are today.

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Why It Is Important to Know Your Family History.

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Why It Is Important to Know Your Family History.

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Knowing your family history is important to some people because I think that it is fascinating to know where your family is from. I do not know exactly where most of my family is from but, I think I know most of the nationalities that I have. It is important to know because sometimes ancestry can help you learn from the past, along with traditions and what you family may do differently. Personally since my family is Finnish once a year my family spend a whole day making Finnish coffee bread. My grandma who is from Finland also told me that when she was little her family used to melt metal and the dip it into water and it would always make a weird shape and then whatever shape it was that was your lucky shape for the year. Another thing that is different in my home is that we have a lot of Swedish horses.

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I am not sure where most of my family is from, but I know that I'm Irish and Italian. I want to know more and I think it's important because knowing where your family is from can answer questions you may have. It also might affect the person you are today. I am going to try and learn more about my family history because I want to know more!

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Jacob Porkka                                                                                                 The importance of Family History  

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Jacob Porkka                                                                                                 The importance of Family History  

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My dad's side of the family is from Finland and my mom's side is from someone in Asia. But I think that knowing your family history is very important because it could help you get into a better job or a school. And you could learn the same language as your ancestors.

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I know my mom and dad both have ancestors from Portugal. But I think so many people like to study their genealogy so they can find out what they came from. They also see if it has maybe affected them in their everyday lives. Another reason people would want to learn about their family history is to get to know there ancestors.And to see how they played their part in history.

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I know my moms side has some European in her and my dad even though i don't know much about him i knew he had some Jamaican in him. I think knowing your family history is important because just knowing who you are and what happened to your ancestors can change someone perspective. Like i said i don't know too much about my dad but when i learned i have some Jamaican it made me wanna learn more about myself and my family. My family history is apart of me and knowing it could introduce me to different cultures and broaden my range of life. I think that knowing family history is really important.

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I know my mom's side of the family relatively well but no close to nothing about my father's side of the family. I would love to know more of my ancestry and about past relatives. It would also be cool to know the different cultures and places that my ancestors lived through.

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My moms side of the family traveled and moved a lot but they were originally from    Teuton but im not so sure about my dad side. All I know is that my dad side is French and Portuguese and my moms is Irish. I would like to know more about my dads side because im close with them. People probably like to study genealogies or family history because they want to know more about themselves.

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Most of my ancestors and family are from the Azores but not all. I wish I knew more about my family history/dna because that is important to know and can answer any questions other people have or myself has.I hope to know more in the future because that would be very interesting.

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Why is it so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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Why is it so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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When taking into account what Smith said and the ongoing relationship at the time between the conflict of white people vs. black people, often the so-called 'truth" of the whole story was never really revealed. Taking a look at the common stance of the time, white people and black people were truly separated. There was slavery, racism, and sexism in the world back then and it still exists today. Knowing this, when the ex-slave narratives were told, most likely a white person would interview them, judging by how black people were treated back then and not being allowed to do many things, which also helped set the world into separation and segregation. This meant that there was already an arising conflict since the world was always in chaos between which race is better or which person is better compared with another.  There could have been "foul play" per se, from either side just based on the lack of trust. When Noah Lewis read the narrative an interviewer wrote about William Sykes, his family was appalled. There was obviously no trust between white people and black people as most of his family presumed that the interviewer most likely manipulated his words. This was probably the most common reason it is not factual to only rely on ex-narrative stories. Manipulation of the words being spoken. It was a quite relatively easy thing to do, and it was a possibility that the interviewer did do that. This could be because of their own thoughts and opinions about black people, or to make the speaker sound "more black" as historians have said when dealing with ex-narrative articles. Many of the interviewers had tried to make a situation where what someone said was twisted or re-written to bring out the "authentic Black speech" they so believed to be necessary. This so-called "authentic Black speech" was also revolved around stereotypes and misconceptions about black people. For example, the words they use like "dat," "ain't," "ter," and "y'all." They also took into account that black people were commonly seen as a threat or violent, which could be why the interviewer could have manipulated Sykes' words when talking about how he beat his wife until she bled. Also, to take into account that most people being interviewed, were probably former slaves, some people could be afraid of a sudden white man/woman showing up at their door to interview them. Knowing this, many could have told the interviewers what they "wanted" to hear instead of the absolute truth. This could lead to false information and misconceptions and thus dragging the whole of humanity farther from the truth. This is why it becomes so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives due to the manipulation of words, lies, fake scandals, and conflicts between the people(white vs. black) at the time. The interviewers were also commonly from the South, or known as "Southerners." There were rarely any Black interviewers in the project as well. This meant most people were being interviewed by Southerners, and the fact that they were from the South meant that there was a high possibility that the very people they were speaking to, were in fact indeed ex-slave owners. A high risk for conflict came along with it and in all, accompanied the stories being farther out of reach from the truth.

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Why is it so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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Why is it so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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Taking a look at what Smith explained, we saw how the truth of the conflict between white people and black people was never actually revealed. Looking back upon the relationship between the two groups of different colors, we see how separation grew between white people and black people over time and how they were separated right then and there. It was extremely difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives because it was known that white interviewers would usually manipulate the narratives of the ex-slaves. The manipulation drew others farther from the real truth. Since it was a known thing at the time, white interviewers showing up uncalled for at a colored man or woman's doorstep, there was a constant fear of the concept of manipulation. The formerly enslaved would normally tell the interviewers what they WANTED to hear rather than tell the truth. This formed so many false misconceptions and opinions on the ex-slave narratives. As Smith wrote, Noah Lewis read William Skye's narrative at a family reunion. William Skyes, formerly enslaved, wrote a narrative that many believed was manipulated by a white interviewer. That "many" included Lewis's family. Lewis was a man who was doing genealogical research to learn about his ancestors. Lewis's family was shocked, appalled! They thought that Skye's words were changed. That his words looked poorly upon them as a family and the black community in general. This was yet another reason why it was so hard to trust the formerly enslaved narratives. White people made attempt after attempt to make the black community look ignorant and look like fools. Interviewers altered the dialogue of the narratives to make them seem more "authentically" black. All they did was make the narratives look down upon the community of black people. As I said, the main reason black men or women wouldn't tell the truth is essentially the fear of white people. Racism was and has been a huge part of our U.S. history. And it is again another reason why ex-slave narratives were never taken well.

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Phoebe Thorrold: The Importance of Family History

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Phoebe Thorrold: The Importance of Family History

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I read the article about the importance of family history. Personally I believe that knowing your family history and where you came from isn't that important (to me), but I understand that it may be important to some people. In my opinion, I think that family is forged through love, trust, and circumstance more than blood, DNA, and flesh. Many people may not agree with me, but this is my opinion. The first reflection question asks, do you know where your family came from? This is a hard question. I know where I was born, and where I spent the first year and a half of my life, but I do not know where my 'ancestors' came from. I suppose that since I was born and adopted from Vietnam, my bio mom's side of the family is probably also from Vietnam. However, I do not know this for sure. I also have absolutely no idea where my bio dad and his family are originally from. So, to answer the question, I have a guess that is based off of the very very little I know about my bio parents, but in truth, I do not really know. The second question of the article asks, what do you think about the idea of “natal alienation”? Well, I suppose i technically grew up with it seeing as I my knowledge of my birth and origins could fit on the back of a playing card. Therefore, I suppose I don't find it a big deal. I understand that some people may want to know where their families are originally form to connect to their roots, heritage, and culture, but it's not a massive priority for me. If you want to know, than I'm fine with that, but I'm fine with the place I'm at. My adoptive parents have been good with trying to infuse my life with culture since I was young, so I suppose I feel a little 'connected to my roots', but I don't really mind that I'm not. The next question says why do you think so many people like to study their genealogies or family history? I think many people like to study their genealogies and family history to feel more connected to their ancestors. I suppose that knowing where your family is from could help show you what their lives were like, and how they used to live, even before coming to America. It could also be fun to know exactly where your family line started, and how you got to be where you are today. the last question of the article asks how might it affect you if you don’t have access to that knowledge? Well, this may seem redundant, but I don't have access to this knowledge and I'm kind of fine with that, and it doesn't affect me that much. I mean, I guess it would be kind of fun and interesting to know, but I can cope with not knowing. I suppose I have ways of finding out but I believe that at this point, it won't do me too much good, and I've coped so far in life without knowing. I guess it affects me because I don't really celebrate any special holidays. My adoptive mom's family is originally from Poland, and they all still get together during the holidays and eat traditional Polish food, with Polish traditions. So I guess you would be affected in this way if you didn't know this information. Even with the limited knowledge I have my family and I still do some celebrating for a holiday or two. Overall, I believe that knowing your family history may be important to some people for scholarly and sentimental reasons, but personally I believe it isn't that big of a deal. If you're OK with not knowing, than I think not knowing is OK. If you want to know, I think you have the right to know.

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Robert Lin Why is it so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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Robert Lin Why is it so difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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When a white interviewer shows up on a black person's doorstep, the formerly enslaved person wouldn't tell the whole story. With a violent society, the ex-slave would only say what the society wants to hear and not tell the entire story. In the example given, the speaker might have only given one side of the story because the interviewer wanted the man to say something more negative. Maybe the interviewer kept looking for a time for Sykes to say something bad. The bad statement outshines everything else that Sykes says.

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The author of the article, Clint Smith, had a similar realization - as a kid, he also wondered why enslaved people didn’t just try to run away.  That memory, he says, now fills him with shame.  Can you relate to this feeling?

I can relate to this feeling because in first grade I thought that slaves should just run away and that it couldn't be that hard but when I was in seventh grade, I learned that it is not as easy to escape as it sounds and that if you tried and failed you would be punished severely.

When you have learned about enslavement or enslaved people, did you hear mostly about extraordinary stories of escape, or every day stories of life and hardship and joy?

When I learned about enslavement all I learned about was the extraordinary stories not the normal ones. This is probably one of the reasons why I thought it was so easy to escape slavery.

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In my opinion knowing my family history is really important. I am very Irish and Italian, but other than that I don't know much about my family or where they came from. There is so much that we don't know about the rest of the world and where we came from, and even what kind of people we are related to. If my family did not treat all people equal it is important that I have the option to not be like them.

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The Importance of Knowing Your Family History.

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The Importance of Knowing Your Family History.

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On my moms side of the family is mostly from Puerto Rico and my dads side is Portuguese and Irish. I think it is important to know your family history because you can learn things like what people did in order for you to be where you are today. I also think it is important to know your family history because you can learn how the people live and do things like cook. Some of my favorite food is the Puerto Rican food that my Papa makes.

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Me and my group chose to respond to the reflection question in part 2. That is why does knowing family history matters.  Knowing family history isn't a matter of life or death but it can be really important to someone. If you didn't know your parent then wouldn't you be curious. Family history is something a person wants to feel more connected with their roots. When Clint Smith found those stories about his ancestor he was pretty happy I assume. I would be glad if I found something about my ancestors because I don't know much about them if I did it would be important to me. So knowing family history matters to a person, it would matter to anyone if they could find things about where they came from and past relatives.

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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The first question of the article asks: Do you know where your family came from? I do know where my family came from, and that is mainly Ireland and Italy. Almost all of my mom's side of the family comes from Italy, and my dad's side of the family is both Italian and Irish. The second question asked in the article is: What do you think about the idea of "natal alienation"?. I personally think that natal alienation is terrible, and it's not fair to anyone who isn't able to know where their family is originally from because of it. Everyone should be able to know about where their family comes from, and it's truly sad that natal alienation doesn't allow them to learn about their past. The next question in the article is: Why do you think so many people like to study their genealogies or family history? In my opinion, so many people like to study their genealogies because they might be curious about where their ancestors and parents are from. They might find it interesting depending on which country their relatives are from, and they're related to a very famous person, they would be able to tell their friends about it. The fourth and final reflection question that the article asks is: How might it affect you if you don’t have access to that knowledge? For me, I would be very frustrated if I wasn't able to have any access to knowledge about my relatives, and I would be jealous of everyone around me who was able to learn about their family history. I would just feel like I wasn't privileged enough to learn about where my ancestors originally came from. I would also just feel really bad about myself overall, knowing that I would never be able to discover certain things about my family history.

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Jasmyne Fernandez
I  know that most of my family is from here but my grandma was born in the Cape Verde Islands and my grandfather is Irish.  My family history matters because I can learn so much from it and everyone doesn't  think the same way, but I like learning about my family and listening to storys my grandmother tells me.I find it crazy on how my grand parents are from 2 different complete places and the different stories they tell me are so different and some of it would never happen in how we live today. Also I think it's interesting in how everything has changed in some parts of the world; some being far more advanced while the other half is not nearly as close.

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Why does knowing family history mater?

Knowing your family history is important to people for different reasons. It can be important to know your family's past to be informed of who you are. Some people might even be inspired by their family history and be encouraged to achieve high standers or follow their families career paths.It is always good to know who you come from so you can feel good about your self if they achieved some amazing accomplishments. And knowing about your family history is important so you can teach and inform people about things they might not already know or inform people about bad things that happened to their family so they can possibly chance the present.

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Having information on your family history is important for various reasons. It can help you figure out why such things have been passed down for generations. It can help you see what your family used to do and what makes them significant. Also it could be helpful to know your family history to continue traditions and know why and how they were done in your family. You could also know where you came from. Knowing your family background can help you find what you want to do in life and maybe give you some ideas to think about.

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White manipulation of Black Narrative (Part 4)

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White manipulation of Black Narrative (Part 4)

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1.) I would rather have an autobiography because you are always evil in someone's mind so if someone else wrote it may be very biased because it will have facts but it may also be how the person writing it sees you. I also wouldn't have someone write it for me because there are some things I may only know about myself and others may not know these things, so it will be only half the story. 2.) It is so difficult to trust ex-slave narratives because people may have changed their words to make the slave owners seem less mean and cruel when in reality they were very cruel and to make them seem more "authentically black" rather than saying how they really spoke, people are different from one another and the people who tempered with their words were often trying to dehumanize or categorize them into one category as if they all acted the same and were "not smart, and couldn't talk right". All in all, you cannot trust ex-slave narratives because people often temper with their words to dehumanize them or to try and put them in one catergory.

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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My mother’s side of the family comes from Lebanon and my father's side comes from Italy and Norway. Knowing your family’s history is important to people because they learn about where they and those that they love come from. This gives people clarity about family traditions, behaviors and why they have certain physical traits. Natal alienation is very sad because people want to know their roots and where they came from. As humans we have a natural curiosity about where we come from and our history. We have a need to connect with our past and if we don’t, we get restless and search for answers. This is why so many people study their genealogies and research their family history. They want information about themselves. When people don’t have access to that knowledge they have a feeling as if something is missing. This is why a lot of adopted people search for their biological parents. They seek answers into their history and they cannot feel complete until they find them.

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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To answer the first question of the article, I do know where my family is from. My mom's side is from Lithuania while my dad's side is from Scandinavia. The article also asks what I think about natal alienation. I think that it is a very sad thing. Most people care about there family, and then think proudly back to what there ancestors did. In most cases depending on where your family is you might even brag about what your ancestors did. To have your ancestors abducted from there homeland, and then not be able to trace back any farther than the fact that they were slaves is very sad. This would mean that you could never look back on what your ancestors did for advice, or be inspired about what they did. Another question that is asked is why I think that so many people study there genealogy and family histories. I think a part of it is curiosity and a part of it is pride. It is partially curiosity because when thinking about all the possible things that your ancestors could have done you want to know what they did. Another part is pride. For example if your ancestors were vikings then you would want to brag about that and claim that you were part viking. The last question that is asked is, how it would affect me if I did not have access to this information. I think I would be sad and annoyed. I would be annoyed because I would never get to brag about my ancestors, and I would never know what amazing things that they would do. I would also be sad for the same reasons. Overall I think that knowing about your family history is a very important thing, and it is sad that some people are not able to know about there own.

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 Have you grown up with an incomplete understanding of slavery?

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 Have you grown up with an incomplete understanding of slavery?

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For the reflection question, I chose part 3 to answer. I grew up with an incomplete understanding of slavery. I think I grew up without an incomplete understanding of slavery and people who were enslaved. When I grew up my understanding was that slaves were like servants who weren't treated the best but not horribly. I didn't think much of slavery because I didn't quite understand it. In the article, the author Clint smith wondered why people didn't fight harder to get out of slavery. When I was younger and started to learn a bit more about slavery and also wondered why the enslaved people wouldn't have run. I still never knew how badly the slaves were mistreated. When Jane tells Mrs. Moore she will be free soon she was beaten until she was bloody by Mr. Moore. As I child I didn't think that those who were enslaved were treated that harshly. I started to learn a lot about many different people who were enslaved and some that escaped slavery. In school, they taught us a lot about slavery and when I heard about it I was shocked. I didn't get how a person's skin color could make someone do such cruel things to them.
I differently did grow up without a complete understanding of slavery.

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Why is it difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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Why is it difficult to trust the ex-slave narratives?

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It is difficult to trust the ex-slave interviews because of several reasons, including interviewers manipulating the dialects and stories of their interviewees, interviewees telling interviewers what they wanted to hear, or complicated relationships between interviewers and interviewees. The main problem with ex-slave narratives has to do with the fact that a staggering majority of interviewers were white southerners, many of which were descended from slave-owners. Some interviewers that were descended from slave-holders even ended up interviewing people their ancestors used to enslave, and as such, it is impossible that there was no racially-motivated bias present in these interviews, and the ways that the interviewees were portrayed. Noah Lewis, the descendant of an ex-slave, William Sykes, read an interview to his family that Sykes gave, with many of his family members remarking that the dialect Sykes was portrayed as using was most likely not his own. In the interview, Sykes is written as using a very stereotypical dialect associated with African-Americans, this particular dialect often associated with being uneducated and ignorant. Because this dialect was likely not Sykes', or if it was, it was kept in the interview, even when it could have been excluded, it is likely that either the interviewer or the publisher chose to knowingly portray Sykes as using a dialect associated with being uneducated and ignorant. This demonstrates the clear racial bias that is present in ex-slave narratives, and how the very real stories of these people were manipulated. But, it's not that the white interviewers or publishers changed the stories or dialects of their subjects after the fact is the only issue with these narratives. During a time of intense racial tension, where violence and segregation were the norm, white interviewers were entering the homes of people who had been seriously harmed and abused by people that they were either descended from, looked like, or even worked for. People of color that were interviewed were likely concerned that either their stories wouldn't be told, or that their stories would cause people to retaliate against them or their families. As such, it is theorized, and likely the case, that often times, people of color changed their stories, only telling interviewers what they wanted to hear, demonstrating the long history in America of race and the trauma stemming from the abuse afflicted on a long-oppressed people being treated as some taboo subject, that should only be discussed in clean, pretty interviews manipulated to only tell privileged individuals what they want to hear, ignoring the actual truth in favor of enforcing racist stereotypes and hiding them behind the facade of a manipulated narrative.

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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I personally know my family pretty well. I could probably trace my family tree back to my great great great grandparents. Unfortunately not everyone can know that information about where they truly come from. The idea of "natal alienation" is something that is pretty sad to think about. To think that some people's history is so scrambled up and sad that they don't really know where they originally came from as a blood line. You could be from some of the craziest places and never know about it. You will never get to meet the people that could in fact be called "your people". It's just so sad, to think that most African Americans can't exactly tie back their family history because of what happened in the past. It's heartbreaking. So many people study where they come from and want to know because they want to know what ties them to who they truly are. What cultures they should know. Where their great great grandfather or grandma first lived. All of these little details can play a big role in someone's life. It's also just important to know your history. It's what ties you with other people and its something to talk about and think about. I know that if I did not know where I had come from, originally, in the very beginning, the thought would always linger in the back of my mind. I would forever ponder where my "home lands" where. I also would never have guessed how diverse I really am. On my mothers side she is half Irish and half Latin American and my fathers side is English. Then I was born and I'm this crazy Irish, English and Latin American mix. To me that is so interesting! I would have never guessed that and it makes me happy to know how spread out my family tree is and how large my tree is. Especially on my mothers side. It makes me so happy to meet new people in my family and have them tell me their stories of life. I love it. I think that everyone deserves to experience and feel that love. Everyone should know where they come from and it's just so glum how some will never know. Things like that is what makes our earth slowly crumble. But as long as we stay with a curious mind and determination we just might be able to unlock the secrets to our family histories.

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Truth be told, I've never really asked my parents about our family heritage, however, I do know that my mom's side of the family is part Irish and my dad's side is part German. Even though I don't know much about my past heritage, I do know that if I asked my parents about it they would know the answers to my questions. Family history matters so much to so many people because of how easy it is to forget the past or to not know about it. A lot of people want their family members and ancestors to be remembered by their families for a long time, but if you don't know about your family history then you have no history to remember. People who were orphans and don't know who their parents are or where they are from want to know about their past and their family's past because without that they wouldn't have anything from their birth family. Family history can help bring people closer and help reunite families, this is why family history is so important. I think that natal alienation is truly horrible, it would be so sad to not know even the slightest bit about your ancestors and your past. I think that if I didn't know anything about my past, I would spend my whole life wonder what it would have been like if I had known about my past and my family. I think that most people who study their genealogies want to find out more about their past because it could help them find themselves.

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knowing your famliy history matter alot because of many reasons. One of the most important reasons of your health because of health condisions that may run trough your famliy so you can know. and also because of ur  heritdy

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Why does knowing your family history matter?

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Knowing family history is really important. Personally I have never asked my parents what our family history is. I didn't even think about how important it was until this moment. My family is mostly Indian so my great grandparents were probably living in some changing times. In 1947 India got its independence from the British. My great grandma is over 80 years old and she is still alive. She was growing up in those changing times. I never asked my mom if her grandma told her stories about what it was like living in those times. I can learn a lot about my family by just asking one question. The idea of natal alienation is terrible. If your kept from knowing the history of your family. There can be a change in your life if you find out that someone in your family had an interesting history. Your family members won't be lost in history they will be remembered for what they did in their life. It's wrong keeping people from knowing there family history. They need to remember there ancestors and how the things they did affect your life now. Would it have been the same? Would there have been a major change? Natal alienation stop people from thinking that because they don't know anything about their family history. People should be able to know there family history and it is very important.

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My group and I chose this story to reflect on that talks about this man named Noah Lewis that traveled to Washington D.C. to investigate more, learn the stories and history  about his great-great-grandfather a man named William Sykes that had been interviewed as part of the Federal Writers' Project ex-slaved narrative collection.  The first reflection question is the following: "The author of the article, Clint Smith, had a similar realization - as a kid, he also wondered why enslaved people didn’t just try to run away.  That memory, he says, now fills him with shame.  Can you relate to this feeling?"
My answer to this question is yes, I can relate to this feeling; I also wonder why enslaved people didn't run away, rebel against them, or try to escape. I wonder that if they had indeed escaped what would have changed? Would they have been killed, or murdered? What would have happened? I do relate to this feeling because I think that they should have at least given it a try or try to leave the place they were in or rebel against whoever had enslaved them. Furthermore the next reflection question is the following: "When you have learned about enslavement or enslaved people, did you hear mostly about extraordinary stories of escape, or every day stories of life and hardship and joy?"
My answer to this question is yes about hardship, when I learned about enslavement and the stories of people that where enslaved they weren't about how they tried to escape or amazing escape stories; there were also not about the every day stories of life and joy. They were about hardship and how they suffered, how they did horrible tings to them, how they were treated like if they were nothing else but a helping/working machine. Those are the stories I heard about when learning about enslavement.